Success Feels Good

I had a great day with my eats yesterday.  I didn’t think to document it until the end of the day so I only have two photos to share.  I guess I wanted to share my food yesterday because I feel very successful.  Maybe it was afterthought just in case it wasn’t successful…hmmmm….

Breakfast:

Omelet: two eggs, shredded cheese, turkey sausage crumbles

Frozen potatoes cooked in olive oil

Two cups of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice coffee with two splenda and regular half and half

One cup of Starbucks French Roast with two splenda and sugar-free Peppermint Mocha creamer

 

Lunch:

Chicken breast marinated in Trader Joe’s ginger, sesame, and soy vinaigrette dressing

Roasted butternut squash and sweet potato cooked in olive oil

Low-fat cottage cheese with mandarin oranges

 

Dinner:

Salad with cut up ham and two string cheese sticks cut up dressed with Trader Joe’s Greek Feta dressing

Dannon Light & Fit Greek Toasted Coconut Vanilla yogurt with diced mangos

 

Extra:

Dutch Bros decaf Americano with two splenda and egg nog for cream

Trader Joe's Joe O's with 1% milk

Actually going to the grocery store was the key to success yesterday along with preparing my meals.  I passed up pizza and cupcakes in the dispatch center.  That is a HUGE success.  I just felt like sticking to my plan and being accountable to myself. 

Success feels good!

Successful Week Of Tracking And Activity Despite The Scale

Good Afternoon.  I am quite late in getting my post published.  I came to work at 10am so it is a late start for me today.  I enjoyed the morning off through.  It was nice and relaxing.

I needed a rest day really badly and it is hard to convince yourself that rest is good.  I have been meeting my activity goals for the last two weeks now and last week I exercised six out of the seven days.  I had planned to go to Curves before work and my mind was totally on board.  When I woke up this morning my body was sore and tired and needed rest.  I decided to quiet my mind and take a rest day.

I won’t be at my weekly meeting this week until Friday morning.  I got on the scale at home this morning and it shows my weight is up.  I have been hovering around 245 for several weeks now.  It is frustrating to not be losing but also good because at least I’m not gaining!  I think the main reason I am not losing right now is because I’ve not fully gotten my mind in losing mode.  I know what I need to do I am just not mentally ready to do it.

I bought some larger slacks last week.  I feel so much better when I am not so restricted in my clothing.  The size I bought was a 20, which is hard for the mental acceptance.  But when I wear clothes that fit it instantly adjusts my moods in a positive way.  There has always been something about the muffin top that has bugged me…even when I weighed 165 pounds!

Regardless of setbacks and the occasional negative mood swings, I am going to continue to make forward strives in weight loss.  I tracked my food last week (just the food not the points) and know that while I reduced my eating out, I still had several days of several meals out.  All of this can impact weight loss.  Tracking helps me stay focused.  It also helps me avoid the sugar, which always makes me feel my best.

I’ll check in after my formal WW meeting later this week.

A Visit To The Old Idaho State Penitentiary

I was able to pack it in on my one-day-weekend yesterday.  Between a mall walk, shopping afterward, and a trip to visit the Old Pen, I logged over 16,000 steps yesterday.

My day started with Starbucks and a walking date at Boise Town Square Mall.  I met up with my friend Kate and we ended up walking/talking for an hour.  We did two laps on both the top and the bottom.  I love walking the mall before it opens.  Once the mall was open I the met Danielle for some shopping.  We had a great time chatting and even found a few new clothing items.

Kenyon worked some overtime until 1pm and then he met Danielle and I for lunch at Olive Garden.  Kenyon has wanted to go out to the Old Penitentiary for some time now as they have a weapons exhibit that interests him.  It was a beautiful sunny day and we have been having really warm temps for this time of year so it was the perfect day for an outing. 

 

I have not been out to the Old Idaho State Penitentiary for quite some time.  It was an annual fourth grade field trip when I was growing up and my Dad came with me on that visit.  It still smells the same and despite working in the current penitentiary after I graduated college, the Old Pen just had an eerie feeling to it.

 

It was pretty cool to read the stories of some of the inmates housed at the Old Pen.  They even had a section of juveniles and the crimes they committed.  The Old Penn was built in 1880 and was open for 101 years.  It was in operation from 1872-1973, in which there was even a final execution before it closed.  We were able to walk through many of the old cell blocks, early ones that didn’t have toilets or sinks and the newer cells that had plumbing.  We saw the laundry room, recreation room, and guard stations. 

 

I couldn’t help but think of how hot it would have been in the summer and how cold it would have been in the winter as the early buildings were all stone.

 

There were a few areas set up with various displays.  It was a trip down memory lane looking at the homemade tattoo guns.  When I worked at Idaho Maximum Security Institution in 2004 my unit sergeant confiscated a tattoo gun from an inmate’s cell in which we found hidden inside of a radio.  My sergeant noticed that screws on the back of the radio had marks showing they were being opened and closed often.  Sure enough, inside housed the main motor for the gun and all the attachments for completing a prison tattoo.  My sergeant showed us how the gun worked by tattooing a banana that we had kicking around inside the control center room.  Inmates are pretty inventive that is for sure!  

 

I also took a trip down memory lane when I saw one of the cell blocks was labeled A Block.  When I worked at the prison I usually bid A Block.

 

When you live in the same city for all of your life as I have, I don’t often get out and about to some of the more touristy stuff.  I am really glad we had this outing.