Yesterday I had my first brush with 'real life' eating, in this food budget that I am on. Not only did Dale drop by with a Robin's Donuts breakfast sandwich ... but he issued a supper invitation at the same time.
I had a slight moment of anxiety as the sandwich was placed before me. But I thought "This is life ... juggle the numbers ..." And I did. I savored every morsel of that sandwich because it was so foreign to my taste buds after a few weeks of carefully considering the food I consumed.
Then, he issued a supper invitation. Not only was I trying to figure out how I would accomplish what I had to do last night, if I accepted his invitation ... I was immediately wondering just how I would juggle the calorie load.
What feels best about this food 'budget', is that nothing is off limits. I can satisfy a craving, I can go out and eat what is offered and I have some room to negotiate the numbers and still succeed in consuming less calories than I would have before.
I'm anticipating budgeting in some of my favorite snack foods some day. If I juggle the numbers and have some low-cal snack options on hand ... I can still indulge myself in a mini feast of the (usually) forbidden items on any other healthier eating plan that I have tried.
My digestive system doesn't even work properly if I don't allow myself to eat what my body craves. If I feel like something is completely off limits, I crave it in the worst way. Just knowing that I can consume what I want to, creates a completely different mentality for me.
I feel like I am on the right road. If I continue to follow this plan (I have given myself a 6 month goal), I should notice some difference. Even if I can simply stop the upward spiral that my weight has been taking, that will be a start.
It feels good to balance the budget ... in all areas of life.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Budgeting Life
Not only am I balancing my calorie intake and my finances lately, I am running short on time so I now have that 'budget' to balance too.
The positive thing about balancing my food intake, is that it has saved a small fortune on groceries, snack items and take out food. My financial state of affairs is looking much better than I anticipated it would, as this month comes to an end.
The other good thing about concentrating on exercise and moving more, is that it is very time consuming. There is no time at the end of the day to fritter away. No idle time = less time to eat. Less time to eat = balancing the calorie budget.
The pitfall of this, is that it feels like there aren't enough hours in the day. I have book keeping work that I squeeze into my babysitting days, with the family history book looming on the horizon. I dance 2 nights a week, there are the mundane errands that must be run week after week and this exercising takes up an extraordinary amount of time. Anything above and beyond ... runs over the allotted time budget.
I didn't realize just how tightly I had my life scheduled until Dale invited us out for supper tonight. I had to figure out when I would get the errands run that were on tonights agenda. He took it as an insult. It wasn't that ... it was just a timing issue.
Then there are the TV programs that I have started following. I tape everything so I save 15 minutes per hour (as I fast forward through the commercials). But I am obsessed with keeping up to date on 'my shows'. I am so excited that the season is winding down to a close! I just don't have time to watch an extended amount of TV in this new found busy life.
I should really get up an hour earlier so that I can exercise in the morning. If life gets any busier than it is at the moment (which really isn't all that busy), something will have to go. Exercise has been tossed by the wayside far too long. It's time to bump up its priority in my allotted time budget.
I am enjoying the outlook of a more diversified life that isn't driven solely by what can be accomplished in a short time frame. Taking time to sit back and relax (which is why I'm sure there will always be at least one TV show that I have to watch) is something that I must work into the budget. Taking time for friends and family is at the top of the list. A social life is starting to be something that I yearn for ... but it's just not in the 'budget' right now. Soon.
How did I ever manage to work in my Saturday job? I have filled those 6 hours that I worked with at least triple the amount of obligations. The difference being, that it is work that can be done on my terms, within my home and squeezed in between everything else that I have going on around me. I love having that control. It works well in my 'time budget'.
I have a busy season ahead, after a long dormant one. I used to be far busier than this. I have just learned to recognize the value of keeping life in balance. As necessary as it is to keep busy and vital, it is also important to have down times. I'll just continue to 'juggle the books' and make it work.
The positive thing about balancing my food intake, is that it has saved a small fortune on groceries, snack items and take out food. My financial state of affairs is looking much better than I anticipated it would, as this month comes to an end.
The other good thing about concentrating on exercise and moving more, is that it is very time consuming. There is no time at the end of the day to fritter away. No idle time = less time to eat. Less time to eat = balancing the calorie budget.
