Starting a garden

I've slumped a little on my plan. I got tired of tracking my points and got a little bummed out and just couldn't quite keep it together. But I'm still thinking about and focusing on my health and the health of my family, and one of the ways we are trying to move toward better values is to grow more of our own food. We had a little container garden last year, and it was pretty successful, but was also mostly managed by my mom when she came to watch Jasper. This year, we want to take our garden to the next level and really be proactive about it. We're already starting a little late in the season, but it's been so cool and rainy that we're not too far behind yet.

Starting our garden

The first thing I did was start planning out what we wanted to plant and where (I mapped it out in Visio!). We still have containers all around the deck, and those will be for our greens and herbs.  Then we started talking raised beds. We're going to till up the side of the back yard that gets the best sun and put in two raised beds parallel to our strawberries that grow along the fenceline. At the fence, we'll grow some snap peas and bush beans. On the far side of the yard, amongst our few decorative shrubs, I'm going to randomly sow some summer and winter squash, and we'll see what sprouts.  

toph's experiment is to make a potato box -- they say you can grow 100 lbs of potatoes in a 4-sq foot box!  We might not get 100lbs, but we'll get some at least, and it will be fun to try it out.  Potatoes can take up so much room that it will be awesome if we can do it in a small space!

In the raised beds, the plan is to grow mostly peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and some carrots, radishes, and kohlrabi. We're trying to focus on veggies that we will reliably eat, that produce well without too much fuss, and that we can plant in April.  To get a little head start, I started some seeds indoors in little peat pots -- broccoli, peppers, and kohlrabi.  Jasper helped, and there were a lot of seeds in some of the pots. I'll have to do some thinning.

Today, we went out and got all the seeds and tools we needed, dug around in the yard and weeded the border, staked out the raised beds, fertilized all of our containers, and got some stuff planted! We planted rosemary, sage, oregano, and lemon thyme starts, and a container each of flat leaf parsley and cilantro seeds. Jasper helped with the seed planting, scattering seeds and scooping dirt to cover them up.

We still need to plant more spinach and kale, scallions, some more lettuce, and more herbs in the containers, and then lots of stuff in the raised beds once they are ready. But it's a good start toward having our own delicious ingredients that we can just walk out to the yard and pick! I love the idea of eating the food that we all grew together, and cooking with my own ingredients -- I know exactly what went into them, including all the love and energy we gave them as we coaxed them to grow. And most importantly, we're showing Jasper the importance of knowing where your food comes from and how to at least grow your own greens in the summer. We're never going to go live completely off the land, but knowing how to make things grow is a good skill, and a good way to use the land that we live on, and a good way to connect to the earth. It's moving toward values in a real and fundamental way, and it makes me really happy.

Day 51: Who knows what day it is anymore

That was an unscheduled break. I felt like I was really on a roll with the whole plan, and I got lazy about writing stuff down. Then, as it happens, it started to get harder to roll with the plan. Writing stuff down works. Just write it down. God.

So, results-wise. Last week was good. I did lower my points to get rid of the nursing points, and it was a little tough at first because I have to eat way less food. But it's definitely making a difference.  And the cleaner eating went well until Saturday when we had pizza or something. I am pretty consistently showing a 2.5 pound loss by Friday of each week, and then gaining 1.5 pounds on Saturday and weighing in with a small loss on Sunday. But it's still a loss every week. I'll take it.

This past week, I didn't stick to my points for the first time since starting this endeavor in January. I went nuts on Sunday and Monday and just ate too much and drank too much and then I was at a deficit all week. I could have made it work, but I didn't, because I wasn't willing to eat so sparingly and not have a glass of wine. I probably should start saying no to the wine.  And then I made a chicken pot pie, and surprise, that is not low points. And then I had pizza and lemon tart and... blah.

So I am trying to start this week off right. I ate well today (leftover pizza but I made it work), and prepped a bunch of good and healthy breakfast foods for this week so I can start eating a larger breakfast and maybe a smaller lunch. I think having the energy in the morning is important for work and more energy means I'm more likely to exercise.

