montanaliving

It seems that I typed up a post for yesterday, but when I tried to post it, this site took me to the sign-in page, losing everything I had just typed up. Grrrr!  Sometimes I really hate electronics and all the internet stuff!

I  haven’t been “on the ball” so to speak on this blog.  I actually keep one up on another site, and I write on that on much more often.   I have a handful of followers who start e-mailing me if I start to lag… nothing like a kick in the ass to get me going again!

Now on to the regularly scheduled post for today:

I, like SO many other people the world over, started a diet and a promise to myself to eat better, exercise more, and in general get myself healthier.  It is now January 15th, and I have to say I am not doing too bad!  I have had a few slip-ups, but years of bad habits are hard to break.  The biggest change I made is eating breakfast.  Sometimes it is only a meal replacement bar (Special K) or drink, other mornings I have a bowl of Special K cereal.  I don’t know if I feel better, or if my metabolism is “jump started” by eating a breakfast or not.  I do know that I used to start my day with a Mountain Dew for the caffeine kick, and now I don’t seem to need it.  In fact, I have cut all daily caffeine drinks out of my diet.  I have had a few sodas in the past 15 days, but not the two or three a day like I was doing.  Last Saturday I made a pot of Hazelnut coffee and drank 3 cups during the morning.  I didn’t get jittery, but I could feel the kick for most of the day…in fact, I had a bit of trouble falling asleep that night.  It is amazing how long the stuff stays in your system.  I have been a soda drinker for many years, and I was raised drinking home brewed iced tea, so my body became SO used to the effects of caffeine that I could drink tea, coffee, or soda right before bed and it wouldn’t affect me.  Now that I have cut WAY back (almost totally), my body has become sensitive to the drug.

Back to the diet… If I become hungry before lunch, I drink a South Beach “meal on the go”.  It is a packet of dry drink mix, but it has protein and fiber.  All with only 40 calories.  Not bad for a snack!  Lunch has been those little pre-packaged tuna lunch packs.  Sure, they cost a bit more than a can of tuna and a box of crackers, but the portion size packaging is a life saver.  Some afternoons I tend to need a snack, with a craving for something sweet.  I bought 100 calorie packs of Twinkies, and popcorn (kettle corn flavor).  I drink water, or flavored vitamin water throughout the day, too.  All sounds well and good, huh?  Then there is DINNER!  UGH!  This is where I tend to fall off the boat.  Many days I do OK, but lately I have been tempted.  Monday night I  had to do some errands in town, it was after 8pm and I was starving.  I opted for a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger from Wendy’s.  I didn’t get fries or a soda, just the burger and a water.  Ohhhh, it was SOooo good!  Yeah, it was a slip, but hey, I didn’t go all out and get a huge double burger (1/2 lb of beef)!  I was amazed that the little burger actually filled me up and I didn’t need any other food later.  Notice I said “need”.  A friend of ours had made Neslte bar cookies on Sunday and sent some to my house.  I walked by those cookies all evening, finally giving in.  So much for will power! LOL

Last night (Tuesday) is my only TV night.  Joe and I plan for an evening “in” sitting in front of the telly watching NCIS, The Mentalist, Without A Trace, the local news, then if we are awake enough, Letterman and Craig Fergusen.  This has traditionally been Pizza and hot wings night.  Since many nutritionists say everyone needs a “free” day (just don’t go overboard), so we have decided to eat healthy all day, then order a pizza…trying to stay away from the really greasy toppings.  We have been doing pretty good at this, and lately we don’t even finish the pizza.

All in all, I think we are doing fairly OK with the diet thing.  I have lost three pounds, so far, but I don’t measure success until I hit the five pound mark.  If I can counteract my weightloss with a few glasses of water I can’t allow myself the satisfaction of thinking I have lost a few pounds.  Maybe in another 15 days I will have lost enough to actually have made a difference.