Reducing Your Debt ... 1 Calorie At A Time

I’m beat! First it was Pilates, then some Cardio, and finally an hour with Little John. Whew! I tell you, you want motivation to work out and eat right … go on a Carnival Fun Ship out of Galveston!

I’m glad I am finally healthy and in one place long enough to get my schedule back. I feel like I have been off track lately and it is time to get back at it. Pumpkin told me the other day that this blog has also been getting off track lately. So, with only minor references to the Ecstasy, I will attempt to get this blog and my life in order.

Thankfully, I haven’t gained any weight over the past few weeks so I won’t have that battle on my hands also. In fact, I have stayed amazingly steady which is both good and bad. I think that it is time that I got serious about taking some of these extra pounds off though. Therefore, I commit to losing 1 pound by February 28th. This doesn’t sound like much of a challenge but it is to me. This is because I will have to exercise it off and then some. This might be the right time to discuss the Debt, Income, and Expense approach to understanding weight loss (the I learned at the Fitness Ridge Boot Camp). I will go through the basics of it and then will do an example.

Accounting Approach To Weight Loss

1. Take the number of pounds that you want to lose and multiply that number by 3500. This is your DEBT.
2. Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in Kilograms (approx).
   Multiply your weight in Kilograms by 24. If you are a woman multiply this number by .9 This is to account for women’s slower metabolism (Sad but true).
   The resulting number is your INCOME. This is the approximate number of calories per day that your body expends just for being.
3. Your EXPENSES are the number of calories that you EAT on any given day.
4. Just like in real life there are only 2 ways to reduce your debt. The first is to spend / eat less (than your income) and the second is to earn / exercise more. When eating less please remember that it takes at least 1200 calories for women and 1400 calories for men to stay safe nutrition-wise. You should not eat less than this on any given day if possible.

My Real Life Example

1. I would like to lose 10 lbs. Therefore 10 * 3500 = 35000 (Debt)
2. I currently weight 125lbs. Divide 125 by 2.2 = 56.82 (kg). 56.82 * 24 = 1364 * .9 (woman) = 1228. (Income)
3. Although I would love to say that I eat about 1500 calories per day I really end up eating about 1800 calories per day on average (Expenses). This means that if I don’t exercise at all I will increase my debt by (1800 – 1228) 572 calories every day which means that, if a pound is 3500 calories, that I will gain 1 pound every 6 days if I don’t exercise. That isn’t good at all!!!
4. So what it means is that I have to burn (through exercise) at least 572 calories EVERY day, 7 days a week, just to maintain my weight. And, in order to lose 1 lb in the next 12 days I will have to burn 572 + (3500 / 12) = 873 calories per day (Additional Income) for the next 12 days. It shouldn’t seem daunting but it is somehow.

I know that this way of looking at controlling or losing weight has helped a lot of people understand either why they have been struggling with their weight loss. It also helps one get a really good idea of what they have to do to lose or control their weight. It becomes concrete. It doesn’t allow for excuses. The numbers don’t lie!

I think that I might have my 873 calories for the day already but I think that I might just put down the computer for a bit and go out for a walk (walking or running burns about 100 calories per mile) or do a little Wii-ing. Can’t hurt to get a little head start!

Other than getting some more exercise I think that I will:

• Call the contractor to set up an appointment
• Call my mom
• Apply for NEXUS
• Call Connie re my visa application
• Read my book
• Unpack from the cruise
• Answer a few pressing emails

Nothing exciting or pressing. I will save that for tomorrow.

Until then, have a wonderful day!

Ella

Starting with a Fizzle

I am dragging around this morning. My cold is kicking my butt (I realize that I had the flu before and now I have a cold) and I have Pilates today followed by a trainer session (with some cardio in between). My To Do list it reads like the cleaning of the Aegean stables. I don't feel like doing ANY of it. I just feel like laying on the couch under a blankie with the fireplace on and watching bad TV. It is a pity party moment for sure!!

To further the pity party moment I overate yesterday big time at dinner. I made this Cooking Lite breaded chicken recipe that I ate perhaps 3 portions of. Thank goodness it was Cooking "Lite". I also ate popcorn yesterday - full butter - full bag! It was GREAT! Until I had to record it in my food journal that is.

