Bengay: The Perfume of the 40's

I've been on this exercise kick lately because frankly I've gotten a little too soft and mushy for my liking. And the fact that my 40th birthday is mere months away (oh my gosh that freaks me out just to see it in writing) provides plenty of motivation. But working out is gross. I mean the smells, the boob sweat-stains on my shirt....it's totally disgusting. And I have to block out the fact that things are jiggling that shouldn't be. I'm not talking about boobs and bingo wings I'm talking bellies and backs. I'm seriously considering working out in spanx because the jiggling is bad for my ego. And it's not like I have unrealistic expectations. I'm not trying to fit into a bikini or look like Jennifer Aniston. I just want to work with what I've been given and firm it up. I guess I just don't want to look 40. I'd be happy looking 39 for at least another few years.

See....completely realistic, right?

Now I'm off to rub Bengay all over my sore muscles. Bath and Body Works is SO over-rated.

Meltdown Mommy Came A Visitin'

Being a full time mom is hard. And even though my love language is acts of service, there is only so much serving this Mom can give before my resources are completely depleted and all that is left is impatience, intolerance, and disdain.

And who wants that?

My wise and all-knowing husband has learned to read the signs. My usually sunny disposition takes a nose dive and even though I might not be complaining on the outside, the venomous attitudes going on inside of me usually seep out in all their mucky glory.

But it’s good that I’m able to notice it now. I’ve learned what I need to do to fill myself up so that I can be a better wife and mommy to everyone involved. And thankfully hubby knows too and is willing to do just about anything to have the old “me” come back.

So Sunday morning, the first thing that went through my head upon waking was, “I want to read the Sunday paper in bed, go run the lake, visit my grandma, and then go to the scrap booking marathon I had scheduled for that evening.” No meals to prepare, no emergencies like….

“Where is my other shoe?”

“Gabe just pooped on the kitchen floor”

“Allegra won’t play with me”

“Honey can you call these clients and make these copies for me?”

“I don’t wike pancakes fo bweakfast!”

And the minute hubby saw my Meltdown-Mommy face that morning as I rolled over with frizzy hair and dragon breath, he asked, “What do YOU want to do today?”

He immediately loaded the kids up, ran down to purchase a Sunday paper and declared the bedroom off limits to anyone under 5 feet tall. I read and snuggled in the middle of the bed…and waited for the tentative knock on the door heralding the first interruption of the day.

But it never came!

I threw on my running clothes and snuck down the stairs to the back door. Like a super spy, I closed the back door silently behind me, slid into the car and as soon as the noisy garage door was open just enough for the car to sneak through, I hit the gas and screeched down the driveway and around the corner to freedom!

I spent the whole day doing things I wanted to do. I actually got to think for several hours without being interrupted. I blogged in my head during my whole 3.5 mile walk/run, just chatting with you guys about my sucky attitude and how I was feeling better already!

(You guys are really good listeners!)

Then I visited with my Grandma, went home for a quick shower (everyone was gone…I showered in silence and with no body sneaking in for a quick pee and flushing the toilet so that I get sprayed with a blast of ice water) and then loaded up my scrap booking supplies and headed out to meet with friends.

I stayed till midnight so I didn’t have to deal with bedtime issues or a husband with “That Lovin’ Look” in his eye, and then this morning I showered early and slipped out the door for tea with a friend.

And I’d like to let you all know that sunny Gayle is back again, fresh and renewed and ready to take on whatever comes my way today.

But if it involves poop on the kitchen floor I’m sending them to Dad!

The pounds, they just keep comin’

I used to be skinny. Didn’t we all? In fact I remember in high school, being so disgusted because my upper arms were too bony and when I would lay on my stomach in the tanning bed, my hipbones would hurt as they ground into the hard plastic.

Oh to have my hipbones hurt again!

But, then I got married and started a family. My first pregnancy I was fat and happy. What a great excuse to eat anything I wanted. I gained 50 pounds.

Fourteen months later I gave birth again, but this time I ate right and exercised through the whole nine months. I gained only 25 pounds and lost it within the first 6 months. Don’t you just love the benefits of nursing?

Child number three packed on many more pounds that didn’t ever go away so by the time number four was born I was the heaviest I’d ever been. That’s when I joined a weight loss program. I learned tons of info about how to eat right and lose weight at a healthy and gradual pace. It worked, and all the weight came off. I had lost over 30 pounds and never felt so good.

But that was four years ago and my lack of self control and focus has led me to gain back 18 pounds of it. Blech!

So my goal in the May Day Weight Loss Challenge is to eat smaller, healthy portions without depriving myself of goodies, all while losing body fat and building muscle and cardio health. I plan on losing 18 pounds in the next 10 weeks.

If you are interested in the Challenge, go check it out. Because the accountability can really keep you motivated.

Low-Cal Recipe Ideas

Laura requested I share some of my low-cal recipes and then I swear I’ll quit talking about this diet stuff…at least for a little while! (disclaimer – I am no dietician!)

BREAKFAST

• One egg + ¼ cup of egg beaters, chopped veggies (tomatoes and mushrooms for me) salt and pepper and piece of whole wheat toast = 280 calories
• 1 cup oatmeal cooked in water, 1 Tbs. brown sugar, 1 oz dried apples, dash cinnamon = 266 calories
• Non-fat yogurt and Kelloggs low-fat granola bar = 209
• (from Cook Once Eat for a Week by Jyl Steinback) Tropical Muesli = 220 calories, Cinnamon Whole Wheat Pancakes = 267 calories, Baked French Toast = 305 calories. Buttermilk Banana Muffins = 197 calories.

