Friend Makin' Mondays (On Tuesday)

I happened upon this while doing the rounds on blogland and I liked. If you'd like to participate visit Kenz's blog and link up.

My answers are mostly related to this journey, but that's what you want to hear, right? Here goes...

I like... that despite being on a work trip and not being able to eat decently I managed to maintain.
I don't like... that I did not put on more of an effort to lose weight last week.
I love... that today is another day, this is a new week and I get another chance to improve my health and my life in general.

I dream of... a happy secure future.

I wonder... what I will be doing this time next year. Don't know yet what I'll do after thsi project ends.

I know... things will always work out for the best. The Will of God will never take ME, where the Grace of God can not protect ME.

I went... shopping for plain yogurt, baby marrows and chicken breast yesterday to beef up this week healthy food supplies.

I have... everything I need right now. What I want is a whole other issue. Material things that is.

I think... will eventually achieve my fitness goals, even if it is not apparent right now.
I plan... to rock my personal challenge running from tomorrow till the end of the year. Check side bar.

I regret... not trying harder and sticking with my plan each time I attempted to lose weight. Leaving my pervious job.
I do... not stick to my budget as much as I should, wish I did.

I drink... Rooibos with Equal (good for me), even though I'd love cofffee (not so good).

I wish... I didn't have to come into work this morning. I was absolutely tired. Honestly, I wish I didn't have to work at all.
I am... a mother. Sometimes I wonder how I got there. Despite how much I love my son. And I'm tearing up thinking it right now.

I am not... perfect.

I need... peace of mind.
I graduated... from 2 universities on 2 different continents.

I hope... my plans for the rest of this year are successful. The big plans.
I want... a great life. I will have it.

I sometimes... wish I lived elsewhere, where things are easier to get by.

I always... hope for the best. I'm very optimistic.

I can... promise that I'm getting in my work out today.

I work... in the HIV/AIDS field

I cannot... imagine what my life would be like without all the experiences I've had.

I avoid... people that make me feel less.

I will... plan and follow through.

Go for it, check out Kenz and discover new bloggies!

Recovering...

Better at last

Thanks for the well wishes, I'm feeling much much better today. Most of the nose/nostrils stuff is gone, so just a bit of a cough left.

However, short as it was, the yuckiness set me back a few paces. I haven't weighed myself since my Monday weigh in, but I know I've probably picked up upwards of a pounds in the past couple of days. The first thing to go was my water. When you have a cold you don't want to drink anything unless it's warm. I did sip on quite a few cups of Med Lemon and Tea, but usually I drink up to or even more than 2 litres of water on top of any water I take otherwise, as in teas, coffee and other drinks. Cold and cough syrups are just that, syrup. Throat lozenges and cough drops - sugar. So, yeah, there was a lot of sugar in my life this week. And then there's the recklessness that comes when you're not really yourself, extra slice of bread with extra cream cheese here, extra rice on the plate, etc.

I'm currently gathering my senses and moving on. No use crying over spilt milk.

Travelling

I'm glad I'm so much better because this evening I'm off on a work trip. Last time I was at the place I'm going to I got a terrible cold, so it would seem I'm always sick when I'm over there. After work on Friday I'm going over to my grand parents' and will fly back only on Sunday. I'm definitely going to miss my little boy.

Travelling and eating - never been good together for me. I've been trying to work out in my head what I should eat for each meal while I'm out there to avoid another gain. This week I was only 0.6 lbs up, but these little numbers just add up the way they do when you're losing. So, I'm really going to try and avoid splurges and follow my plan to the best of my ability given the circumstances.

I'll be busy the rest of the week, so I may not be able to catch up till next week, but I'll do what I can.

Till next time... may be sooner than you think.

I am sick...

Goodness, I have no idea why I even came into work today. I have the grandmother of all colds. I had a terrible weekend due to this cold and I still feel absolutely horrible.
It everything really, the sore itchy throat, the blocked, yet runny nostrils, the fuzzy head, the painful cough. And I just want to sleep and wake up ok. I've taken all sorts of medication over the weekend, but I'm far from better, what to do.
And you can imagine the added calories from all the syrupy medicines, the cough drops, the soups. Sies. I have yet to weigh myself for this week's weigh in to see if any damage is evident yet.
I'm meaking the decision to take today off sick. I am sick.

