A crazy week

This is going to be a crazy week.

Monday, I am going to try to get in a walk.  My usual time to do this would have been in the morning, but Marissa has a dentist appointment, so I will try to get a walk in the afternoon.  Tuesday, I am taking my usual Tuesday night walk with my group.  The afternoon may get crazy, as Sweet Pea(our cat) has a vet appointment.  Wednesday, Rory leaves for Vegas, so the house will be calmer.  Thursday and Friday, I think, will be normal and Saturday, we are taking the train to San Diego for a field trip.

Sunday was Father's Day and Rory's birthday and we went out for brunch, which was enjoyable.  I tried to make good food choices, which I feel I did.  I really have an issue with going out, as I want to stay on track, as I am so close to 60 pounds and I don't want to blow my momentum.  I needed a break today from walking, as the last 3 days has been intense and my body needed to recover.

Monday, my weight was up. I am back on food plan and I am really trying to work on staying in the moment.  Thank goodness, I am doing that, as this day did not go as planned.  I took Mari to work and ran an errand on the way home, which was planned.  Marissa had a dental appointment and I ran another errand.  I decided to take Marissa out to lunch and I got a salad, which I thought was a good choice.  Usually, I have small group on Monday night, which was cancelled.  I was planning to take a walk in the afternoon, which I did with a friend.  It was nice to stay home that night, as I had been running like crazy.

Tuesday, my weight was up again.  I stayed on food plan and today was another busy day, as Sweet Pea(cat) had to be at the vet by 10.  Rory is getting ready to go out of town and he is tense, when he gets ready, so he is really not fun to be around.  Marissa was feeling stressed, so I told her to go to her room.  Rory went out for the majority of the day and I had some quiet time.  Marissa and I went to pick up Sweet Pea and came home.  We left at 4 to pick up dinner and then get Mari and take Mari to a church function and Marissa and I went with my group for a walk.  We got frozen yogurt after we picked up Mari.  Marissa got sick from all the stress she has been dealing with.

Wednesday my weight was down and I have been on food plan all day.  I took Mari to work and then went for a walk, that had not been planned, as Marissa usually has therapy on Wednesday.  Since Marissa had been sick, she did not go to therapy and I just wanted to go for a walk by myself, which felt really good.  Came home and had lunch.  The house was quiet, as Rory had left and it was just Marissa and I.  I got lots accomplished, which felt good.  Overall, a good day.

Thursday, the weight was down and I am staying on plan.  Tonight, Mari and I are going out for dinner and we have our usual 5 mile walk, with frozen yogurt afterward.  Mainly a day at home working on photos and a blog post for Secret Stairs.(gypsymomtravels.blogspot.com)

Friday, the weight was the same as yesterday and I am staying on plan.  Mari and I have a hike tonight with our hiking group.  There will be frozen yogurt afterward.  Except for getting a hair cut, it is mainly a day at home.  I am totally enjoying the peace and quiet around the house.

Saturday, the weight was down.  Mari and I went to San Diego.  We got sandwiches to take with us and got coffees.  We walked all over the USS Midway, which was a lot of stairs and walking.  It was a fun day.

Overall, the weight was up for this week.  This week, I am eating from home for the majority of meals, as I am bound and determined to reach 60 pounds down.

DINNER MENU

Sunday-Tuna, Spinach, Veggies and Rice
Monday-Turkey Burgers
Tuesday-Turkey Chili
Wednesday-Shrimp, veggies, Quinoa
Thursday, Chicken, Rice and Veggies
Friday-Chicken Quesadilla
Saturday-Macaroni and Cheese with Turkey and Tomatoes

EXERCISE

Sunday-None
Monday-5+ mile walk in Newport
Tuesday-Hicks Canyon Walk
Wednesday-Balboa Island
Thursday-Shady Canyon walk
Friday-Laguna Beach hike
Saturday-None

Trying to stay on normal routine

Sunday was normal for breakfast and then we took a hike and ended up having brunch with the group after the hike.  I learned I needed to take snack with me on the hike as I got shaky about half way through the hike.  I had egg salad, strawberries, deviled egg and cherries and a muffin.  When we got back to the car, we got a sandwich and then came home and had a regular afternoon snack and regular dinner.  My weight went up.

