Figuratively Buried Alive

Greetings!

I've decided to take some time to myself and enjoy much lunch and blog in the next hour.  Life's been stressful and I'm slowly but surely burying myself in work.   It's clockwork though.   Each new semester, I find myself overwhelmed and kicking myself for not being more proactive with prep work.   I'm wishing I had done more with my prep work this summer when I was only working part time.   I've been feeling disorganized in the last week and it seems like I have a million things to do each day.   I'm trying to not use my free time on weekends either.   I want to devote that time to tasks at home, ventures out & about, church, Jon, and Gavin.  We've been busy on weekends too so even if I feel like I truly need to work, I usually can't.   I'm a little worried about this weekend's venture to Chicago.   I'm more than excited to go but I have a nagging voice in the back of my head saying "You're going to be so behind come Monday morning."   Stupid self-conscience. 

Despite work being stressful, I do have a lot of good things happening with my health.   I'm pleased to announce that I lost 6 lbs this past week.   I honestly thought it was about 1 pound.   I gained last week due to poor tracking and my wonderful time of the month.   I wanted to lose that 2.8 lbs that I gained but I'm not going to complain about losing an extra 3.2 lbs.  I'm especially pleased because we attended a wedding on Saturday and my attention to the foods on my plate really helped at the scale.   I'm not a huge cake fan.   I seriously contemplated a piece of cake but decided to eat some of the delicious mints they offered.   You know those mints....I think they are made from cream cheese and molds are used to create flowers, bells, etc.   I had them at my graduation party back in 2001.   In the past, I would have still grabbed a piece of cake simply because it was there and everyone else was eating a piece.   Heck it would have probably been 2 pieces of cake.  I was also mindful with my other food choices.   I didn't load my plate down with chips.   The savory food item I did feast on was deviled eggs.  I love those things and they were wonderful.   I kept track of my points and did use some of my extra points for the week.  

Jon and I are planning to visit a nice steakhouse in Chicago this weekend.   I'm planning to get a pasta dish that incorporates pesto and asparagus.   I had it last year when we visited the same eating establishment.  Jon is planning to get a bison steak.   I'm planning to have a martini or two as well.   Alcohol is a bitch on Weight Watchers (alcohol sugars = a lot of points) but I want to indulge a little bit on our mini trip.   We also plan to walk a lot and burn calories. 

I've also been pretty diligent with taking a daily vitamin.   I'm taking a basic multi-vitamin for women (One a Day brand).   Ironically, I didn't take one this morning due some issues with oversleeping and severe panic with getting out the door on time.  Taking a vitamin on a regular basis has been a goal of mine for YEARS.   My mom helped reinforce this habit when I lived at home but I fell off the wagon when I left home in 2001.   I had some success when the gummy vitamins were introduced a few years ago.   I'm back to taking a basic non-chewable tablet.  

I'm also flossing like a champ lately.  I'm getting really sick of paying the dentist oodles of money so I want to prevent cavities in between my teeth.   I also have receding gum lines and flossing helps to slow that.   It's become a nightly ritual.   I've been scolded about flossing for as long as I can remember.   Hopefully my dentist sees improvements at my next 6 month check-up. 

Exercise and extra physical activity continue to be a challenge.  My Weight Watcher leader made a valid point last night.   I need to write my planned workouts in my schedule.   If it's in my schedule, it gets done.   If I keep it on my mental "to do" list, I continually put it on the back burner or let my fatigue at the end of the day take precedence.   I'm paying about $20 a month to use a gym.   I want that bill to actually relate to how much I use the gym.   I could be doing more exercise in the neighborhood too.   There is a walk/run path in the park across the street....come on Jenny. 

I was actually concerned about this week's weight loss because I did do some nightly grazing in the kitchen in the last two weeks.   I sit down in the evening, the TV is on, and I get that urge to snack.   I need to keep a handle on that too so I'm not eating extra, unnecessary calories right before bed.   If I'm truly hungry that's one thing....if I'm just eating to eat, that needs to stop. 

So the good news is that I'm almost at a 15 lbs weight loss.   I hope to be at a 20 pound lost at the end of October.   The season of food is starting up though.   Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas goodies.   Sigh.   Bring it on.