The weekend is here!

And I'm excited, because these next two days I will be free to do whatever I want, without having to be in this office or wandering between the office and the labs for 8 hours each day!

It's been a good week. One of my best weeks in a little while actually. My eating has been on plan except relatively very few times in the evenings when I got home. Somehow, I feel the need to have a snack after supper most days, and on really good days it's only a cup of tea or coffee. Anyway,  I'm praying that I'll be able to control myself this weekend, and then I'll be in for my reward (a loss on the scale) on Monday!

Exercise has been ok, I haven't walked on the treadmill evey morning as I intended, but I've gone outside for my walks and even walked in the evening to compensate for missed mornings. So, really not bad at all.

This weekend will see me signing up for membership of the Gaborone Sun Executive Health club. Which means I'll be able to use their gym, pool and courts. But of course I'll only use the gym coz I don't swim, and neither do I play ball sports. It's a relatively small gym, but I plan to milk it as much as possible, going later in the evening to dodge the after work crowd.

On the food end, I've finally been granted access to Step 3 of the Weigh-Less programme, meaning my choices are now much wider. I received a 24 page (I think, maybe it's larger) booklet of food lists from which I can make selections and make up my own recipes. For starters I'm going to stick with what I know. May be later I will be more adventurous and try other recipes.

So, next week I have the new menu plan, and gym to go to after work. Excited yet? Ugh, just hope it gives the boost that I so need right now.

Have a great weekend! I plan to.

The Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you, Traci!

Thanks very much Traci for giving this award! Traci blogs over at Traci's Treasures, if you haven't been over you should check her out. I especially love her '10 on Tuesdays'!

The award rules are:
1. Thank the person giving the award - I have, above and as a comment on the awarding post, Thanks again Traci!
2. Share 7 things about yourself - To follow below
3. Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs - Will do, I believe newly discovered does not new, right?
4. Let the nominees know about the award - Sure, I'll be doing the rounds around blogland I guess!

Well, here goes:

First, the nominees:
1. From Fat to Fab
2. No trying, just doing!
3. Black Girl Gets Fit
4. Previously Plump... In Progress
5. Skinnie Emmie
6. Fight Fat Phobia
7. I go through life in inches and pounds
8. [238] and Shrinking
9. For Real, This Time!
10. Necessary Imperfections
11. The Incredible Shrinking Gal Baby
12. Corletta: It's a new year...no more EXCUSES!
13. Lose Weight? Me? Really?
14. Fat Girl To Thin
15. Deeply Rooted

Ok, I have to admit that I had to 'discover' some new blogs for this post. But hey, it was so worth it, because I've found so many inspirational blogs that I can't wait to go through!

7 things about myself
Let's make this short and painless...

1. I'm a single mother of a 2 year old son (well, 2 and 5 months and 2 days)
2. I've been overweight since my very early teens -  like 11 - 12
3. I've spent at least a weekend in big international cities including New York, Washington DC, Toronto, London, Paris, Montreal, and Johannesburg
4. I've lived in the US, the UK and Africa
5. I don't have one best friend, instead I have a circle of best friends
6. I love comedy shows
7. I love travelling and I would absolutely live for it if I had the money
Bonus: I currently do not have a passport - it's expired and I've been lazy to apply for a new one. You can tell I haven't travelled internationally for a bit.

That was easier than I thought! The 15 above will be hearing about this nomination in the next few days.

On other news, I've been frustrated with the scale lately - a new one! Actually, I think I'll save this for another post.

Till then...

My mom's question

This past week was so-so; I woke up early for a walk 4 times, including outside once, I mostly ate well, especially during the day while I was at work. The evenings were a bit different, and so was the weekend. So, where I was down more than a pound on Friday, I only returned a 0.8lb loss this morning.

