Friday, August 29, 2014

Happy Labor Day

I can't believe it is already Friday. This week was a blur. Several appointments and other to do's made the time fly by.  What's even worse is that I didn't realize, until today, that it's Labor Day weekend already!!

Sadly, I have no major plans. No weekend getaways or fabulous parties or anything of the sort. On the plus side, that means I have time to do whatever...

Maybe I'll take some time to get ready for the upcoming Fall season by going through my closet.

Or perhaps, I will go to a movie.

Maybe I will bake something.

Who knows?

Whatever you're doing, I hope you have a happy and safe holiday!

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

September Issue

After the disaster that was the Kimye cover of April Vogue, I decided to cancel my subscription. The issues in the months that followed did nothing to make me think I'd made a mistake. 

Then, I saw it. 2014's September issue. 


Finally! A cover that didn't feature an actress, singer, or (shudder) reality TV star. 

I think I read somewhere that it's been ten years since the September issue featured models. 

I'm hoping that this cover signals a return to the Golden Age of Vogue. I don't expect them to banish celebrities entirely, but a little variety would be most welcome. 

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Checking in again


The past couple of days have been a bit hectic, so I haven't been able to sit down until now to prep this check in. But finally, I have a moment, so time to face the music. 

What happened since last week:
  • I started doing my XBX exercises in the morning after Monsieur decided to start his 5BX exercises. I'm not sure yet if I prefer doing them first thing in the morning, or with some other aerobic exercise later in the afternoon.
  • No major change in food patterns, except that I still need to avoid getting sweets to have around the house because I don't yet have the French willpower to say "non". 
  • Monsieur and I have decided to go on vacation sometime in September. I feel that I need to step things up so that the vacation photos will not be so disappointing. :(

Weekly weigh-in: 165.0 (-0.5 versus last week and -2.0 to-date) 

Final Grade:   C+

Bottom line:  Things are a bit better, but, as I mentioned last week, the total amount of change since I started this is just too little.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

5BX

When I told Monsieur that I had discovered Helen Mirren's XBX exercise plan, he surprised me by saying that he had heard of the male version, the 5BX plan, from his grandfather. Apparently, Grandpa was in the Royal Canadian Reserve and that's where he learned and did the 5BX. Like the women's XBX plan, the 5BX is a combination of calisthenics and aerobic exercise and the difficulty level increases gradually. Also like XBX, they stress the importance of consistency and continuity.

That's my problem, being consistent. it's like I need Nike here to remind me every single day to Just Do It!.  See, this week, I have already not just done it. We had some minor house emergencies (fridge almost died, mold was found in new shower, that sort of thing) and I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. By the time I finally have a chance to catch my breath, it's dark out and the last thing I want to do is exercise. Even just 12 minutes of exercise. Ugh...

Well, today is a new day, you might say. You'd be right, of course. But last night, for reasons that totally escape me, I had insomnia and I couldn't sleep until about 4 a.m. Grrrrr! So, I'm feeling pretty dead. Still, it is only 12 minutes, so perhaps I can do it, after all. Especially since I now have competition from Monsieur. ;)


Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Checking in

This past week, there were some things I did well, and some that I didn't.


Let's quickly recap:
  • Exercise picked up quite a bit. I dusted off my Wii dance games and probably danced 4 days last week.  3 times I danced for 30-45 minutes, and once for only about 20 minutes. This is something I hope to continue.
  • I decided to do my XBX exercises as a warm-up before starting my Wii dancing. That was good, but since I have to do those every day, it will only work if I dance or do some other exercise that reminds me to do the XBX exercises every day!
  • Most dinners were home-cooked and reasonably healthy. Some lunches were eaten out again. This continues to be an issue.
  • I made a lemon cake last week, and I also bought some peanut butter cups to have as the rare treat. Unfortunately, consumption of both was anything but "rare". Lesson: best to avoid having these things around until I think more like a real French person. Sigh...
Weekly weigh-in: 165.5 (+0.0 versus last week and -1.5 to-date) No change.

Final Grade:   D-

Bottom line:  Relieved that things haven't gotten worse, but really, after all this time, the miniscule to-date change is embarassing. :(

Friday, August 15, 2014

TGIF

6 p.m. on Friday evening.  Thank God this week is finally over! For some reason I've felt somewhat out of sorts for the past couple of days. Perhaps it's a combination of the recent news (Robin Williams passing away, violence in Iraq, racial tensions in Missouri, etc., etc.,) and feeling overdue for a real vacation.

Luckily, my new Wii dance games arrived today. I ended up ordering both Just Dance 2014 and ABBA You Can Dance and I'm dying to try them out. I will, as soon as I finish this quick post.




