How Is This Possible?

Having a slow start to my morning which is odd b/c I got up really early. I think I missed my early morning opportunity to get busy and active. Somehow I managed to gain 2.6 pounds over the weekend...I rode 50 miles over 2 days and I really ate very little b/c I wasn't actually hungry with all the exercise. Granted, it could be water weight, but COME ONE! maggie gained 3 pounds too and was about in tears.

I still can't work out b/c I'm still coughing...I guess I can lift some weights this week, but no heavy breathing to my asthma calms down.

Gotta do a week of Medifast hard core and knock it off. I have to go and weigh in at week's end, but really dread it. It's been hard to go weigh in much lately b/c my schedule has changed and they aren't open on Fridays. I think the most money I have ever wasted was on the Medifast Center. I think the diet is awesome, but I wish I had just bought the stuff online. I didn't find the support helpful. If anything, I found it nagging and annoying. That was an expensive mistake...stupid tax indeed.

The Blob

As I was typing in the address of the website I got to thinking that I should be typing blobber.com instead of blogger.com based on how I was feeling after eating supper.

I had a reasonably good eating day until the very end. I started with a small portion of supper, wasn't full, ate a tad more, waited some more and then had the ice cream I had intended to eat. Somewhere along the way, I ate too much. I know that I'm partially feeling heavy b/c of hormones and what they do to a girl, but I also know the last two weeks (and quite frankly, most of the winter) I have not been exercising as much as I wanted.

Today I didn't make it to Yoga b/c I was feeling sniffly and it was snowing and I just didn't want to face being outside. Tonight, we didn't make it to Pilates and I didn't lift weights b/c we're both feeling a little yucky and it was late when I got home from the grocery and it was too quick after eating to go exercise. Yesterday, I didn't make it to Zumba b/c I was cooking dinner and then my client called to cancel and I didn't have to leave the house at all. Now, the days before that were filled with hiking and riding, so at least the last few days haven't been a total bust. I was going to lift weights and do my Wii fit here at home (still might) but I put on PJ's and got comfortable...it's always hard to make a comeback from comfortable.

My weight, now that I'm on Medifast transition to real food, has been slowly creeping up. This is NOT good. But, I find when I eat more than 1200 calories in a day I gain weight. I just don't see how I can continue to exist on less than 1200 calories a day. I'm hungry all the time and when I exercise it's worse. I don't understand how i can be so active and eat reasonably healthy and still have a weight problem. I'm exploring the possibility that i might have an underlying undiagnosed thyroid issue. Of course, all my tests say I'm normal, but I'm not convinced.

I wish i could have weight loss surgery. I have a friend who had it and she is never hungry. She eats a tiny plate of food on schedule several times per day. I would love for that to happen for me. I can't imagine going through the rest of life being hungry. I suspect I will have to exercise like a maniac so I can eat before I can be hungry every day.

Anyway...it's always easy to beat up on yourself when you are drug down by the weather and the sniffles anyway. Tomorrow is a new day and I'll get right back on top of it.

Oh, and I didn't go over my calorie range by much...1600 for the day. I'm supposed to eat 1550. I suspect I burned up 50 calories doing chores.

Medifast weigh in and reflections

I will be weighing in on Wednesday at Medifast. I think I have 2 more weeks to go on my plan, maybe 3...I have decided to really be vigilant this week and eat correctly since I'm home and Peter is gone. I thought it could get me back on task. I did pretty well today.

I'm finding out all kinds of things about myself through this dieting process. I find that i don't like to go weigh in at the center on weeks when I know I have gained. They start to nitpick me about what I have eaten, what I'm doing, how much I have exercised. Of course, I know this is their job, but it makes me feel naughty, which makes me want to eat more food to prove my independence. That is surely messed up. I find that I really hate having anyone tell me what I should eat. I already know what I should eat. Most of the time I do it well. Sometimes I don't. I know that I should eat about half of what I do (when I'm not paying attention or eating out) I know that lean meats and lots of veggies are better for me than pasta and cream sauces. Sometimes I want the pasta and cream sauce. Mostly I am able to say no.

I'm not sure how to start doing Medifast full time again. I wonder why I'm "over it" mentally when I was doing so well before Christmas. I wonder why it's not easy to go back to my shakes full time.

I was up today when I weighed on the WII from the weekend at the convention, but that didn't surprise me. It will be interesting to see what i am tomorrow. I'm still noticing an over all trend upwards. I will start transitioning to food soon, but I guess, realistically I already have. I think part of me feels like I can't make my goal anyway, so "why bother" which is totally the wrong attitude. I'm still striving to lose. I just keep creeping up.