Monday was a normal routine for eating.  I did a 4+mile hike and then we got ice cream after the hike.  I lost the 2 pounds I gained.

Tuesday is so far being a normal routine.  My plan is to do an approximately 5 mile walk tonight and get frozen yogurt.  Weight went down another .6 pound.

Wednesday was on track and I did a 2.8 mile walk.  We had a sandwich for lunch and potato salad, which were planned and the weight went up .4 pound.  I am ok with this, because I am learning.  I may have hit the weight my body wants to be, so we will see.  This is a life style for me of eating healthy and exercising.  I do want to do more hikes and work on my fear of dirt trails, coming down rocks, etc.

Thursday is going to be on track, except for the fact that Mari and I were going to go out to eat and now, because she is not working, we will eat at home.  I have a 5 mile walk planned for tonight, as well as frozen yogurt.  Thursday was on track and I did walk 5 miles and I lost another pound.

Friday has overall been on track.  Mari had an interview this morning and when she was done, it was close to lunchtime, so we went to Rubio's and got lunch.  I have a walk scheduled for tonight.  The walk was great and a friend of mine pushed me on the way out, which was good for me.  The weight stayed the same.

Saturday was sort of on track.  Breakfast and dinner was according to menu.  Saturday is field trip day and we went out for lunch and I made a wise choice.  We did a Secret Stairs walk, which was rough and it was hot. Drank lots of water.  Lost .2 of a pound.  I am .4 of a pound away from 60 pounds overall.

Overall this week, I lost 2.4 pounds.

MENU FOR THE WEEK

Sunday-Roast, as this is Father's Day and my husband's birthday
Monday-Turkey chili
Tuesday-Fish with rice or it maybe leftovers from brunch, which would be salmon with quinoa and green beans
Wednesday-Naan pizza
Thursday-Possible Mexican food
Friday-Chicken on a tortilla
Saturday-Chicken Fried Rice

EXERCISE FOR THE WEEK

Sunday-None-needed a break, as the last few days have been intense
Monday-Possible walk at the beach
Tuesday-Irvine walk
Wednesday-Balboa walk
Thursday-Irvine walk
Friday-Evening walk
Saturday-Field trip to San Diego

Trying new things-some work, some don't

This past week was a week of trying some different things to see if they would work or not.  Mari's work schedule changed, so we decided to go out for dinner before our walk on Thursday, rather than my bringing dinner with me.  We also met up with Mari at lunch on Wednesday at a healthy place, which was nice, but I need to remember to order salads.  Friday, I went out with some friends for dinner and Saturday, I was in a class all day and we went out for lunch.  Some choices, while eating out were good and others were not so good. Overall, my weight went up .4 pound, which I am ok with.  This week will be more of eating either at home or from home.

My exercise was good and I stuck with schedule and yesterday(Sunday), I tried something new and I felt I did well.  Coming down the hill, I was slow and did not have the confidence others had, but going up, I did good.   I will keep doing these hikes, so I can gain more confidence.

WEEKLY MENU

Sunday-Chicken Curry with rice and veggies
Monday-Chicken in Peanut Sauce with rice noodles and veggies
Tuesday-Shrimp and Quinoa with veggies
Wednesday-BBQ Chicken with potato salad
Thursday-out
Friday-Chicken Chow Mein with veggies
Saturday-Salmon

EXERCISE

Everyday, I do 130 leg ups and sit ups

Sunday-Hike-which was about 2.3 miles, but a lot of up and down hills.
Monday-Pier to Pier walk-Meetup group-Sunset hikes and outdoor fun
Tuesday-Jeffrey Open Space Trail-Meetup group
Wednesday-Balboa Island on my own
Thursday-Shady Canyon-Meetup group
Friday-San Clemente-Meetup group
Saturday-Secret Stairs

Stuck-is my body adjusting?