I did most of my To Do list yesterday and have added the things that I missed on to today's list. I didn't finish the door knobs because the existing ones had some screws rusted into place. I oiled them and then had Pongo give them a try and he managed to get them off. Yea Manpower)

I will keep poking at my To Do list today until I finally decide that the couch is too appealing. I am not going to push it today as I am leaving on Saturday for Japan and want to make sure that I am better by then.

• Telephone Mulan
• Copy BA's house key and tag both copies
• Do 1 German Lesson
• Update my blog
• Investigate Tilt Shift Photography
• Investigate iPod to Computer transfer
• Email ELH re Prince Charming's 50th
• Decide on a stock to buy
• Take box of books to 1/2 Price Books
• Filing - 15 minutes
• Look for receipt for garage door opener
• Set up automatic backup for desktop to portable HD
• Complete transfer of My Document files to HD
• Reorganize portable HD
• Email CS re cooking lessons
• Pilates class
• Little John trainer class
• Enter items in food journal
• Grocery shopping
• Install bike lights
• Go to home depot
• Plant basil plants
• Tell contractor about basement doors
• Email JC re decorating appt
• Intall basement door knobs
• Read Brian Tracy newsletter
• Complete coaching model

And we shall see what actually gets done!! Off to Pilates!

Ella

Dream a Little Dream of Me?

Have you ever had a dream and woke up mad at the person that you were dreaming about? I had just one of those dreams last night. Prince Charming is VERY lucky that he wasn't here otherwise ... (fill in violent action here). I dreamt that he told me that he had fallen for someone but didn't want to hurt the other person that he was in love with. I was very sympathetic and comforted him. It was only later that my brain said "HEY!!! The other person that he was in love with???". I spent from about 4am until 5am coming up with an ironclad post-nup. Wait until I see him next week!!!

My cold seems to be trying to come back!?! After feeling pretty darned good for at least 1/2 of Saturday and all yesterday this morning I woke up achy and with the sniffles. I will have to keep an eye on it. It did give me an excuse not to do the strength class today which I only feel slightly guilty about. I did a bunch of errands and came home and did an ICA class so that made me feel better about missing it. Besides, I felt like a bag o' rats after the step and abs class so I probably made the right decision.

Today is another busy day and I feel great about it! I have accomplished more in the past 2 days than I did for the past 2 weeks! Well, maybe a slight exaggeration but I have accomplished a lot. I managed to do everything on yesterday's list except getting the office ready to start working on the Mosaic and the optional filing. I have a class later this afternoon so I will do some filing then.

I am a little sad because I just called about my KitchenAid mixer. In June I bought a Commercial KitchenAid mixer for at the cottage. I had to haul it there and then haul it over to the island. When I tried to use it it was extremely underpowered and wouldn't get past about 2 in speed. I was soooooo disappointed. I didn't do anything about it during the summer (Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!) figuring that I would deal with it when I got back. Instead we had Ike arrive and all thoughts of the mixer went out of my head. Then came Christmas prep and the like and it wasn't until this week that I thought about calling for warranty work. I didn't realize when I bought it, but the cheaper price should have been a clue, but it is a refurbished model. And, refurbished models only have a 6 month (Argggggg) warranty. The closest repair place is in Dallas (4 hours away!). I am now going to try to find somewhere in Ontario to get it fixed and haul it back to the cottage this summer. Bummer! Bummer! Bummer! It does make me realize how important my "Protect our Money" goal is. If I had purchased the Square Trade Warranty for this item (I thought about it and then rejected it) I wouldn't be in this mess right now. It also teaches me that I have to deal with these things RIGHT away. Lesson learned!!!!!

So what's on my plate today?

