A Good Day!

I just met with some contractors (post Ike) and I really liked them. They are with Sanctuary Homes which is a name that I can appreciate. They stayed for 2 1/2 hours talking to me, looking at the damage, taking measurements, etc. I think that they are pretty high end but they are willing to work with the insurance adjustors and hopefully we can get a better settlement than we were offered before (a settlement that barely covered ANYTHING).

So I feel buoyed! They had some definite thoughts about what is causing the leak in the laundry room! We have identified previously unidentified roof leaks that were caused by Ike and would have cost us a bundle. For the first time in a long while I feel hopeful where this house is concerned.

This morning I worked out with Little John the trainer from 24H Fitness. He is a young little hottie but seems to know his stuff. Most of the 50 minutes was spent evaluating my fitness. I am a little sad to report that, despite working out fairly regularly for the past two months, I have A LONG way to go! The good news is that I can only improve!! I promised Little John that I would keep a food log. I think that he was a little horrified that I had 28% body fat. My body is a little deceiving in its looks. It doesn't necessarily look like I am carrying around that much fat or that much weight and so people are often surprised when I tell them the actual numbers. I am used to it by now but he definitely was a little shocked. I have a few main food issues that I am working on that hopefully the food log will help keep in check -

1. I love sweets and am a sucker for chocolate. This is something that I have been working on for a while now. I am definitely MUCH better than I was. This holiday hasn't helped my cause but I am ready to get back on the chocolate / sweet limit bandwagon. I believe that an allowance of 100 calories per day on sweets would be reasonable.
2. Portion Control! I believe that this is an important contributor to my difficulty in losing weight. By being more aware of my portions I can reduce my calorie intake. Keeping a food log will definitely help me here.
3. I need to increase the number of fruits and vegetables consumed each day. I have not been as vigilant about this as I could have been over the holidays.
4. Menu planning is key. Before the holidays and since Fitness Ridge I had been very good about menu planning for the week and making sure that the menu was "Fitness Ridge approved". As long as I keep up with the menu planning I have a much better chance of succeeding not only with my weight loss but also with making sure that I have a healthy balanced diet.
   

My sister-in-law emailed me the other day to tell me that she has been steadily losing a pound a week for the past 5 weeks through healthy eating and exercise. This is TERRIFIC as I know that she has been struggling in the past. I think that if we keep each other accountable through our email updates we will both succeed. I am looking forward to showing off our hot bods to each other at the cottage this year :)

And how does my To Do list look today?

• Little John the trainer (9am)
• Meet with contractors (11am)
• Drop off library books
• Clear fridge
• Clear kitchen island
• Blog
• Menu planning (remainder of week)
• Christmas tree denuded
• Christmas ornaments away in boxes
• Pay Gap bill
  

I hope that you have as terrific a day as I am having!

Ella