What I eat and how I exercise has become a life style for me.  I was concerned about eating too much on Saturday, when I went out with my daughters and a friend, but I made good choices and the weight has been staying the same.  I am pleased, as I am at my lowest constant weight.  I really would like to lose another 15 pounds, but I would be happy to get down another 10.  I am just going to stick to the journey I am on and see what happens.

Sunday for lunch, I had left over salad from Saturday and Monday, Mari and I went out for lunch and I had a salmon salad, that was really good from Bear Flag in Newport Coast.  Highly recommend their food.   The weight stayed the same until Thursday, when it dropped another .4 pound and on Friday it dropped another .4 pound, which was the lowest amount I have been on this journey, but then Saturday and today, I am back up.  Overall, I am up .6 pound, but for the last month, I am down about a pound, which I am happy about.  On Saturday, Mari and I and a friend of hers went to LA and overall I made wise food choices and we did a lot of walking.  Today, I am back to eating at home.  This past week, I, also had a sinus infection.  My doTerra essential oils really helped with the sinus infection.

MENU FOR THE WEEK

Sunday-Chicken, Veges and Couscous
Monday-Chicken with Peanut Sauce and Rice
Tuesday-Ground Turkey, Mushrooms, Turkey Gravy, rice and Broccoli
Wednesday-Salmon
Thursday-Chicken wings with potato salad
Friday-Burritos
Saturday Teriyaki chicken

EXERCISE FOR THE WEEK

Sunday-None
Monday-Walk
Tuesday-Walk
Wednesday-None
Thursday-Walk
Friday-Walk
Saturday-None

Mari has an internship in Laguna Beach, which may affect my schedule, but we will see.  I am hoping not!

Balance and pushing

When I started on Sunday, I was at my lowest weight in this journey.  I had taken two 5-mile walks on the previous Thursday and Saturday.  On Sunday and Monday, I took two 3-mile walks and my weight went up, but I am still lower than I have been.  I am learning what is my maintenance mileage and where I can actually lower the weight.

I saw a friend on Monday and she complemented me on what I looked like and she really didn't think I needed to lose more weight.  I have 15 more pounds to lose to get to my goal weight.   When I do get to my goal weight, I do plan to stay on this same food plan and I do plan to stay with the same walking routine that I am currently doing.  I am going to start incorporating some hiking into my routine and I am doing this because my daughter and some friends hike or want to hike and I want to join them.  Doing this will make me work on one of my fears, but I know with their help I can do this.

This week has been pretty good, as I have stuck with my menu!  Tuesday night, we did an almost 5 mile walk and went for frozen yogurt.  Wednesday was a chaotic day, but I kept to plan, except for frozen yogurt and the weight still decreased.  Thursday the food was good and I had a 5+ mile walk and the weight back to what it was on Sunday.  This journey is still a matter of tweeks as I get lower, but I know that is normal.  Saturday we went out for lunch and I was good and got a salad and will have enough salad for Sunday.

This week, the weight stayed relatively the same, which I am happy about, as this is my lowest weight, in this journey.

DINNER MENU

Sunday-Chicken with rice and bell peppers
Monday-Shrimp with diced tomatoes, rice and veggies
Tuesday-Turkey chili with chicken and mushrooms
Wednesday-Fish and rice
Thursday-Chicken and spinach quesadilla
Friday-Shrimp and orzo
Saturday-Chicken, mushroom and couscous

WALKING SCHEDULE

Sunday-3 mile walk in Dana Point
Monday-3 mile walk on Balboa Island
Tuesday-5 mile walk in Irvine
Wednesday-possible 3 mile walk on Balboa Island
Thursday-walking in Laguna, not sure of the mileage.  Possible walk in the morning
Friday-3-4 mile walk near Mission Viejo
Saturday-no walk

Challenges

Good Sunday morning!  My weight loss for this week was 1.8 pounds.