But, I have lost inches and I need to cling onto that! I have lost a bunch of inches.

I still think there is something in me that is afraid of succeeding in this arena. Something holds me back when I start to dip below some sort of invisible comfort level. I want to be thinner and to have a beautiful body...and I'm working at it. I just have to get my mind right and figure out why I keep stopping myself.

Weigh In

I maintained this week. I have only lost a total of 20.5 now. I was at 24 pounds, but then gained weight back over the holidays. I have lost some of that, but not any in the last 2 weeks. I know some of it was going to San Antonio and some other cheating, but I'm recommitting myself to ditching at least another 10 pounds before the end of February.

I did another Zumba class tonight. I didn't enjoy this class as much as I did the first one. It was a different instructor, and was actually a little easier, but I found that the faster pace not as interesting. There is another one at 7pm tomorrow at the same place that I went before and I hope to make it over there in time after seeing clients.

I get to ride with Alanna tomorrow. The weather is supposed to turn south the next day, so I will be grateful for the ride.

My 50 mile ride may be in danger. Max, my friend Eric's horse, is sick and he doesn't think his mare is in good enough shape. He doesn't want to drive from MO to TX for 25 miles and I can't blame him. Doing a 50 alone sounds pretty dull to me...will give it some thought.

Zumba

I went to a class called Zumba tonight. It's a Latin fusion dance/aerobic class. It was a great workout and tons of fun! I've already looked at the YMCA schedule to find out when I can go again! The steps were hard, but I found that I was pretty good at it in spite of my normal, non-dancing ways!

Today wasn't a good food/eating day, so I thought extra exercise was called for. Supposedly zumba burns about 600 calories in an hour, so I figure it was worth it.

The hour went by really fast.

Medifast stalling out

My jump start after my fun weekend has been tricky today. It was not awful in that I didn't have any dessert, but I did eat two meals instead of 1 and I only had 3 (I may still have one more) of my meals today. I'm finding that the longer I do this, the harder it is to for me to only eat the foods on the plan. I'm still doing a reasonable job, but I miss potatoes on occasion and I miss pasta. Today I did pass up dessert and I ate egg beaters instead of real eggs, so that's good. I am making better choices than before, but I am stuck at 210 and it's not budging. When I try to get back to eating just my medifast food, I find myself hungry all the time. I'm wondering if my body is trying to stay stuck here. I have to start exercising more.

Reflecting on the diet journey

Tonight it's going to get cold. They say it will be colder than it's been in Texas in 13 years...I am not ready.

Not to talk about this twice in one day, but it's on my mind...and that is what blogs are for.

I weighed in today and I gained four pounds. I don't really feel all that bad about the pounds as I was actually up by 3 more last week and I have been dropping steadily each day per the wii fit. I'm exercising and eating better than I was eating previously when I gained 30 pounds last year (from March till September) so overall, I can't be too upset with myself.

I'm finding that I dislike the very diet industry that is helping me. I'm getting over the attitude b/c they are providing me valuable tools and I'm losing weight, but I'm finding that I resent not being able to eat any fruit (per the medifast plan) and I'm missing the occasional potato. I really want to get the weight off, so I'm going to stick with it b/c I know it works, but I do find myself looking longingly at plates of pasta and produce and wishing for some. I don't even really miss dessert when I don't eat it. But I do miss popcorn. Of course, all this missing is good for me b/c these are things I was eating that was wrecking my health and making me gain weight...so resenting the diet plan is not very productive. I was reminded again today that it's one day at a time, one meal at a time, one choice at a time.

Last night we watched the Good Eats special: Live and Let Diet. Alton Brown showed videos of when he was 50 pounds heavier and talked about the plan he developed for himself to lose 50 pounds in 9 months...a feat which I found to be impressive.

He works off four lists which I will copy below. He starts each day with a smoothie for breakfast. I hope to use these lists as I finish medifast and continue onto maintenance...only I suspect I will continue to lose even while on Medifast maintenance.

Daily
- Fruits
- Whole Grains - Leafy Greens - Nuts - Carrots - Green Tea

3 times a week

- Oily Fish
- Yogurt
- Broccoli
- Sweet Potato
- Avocado

Once a week

- Red meat
- Pasta
- Dessert
- Alcohol

NEVER!