The pitfall of this, is that it feels like there aren't enough hours in the day. I have book keeping work that I squeeze into my babysitting days, with the family history book looming on the horizon. I dance 2 nights a week, there are the mundane errands that must be run week after week and this exercising takes up an extraordinary amount of time. Anything above and beyond ... runs over the allotted time budget.
I didn't realize just how tightly I had my life scheduled until Dale invited us out for supper tonight. I had to figure out when I would get the errands run that were on tonights agenda. He took it as an insult. It wasn't that ... it was just a timing issue.
Then there are the TV programs that I have started following. I tape everything so I save 15 minutes per hour (as I fast forward through the commercials). But I am obsessed with keeping up to date on 'my shows'. I am so excited that the season is winding down to a close! I just don't have time to watch an extended amount of TV in this new found busy life.
I should really get up an hour earlier so that I can exercise in the morning. If life gets any busier than it is at the moment (which really isn't all that busy), something will have to go. Exercise has been tossed by the wayside far too long. It's time to bump up its priority in my allotted time budget.
I am enjoying the outlook of a more diversified life that isn't driven solely by what can be accomplished in a short time frame. Taking time to sit back and relax (which is why I'm sure there will always be at least one TV show that I have to watch) is something that I must work into the budget. Taking time for friends and family is at the top of the list. A social life is starting to be something that I yearn for ... but it's just not in the 'budget' right now. Soon.
How did I ever manage to work in my Saturday job? I have filled those 6 hours that I worked with at least triple the amount of obligations. The difference being, that it is work that can be done on my terms, within my home and squeezed in between everything else that I have going on around me. I love having that control. It works well in my 'time budget'.
I have a busy season ahead, after a long dormant one. I used to be far busier than this. I have just learned to recognize the value of keeping life in balance. As necessary as it is to keep busy and vital, it is also important to have down times. I'll just continue to 'juggle the books' and make it work.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Out of My Comfort Zone
Well ... after thinking far too long and far too hard, I've finally taken the tentative first steps out of my comfort zone again. I have contacted the members of my dad's family to try to get together so we can write the 'story of their lives'.
When I put together Mom's family history last winter, no one really totally comprehended what I was trying to do. It gave me free rein to do anything ... from going all the way ... to cutting corners ... to quitting altogether. But I had a picture in my mind, a title for the book and I could visualize the end result. So I persevered.
This time is quite a different matter. Last fall, I mailed out a few copies of the book (that I had compiled, of my mom's family) to my dad's brothers so that I could put out some feelers to see if they would be interested in compiling their family's story.
The interest was there, but a lot of the family takes an extended winter vacation so we decided to wait until spring to get together and really start the process.
I had 6 long months to ponder the wisdom of this endeavor. 6 months to allow the negative self-talk seep into my consciousness. 6 months to fret and stew over the idea. 6 months to hear the thought "What was I thinking??" repeatedly come to mind.
I also had 6 months to think about what direction I would like this book to take. 6 months to think of who I wanted to 'speak' to, how I wanted people to feel when they read it and to try and come up with a new way to tell a very similar story as the one I put together for my mom's family.
The first time around, I dove right in without thinking too hard. I worked feverishly to get the book started and completed within a short time frame. It was if I may never restart the project, if I let it idle. I needed to prove to myself that I could accomplish that goal.
This second time around, I've had a lot of time to sink my teeth into what I really want to accomplish. I don't have a deadline looming, but I do expect a lot more out of myself now. I've set the bar higher for myself, and it's a little intimidating.
Dad isn't here to tell his story, nor is his older brother. At one point, I wanted to write this for them. But after a season of pondering the whole idea ... I want to speak to their families.
A person doesn't realize what a gift it is to be able to talk to a parent, as an adult child. To be able to sit down with your mother or father and hear them speak of life as they see it and tell you little things that you can pass along your own children. When you have that, you don't realize just how special it is. To lose a parent before you can hear them tell the story of their life and pass along the lessons they have learned along the way leaves a void in that part of your history.
I hope that this next book project of mine passes along those stories and lessons to the next generation. A sense of our family's history ... a feeling of who our grandparents, parents and relatives are ... and something that we can hold onto when our parents are no longer here, to tell it as it was.