I've still been doing at least my 10 minute yoga workout almost every morning, and I'm trying to get out and walk more.  And we've decided that March is when we will start the C25K again. I want to be running.

Other stuff: My jeans are fitting much more loosely. I'm not feeling packed into my clothes as much, and I caught a glimpse of myself in a window when I was out walking the other day and I wasn't horrified. So I'm making progress. 

Overall results: down 12 (almost 13) pounds in 6 weeks, and have been getting an average of 2 hours of exercise a week.  Which is not much, but it's more than I was doing 6 weeks ago.  And a 2 pound weight loss per week is just what I was hoping for. I just have to stick to it.

Goals for this week:  Get at least three 1/2-hour vigorous walking workouts.  Try to run and see how it feels. Keep doing my yoga every day.  Stick to my points.

Day 35: February

So, that was fast. This week went sailing by. I am doing pretty well, settling into a rhythm with the points and all. I changed my points setting so I can only swap Activity points the day I earn them, so I don't end up hoarding Flex points. It's worked out pretty well. I still have about 30 Flex points left, even after a minimal exercise week.

One thing that I am proud of is that I've done my 10 minute quickie yoga workout every morning for 2 weeks now.  It's really helping me get rolling in the morning.

On Monday I am starting my cleaner eating program -- less dairy, less fat, less carbs, no sugar. I am excited to see how that feels. I definitely feel ready.

I have lost the weight I gained over the last weekend and am now at my lowest weight for the year. I'll show a good loss this week if I can sustain it until Sunday, which shouldn't be a problem.

So there it is. Very boring, but I am ok with boring if it means I am staying on track!

Day 31: Do not read nutrition information

There is a reason that restaurants don't want to make their nutrition info public. Because if you see it, you will never want to eat out again. It is ridiculous.

I was at a staff meeting and we were going to go out for happy hour afterward. My plan was to have 1 drink and then go home and make dinner. We ended up at Chevy's ("Fresh" "Mex") with a few coworkers and then our VP insisted on buying us all (including Jasper and toph!) dinner. Which was very nice of her, but I was not intending to eat dinner at Chevy's.  But who were we to say no to free food.  So I had a margarita (ONE), and probably more chips and salsa than were strictly necessary, and then ate 1 chicken enchilada, half my rice, and the "grilled" vegetables (which tasted like lighter fluid). This is remarkably restrained for me. I ate the one enchilada, and even picked out a bunch of bites of chicken and rice for Jasper, and looked at the rest and thought, "I'll just be done."  Go me!

Then I came home and looked up the nutrition info and OH my EFFING god.  I do not even want to think about how much fat and carbs I ate. I tracked it all, and through the miracle of a very small breakfast and very moderate lunch, I stayed inside my points today. But I feel terrible, all heavy and gross, even though I tried (mostly) to go light. I could have had a salad, but you can eat as much fat in salad dressing as in an enchilada, and this was just mole and chicken, there wasn't cheese or sour cream or anything.  It's just stupid that I was trying to be reasonable and it was still so ridiculous. And that is why I generally do not eat at Chevy's.

I'm glad I saw it, actually, because it was a good reminder that restaurant food is not like homecooked. I do not pour a barrel of oil, salt, and sugar into everything I cook, and most restaurants do. It's just part of the deal. Eating at home is much better for all of us. 

Day 30: Watch me blow it!

Oh mercy. After doing so well and getting into my new weight decade this week, I went on a little bender. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. I still stuck to my points for the week, though I blew through an insane amount of flex points on Friday. And I ate sushi, and had part of a wonton that had wheat in it (so I got all puffy and my eyes got itchy), and then ate pizza, and wine, and more wine, and then one more wine for good measure.

The result is that I am showing a net gain of 1.5 lbs for the week, even after losing 1.5lbs earlier in the week. Realistically, I know that much of it is water weight, and I'll lose it today and tomorrow if I eat sensibly.  On the other hand, today is my official weigh-in day, so I have to weigh in with a gain. Depressing.