- Fast Food
- Soda
- Processed meals/frozen dinners
- Canned soup
- "Diet" anything

Eat breakfast every day, no exceptions

Medifast Weigh in/music therapy rant

I will weigh in today at 230pm. I know that I will have a gain, but I have accepted it. I'm almost back down to where I was pre-holidays according to my wii fit. I can't catch that up by today...so I decided I would just have a fresh mind set and recommit as of today. I will probably be up 3-4 pounds.

I had a good start today. I made some medifast eggs and I put some of my veggie allotment for the day in it and that filled me up nicely. I'm currently drinking a chai latte. I have to do a group in 45 minutes and then I will weigh in. This week, I'm planning to get one thing that is "food" but the rest is going to be shakes and hot drinks. I seem to be better at this when I don't eat. The act of eating seems to be more of a trigger. Plus, the shakes have fewer calories, so I hope to jump start things again.

It was so great not to go to the nursing home the last couple days. Maggie stayed in her room yesterday and I made no real attempt to accomplish anything. I watched a little TV...found a new show on History channel called "life after people" which I found really interesting. I went to the store, I fed the horses, I did counted cross stitch. I stayed up way too late (which resulted in sleeping extra late this am) Peter watched TV with us which was nice. He sorted photos on his laptop and hug out with me and Maggie.

I found out that Lifetime Wellness, my employer, never discussed the music therapy program ending with the facility, Emerald Hills. I guess my boss thought she would have 30 days to sugar coat things for them, promising them bigger and better things, or begging off due to lack of funds. My understanding is that there are no more music therapists left, save one, besides me and so they decided to discontinue the entire program. It's a shame because the residents will suffer and they really benefited from the services...but...oh well. I find it somewhat amusing that I left the way I did and put her in a bind. The reason that they don't have music therapists is that they don't want to pay them.

Today hasn't been much better in the productivity department. I did the dishes and sorted some laundry, but I didn't even wake up till 9:30. I woke up...made breakfast and watched my TNT rerun of ER. They are to the episodes I never watched so I'm enjoying them immensely. Today's episode starred Ray Liotta as a dying man and was very interesting.

I'm finding that I am probably sewing and watching TV far too much though...

Last night (or rather this am) I had the weirdest dream. First I dreamed that I had been kidnapped and I was trying to call Stotlemeyer and Monk to come save me. Then I dreamed I was having a baby, breech and one of the doctors from ER was trying to pull the baby out feet first. I kept telling them I needed a C section, but no one would listen...more and more people just kept coming to watch and observe. That was the dream I was having when I was waking up this am and I just couldn't get away from it. At one point in the dream they agreed I needed the Csection, but they were going to make me walk to the OR. Crazy!

Medifast this week...not so hot

I have had a cold this week and not done so well on my food. I ate sweets a little each day. I should know by now that eating sweets is a bad, bad thing for me, but I still seem to do it anyway. Maggie made a really tasty chocolate cake and I indulged. So, tomorrow is weigh in and I have no idea how it will go. I weighed this am, and I will close to the same weight that I was. This holiday season has really been kicking my butt. It's hard to eat right this time of year. I don't know how people do it.

Of course, the flip side is, that I'm eating so much better this year than I normally would, so I shouldn't beat myself up.

I have begun to discover that wheat and baked goods make me sick to my stomach. Not ever time, but a lot of the time. I'm hoping that this knowledge will keep me out of the cakes and cookies...but I also know that I like this stuff enough to eat them anyway sometimes.

New food favorite

Today has been a hard and hungry day for me. I confess, I have been limiting any yummy goodies in my house b/c I don't need to cheat and the rest of my family doesn't need the extra goodies either. We always have fruits and veggies in the house, but since I'm working to get back into a better fat burning state, I can't have any fruit. My diet is consisting of Medifast foods and my veggies and meat each day.

One decision I decided today was to begin to split my lean and green meal into two meals, so I can have 3 oz of lean meat twice (or 4 oz if I'm eating fish). It really helped me in the middle of the afternoon when it wasn't really snack time and wasn't meal time either.

I have discovered I really like kale. I like to toss it in olive oil, taco season, garlic powder and some pepper. Then I bake it in the oven till it gets crispy...like chips. Maggie likes it too.

It's very grey today. Maggie and I are working on schoolwork and some sewing.

Liberty is a Winner and I was not a loser...

This past weekend at Parrie Haynes, I really saw what a great horse I have in Liberty...He did his first open ride. We rode 25.5 miles each day and he still had lots of energy when it was all over. He lost one point on his MAW and a few points on metabolics over the weekend, but overall, I was very impressed.