• Telephone Elastigirl
• Send Birthday greetings to people with birthdays this week
• Send Hercules his RAM
• Give the dogs their Sentinel
• Set up a grooming appointment for Jack
• Telephone Mom
• Package up Mom's shirt for mailing
• Package up a book for Ariel
• Send Hervules a birthday card (I don't know how long it will take to get to China)
• Do a German lesson
• Update my blog
• Clean up my inbox - 15 mins
• Call KitchenAid re warranty (you can tell that I have already done this!)
• Email Alice about the elevation certificate for the house (I need it for insurance)
• Hang the curtain in the "Wine Cellar" (it is actually the elevator shaft storage area but Wine Cellar sounds so much better)
• Install new door knobs on the basement doors
• Filing - 30 minutes (not optional today)
• Step / Abs class
• Enter items in food journal
• Grocery shopping
• Take back slips to Sears
• Bid on a Wii and Wii Fit on eBay
• Read the Brian Tracy newsletter
• Coaching call
• ICA class
• Work on my coaching model - 30 minutes
• WHEW!!!

I realized yesterday that being super busy keeps my mind off of food / snacks! I was so focused on getting my To Dos done that I didn't really have time to wonder what tasty treat I was missing. That and eating good and balanced meals during the day helped also. I look forward to having the same magic today :)

Have a good one and I will talk to you tomorrow!

Ella

PS Remind me to tell you about Project 365.

Cold 2 Ella 1/2

My cold/flu is still winning although DayQuil is allowing me to delude myself that I might just be gaining ground. I am so glad that I decided to take it easy yesterday as I think that this might also have helped. Plus, I got all my goals work done and so I feel much better about that.

This year I decided that I was going to take my coaching and cooking businesses completely out of my 2009 goals. I want to give myself time and space to work on me, this house (Ike & builder recovery), the cottage (my "baby"), and the various traveling that I will be doing. It was really when I wrote down my travel schedule that I started thinking about my business building and how it would fit in. Every time I thought about it I felt pressure and a little panic. I finally decided that I didn't have to worry about it and that the skills required to be a coach and a chef didn't go away. As soon as I gave myself permission not to work on my businesses I felt much better and ... immediately got a new coaching client and a new job teaching cooking. Funny how the universe works!

Prince Charming leaves tomorrow for Japan and whereever else so today we have a lot of "what needs to be done that I don't want to lift, haul, etc. while he is away so I need him to do it before he leaves" jobs. A lot of that list centers around the storage area downstairs. This area used to be so organized before me piled it high (again) with stuff that used to be in the Sweet (the room that we built that we now call the "Sweeeeeet") or outside on the patio or that we just got lazy about putting in their designated places. It kind of looks like an oversized junk drawer. Today I also want to reorganize my cottage-bound boxes stored there.

Other than that I am going to rest, rest, and rest once again.

Oh, before I forget, I am going to get a Wii Console and Wii Fit. Pumpkin convinced me that I would really enjoy it. Her roommate got one for Christmas and they have been "playing" it ever since. It sounds like it makes fitness fun which is something that I crave. It also sounds competitive which I think that I will respond well to. I am hoping to convince my sister-in-law to get one also so that we can "compete" against each other. I think our natures are such that that kind of competition would spur us on ... in a good way, of course!

Doing my food journal I realized that I added 440 calories yesterday with the juice that I drank!! Even though it is 100% juice with no sugar added it packs a lot of calories. I was trying to drink lots of fluids for my cold and the juice helped me do this (I wouldn't have drunk as much water although I did drink 2 bottles). Unfortunately, it also helped bring my calorie count for the day up to 1899!! A 699 calorie deficit as I did NO exercise yesterday!!!!! Ackkkkk!!! I can hear Prince Charming (in my head) saying "Lighten up Francis" :) It is good to have that mental check but I can tell you I won't be sucking back the juice today!

Have a terrific day!!

Ella

Cold 1 Ella 0

My cold / flu didn't seem to understand that it was to have been vanquished! I am sicker than ever and will put myself back to bed as soon as I have written my blog entry. Between the rest and the chicken soup I will be back to normal in no time (I hope).

Despite being sick and tired yesterday I still managed to get almost all of my To Dos done (just the 1 hour Storage organizing left to do). Today though I am going to take it easy and do mostly sit on the couch with a laptop things:

• Create my RPM daily templates. I realized that I am far more effective if I have a strong and busy structure. These daily templates will help speed up my weekly planning.
• Transfer my written running To Do list to my existing RPM running To Do list.
• Type up my 2009 goals and print.
• Order Soldier donations boxes from post office. Our good friends Beauty and Beast decided to donate Soldier Boxes this year instead of getting each other Christmas presents. How nice and terrific of them! Although Christmas is past I am sure that some soldiers out there would still appreciate a package.
• Rest, rest, rest and get better.