I'm diving in head first now. It's a little uncomfortable at the moment ... but I can picture the finished product. I still need a title and a 'theme' for the cover but I'm sure that once I get comfortable with the whole idea, that will come.
When I put together Mom's family history last winter, no one really totally comprehended what I was trying to do. It gave me free rein to do anything ... from going all the way ... to cutting corners ... to quitting altogether. But I had a picture in my mind, a title for the book and I could visualize the end result. So I persevered.
This time is quite a different matter. Last fall, I mailed out a few copies of the book (that I had compiled, of my mom's family) to my dad's brothers so that I could put out some feelers to see if they would be interested in compiling their family's story.
The interest was there, but a lot of the family takes an extended winter vacation so we decided to wait until spring to get together and really start the process.
I had 6 long months to ponder the wisdom of this endeavor. 6 months to allow the negative self-talk seep into my consciousness. 6 months to fret and stew over the idea. 6 months to hear the thought "What was I thinking??" repeatedly come to mind.
I also had 6 months to think about what direction I would like this book to take. 6 months to think of who I wanted to 'speak' to, how I wanted people to feel when they read it and to try and come up with a new way to tell a very similar story as the one I put together for my mom's family.
The first time around, I dove right in without thinking too hard. I worked feverishly to get the book started and completed within a short time frame. It was if I may never restart the project, if I let it idle. I needed to prove to myself that I could accomplish that goal.
This second time around, I've had a lot of time to sink my teeth into what I really want to accomplish. I don't have a deadline looming, but I do expect a lot more out of myself now. I've set the bar higher for myself, and it's a little intimidating.
Dad isn't here to tell his story, nor is his older brother. At one point, I wanted to write this for them. But after a season of pondering the whole idea ... I want to speak to their families.
A person doesn't realize what a gift it is to be able to talk to a parent, as an adult child. To be able to sit down with your mother or father and hear them speak of life as they see it and tell you little things that you can pass along your own children. When you have that, you don't realize just how special it is. To lose a parent before you can hear them tell the story of their life and pass along the lessons they have learned along the way leaves a void in that part of your history.
I hope that this next book project of mine passes along those stories and lessons to the next generation. A sense of our family's history ... a feeling of who our grandparents, parents and relatives are ... and something that we can hold onto when our parents are no longer here, to tell it as it was.
I'm diving in head first now. It's a little uncomfortable at the moment ... but I can picture the finished product. I still need a title and a 'theme' for the cover but I'm sure that once I get comfortable with the whole idea, that will come.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Lovin' the New Math
5 days does not a success make ... but in the 5 days that I've been tracking my calorie intake and calories burned, I am feeling confident that I'm on the right track. It is like I'm on a food budget.
I have had a mini calculator running inside of my head ever since I started saving up for the tape recorder that I bought when I was 12 years old. How long will it take to save 'this much', if I get 'that much' allowance?
I graduated from saving, to budgeting real life costs when I married at 17. I vividly remember sitting in the truck (as I waited for my husband-to-be as he checked into completing his grade 12), adding up our upcoming living expenses verses income. I was in desperate need of validation in those days and I begged my new husband to tell me why he loved me. He thought for a millisecond and said "Because you are good with money." Not the answer a newlywed is looking for, but it is something that I lived up to throughout the decades that followed.
Managing debts, managing money, financial planning courses, learning to adapt to whatever it was that I was earning at the time ... it was all a mathematical problem. You shouldn't spend what you don't have. Otherwise you end up in debt.
Managing calories is much the same. If you keep eating more than you burn off in a day ... you will gain weight (especially after you turn 40).
I don't know when I went from an 'eating to live' mentality, to a 'living to eat' one. At pivotal points in my life, I always seemed to turn away from or turn to food. One particular formula that worked wonders for keeping me slim and trim was:
High stress levels + Forgetting to eat + Nervous energy = A very lean body.
Lately, the formulas have been more like:
Lonely + potato chips = a pound here
Needing a reward + ice cream = a pound there
Crave adult company + 8 cookies = a pound in places I didn't know I had
Watching TV + candy = a pound to sleep on
Reading + any kind of food = an extra pound in case of emergency
Habit + food = pounds everywhere
My food consumption was emotional. Hunger had nothing to do with it.
