Encourage your daughters to exercise...

NCN posted an append on his blog....

http://www.nocaloriesneeded.com/2007/06/14/play-golf-with-ncn-jr/

Basically he talks about taking his little guy (age 3 or 4 I think) golfing. Cute stuff.

I know he has a daughter that's older (age 7 or 8?) that is athletic and so I tried to reply with something to the effect of the following, but his spam filters killed it...

NCN, don't forget to take your daughter golfing sometime too! Many college scholarships for women's golf go unawarded because there are not enough players. And besides golf is a great life-time sport. Start her now while it's still fun and silly.

My parents were not the athletic type and I never learned to play tennis or throw a ball well. I tried golf and skiing as an adult, but I never got very good at either. I still "throw like a girl". About the only thing I learned as a kid was how to swim and ride a bike, and that was because my Dad made it a priority. If you know how to play a sport pass it on to ALL your kids. Girls are better off knowing how to play sports too, and the younger they start, the better. It's a healthy skill that will last a lifetime.

Sticking with it

Well, I'm trying. I've managed to squelch the post dinner snacking (keep brushing those teeth after dinner and the mantra "31 days") but managing dinner portion sizes has been tougher. The problem is I love my cooking. Lasagna on Tuesday night and meatballs with gravy last night. Yum. It doesn't help that I was famished last night too as I sat down to dinner. I tried a sensible pre-dinner snack too (a couple of pretzel sticks with mustard) in hopes that it would take the edge off my hunger, but it didn't work. Tuesday at least, I went for a walk after dinner. Maybe tonight we can do another one, since the weather is nice.

maybe I'll cut up some carrots and have them with salsa tonight before dinner...

Fresh starts and kumquats

NCN at No Calories Needed is giving himself a 31 day challenge of sensible eating and exercising and is going to post a picture of himself at the end of the month. I'm going to join in the fun.

Sensible eating for the rest of the month. More moving around (will probably take the form of a walk with the family after dinner now that the weather is getting nice again). Maybe I'll post a picture too, from the wedding I will be attending at the end of the month

Current weight: 154 lbs. I will weigh in again in a couple of weeks.

Oh, and my daughter and I made a fun, new food discovery: Kumquats! Fun to say, fun to eat! They are sweet on the outside, tart on the inside, with a chewy texture. I never knew you could just eat them, peel and all. 12 calories each, no fat and 1.25 grams of fiber. I only bought a handful, but I'll be buying more of these babies on my next trip to the grocery store.

After the Easter bunny hops away...

Easter came. Those friggin' Robin's eggs (they are basically giant malted milk balls with a pretty candy shell), Cadbury creme eggs and marshmellow chickies. (I take particular delight in taking a graham cracker, placing a chicky on it and nuking it in the microwave. It's both entertainment AND a snack)

Well, starting Tuesday, I cut out the sugar. So far, so good. It seems that if I don't start eating sweets, it's easier than eating just a little and stopping. Fruit doesn't seem to be problematic, so I eat fresh fruit. So I am going to try to keep this up. Although this morning I had frosted shredded wheat. At least there's a lot of fiber in the shredded wheat part. Anyway, it's a few hours later and I'm not pining for more sugar. But tomorrow, I'm buying the plain shredded wheat.

I'm working at home today though, which always can be problematic. I just have to make a plan for what to eat. Probably some fresh pineapple and banana for snack. Either veggie beef soup for lunch with whole wheat pasta added. Or more egg salad on rye (Note to self: buy whole wheat bread too at the store) Afternoon snack will be celery and carrots with salsa.
And lots of water. In fact, I'm going to go get some right now.

Fat Rant

Over on YouTube, there was a video called Fat Rant. This very pretty plus size girl rants about people judging her on her weight and declares that she is not going to let the fat run her life or be her crutch of an excuse for all that goes wrong...

Yeah she's right. But I'm not sure it all applies to me. I don't let my extra 15 pounds run my life. And I know I'm not eating the most healthy diet. Shedding the junk food has been tough. And exercise is a dream right now.

But I'm getting to an age where I need to think about what the bad eating habits can do long term. Are my arteries clogging up? Am I at higher risk now for high blood pressure? I mean both my parents had a heart attack. My dad was on high blood pressure medication for as long as I was alive I think. I certainly remember him taking it when I was a little squirt.

Appealing to my vanity isn't working. Maybe I should think more about the health consequences instead and stop pushing my luck.

impulse

Yesterday my daughter cut her hair. Not a lot of it, in fact it was a very very small amount. But it's pretty noticable.

"WHY???" I moaned. "What were you THINKING?"

"I just felt like it. I wasn't looking at it when I did it." and "I looked in the mirror right afterwards though." A little late, I thought to myself.

Groan. A few seconds of impulse and it is going to take a looooooong time for this hair to grow back. "Kids", I thought to myself.

And then later, I thought that I do the same darn thing. I snarf down a couple of cookies because I want them at that moment without thinking of the consequences. Or I think "Its just one cookie, no big deal" Just like "It just a little bit of hair, no big deal"

When I am find myself wanting to eat junk impulsively, I am going to think of snipping just a few hairs. A little bit CAN be a big deal. And I will think "Am I a kid, not thinking about the long term consequences, or am I an adult, who can make sensible choices?"

Girl Scout cookies, temptation and lack of conviction

Ugh. It all started when the Girl scout cookies showed up last week. Damn their yumminess. I love cookies. Any and all cookies. It's easy to not eat cookies when cookies aren't around, but now we have multiple boxes, thanks to my buying 9 (yes NINE) boxes from my daughter. Once someone opens a box, I'm there, ready to sample.

Since those cookies showed up, my sensible eating has been shot to hell. It's not just the cookies either. Chocolate floating around the house is no longer safe from me. Someone brought cheesecake into work and of course I had a healthy slab. I even bought candy from the vending machine.

I have to get this sweet tooth in check. Now. Today, this minute.

New plan... My neice has a wedding coming up at the end of May. When I am about to stuff my face with junk, I will envision myself buying a new dress and looking fabulous in it at this wedding. I will convince myself that I want to look good more than I want the sweets. I can knock off 5 pounds by the end of May, by starting now.

Ok, I'll report back. Wish me luck and strength.