Before I sign off for the day I want to reiterate how important I am finding the calorie counter. It is amazing how little food can add up! It is also answering soooo many questions about why I can maintain my weight but not necessarily lose it. And the thing is ... I eat pretty darned good! For instance, here is what I ate yesterday:

• My typical oatmeal breakfast which consists of oatmeal, raisins, blueberries, raspberries, ground flax seed, ground almonds, yogurt, and a little milk (349 calories)
• My non-fat latte (200 calories)
• Bean & Vegetable Quesadilla with 1/2 avocado (390 calories)
• Shrimp Gumbo (300 calories)
• Snacks consisting of 1 apple, 2 oz peanuts, and 1/2 cup cherries (434 calories)

That sounds pretty good doesn't it. Pretty healthy, not going overboard. Well, I think that it is. But it adds up to 1673 calories!! Which wouldn't be too bad except that I can only have 1200 calories (without exercising) without gaining weight. Which gives me a deficit of 473 calories. Yesterday I worked out to the tune of 488 calories. Which means that I contributed to my weight loss a measley 15 calories (out of 3500)!!! Heck, if I am off just a bit on my portion size that 15 calories could be gone in a biteful! And, each day is about the same. Today I am not working out at all so I will have to be extra vigilent.

So what am I going to do about this so that I can lose the 10 lbs that I would like to? Here are some of the strategies that I am going to try for the next week or so:

• Cut out raisins from my oatmeal. The raisins are contributing 74 calories. I don't think that I will miss these (and, in fact, this morning I really didn't)
• If I am going to eat nuts I will choose to eat only 1 oz. which should cut about 150 calories.
• Be careful of the avocado. While I only had 1/2 an avocado yesterday the day before I had 1 1/2 which adds up big time.
• Ensure that I exercise for at least 500 calories per day (not including today when I am kicking this cold). I will do this by wearing my heart monitor every time that I exercise to get a true count of my calories.
• Track my calories during the day to know where I am at at all times.
• Keep tweeking :)

On a happier note: I did get another compliment at the gym yesterday. Another one of the gals in my class mentioned that I looked like was really slimming down. I will take comfort in the fact that even though my scale isn't showing changes my body must be.

Have a good one!

Ella

P.S. I just came across this and had to share it:

"You are the only problem you will ever have and you are the only solution." Bob Proctor

Vanquishing My Cold

Last night I started to come down with a cold :( I had been so active and efficient all day long and when I finally called it quits my body decided to let me in on the secret ... "You are getting sick" (said in a kind of gloom and doom voice in my head). I immediately took the osci..cilli..something homeopathic medicine that I take that helps me when I have a cold or flu and began mentally letting my body know that being sick is unacceptable. Today I am still sick but I think that I can lick this thing or at least not suffer from some full-blown cold or flu. To that end I have purchased all that I need to make a chicken soup. I am still going to make my Shrimp Gumbo (from the menu) but as an evening "snack" I will have some good chicken soup available.

Oh a happier note, I am soooo pleased with the My Calorie Counter journal feature on the Everyday Health site (http://my-calorie-counter.everydayhealth.com/Journal.asp). Now that I am over my initial psych crap about scarcity I am really interested in making sure that my calories are less than my outlay (for that is the only way to actually lose weight - right?). Keeping the journal and also knowing that I had to show it to trainer Little John kept me from eating at least one snack yesterday ... maybe even two. Between that, this blog, and my sister-in-law I can't help but keep on track!!

I am so pleased that my pantry, Tupperware, and book cupboards are back in their usual organized way. It makes me ridiculously happy when things are orderly like they "should" be. I started working on my office yesterday (it will take some work) and I finished organizing the freezer. The world seems right once more :)

I love keeping track of my To Dos here for the "world" to see. It definitely keeps me motivated. So here we go for today:

• Mail Perdita's mom her shirt back
• Make roasted chicken soup
• Rough draft 2009 goals
• Meet with contractor 1pm
• Spend at least 1 hour organizing downstairs storage area
• Iron "sweet" bedding and make bed
• Min 45 minute walk with Jack

Wish me luck with my cold!

