Air conditioning

I read an article today that said that maybe it is air conditioning that is making us fat. I think that it has a bit more to it than air conditioning but you can't deny that if you are out in the heat, you really don't want to eat. Of course, without air conditioning would anyone exercise?

New job

I am very excited, I got a part time job. I am going to be doing administrative work for Ritamarie. I think it will be great because it will help me want to be healthier. It's always easier when you are surrounded by it. I start right after school starts. I've been swinging on my health pendulum lately. One thing I notice is that when I binge on food or stop exercising, I don't do it for as long or as bad as I once did. Maybe I will eventually stop swinging back and forth. I realized something about my habits the other day. With exercise I need a routine, with food I need variety. Hopefully this observation will help me out. This fall, I plan to work out every morning after I take the girls to school and before I go to work. I think having it built into my schedule will be great. Obviously I will be eating healthy lunches at least 4 days a week if I am working at Ritamarie's. There is no way I would bring unhealthy stuff to her place. Dinners will get a lot easier when Ritamarie starts doing take out food. If I am not in the mood for what I have at home, I can take something healthy home. It will be really nice to have a job where I am helping other people also.

Tuesday

I did pretty well yesterday. I ate too much at dinner, but I didn't eat horribly. It's been so hard to be active lately because it is so hot. You can't really move at all unless you are in the water. It's been about 102 the last few days. I remember thinking that there really wasn't a whole lot of difference between 95 and 100, but really there is. Charlie and I had a meeting last night in a room that wasn't air conditioned well. I thought we were both going to faint.

Today I've had:
carrot, orange, apple juice
small slice of cheddar and about 6 small crackers
sandwich on whole wheat - apple, turkey, cheddar, spinach, mayo, and raspberry chipotle sauce

I am getting ready to have a snack, probably tortilla chips and peach salsa. For dinner, we are having roast chicken, potato salad, and spinach salad with maybe some bread. I may have angel food cake and berries later on. I am striving for moderation, balance, and getting more fruits and veggies in.

Writing again

I've been rather lax writing lately. Part of it is summer, part of it eating habits I am not proud of. I read a wonderful piece today that was very timely for me. It was about giving up ultimatums with food. If you say you can never have acertain food again, then of course you want to binge on it.

I have made pretty good strides on being active. I haven't been working out but I have been active. We've been swimming a lot and I make it a point to really play with the kids and not sit like a bump on a log all day.

I am back on the moderation approach. I binged for a while the last two weeks. We had a July 4 party and it rained. We had tons of leftovers and Charlie took some days off. So even when I wasn't eating hot dogs and hamburgers, I wanted to go out because I was on vacation mode. I noticed that all of us were getting cranky. Jessie's and my allergies were getting worse, too. I was having heartburn most nights and then started getting it during the day also. Charlie noticed the scale going in the wrong direction even though he was exercising every day. Luckily it only took a week or so before I realized we needed to stop our spiral.

I've found that it really works for me to have food I like on hand that is healthy instead of the food I think I should be eating. Even when I am not eating well, I still juice in the mornings. I don't really want any food until later. I think the trick is to eat a snack before lunch and then I can control what I eat. So here is what I've planned this week. It's not all raw, it's not perfect, but I think it's balanced and I can stick to it.

Breakfast - juice and/or fruit
Lunch - salads - tomato, basil, and mozzarella; spinach with feta; spinach with tuna; broccoli slaw
Snacks - craisins and nuts, tortilla chips with peach salsa, cheddar with crackers, angel food cake with berries and cool whip
Dinner - grilled veggie sandwich, roasted chicken with salad, turkey, apple, cheddar and chutney sandwiches, and a lite seafood newburg