We are having issues with gut sounds. He eats like mad on the trail, but I think he gets focused on his work and the gut sounds just never circulate. I'm going to have to figure out something to do with him that helps him keep loud guts.

Liberty placed 3rd in a class of 7 (three pulls, only four left at the end) Even more impressive, he placed ahead of the horse who won the President's cup last year. I was pretty excited.

The year end results from 2009 came out as well and we did really well. I knew that we were tied for first place in novice heavyweight, but I found out we were overall novice reserve champion. I also won first in novice horsemanship (that blew my mind) and we won novice team. and....because his half Arab papers came through before the end of the year, he's also novice/CP high point half Arab. He so far has exceeded all my expectations that I could just bust.

The ponies are getting the week off while Maggie and I do Christmas crafts and just take a break. It's been cold, so staying off the horses hasn't been a struggle. Liberty continues to surprise me with his attitude too. He seems to thrive on the work. He's happier to see me when i'm riding hard and traveling a lot than he is after I have given him days off.

This year (2010) we're going to tackle open, brush up on obstacle--I'm finally going to learn to open and close a gate--do a 50 miles endurance ride and start taking dressage lessons.

Medifast today...I gained a half pound. I'm sooo frustrated. I went to the ride and I rode hard. I ate a little more than usual, but I was hungry and I burned about 1200-1500 calories each day riding hard. I only consumed maybe 1500 calories each day (well, except for Sunday when I ate cookies and drank cider) So, this week...no cheating at all. Maggie and I had lunch after my weigh in at Jamaica gates where I ate meat and salad, which is on my plan. I began to think that I should split my 6-8 ounces of protein and my 3 veggies into 2 meals instead of one. Maybe that would help with hunger? I also got some of the momentum products to help with speeding things up and appetite control.

Busy, good day

I had a good Medifast day today after my earlier blog. I ate only what I was supposed to with the exception of sharing some dessert at a local restaurant with Peter tonight. I ate fish with veggies and skipped the mashed potatoes. I weigh 2.5 less pounds than I did this AM, which means that I have a ton of water weight hanging around. I don't weigh in till Thursday this week, so I'm hoping that one more good day will at least leave me even from last week...counter acting the holiday.

I have made my plan about the weekend. I'm going to order up the dinner, and the two lunches, skipping the breakfast for my shakes. I'm going to be hungry when I come in off the trail, so I feel like the soup and salad lunch will be just the ticket. I'm planning to buy a box of the "green" bars this week, which have a few more calories in them and have ready made shakes and easily eaten snacks to take on the trail. Now that I have a plan, it will be much easier to stick with it.

For the potluck, I'm either going to make some apple bread (or Maggie will) and/or sweet potato casserole (b/c I have a ton of sweet potatoes in my cupboard and I'm really not supposed to eat them) but I also think I'll bring a jug of red wine to share with my friends. I might be feeling like bringing two...not sure. I always want a beer when I come off the trail, so I'm going to buy a six pack of beer and take two...one for each day. If I take more, I will just eat them. Of course, Peter did buy me a new bottle of brandy, so Maggie and I could go nuts and make a bread pudding instead of anything I have mentioned...I'm wondering if you can make pumpkin bread pudding, or sweet potato bread pudding...the possibilities are endless.

I still need to pack for the trip the rest of the way. I have been gathering my clothes and packing the various things I will need. Since I have the platform in the back of the suburban now I will have to reinvent how I pack.

I have packed our suitcase

Medifast Update

I realized that I was doing better eating right when I blogged each day about my progress, or lack thereof. The last month hasn't been so hot. I have my weigh in and measurements tomorrow and I have no idea how it will go. I have lost something every week, but nothing close to what I was losing before. I have to seriously get back on track to make my February deadline.

This weekend will be my first open ride in NATRC. That is not a problem in itself. The problem lies in that they are serving yummy food all weekend! I'm planning to buy dinner on Friday, eat the potluck on Saturday (but I'm bringing my own salad in case there aren't enough veggies) and I'm going to eat the soup lunch on Sunday. Maggie and I may stay over till Monday am, so I will have to plan dinner for her. I hope/plan to stay on my diet as much as possible. I'm allowed to have an extra shake if I get hungry and I"m going to get some bars which are a little more filling to take on the trail. I'm going to keep my eating plan up as much as possible. I figure I'll bring extra green with me so that if I get really hungry I can eat pickles or something. I might even eat my salad back at the trailer before supper, or wait till the end of the line while eating my salad, so that I won't be so hungry...of course, my usual strategy is to get in line first, so I can get the veggies I need in my diet.