LUNCH

• Lowfat wrap or tortilla, spread with 2 Tbs whipped cream cheese, sprinkled with shredded zuchinni and carrots, sliced tomatoes and mushrooms, and a spice mix called SPIKE! (This seasoning makes the wrap yummy. Don’t even bother eating it without this. It’s not hard to find. I get it at my local Safeway.) Oh, and I usually eat half a sliced apple with this. = 210
• Boca burger wrapped in a low-fat wrap or tortilla with slice of tomato and low-fat cheese. = 330
• Spinach Chicken Salad – Fresh Spinich, grape tomatoes, thin sliced carrot strips, 1oz crumbled feta cheese, 2 Tbs herb vinaigrette dressing or other low-cal dressing, (a little dressing goes along way if you toss it with the salad rather than pouring it over the top) and 3oz sliced cooked chicken breast. = 324 calories.

DINNER (two great books Cook Once Eat for a Week by Jyl Steinback or Fix it and Forget it Lightly by Phyllis Pellman Good)

• 40 Clove Garlic Chicken with steamed broccoli = 210 calories
• Macaroni and Chedder/Parmesan Cheese (Fix it and Forget it Lightly) with diced tomatoes marinated in vinaigrette dressing. = 250 calories
• Turkey Enchiladas = 232 calories (Cook Once Eat for a Week)

SNACKS/DESSERT

• 1 cup Sugar free jello with 2 Tbs. fat free cool whip = 50 calories
• Frosted Carrot Bars = 108 calories (Cook Once Eat for a Week)
• Orville Reddenbocker Low-fat butter flavored microwave popcorn = A WHOLE BAG EQUALS 105 CALORIES!
• Chocolate Cupcakes = 144 calories (Cook Once Eat for a Week)
  

A great resource is http://www.nutritiondata.com/. You can type in any food product and it gives you the nutrition info and calorie counts.

Oh yeah, and I'm down 2 pounds!!!

Staying Motivated While Dieting

You know, when the cellulite works its way from my neck all the way down to my calves it’s time to get myself physically back on track. The problem is that my staying-power on a diet is usually about a week, before the siren song of fresh warm brownies breaks through my motivational chants of “Burn it off, baby, you can do it!”

So, since I have an exceptional amount of diet experience (wink, wink) I’m going to share with you my Grace For Gayle Super Exciting Diet Secrets that are sure to keep you right on track. (I’m being silly, but these seriously will help!)

1. Graph your progress. I use a piece of graph paper and on the left side I have declining weights and on the top I have the dates that I weigh myself. I keep this taped inside my kitchen cupboard. When trying to lose weight, I weigh myself every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with a scale that tells ounces. Then I chart my weight changes and draw lines between the dots to graph my progress. Even when I go down by ½ a lb it makes me feel good to see that I’m actually accomplishing something more than starvation and body odor.


2. Don’t Deprive Yourself Of The Good Stuff. I NEED CHOCOLATE! It’s just a fact and that’s all there is to it. If I don’t allow myself any treats than the deprivation will finally break me and you’ll find my face buried in a carton of Ben & Jerry’s, making grunting noises. I’ve found that if I eat 5 Hershey’s kisses rather than, ahem, HALF THE BLINKIN BAG than I satisfy my craving without sabotaging my diet.


3. Eat Your Meals Off A Smaller Plate. I eat off a salad plate. That way my eyes are telling me I’m eating a whole plate full of food while my portion sizes are being controlled. Because, let’s face it, those plates aren’t real big. And by they way, put good stuff on the plate…..baked chicken breasts, fish, go crazy with the veggies. Twinkies on a smaller plate are still twinkies!


4. Reward Yourself. Before I even start, I set goals and rewards. For example, when I lose the first 5 lbs I get to order the next book on my To Read list. At 10 lbs I get to go underwear shopping. At 15lbs I get a pedicure. I’m sure it goes without saying that rewarding yourself with say, a Peanut Buster Parfait from Dairy Queen is counterproductive.


5. Find Out How Many Calories You Should Be Eating. There are a wealth of resources on the internet that you can plug in your current weight, your target weight and see how many calories you should be consuming each day to lose and then to maintain your weight. For me, when I’m trying to lose weight I eat about 1000 well rounded calories a day. By well rounded I mean lots of whole grains, fruits and veggies and protein. If it’s processed in any way it’s probably not a good choice. With the exception of chocolate of course!
   
   Try one or all of these ideas and I just bet your diet will have a longer shelf life than most of the stuff in your fridge.
   
   Go check out more Works For Me Wednesday ideas at Rocks In My Dryer.

It’s Not Just The Regular Stuff That Jiggles Anymore

The affects of a whole lotta comfort eating have finally caught up with me. We were outside pressure washing our travel trailer the other day and I looked down at my calves and thought, “Hmm, why are my legs so lumpy?” What I realized is that the cellulite has found new places to conquer, which happen to be my calves. I’ve never even HEARD of calf cellulite! (insert Shriek from Psycho shower scene)

So I happened to come across this great May Day Weight Loss Challenge and realized that accountability is just what I needed. So go on over and visit…see what it’s all about…and let me know what you think.

As for me, I’m ready to kiss the jiggly stuff good bye.

***check back tomorrow for my Works For Me Wednesday dieting tips. I've got some good ones!