On a 3rd hand, I did still stick to my goals this week:

• Exercise: I did a 10 minute yoga session EVERY DAY this week! And I walked 30+ minutes 4 times, each time pushing the stroller. Yesterday, we walked for over an hour.  I am starting to feel a difference in my legs; the muscles are getting more defined. And my balance and flexibility is also improving.
• Points: Technically, I stuck to my points. I used all of my Activity points, and I used a giant glob of my Flex points on Friday/Saturday, which is allowed, but for me is probably not a good idea.
• Weight: up 1.5lbs.  Now let us never speak of it again.

Goals for this week:

• Stay on track and don't be discouraged by the scale.
• Stick to my points.
• Use Activity points only on the day I earn them, rather than banking them for the week.
• Drink 8 glasses of water every day (I've been falling down on this, and feeling parched at night.)
• Do at least 3 30-minute sessions of aerobic exercise
• Complete the Facebook arms challenge
• Make a detailed meal plan for next week (write it all down)-- I am planning a low points/low fat/low carb week, just to shake things up. I want to make sure I am ready to hit the ground running on Monday (not Sunday, which is the Super Bowl).

Day 27: Consistent

I've been doing at least a short yoga routine every morning this week. I use the Wii Fit, which is sort of not yoga at all, but it helps me to do my body test every day (and weigh myself) and then do a little pre-defined routine. Right now it's mostly stuff to stretch out my back, because I wake up every morning feeling creaky from lying in one position while Jasper nurses.  That 10 minutes makes a big difference in my day, all day long.  I added downward dog to the routine yesterday, and I forgot how much arm and core strength I need to do that one with good balance and form. So now it's going in the regular rotation so I keep practicing it.

I also signed up for a silly Facebook challenge of arm work for next week. Why not? Worst case scenario, I do some arm work for a few days. It's a new exercise every day, and you do 100 of them over the course of the day. I don't know if I will even use weights right now, because my arms are pretty weak except for the muscles that pick up babies.

Other news: I dropped into a new weight "decade" yesterday, and held steady today. I feel really good about that. It's mostly psychological, because I lost about 1/3 of a pound, but it makes me feel different, like I'm making progress.

I just want to keep making progress.

I've also done two 1/2 hour walks (pushing the stroller) to the park this week, so one more real workout and I'll meet my goal for the week!  The yoga is nice, but it's just helping me stretch, I don't think it's doing much in the way of burning calories. But maybe getting up and doing my breathing and all that first thing in the morning will help my metabolism get fired up. Here's hoping!

Dinner tonight:
Sausage, some leftover vegetabley Bolognese, and pasta, with parmesan. Always with parmesan.

Last night was pork chops, roasted red potatoes, and a frozen vegetable medley. We're working on eating more vegetables, and sometimes frozen is the easy and affordable way to do it.

Day 25: feeling good

Woke up too early, did a little yoga with Jasper hovering around me squealing "Wiiiiiii!" Felt better after that. I've been focusing my yoga workouts on keeping my core really firm and strong. I can't see a difference yet, but I am feeling more balanced, especially during anything I do on one foot or raised on my toes. And I can reach past my toes now when I do the sun salutation. I feel good, like I am making progress.

I can start to see the merest glimpse of an indent in my cheeks these days. And
my belly is getting softer, which means I am losing some fat. So that's good, too.

Posting from my phone because I can't stand to be at my computer anymore today. I sat for too long. So I will keep this short.

I ate a really healthy lunch, but then we had frozen mac and cheese for dinner. Not my finest health moment, but it was planned for and I'm still within my points for the day. Sticking to my points is getting easier, and I am not feeling horribly hungry during the day. I'm also drinking a lot more water.

Focus for tomorrow: exercise, and if my
work schedule will allow, a pedicure. I've been putting it off for too long. Just need to go do it so my feet feel good!