humpty dumpty had a great fall

this last wednesday, i stopped doing the morning exercise thing for a while because last thursday my mother fell and broke her leg. i am now devoting my time to making my mother happy and comfortable. dad works during the day and so does my sister, so my not having a job has landed me in helper/caregiver position. it is a lot of work, so i figure i'm getting in enough exercise all day long. life has its trials and this is just another one of my many personal tragedies. ive not had time enough to think about what im eating. i serve up meals for mom all day and i try to keep she and i on a pretty balanced diet.

kick it up a notch

so i havent been seeing much as far as results. AT ALL. while biking for the past month or so every morning.
not that ive changed my eating much. which is probably a huge factor in that as well, but TODAY, i decided to start kicking it up a notch each day or every other day on the elyptical for as long as i can go AND do the regular biking time.
today when i was on the elypitcal (not sure that spelling), i FELT it. thats what i want. i want to feel it. i want to know that something is happening. kicking it up a notch may be just what i need. i'll stick with it and let you know.

wanted : will power

why do i let food control me?
if you have the answer to stopping that food from talking to you, please let me know.
this week, whoppers are yelling at me. EAT ME ASHLEY. YOUVE LOVED ME BEFORE AND YOU'LL LOVE ME AGAIN AND FOREVER. JUST A FEW PIECES.
once i start eating whoppers i cannot find a way to stop quickly.
i want to have power over food.
will power needed.

here i am!

ok, its been WAY too long since i updated this blog. life has been going on (as per usual) and i've not blogged anywhere in about a week.
exercising has been consistent still. every morning, save sundays, i am on that exercise bike for at least (and usually exactly) 30 minutes. i've upped the resistance to level 3 and put it on random so it will do all levels but never fall under level three. its been great.
today i did the weights as well. i dont do the weights as regularly as the bike, but when my butt FALLS ASLEEP, sometimes i go do the weights and then return to the bike afterward.
i told my biking companion today that it's not so much about the time or distance for me, it's the fact that I'M ACTUALLY DOING IT! and i have a buddy to do it with. its been good for both of us and we dont plan on stopping any time soon.

exercise update and meeting rundown.

sunday we didnt exercise. there was church and we decided a resting day once a week wouldnt be a bad thing, right? monday i biked 20 minutes on level 0. tuesday i biked 30 minutes on level 1. this morning i biked for 20 minutes on level 1 and tomorrow i plan to bump it up to level two and go for 30 minutes. slowly work myself up to awesome.
this week's meeting (on saturday) was about dining out and the struggles we face in doing so. our meeting leader told us that the average person eats out 5.8 times a week and in a given day 130 million people are dining out in America. wow. i know i contribute to that statistic and im working on it. i am a HUGE diet coke fan and i have a hard time without it. i dont know if im addicted to the caffeine or just really love the drink itself. either way, i should cut back on it.

Tips for dining out that were mentioned were:

budget for the foods you want to eat while out (meaning eat accordingly. if you'd like to eat a certain amount of calories, eat less calories before and after that trip)
avoid the breadbasket. or the chips...
drink a glass of water before you eat
decode the menu (look for the calorie/nutritition chart and choose something that will help you get what you want)
special order. if you dont want the mayo or the potato, TELL THEM. ask the restaurant for substitutions. find out what you want and switch to that.
skip extras. bottomless fries, "that comes with ...."
play favorites
savor the flavor
wrap it up!. ask for the take out box before your meal comes, put half of it aside if thats what you want to aim for. dont let what you dont want sit there and tempt you, and if you're feeling really strong, leave the box at the table with the food in it at the end of your meal.

remember.

That first bite tastes exactly like the last bite

things i will try and remember to tell myself next time i eat out:
i know how i got here. i dont want to do the things that put me here.
im trying to get somewhere different, so i have to do things i havent done yet.
dont eat it just because its there.
how do i want to feel when i walk out of here?
what will i feel like if i eat it? what will i feel like if i dont?

you're gonna have a good day

these past two weeks have been good. i know i havent been blogging about it, but ive been keeping track of what i eat in
THIS BOOK i covered with some cute fabric

and as of today, i can report that i am down two pounds from two weeks ago. woohooo.
AND last night my friend deb asked if i'd like to ride stationary bikes with her this morning. i said yes and thats what we did this morning after i weighed in.
so not only was i down .2 at my weigh in this week (with a 1.6 down last weigh in) i rode the bike for 20 minutes on the hill setting. i didnt know it was on hill setting until i was nearly to 20 minutes, but it was fun. we are set to do the same tomorrow morning at about the same time (9am). im excited! this is good. this is healthy. i am doing it.

getting back into the swing of things

I've been doing well!
since saturday i've been tracking what i eat.
i've stayed within my points and i think ive been reinspired by my gaining weight every time i dont track.