At first, a little cheating wasn't the end of the world, but I"m slipping. By slipping, I'm not learning the proper way to conduct myself outside of my medifast world, so it has to stop NOW.

Friday activities/Medifast Weigh in

Maggie and I attended New Moon last night at midnight. My honest opinion that it was just OK. It was visually stunning, but the story on screen was rushed and lame. I liked the book a lot, but I hate that an 18 year old girl was so wrapped up in a guy that her whole world was going to crash in without her. I hate that any girl needs any man that much. I like independent and strong women!

Today we were tired so we sat around and did school work and watched TV. It's been nice, but nothing to write about...other than we've had a good time clearing off the DVR.

Medifast this week said 2 pounds off for a total of 21.5. I didn't have a great week last week, but I am determined to have a good week this week.

Diet sabotage...

I have been sabotaging myself the last 3 weeks. I have eaten food off my plan and I haven't been sorry...but now I have to weigh in tomorrow and I'm very sorry. I may be looking at a weight gain tomorrow instead of a loss. I have to find my original motivation again. It's not that I"m not motivated...it's that I have let a few minor and normal indiscretions blow into a string of bad eating. This weekend there were two potlucks and a lot of sweets and I didn't say no. I have to learn to say no if I'm going to be thin.

So, tomorrow, I go in and weigh (or I put it off two days and really watch what I eat and be careful) and I start over as though every day is the first day. Now I have to go through the pain of getting off sweets again. GRRR. Why are we human's so stupid sometimes?

Still feeling melancholy over friendships, but that will pass. I have so much sewing and embroidery to do for Christmas, I shouldn't have too much time to think on it.

Weekend Diet Challenge

I had a slice of pizza last night for supper, with a big salad and it was really, really good. I am finding that knowing I can have one meal, or one thing, or one bit of something tasty actually helps me. Feeling my clothes so much looser keeps me motivated to not completely derail. I'm learning that planning is of the essence. This weekend I have a ride where they are feeding the judges, of which I am one. I asked what they were eating. In the past I would have just gone with it, but now I know I have to plan, or get stuck breaking my plan. I found out they were eating hot dogs. I don't like hot dogs enough to go off my diet, so I'm going to eat lunch at a restaurant I really enjoy and then eat medifast food when everyone is eating hot dogs. Tomorrow they are serving breakfast and lunch and having a potluck at night. My current plan is to bring potluck food, but I may or may not eat depending on what they serve. I will probably eat lunch again and if breakfast has protein I may or may not eat breakfast. Sunday I'm not yet sure what I will do, but I probably will just eat my own food. Of course, the trick is to make sure I pack food for Maggie too.

Medifast Weigh In week 5 (one month)

I weighed for my 5 week/1 month weigh in yesterday afternoon. I lost 6 pounds this week. This was a relief since I had gained 2 pounds the week before. I lost those 2 again plus 4 more. I have a weekly average of 3.5 pounds (3.4 exactly) which they tell me is really good. They also did my measurements and I have lost 16.5 pounds.

Last night after weigh in, I decided to eat one thing I really like to eat. I settled on a bowl of popcorn...which wasn't as tasty as I had wanted it to be, but was still a nice treat. Today I'm hungry. I'm probably paying for carb overload from last night.

Pole Canyon wrap up

Pole Canyon Ranch in Quitaque, TX is my most favorite place I have ever ridden. It is just a gorgeous place to go (photos will be at Tierone Photos when Peter gets them finished) The rocks and the flat lands, the trees and the cows, the coyote and the deer all add to the rustic nature of this gorgeous place to ride.

The weather was just beautiful. It was chilly, but tolerable at night and sunny and just warm enough during the day. The obstacles were challenging, but very doable. Some of the obstacles were things I had been practicing "just in case" I was ever asked to do them in competition. For example: we dismounted onto a rock on the near side and then had to turn our horse to the offside to remount. I can successfully do this in reverse, but wondered how well I would do it the opposite way, so I had been practicing. All those off side mounts paid off.