So, I'm registering the 0.8lbs and moving on to bigger and better things.

What my mom asked...
I've said a few times before that my mom's house is one of the worst places for me in terms of eating. No, it's not really my mom's fault, but of course she's been known to offer me foods that are absolutely bad for me and I shouldn't eat often or in large amonuts. Anyway, whenever I'm at my mom's house I just have to get to the kitchen and find stuff to eat. I suppose it's just residual from when I was growing up and eating uncensored.

So, I was over at the house. And while I was eating some 'bad for me' food all the while lamenting how I shouldn't be eating off plan, my mom asked me why I am bothering to 'diet' because I always go off plan anyway! I wasn't shocked at all, because to a bystander it really is a valid question.

Well, it was easy to answer --- I'm not dieting, I'm trying to create a sustainable healthy lifestyle. It's still a little difficult but hopefully with time I will be able to get it and maintain it. I can only try from day to day, and if I find myself doing things or eating things that do not fully support the lifestyle I'm aiming for, tomorrow is another day and I can try again. Actually, my next meal I get to do better! Second, can you imagine what I would weigh if I ate this way all the time?

I hope she got it. To me, every little bit counts. If I falter I know a little compensation later on will make a difference. No matter how long I can lose my path to a healthy lifestyle, I will always come back. Because really, what's the alternative, gaining even more weight? Nope, I'm not having any of that. I'd rather stay where I am by being on and off my path (not intentional), rather than stay off forever and end up........ I don't even know how to end that sentence. Woudl you complete it for me?

Finally

My first loss in 4 weeks - 2.4 lbs! Could've been better, but it's more than good enough and I'll take it any day over a gain or maintain. Things were starting to get really scary, like I'll never be able to recover, but I finally put my foot down and:

1. Started walking on my treadmill every week day morning before work
2. Following the Weigh-Less menu plans for all meals.

And I got the pay off!

Too bad weekends happen
Yep. Every five days we take a 2 day break from work and/or school. Who came up with this idea?? Why is it that 2 day break has to become a break from being purposely active and following a healthy lifestyle? I mean, seriously, who needs a break from their own lifestyle?

But really, seriously...
Weekends do not have to change our lifestyle. Not going to work does not mean meal times have to change, it does not mean meal contents have to change, neither does it mean I have to skip my work out. I can always compensate for the little indulgences I 'have to have' over the weekend. If I sleep in and skip the morning work out - do something else later; take my son for a walk outside, anything. If I have to eat out, at a restaurant, party, friend's or relative's house, I can still make the best choices by planning ahead. And if I'm bored and feel the need to graze, get up, get out and do something exciting, or just something!

For now, I'll take my 2.4, take to my treadmill and take heed of the Weigh-Less lifestyle guidelines until it all becomes second nature! Can you imagine what a string of 2.4 lbs losses would mean?? If only.

Reunited!

Me and my treadmill. My treadmill and I. It had been a while. And it was time.

I made up my mind that beginning August, come what may, I'm getting back on the exercise bandwagon. So, last night I made sure everything was ready for the morning. Made sure the power supply extension was ready and laid out my clothes and shoes. Made sure my music was ready, along with the earphones. And when I hit my pillow I knew there was no way I wouldn't do it.

Finally this morning, after the long long  hiatus, I got up at 5.30am and hit my treadmill before getting ready for work. It was a sweet reunion, because I thought I would really struggle to get 30 minutes done, but I was just fine. I even 'slogged' for a couple of minutes when just the right jam came around on my playlist. Which makes me believe I could be ready to try C25K again in just a couple of weeks. Can't wait!

All that's left for now is to set up the whole exercise area properly because it has been neglected since we moved. I need to have the tv where I can watch it without craning my neck and maybe twisting a muscle, but for now, the playlists will do just fine.

That's the first of the achievements I aim to amass in August - the goal was simple: start working out. I intend to walk on the treadmill at least every week day in August, with ab and core work to supplement. Then we'll move on from there. The rest of my goals will emerge over the rest of the week.

So, what plans have you made to improve your health and fitness this month?