Church last week had an Expo and they had some snack foods I should have not eaten, but I did and it showed in my weight, but overall I am thrilled with my weight.  This is the lowest weight I have been on this weight loss journey.

This week I have decided to challenge myself on some walks/hikes that I have not been doing, because I was making an excuse that I could not do early mornings.  YES I CAN!

Mari graduated on Monday and I made overall good choices when we went out to dinner.  Most of the walks I did, except for Friday, when we were having maybe rain and I was sick with a cold and decided to rest.  I use essential oils and they are awesome.  Mari and I did a 5 mile walk on Saturday in Irvine and the Thursday walk was also 5 miles.  I treated myself on Thursday to frozen yogurt.

DINNER MENU

Sunday-fish with rice and broccoli, lemongrass and basil

Monday-turkey chili with turkey bacon

Tuesday-fish burritos

Wednesday-chicken with mushrooms, rice and spinach

Thursday-chicken curry with noodles, cilantro and mint.

Friday-Turkey Burgers with white cheese

Saturday-Salsa Chicken with rice and vegetables


WALKING

Sunday-Walk at Dana Point

Monday-Secret Stairs walk in Los Angeles

Tuesday-Walk in Irvine

Wednesday-Walk at Balboa

Thursday-Walk in Irvine

Friday-I will walk, just not sure where

Saturday-Not walking

Keeping up and learning all the time

Overall the weekend was not good!  I am really learning that I need to stay on a structured schedule, but give myself some grace for when things happen.  On Saturday, Mari and I did go for ice cream at Salt and Straw in Los Angeles and on Sunday, I overate and the weight reflected it.  Starting Monday, I was back on track.

On Monday, Mari's graduating class had a get together and her teacher brought food, which I overall stayed away from, with the exception of grapes.  We did go out for dinner and I made a wise choice in having salmon, rice and a salad and I did have gelato, but I still lost some weight.

Tuesday was mainly a day at home and being good with food.  We did get a walk of about 5 miles with our Tuesday night walking group.  I was feeling hungry after the walk and slightly light headed, so I wanted to get some protein.  Mari wanted to stop at Starbuck's for a refresher and I got a reduced fat turkey bacon sandwich, which was about 230 calories.  This seemed to help.

I have learned that many times when I put on weight from not eating according to plan; once I get back on my structured food plan, the weight comes off until I get to where I have been in the past and then we come to a screeching halt and that is currently what is going on.  The girls and I went to try a coffee/tea place that I had read about and then we went to Whole Foods to their salad and hot food bar, which I love.  The rest of the day has been good and I did take a walk.  Now I am starting to hit the part of the week when food goes downhill, but this week has been a different schedule, so that may help.

Thursday was good and the weight has been continuing to go down. Friday, instead of a salad, I did a wrap from Starbuck's.  I have not been able to do a walk the last couple of days due to the rain. Overall, this has been a good week.   Saturday, Mari and I went down to Torrey Pines to do a walk.  My food was good all day!  This week I lost 1.4 pounds over the last week.

Dinner Menu for the week

Sunday-a mixture of chicken, vegetables, rice and scrambled eggs.
Monday, we are going out for Mari's graduation
Tuesday, we are having salmon
Wednesday, we are having Orange Chicken with chow mein
Thursday, we are doing chicken, mushroom and couscous
Friday, we are having chicken, vegetables and couscous
Saturday is chicken with cilantro, Spanish rice, diced tomatoes and onions

Walking schedule for the week

Sunday went for a walk around our hill
Monday-no walk
Tuesday-walk in Irvine
Wednesday-walk in Balboa
Thursday-walk in Irvine
Friday-walk somewhere near us
Saturday-walk somewhere in Orange County