Expect a review next week. ;)

I'm hoping that a little aerobic fun, followed by a simple home-cooked meal (roasted chicken, rice, and roasted asparagus--very French, non?) will lift my mood. If that doesn't work, I may have to do something drastic like book a weekend getaway or go for a mani/pedi or buy some shoes! :)

Anyway, I've noticed that I've been snacking a lot today. Seems to happen more when I'm feeling a bit low. Deep down I know that I won't actually feel better, but there's an autonomous part of me that reaches for a bit of chocolate. At least I also ate some fruit, so it wasn't all bad.

Wishing everyone a relaxing weekend.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Just Dance

Yesterday, I decided to pull out an old favorite: the Wii and my Just Dance 4 game.




It's been a few months since I last danced around with my Wii and I could tell I was quite out of shape, but it was so much fun!  I probably spent about 35 minutes with that game before switching to the Michael Jackson The Experience game.



I love, love, love Michael Jackson's music and my favorite thing to do is finish up with Thriller.

After about 45 minutes of total aerobic fun I was dripping sweat and my heart was pumping pretty hard. It was definitely a workout. But the best part is it just felt like fun.

Now I'm thinking about adding to my collection of Wii dance-style games.

Perhaps ABBA You Can Dance or else Just Dance 2014, which has Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams on Get Lucky?  I don't think I can go wrong with either!

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Checking In


I have to admit, this past week, I have not done a good job of being aware of what I've been eating. This makes doing a check-in difficult as all my answers to the usual questions (Did I control my portions? Did I snack?) would be vague at best.

So this week, I'm jumping straight to the bottom line.

Weekly weigh-in: 165.5 (+0.5 versus last week and -1.5 to-date)

Final Grade: D  

So, here's what I do know: 
  • Lunches were (again) mostly eaten out.
  • I discovered Five Guys and the fact that I can eat their fries (I'm allergic to canola and corn oils, which are frequently used in fryers) is probably dangerous.
  • We had friends in town, friends staying with us, and friends having birthdays all in one week. Therefore, I had more dinners out, more treats, and less portion control overall.
  • I decided I didn't want to forget everything I learned in my pastry class, so I made individual fruit tarts from scratch for our friends' birthday celebration. Pastry includes a lot of butter. 
  • I got back on my bike (finally!) but only once, and for a relatively short ride. All other exercise was virtually non-existent.
  • I'm in serious trouble if I can't even find 12 minutes a day to exercise (that's the amount of time needed to do the XBX exercises I wrote about last week).
  • Pasta is delicious but makes me feel very bloated and unhappy the next day. :(

Anyway, I have to get back on the wagon and start planning my meals and being more aware of what I'm eating, how much I'm eating, and whether or not I'm moving enough. Otherwise, I should just abandon this experiment now and save us all the heartache.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Visiting Dignitaries

This week we've had a number of friends visiting. Yesterday, Monsieur's parents' friends came to spend the day (and night) before catching their flight out this morning. And, overlapping, some old friends from the Great White North are in town all this week. As a result, there have been quite a few social gatherings and meals eaten out. And, to top it off, on Friday we are having some other friends over for dinner, to celebrate their birthdays. Phew!

It feels a bit more difficult to stay the (French) course when you're out eating with friends, at least for me.  Sometimes, I get so distracted by conversation and menu options and that sort of thing, that I find it hard to hear my inner French guide reminding me about portion control or finding a treat balance. It's easy to slip into a non-French vacation mode and go back to thinking, "Oh, well, this is a special occasion so of course I will order dessert, even though I am not hungry at all because I already had appetizers and a good meal."

I'm not sure how to undo years of bad habits and retrain myself to think like a French person.

I guess that is one good thing about keeping this blog. It's an opportunity to recollect and think about what I'm doing so that I'm a more conscious eater and don't behave like a robot.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

R.E.P.O.R.T. card

I may just have to make Tuesday my weigh-in days because I seem to have a hard time remembering to do so on Mondays.  Anyway, here goes:

  • Real, natural foods: So-so. I've eaten out several times over the past week (usually for lunch).
  • Enjoy the dining experience: Pass.
  • Portion control: Pass. 
  • Only at mealtimes--no snacking: So-So. There may have been some snacks...
  • Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: Fail. For some reason, since I came back from Chicago, the last thing I've wanted to do has been to exercise. I mean, not even go for a walk! But I did start my XBX program. Unfortunately, I haven't been consistent. :(
  • Treat yourself: No grade.

Weekly weigh-in: 165 (No change versus last week and -2.0 to-date)

Final Grade: C  Actually, I am a little disappointed because after seeing the scale go up to 165 last week, I was trying to be more careful about what and how much I ate, and mid-week I saw that I'd gone back down to 164.5. I know fluctuating 1/2 a pound is practically negligible, but I was still disappointed that I was back to where I was last week when I stepped on the scale this morning. :(

Bottom line: I think I need to get back into doing some aerobic exercise every day if I want to see the number on the scale go down. 

Le sigh...