My Friday And Saturday: Not Quite As Planned

My Saturday plans didn’t go as planned.

I’ll rewind to Friday night.  After I PASSED my test for my Supervisor Academy training I was spent.  I was so glad to no longer have to study and can once again binge watch TV in my spare time.  Which really who am I kidding because I still watched way more TV instead of actually studying.  But alas, it is done and I can now collect $0.30 more per hour here soon.

Anyway, I was out running errands when Jamie called and asked about the balloon night glow that was taking place in one of our parks downtown.  The Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic was currently going on and Friday night they lit up a dozen or so balloons that are tied to the ground.  Despite feeling tired I rallied and we headed down there.  I am so glad we did.  I enjoyed my visit with Jamie and her girls are just too cute.  (They wanted to be on the blog).

The Saturday morning plan was to get up SUPER early after going to bed SUPER late and watch the morning balloon launch.  I met Kenyon at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then rushed downtown only to find out it was cancelled due to weather.  Total bummer.  I had actually planned after the balloon launch to walk around downtown and hit up the Farmer’s Market.  I would have had two hours to kill so I ended up going back home.  Unable to take a nap I headed back downtown to meet up with my friend Rebecca and walk around the Farmer’s Market.  We had lunch at Costa Vida and hit up Trader Joe’s.

The fresh tortillas are my favorite part

I got a text from Jamie as Rebecca and I were at lunch and she and her girls were planning to come to the market.  I dropped Rebecca off and bummed an ice pack so I could keep my few perishable items cool enough while I met up with Jamie.  We walked around the other part of the Market (our Market had a pissing match a few years ago and it split into two different ones).  This side has more of the produce where the other side has food, crafts, and vendors.  Kelley Orchards has my favorite dried fruit and I was happy to see this is where they relocated.  Jamie wanted to purchase a peach but they had just rung the bell to stop any further sales.  The gal at Kelley Orchards just gave her the peach.  How nice was that?  Buy fruit from them.  They are awesome!  And they have yummy dried fruit.

I love our downtown Boise area.  We stumbled across an old fire truck out for display.  Here are some photos of my day.

I bought this AMAZING homemade spread called Tapecini from the company Urban Rustic Gourmet.  It is a mix of olive tapenade and I think a roasted red pepper dip.  I had sampled this a few weeks ago and again on Saturday.  I had to get some and I am so glad I did.

What I Ate Today (Thursday)

Thursday started with oatmeal. I have been loving oats and peanut butter lately.

I planned to eat out during our lunch break at training. I redeemed one of my sandwiches on the GroupOn punch card I bought a while ago at Pot Belly Deli. I had the club with spicy brown mustard and then just combined it all on half of the bread. I packed some carrots and celery with dip from home as well as some honeydew. However, there wasn't any outside tables so I had that later in the day.

The messed up my sandwich order TWICE so she gave us a free brownie. They also offer free cookies if you eat there and we also tried a peanut butter one. I was happy to have a coworker with me that wanted to share. As it was we didn't eat it all, the beauty of free stuff.

I ate my veggies and dip and honeydew toward the end of training. Despite having a snack I also snacked on this bakery granola I bought at Albertson's earlier in the week. It is really good and very addicting!

I finally rounded up some dinner and made mini meatloafs served with green beans. I was pretty much out of points due to the sandwich and unplanned dessert.

The drive for more dessert and a trip to frozen yogurt was weighing on my mind. I had to continually remind myself that I didn't need dessert and I had some earlier in the day. Plus, being out of points helped! I did snack on some grapes while I studied for my test before calling it an early night.

My food is way out of whack lately.

About To Wrap It Up

I am so close to being finished with my two week Supervisor Academy training course. Two weeks has felt very long and I'm not even one of the many that are from out of town. At least I get to go to my house each night. I'm not stuck in a hotel or dorm room and forced to eat cafeteria food three times a day. It could always be worse eh?

It has been a long two weeks and I am ready to see it come to an end. I have really enjoyed spending time with the troopers and other members of ISP in the training class. I don't enjoy tests and presentations though so this has taught me that going back to school is not something I'd be interested in right now. I also miss the flexibility of being at a computer all day. I'm not sure I'm cut out for 9-5. For now, I'll keep my shift work schedule and my three days off!

Kenyon has two weeks of night shift left and then he will rotate to days with me where we have weekends off. September is going to be a busy month and will fly by before I know it. I am very much looking forward to mid/late month where Dawny comes to down for a visit. We are going to complete the Fit One 10K. Should be tons of fun.

Well....a group presentation and one final test is all that stands in the way of me and an extra $0.30 an hour. Lets do this!

What I Ate Yesterday (Tuesday)

Do as I say and not as I do.

I have been really lax in my food photos lately. I'm sure part of that is because I have also been lax in my food choices all together. It has not been a great few weeks for tracking and healthy eating. I am working to make this week a better one starting with TRACKING! That is my number one priority this week.

Here is what I ate on Tuesday. Tuesday was a training day. I had not been counting PPVs for the last week and a half so I didn't even measure my portions and I didn't pick the healthiest option when we ate out at Cracker Barrel.

