Bodybuilding Goals

Bamboo Steamer

Yesterday, I did a little Christmas shopping.  That’s good for me because I usually wait until the last minute, but I saw something I think my ex-husband would like.  Yep, we still exchange gifts every year.

Ex-hubby loves to grill, and he likes experimenting with new things, so I bought him this:

Now I want one.  This is a hamburger press that you can fill with anything.  Caramelized onions would probably be great.  He really likes bell peppers and onions.  Bacon and cheese sounds great to me…and that’s why I’m on a weight loss mission.

I also bought him this:

This bamboo steamer is awesome!  You can quickly and easily steam potatoes or veggies.

I’m excited over my purchases.  While I was at it, I made a list of things I want to.  I’ll write about those later.

I’m going to the Houston Museum of Natural Science today.  That will be my walking exercise for the day.  Yesterday, I walked while shopping for about 3 or 4 hours.  I was so tired when I got back home.  Shopping counts as exercise too.  Any kind of activity you add counts as long as you are moving and burning calories.  It might as well be something fun.

Wine and Ice Cream

Hey, I promised to find us some 300 calorie and 150 calorie meal ideas, but I didn’t promise they would necessarily be good for us. But really, is life without wine and ice cream worth living?

Seriously…I found this really great article with 30 meals that are 300 calories.  Just click on the link there, but don’t forget to come back here for more meal ideas to come. Also, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page here I’ve put a collection of 300-calorie and less recipe books from Amazon to browse for ideas.

Calories

As I’ve said many times before…losing weight is not rocket science. It really is all about the calories. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you eat. That’s it. That’s the magic formula.

This past year I lost 30 pounds. I’m a stress eater. When all is good, I’m slim. When things are not so good, I’m not so slim. This past January my sister got sick. It was a stressful year. She passed away 23 days ago. During that time, I changed jobs, had two root canals, and worked on launching a side business in addition to going to school full-time. I ate a lot this year, and I gained a lot of that 30 pounds back. I’m not sure how much exactly because I haven’t stepped on the scale yet. I know how my clothes fit, so I’m sure I didn’t gain it all back.


I’ve decided to do something different this year. My stress level is starting to decline a bit, so I’m ready to get back up there. I don’t cook at all, so this makes maintaining my weight a bit more challenging. I just don’t have time to cook, and if I did…well, I wouldn’t spend it cooking. I hate cooking…and I hate cleaning the kitchen. I didn’t get the domestic gene.

This time around, I’m going to watch my calories in/calories out. I’m going to have six small meals divided roughly into 300, 150, 300, 150, 300, 150 calories…or in that ballpark anyway. I’m not a very big person, and I have a sedentary job. If you are bigger and more active then of course you would want to have more calories.

I really hate cardio too, but I can do it. I love weightlifting. I keep three sets of dumbbells next to my desk, and I take dumbbell breaks (Ha! She said dumbbell breaks!) throughout the day.

I think a great combination for weight loss is calories + water + cardio + weightlifting + 2 helpings of motivation.

Since I don’t cook at all, I’ll probably eat a lot of pre-packaged meals that I can pop into the microwave. I’m going to post some 150-calorie and 300-calorie recipes, ideas, tips, and videos here. Check back frequently as I will be adding daily. I hope you join me on my weight loss mission.

Lost Mojo

Today, when I awoke I lay there in bed wondering why I was awake at 7:30 a.m. after having gone to bed at 3:30 a.m. It was then that I made the decision to start feeling better today. After 11 months of uncertainty, fear, dread, and grief, there’s nothing I can do for my sister, so it’s time to get myself healthier now. I’m not yet in the frame of mind to get all gung ho. My mojo has been missing for nearly a year. I’m taking back my mojo today, but I don’t want to set myself up to fail by doing too much too soon. I’m still fragile. I could still slip. So I’m taking baby steps.


I’m a big coffee drinker, and I’m not giving that up for any reason. Coffee is my main vice. I don’t see anything wrong with it. People always try to make you give up caffeine, but to me that’s just crazy. This morning, I went down to the kitchen and made my first cup. While it was making, I made up some water with lime. Sometimes I go all out and put strawberries or cucumbers, maybe orange. Usually, I drop in a few mint leaves, but this morning was all about simplicity, so I sliced up one lime and dropped it in some filtered water with ice.

Lime Water

I’m not much for breakfast food. I don’t like eggs much. Today, I wanted something hot and comforting. I’m not feeling much like depriving myself at the moment, so I thought instead I would add something instead of taking something away…so I added a lot of veggies. I heated a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and then dumped in a 1-pound bag of stir-fry veggies. Then, I added a cup of ramen noodles with the seasoning packet and about a cup of water. I cooked it until the noodles were soft and dished up a bowl. I can’t really say whether or not that’s a “good” or “bad” breakfast, but it’s relatively low in calories, comforting, and a lot better than other things I could be eating.

Baby steps…right now it’s all about the baby steps.

Veggies and Ramen Noodles

Carla Johnson – October 27, 1962 – November 5, 2012

It was one of those calls you hope to never get. My sister was diagnosed with cancer – stage IV osteosarcoma with metastases to the lungs. At first, I didn’t believe it. She was lying, the doctors were lying, everybody was lying. It just wasn’t true. I was angry. Anger and disbelief stuck with me until March 22nd when Sis’s leg was amputated. I started to realize that people weren’t lying. Surely she wouldn’t have her leg amputated if it wasn’t true…would she? Yes, I knew I was having crazy thoughts. The brain is a funny thing.

I Googled stage IV osteosarcoma with metastases to the lungs. It said Sis had eight months. Eight months.

Sis was tough. She hung in there until November 5th. We laid her to rest two days ago. Her pain and suffering are over.

During this time, I didn’t take care of myself. I have stepped on a scale, but I’m sure I did damage to the 30 pounds I lost. I can still wear my smaller clothes, but I lost my mojo. I haven’t been exercising. I’ve been eating whatever.

My heart aches terribly, but today I’m going to start baby stepping my way back up. This wasn’t the year I thought it was going to be, but it’s not over yet. Today is a new day. I will get up each day and breathe and put one foot in front of the other until something changes. Yes, today is a new day.