By counting calories, I have automatically become motivated to 'spend' them wisely. Choosing foods that are low in calories at several points in my day allow me some room to indulge in my comfort foods. Nothing is taboo. I can eat whatever I want to, but if I want to stay within my budget I have to find low calorie, sustaining meals that allow me my favorite snacks.
I have been listing my snack option calorie count, so when I'm looking for something to nibble on I tend to check my list first. Maybe if I combine a few low cal options, I can have 2 snacks instead of one. I can still have ice cream if I want to ... but I need to 'spend' less on lunch if I want dessert.
This is not rocket science. People have been counting calories forever. I'm just new to the game. I needed to make my food habit into a game - not something where I felt like I was depriving myself of my favorite foods. Juggling the books is something I have always been able to manage when it comes to budgeting. Juggling calories is very similar.
I'm on a new path that is comfortable. I'm in competition with myself. As I track and graph my calorie intake, calories burned and weight I am motivated to keep the numbers going in the direction I choose.
Yesterday, I finally managed to consume close to the amount of calories that I would need to, to start the process of losing weight. That, combined with burning extra calories as I added exercise and a short walk to my day made me feel like I was back in control.
I jumped on the scale this morning to see the impact of one day. It isn't going to happen over night, but at least this is one day that the number on the scale didn't increase.
As I look at my graph where I have a visual picture of my success (even if the scale is planning to hold out on me for a while), I am excited. The calorie intake line has been on an (almost) steady decline ever since I started tracking my food intake.
I am finally headed in a direction that feels right. Budgeting and math are my strong suits. Turning this into a competition within myself is motivating me. This is no longer about depriving myself of my favorite comfort foods. It is about trying to find a way to 'juggle the budget' so that I can have it all.
I have had a mini calculator running inside of my head ever since I started saving up for the tape recorder that I bought when I was 12 years old. How long will it take to save 'this much', if I get 'that much' allowance?
I graduated from saving, to budgeting real life costs when I married at 17. I vividly remember sitting in the truck (as I waited for my husband-to-be as he checked into completing his grade 12), adding up our upcoming living expenses verses income. I was in desperate need of validation in those days and I begged my new husband to tell me why he loved me. He thought for a millisecond and said "Because you are good with money." Not the answer a newlywed is looking for, but it is something that I lived up to throughout the decades that followed.
Managing debts, managing money, financial planning courses, learning to adapt to whatever it was that I was earning at the time ... it was all a mathematical problem. You shouldn't spend what you don't have. Otherwise you end up in debt.
Managing calories is much the same. If you keep eating more than you burn off in a day ... you will gain weight (especially after you turn 40).
I don't know when I went from an 'eating to live' mentality, to a 'living to eat' one. At pivotal points in my life, I always seemed to turn away from or turn to food. One particular formula that worked wonders for keeping me slim and trim was:
High stress levels + Forgetting to eat + Nervous energy = A very lean body.
Lately, the formulas have been more like:
Lonely + potato chips = a pound here
Needing a reward + ice cream = a pound there
Crave adult company + 8 cookies = a pound in places I didn't know I had
Watching TV + candy = a pound to sleep on
Reading + any kind of food = an extra pound in case of emergency
Habit + food = pounds everywhere
My food consumption was emotional. Hunger had nothing to do with it.
By counting calories, I have automatically become motivated to 'spend' them wisely. Choosing foods that are low in calories at several points in my day allow me some room to indulge in my comfort foods. Nothing is taboo. I can eat whatever I want to, but if I want to stay within my budget I have to find low calorie, sustaining meals that allow me my favorite snacks.
I have been listing my snack option calorie count, so when I'm looking for something to nibble on I tend to check my list first. Maybe if I combine a few low cal options, I can have 2 snacks instead of one. I can still have ice cream if I want to ... but I need to 'spend' less on lunch if I want dessert.
This is not rocket science. People have been counting calories forever. I'm just new to the game. I needed to make my food habit into a game - not something where I felt like I was depriving myself of my favorite foods. Juggling the books is something I have always been able to manage when it comes to budgeting. Juggling calories is very similar.