My day started with potatoes, pepper, chicken sausage, eggs, and honeydew.

I had leftover Hawaiian party food of pulled pork, coconut Jazmin rice (sooooo delicious), and this yummy pineapple coleslaw my Mom makes.

I snacked on some (unpictured) Girl Scout Cookies and Starburst candy in the afternoon during my training class. I am working this week to have a substantial healthy snack available, not have the candy with me, and try to avoid the boredom eating.

After training I went to Maui Wowi and got this huge 32 oz iced coffee for just $2.45. What a steal!

We went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. I had the Country Fried Chicken. It is a true classic and very good. I ate all the potatoes and carrots, half the cornbread dressing, and about half the chicken. I had half a biscuit and one whole cornbread muffin.

Thrive Idaho Update

I was hoping to be able to pop in with my Thrive Idaho update and share with you my recent cholesterol results. I test my cholesterol each year. You don't HAVE to check it each year. However, as a WW member you need other focus besides just the number on the scale and so checking my cholesterol helps me see a bigger picture. While I have not yet gotten the results (I'm impatient) my doctor did send me a note telling me all looks good and there isn't any need for follow up. Yeah! She also sent in the health questioner for Thrive Idaho. That is the last thing I need to collect my points and earn my $250 cash reward. Sweet.

I signed into the Thrive Idaho portal to get signed up. The first step is filling out a health assessment. It took about 15 minutes and asked several questions of diet, exercise, mental health, and also has a place to enter in your cholesterol numbers. I'll add that in when I get my results. So far, here is what it says.

The only big red mark was that I am a Moderate Risk.

“Your BMI of 29.9 indicates that you are overweight. (Ideally, your BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9.)” I already knew I would be over the BMI numbers. Even when I was at my doctor goal weight that I have set with WW of 175 I am still considered overweight by the BMI standards. I don't really put much value into this number. It is obviously one indicator and it doesn't even separate men from women. So everybody that is 5'6” is “supposed” to weigh 155. Um...no thank you. It further stated that “carrying excess pounds increases your risk of developing health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. If you're having a problem losing weight, see your doctor.”

I was really happy to see the overall wellness score.

“Your overall wellness score is 94 out of 100.

You are at a LOW risk state of health based on your answers to the health assessment. Keep up the healthy behaviors!” That made me feel really great!

The second part is to get your health questioner signed off by the doctor. She has submitted that for me. The third and fourth steps are to watch videos and take quizzes. This one cracked me up.

What are three of the five tips for eating healthy?


a) Use whole grain bread, drink half of a soda instead of a whole soda, and eat slowly


b) Eat cookies, stand while eating, and put extra butter instead of salt


c) Use whole grain, eat fruits and vegetables for snacks, and use skim or 1 % milk

Um....I'll go with B? Sure sounds good doesn't it. Mmmmmm....cookies.

I chose to do some courses on back pain and really enjoyed watching the videos and getting some tips on stretches. There are several classes to chose from and they range from a few weeks to 12 weeks. It can be pretty individualized based on what health criteria you are looking for. They had smoking secession and hearth health to name a few. You also have the option to speak to a health coach or a personal trainer. I'm very impressed with the Thrive Idaho site and I am glad I have taken part in it.

The Doctor Appointment

I had my annual physical a few weeks ago. Normally I have no issues, despite the usual feelings you have when getting a pap smear and breast exam, and I really love my doctor whom I only see once a year. However, this year was not like the last five years of doctor visits. This year I was feeling major anxiety. It was that old nagging fear of having to step on the scale and have the doctor see that I have gained weight. The night before my appointment all those old memories of my pre-WW days flooded my mind. Would I be getting “the talk” about my weight? Would she be disappointed? Maybe I should just explain it all upfront before she even says anything?

I had posted this photo on my WW Buddies Facebook page before I headed for my appointment. I shared with them the anxiety I was feeling and that looking at this photo made me feel proud of all I have accomplished despite being over goal for almost a full year (another blogpost coming on this topic). 

I went into my doctor appointment deciding that instead of blabbing to my doctor of what has been going on this last year I would just wait and see how the appointment progressed.  My fears were instantly put to rest when the doctor walked in and said, “look at you Skinny Minnie.” I thanked her and laughed. Then I blabbed all I had planned to tell her about my anxiety, the scale, and what had been going on since I last saw her. I have such a big mouth! Regardless, the reason I love this doctor so much is because she knows me. She knows my story, knows where I started, and knows what I continue to strive for. I really do wish I had a reason to see her more than once a year. But I guess it is good that I don't.

If you are reading this and feeling doubts about your success due to the number on the scale, try and shift your focus to something more positive. It is VERY difficult. We should not be defined by the number on the scale. It doesn't determine success or failure. I am up about 10 pounds from my last doctor's visit a year ago. It didn't come without struggle, sweat, tears, and also some pretty low days. 

But it also came with many positive days, some acceptance, and the ability to know I am stronger than I think I am. I can continue to hang in there when things get rough.  