Ella

Challenges with Journaling!

Okay so yesterday I was all keen on my food journaling and thinking about menus and food. And that got me to thinking about food ALL DAY LONG!! It was like the food in the house was the last food on earth and if I didn't eat it then ... This morning while I was laying in bed I spent a bunch of time analyzing what happened, deciding whether I would admit it or not, and thinking about how to avoid this type of thing in the future as it is exactly this that sabotages me so often.

So here we go - Analysis time.

1. When I think about the fact that I need to write my food down and then I think about the fact that that probably means that I shouldn't eat certain stuff and that since it is Little John reading the list that it really has to be good stuff I immediately start to crave EVERYTHING! The adage that "energy flows where focus goes" is very true. To help avoid this "scarcity" feeling that triggers desire I must ensure that I menu plan weekly so that there is no question what I will be eating so that I can then forget about eating.
2. When I create a menu it has to be for every meal and snack of the day in order to be most effective and to ensure that I am getting the right combination of hi-low glycemic foods, the right "food pyramid" foods, enough variety to please me, enough food to fill me up but not make me fat, and have enough "fun" food included so that I don't feel panicked about never eating yummy, fun food again :)
3. Yesterday I ate breakfast but then I didn't eat again (even a snack) until almost 2pm when the contractors left. When I did I ate cauliflower with low-fat cheese on top. By 3:30pm I was hungry again probably because I hadn't eaten any carbs with it. So at 3:30om I inhaled an avocado, then some peanuts, and then some more peanuts. At about 6pm I had more cauliflower and cheese with a little salmon. Still wanting to chomp down food I ate 2 Fudgesicles (left over from the kids) and then, and this is the truly embarrassing part, even though I was full I ate the last Fudgesicle with the excuse that it was the last one and then I wouldn't be tempted any more. This could all have been solved if I had had a menu plan in place. Big lesson there. I just signed up at http://www.everydayhealth.com/ in order to use their free calorie counter. I think that this will help me also.
4. If I am going to make a success of this I have to put it out there warts and all. There is no use in me hiding my Fudgesicle eating or other "bad" things and still expect this blog to serve its purpose or for me to see any improvement. In fact, the reason that I am writing this blog is to almost force myself to take a good look at the reality of what it going on and why. So expect to see a lot of warts in this blog :)
5. I just signed up at http://www.everydayhealth.com/ in order to use their free calorie counter. I think that this will help me also as it is important to have a clear understanding of the number of calories that I am taking in especially since, without exercise, I only burn 1200 per day. Based on the food that I ate yesterday (1577 calories) I am happier than I have a right to be because I thought that it was going to be WAY worse, excited about using this new tool, and sad because I don't think that I burned an extra 377 calories at the gym yesterday (between Little John and the Elliptical trainer I don't think that I burned more than 300). This means that I had a deficit yesterday of 77 calories and that is the road to gaining rather than losing.

I have a client in a minute and I still haven't eaten yet so I am going to post this (so that I don't lose it ... I still haven't figured out how to get a post out of "draft") and then edit it later to add my To Do list and my Menu plan.

More to come ...

Bad news! I forgot to add the avocado and my calorie count jumped to 1899! That means that I have a 399 calorie deficit instead of the more reasonable 77 calorie one. I am so glad that I am using this calorie counter!!

My lunch today was really good. It was a sweet potato with avocado, green onions, and cheddar on top. Tonight, in following with my menu I am going to make Bean and Vegetable Quesadillas from the Canyon Ranch Cooking (CRC) recipe book.

And that leads into my menu for the next few days. I noticed that this blog was extra long so I am going to only include the dinner items:

• Thursday: CRC Shrimp Gumbo and salad for dinner
• Friday: CRC Chicken w/ Potatoes and Oven-roasted Vegetables
• Saturday: CRC Bulgur Lentil Salad
• Sunday: CRC Barley Risotto with Shredded Chicken

And my To Dos for today:

• Clean and organize pantry
• Organize tupperware cupboard
• Chop veggies to have available for salads
• Put away kid-left items
• Organize book cupboard
• Clear basement entry shelf

I don't know if I will get through all this but I will give it a shot!

Have a wonderful day!

Ella