I'm on a new path that is comfortable. I'm in competition with myself. As I track and graph my calorie intake, calories burned and weight I am motivated to keep the numbers going in the direction I choose.
Yesterday, I finally managed to consume close to the amount of calories that I would need to, to start the process of losing weight. That, combined with burning extra calories as I added exercise and a short walk to my day made me feel like I was back in control.
I jumped on the scale this morning to see the impact of one day. It isn't going to happen over night, but at least this is one day that the number on the scale didn't increase.
As I look at my graph where I have a visual picture of my success (even if the scale is planning to hold out on me for a while), I am excited. The calorie intake line has been on an (almost) steady decline ever since I started tracking my food intake.
I am finally headed in a direction that feels right. Budgeting and math are my strong suits. Turning this into a competition within myself is motivating me. This is no longer about depriving myself of my favorite comfort foods. It is about trying to find a way to 'juggle the budget' so that I can have it all.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Healthy Nourishment
I'm making a conscious effort to feed myself what I need to nourish my body and spirit these days.
Rediscovering my enjoyment of homemade soup has rekindled an interest in not only eating healthier (and less) ... but the added bonus of the saving on the grocery and take out food expenses.
My body and mind feel cleaner and clearer after a day of eating nourishing food and eating a moderate amount. So far, this feels better and more natural than any of the 'cleanses' that I have tried in the recent past.
I decided that one other thing that my body and mind needed, was to move. I climbed back on the exercise wagon this morning and it felt great. Physically exerting myself works miracles for my state of mind. Those positive ions are starting to work their way back to the surface. I can feel them grasping for air and begging for more of the same.
I finished reading 'Marley and Me' tonight. As I have immersed myself in suspense novels lately, I thought I was in need of internalizing some uplifting thoughts. I have seen the movie (Marley and Me) ... but the book is so much better. I love when a writer can make me laugh out loud. I can't say that my favorite suspense authors have me chuckling to myself too often.
I tossed in 3 hours of book keeping into the mix today. It was a task that I thought may never end. But it did. It provided a sense of accomplishment to the days events.
A conversation with my mom ... a short stroll ... (finally) taking down the outside Christmas lights ... and my day felt like it was in perfect balance. I could add a bit more adult companionship into my days, but I'm content with my own company. So days like this are okay.
I 'fed' myself only what I needed today. A well balanced day, like a well balanced meal ... leaves a person feeling satisfied and content.
Rediscovering my enjoyment of homemade soup has rekindled an interest in not only eating healthier (and less) ... but the added bonus of the saving on the grocery and take out food expenses.
My body and mind feel cleaner and clearer after a day of eating nourishing food and eating a moderate amount. So far, this feels better and more natural than any of the 'cleanses' that I have tried in the recent past.
I decided that one other thing that my body and mind needed, was to move. I climbed back on the exercise wagon this morning and it felt great. Physically exerting myself works miracles for my state of mind. Those positive ions are starting to work their way back to the surface. I can feel them grasping for air and begging for more of the same.
I finished reading 'Marley and Me' tonight. As I have immersed myself in suspense novels lately, I thought I was in need of internalizing some uplifting thoughts. I have seen the movie (Marley and Me) ... but the book is so much better. I love when a writer can make me laugh out loud. I can't say that my favorite suspense authors have me chuckling to myself too often.
I tossed in 3 hours of book keeping into the mix today. It was a task that I thought may never end. But it did. It provided a sense of accomplishment to the days events.
A conversation with my mom ... a short stroll ... (finally) taking down the outside Christmas lights ... and my day felt like it was in perfect balance. I could add a bit more adult companionship into my days, but I'm content with my own company. So days like this are okay.
I 'fed' myself only what I needed today. A well balanced day, like a well balanced meal ... leaves a person feeling satisfied and content.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Will Spring Ever Come to Stay??
It's snowing this afternoon (although these pictures didn't really capture it so well). On the bright side, I doubt we'll have to shovel. But ... we were outside in bare arms a few days ago. This weather is such a tease!
Just Another Math Problem
I like numbers. Numbers make sense. There is an absolute right and wrong answer. There is always some way to figure out a mathematical solution to a question.