Maggie and I rode together in the STC on Saturday. We both had really high scored and I was very proud of Liberty. We are consistently getting 8's and a few 10's instead of all 6's. I had the pleasure of riding with Jeanne Dover, a newcomer to CTR, though not at all a newcomer to riding. Her horse, Harley, was wonderful and paced well with Liberty. She said he could be hard to stop, though I confess, I never noticed it. I was once again tickled that I have a horse who listens to me so well. Once, while galloping across a field with Maggie, Jeanne, and another junior, I decided I was ready to slow down. So, I asked Liberty to walk...and he did. The girls kept on running and he just picked up a nice walk and walked on. This is probably his best feature! Now, to perfect more obstacles.

In the end, Maggie was the only junior who finished. Rachel, the other junior, had a lameness issue with her horse between 12-16 miles and had to pull, which was very disappointing. Maggie placed first, as a result. I placed 4th and Jeanne placed third. Annette Thurlow, who has had her share of terrible horse problems over the years won our division, her first time in level 1...Everyone was tickled for her. On the year end awards, Irene Henry was the Supreme Trail Champion and I was reserve with Maggie a close third.

On Sunday, I got to judge for the first time and I really enjoyed it. I thought carefully about what I was looking for, so that I could explain at the end what I was judging. Maggie was again the only junior and placed first again. I believe she has now passed me in the year end NCTHA standings and depending on what happens in the next few weeks with our rides, she may end up being the high point winner. Of course, the year isn't over till the end of December, and no telling what will happen, but I can't think of anyone I'd rather be beaten by than my own kid! Maggie is asking when she can ride with the adults, as she doesn't like always winning b/c there aren't any other kids. I wish that we could get more juniors to participate.

My eating wasn't as hot as it could have been this weekend. I did great on the trail and around camp, but Alanna, the ride manager, fed us so well. I took small portions and lots of salad and didn't overeat dessert, but I did have a lot more carbs than I have been used to. Now I'm going to have to 'detox' myself all over again...and that's hard. I don't have to weigh in till the end of the week though...and that's good.

One more ride in the NATRC season and then we have 2 more TTC's and we're done with that for the year. In November, I am looking forward to taking a little break, but the Christmas ride is the first weekend of December and I plan to start riding open at that point, so I can't take too much of a break.

Pole Canyon Fall

Maggie, Peter and I are heading out to Pole Canyon Ranch tomorrow for a Supreme Trail Challenge. Sunday will be my first opportunity to do some simple judging...I guess that means my training will be beginning. I have a ton of stuff to do tonight before we leave, but the truck and the clothes are mostly packed. It's been hard to do much this week because I have felt so crummy. I came home from Missouri feeling OK, but then Wednesday morning I woke up with an upset tummy and terrible headache. So, I slept in and took yesterday off. I felt a little less crummy today, but still felt bad until about noon...then I started feeling much, much better.

I went to Medifast today and weighed in. I have lost a total of 13.5 pounds...4 pounds this week. I have been really good about my diet, but did eat the buffet food and some wine on Saturday night. I also had some popcorn this week. This weekend will be challenging b/c I'm going to eat Alanna's cooking (and her cooking is really good) So, I will eat my medifast food for breakfast and snacks and eat Alanna's food for lunch and dinner and exercise enough to burn off the extra calories. That shouldn't be a problem since we are going 20 miles.

My friend Dee is checking on the horses while I'm gone. I'm leaving them tack if they want to ride while I'm gone. I'm so happy to have someone to help me with the ponies. Fiera and Joe Bear will be alone and hopefully it will give them a chance to bond. I hate leaving her alone so Joe being back is a great addition to our little family.

Day nine

Today I had to wait a long time between my morning snack and my lunch. I was so hungry, I could have eaten anything in front of me...but I didn't. I ate low carb, lean and green and I was very proud of myself. I think I like eating lunch or eating in the mid-afternoon better than I like eating supper. I stay satisfied from food when I eat lunch/dinner between 3pm and 5pm. Of course, I can't always do that, so I'm learning to adapt. Each day I'm amazed how I can be hungry and not lose my mind. I think having less carbs and no sugar in my life keep me from getting as hungry.

Maggie baked cookies for the NATRC potluck. I had her do it when I wasn't here b/c I didn't want to smell them baking. Chocolate Chip cookies are really a big weakness for me. I can more easily not eat one than I can avoid eating 5. Though, that said, people are always saying to me that once you give up sugar, you eventually don't miss it...I think they are lying.

Tomorrow Maggie and I will get up and pack to go to the Natrc Region 4 benefit ride. We aren't as prepared to leave as early as possible. I still have to buy hay, go to the store and pack the cooler.

Poor Peter is sick...running a fever, probably flu. Not the scary flu, just a little flu. We are hanging out in the office to stay away from him and his germs.