Week Two Of Supervisor Academy

I am headed into my second week of Supervisor Academy. Despite my major test anxiety I passed my first of two exams by only missing one question. Whew. This week we have a presentation and a test. We also have a new instructor for the week.

I'm learning a lot in Supervisor Academy.

I'm pretty sure my coworkers would agree to this one. I'm the vocal one at work.

Let's get this party started.

Hawaiian Party Fun

Good Morning!! It is another late start for me as I slept in. I needed the rest and frankly I just didn't want to get up.

I had good intentions of taking lots of photos of our Hawaiian party yesterday. 

I hardly ever picked up my phone so I guess that is a sign of a good party. We had just the right size group (despite still lots of leftovers) and we had tons of fun. I had also planned to take photos before the party started so you could see all my decorations. I won't share any now as it looks like a true after-party! I still need to clean up and put decorations away today.

I make my usual pulled pork recipe to serve to my guests. My Mom brought some sweet and sour meatballs. Both were a big success. My pork roast recipe was a tip I learned off a blog. Skinnytaste had this recipe for making Hawaiian pulled pork and I have been using it for several years. I always use a pork roast and trim as much fat as I can. I let it marinade overnight with some liquid smoke and sea salt and then put it (including the liquid) into the crockpot. Cover with water and cook all day on low.

The pork shreds really easy. I then add more liquid smoke, sea salt, and some of the broth from the crockpot so it stays moist. Pretty much just season to taste. I change out my crockpot liner and put the shredded pork back into the pot on warm. If you have never used crockpot liners you are missing out. They are sold near the Ziplock section and make for super easy clean up.

I tried two new recipes. One was a wine sangria recipe I found on Julie, aka Peanut Butter Finger's blog. I was also going to try her fruit dip recipe but I decided not to for this party. I didn't really like the bottle of wine I used, which I sort of why I used it to get rid of it. Next time I'll make it with some Moscato. I got rave reviews though on my wine sangria. I didn't think three bottle of Mike's Light Lemonade was enough so I added all six to mine.

Mom brought some Malibu Rum, orange juice, and pineapple juice. Lots of yummy drinks. My friend Danielle actually brought me a bottle of Malibu Rum with this cute Hawaiian skirt and coconut bra. I loved it!

We have a local catering company that serves the best coconut rice. I Googled some recipes and found one for the rice cooker. As it turns out, the recipe really isn't supposed to be used in large quantities so my rice didn't cook right. My friends husband Kevin came to the rescue and ended up finishing the cooking on the stove for me. I was ready to just ditch 10 cups of rice and start again but he didn't want to give up so soon. I am sooooo glad he pushed for the win because that was some GOOOOD rice. I used this recipe. I thought it was too much fluid for the amount of rice but Kevin thinks following the actual recipe (note...don't plan for 10 cups of rice) would work fine. I guess the coconut milk was burning on the bottom of the rice cooker and therefore not cooking the rest of the rice. Whoops.

The party was a great success. I had so much fun seeing my friends and family and visiting with everybody. I can't wait until next year!

Weekly WI

Good Morning (or afternoon for those east of my location).

I'm a little late this morning as I've been to my WW meeting and walked there and back for a four mile roundtrip loop. I kept up the pace at 16 min/mile. No matter what the scale reflects it makes me feel good I am active and healthy!

And.....it's Hawaiian Party time!! 

I have an annual Hawaiian party every year. This year we are a bit late due to our graveyard work shifts but today is the day. I've been working all week to get the house and lawn in order. I did some decorating last night/today and I'm working on food prep as well.

I am glad I went to a WW meeting. It had been a few weeks since I last attened but overall I'm feeling good. I had some major scale anxeity when I woke up this morning as my food the last few days has been less-than-stellar. I debated for a few hours on if I would get on the scale at my meeting or not. I decided I should and I am glad I did. While I am up from my last WI at a WW meeting, it is actually down from what I saw at home this morning. I'm glad that wasn't the last number of record! It was UGLY this morning. But, I know what caused it and onward we go.

Today isn't going to be a WW-friendly day but that doesn't matter. I'm going to enjoy time with my family and friends and also some yummy food.

I'll have a recap tomorrow. Enjoy your Saturday.

Another Successful Week Of Activity

Despite feeling like I was a little slow to start my week off with activity I ended up exercising six days last week and four of those day I logged over 10,000 steps. Yeeeehaw!

Wednesday: 3 miles on treadmill

11,730 steps and 5.8 miles

Thursday: 1 mile on the treadmill

5,611 steps and 2.42 miles

Friday: No Activity – Trooper Ride-A-Long

2,844 steps and 1.26 miles

Saturday: Farmer's Market with Mark and lots o' walking

13,460 steps and 5.82 miles

Sunday: Errands and a trip to the fair. Day 2 of lots o' walking

14,041 steps and 6.06 miles

Monday: Mowed lawn and did an hour of yard work

8,483 steps and 3.67 miles

Tuesday: 3 miles on treadmill

13,457 steps and 6.09 miles

I ended my week earning 18 APs. My eating....eh not so clean last week. Also struggling a bit this week as well.