I have never counted calories in my life. I've been lucky enough to have a metabolism that worked well for me (for the first 46 years of my life anyway). Even as the weight continued to find its way onto my body, I assumed that I would adjust my eating patterns and all would work out ... eventually. Obviously that hasn't happened (thus the excess padding I'm sporting lately).
As I checked into the Weight Watchers website and found their point system and various tracking methods I thought that I would start keeping track of my calories expended and taken in. It's been an eye opening experience.
First off, I wasn't going to let food that had a shelf life go to waste. So I just ate what I had in the fridge this week and calculated the calories I was eating. The 4 sale items that grabbed my interest on last weekend's grocery trip were: potato salad, macaroni salad, pie and ice cream. It took the better part of 5 days to consume them (there is still lots of ice cream left) but the price that I paid ($18.00) wasn't such a deal when I added up the calorie intake (an average of 2400 calories a day).
It's complicated math. A bargain in my pocket book doesn't necessarily equal a bargain on my waistline.
I made home made chicken soup for the kids yesterday and tallied up the calories for one serving. Now that was a mathematical formula for success!! One half of a left over chicken breast; 3 carrots; 3 stalks of celery; 1/2 an onion; 3 boxes of store bought chicken broth (I should have had turkey broth on hand); and a cup of rice equals a bargain for my budget. And at 240 calories (including 6 crackers), it was a smart way to eat.
I do believe that I've stumbled onto a formula that may work for me:
Home made soups + exercise = weight loss
Making soup in bulk and having it on hand will take away the 'what will I grab for supper' blues. Not only will I save money and calories ... but in the long run, I'll save time as well (more time to exercise).
On the bright side, my high calorie week didn't cost a lot. I tallied up all the food I consumed since Monday and I spent a total of $40 to feed myself for 5 entire days. When you think of how easy it is to spend an average of $8.00 on a take out entree (which is only one meal out of 3 ... and 9 times out of 10, a person is craving a snack shortly there after), I would say that though this week didn't spell weight loss at least I didn't break the bank.
If I can turn this weight problem into a math problem, I think that I just may find my solution.
I have never counted calories in my life. I've been lucky enough to have a metabolism that worked well for me (for the first 46 years of my life anyway). Even as the weight continued to find its way onto my body, I assumed that I would adjust my eating patterns and all would work out ... eventually. Obviously that hasn't happened (thus the excess padding I'm sporting lately).
As I checked into the Weight Watchers website and found their point system and various tracking methods I thought that I would start keeping track of my calories expended and taken in. It's been an eye opening experience.
First off, I wasn't going to let food that had a shelf life go to waste. So I just ate what I had in the fridge this week and calculated the calories I was eating. The 4 sale items that grabbed my interest on last weekend's grocery trip were: potato salad, macaroni salad, pie and ice cream. It took the better part of 5 days to consume them (there is still lots of ice cream left) but the price that I paid ($18.00) wasn't such a deal when I added up the calorie intake (an average of 2400 calories a day).
It's complicated math. A bargain in my pocket book doesn't necessarily equal a bargain on my waistline.
I made home made chicken soup for the kids yesterday and tallied up the calories for one serving. Now that was a mathematical formula for success!! One half of a left over chicken breast; 3 carrots; 3 stalks of celery; 1/2 an onion; 3 boxes of store bought chicken broth (I should have had turkey broth on hand); and a cup of rice equals a bargain for my budget. And at 240 calories (including 6 crackers), it was a smart way to eat.
I do believe that I've stumbled onto a formula that may work for me:
Home made soups + exercise = weight loss
Making soup in bulk and having it on hand will take away the 'what will I grab for supper' blues. Not only will I save money and calories ... but in the long run, I'll save time as well (more time to exercise).
On the bright side, my high calorie week didn't cost a lot. I tallied up all the food I consumed since Monday and I spent a total of $40 to feed myself for 5 entire days. When you think of how easy it is to spend an average of $8.00 on a take out entree (which is only one meal out of 3 ... and 9 times out of 10, a person is craving a snack shortly there after), I would say that though this week didn't spell weight loss at least I didn't break the bank.
If I can turn this weight problem into a math problem, I think that I just may find my solution.
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