The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

I have been neglecting writing this last week.  I could blame it on sick kids, being busy, or other things, but to be honest, I've just been in kind of a funk.  I really need to light a fire under my own butt and stay active. 

The Good: I did walk for two miles with the stroller again on Sunday.  The first walk wasn't timed, but I did one mile at a moderate pace.  The second walk was actually 0.85 miles (thanks, Google Pedometer) and I completed in 18 minutes alternating a fast pace and an easy walk.  I feel pretty confident that if I was walking alone, I could have done it a few minutes faster, but my kids weigh 63 lbs combined and that double stroller weighs at least 15 lbs.  It's not an easy push at a leisurely pace so power walking with that thing is more of a workout than you might think.  When I am done, I not only feel it in my legs, but in my arms and my abdomen as well.  I am also amazed at how much it affects my mood--I feared being tired and grouchy but instead I was quite relaxed and calm afterward.  I'm starting to understand the "runner's high".  I hope I can feel that same high someday.

On Sunday I weighed in at 173.1 again so I was happy.  177 had to have been skewed by some water weight by taking the steroids.  I am so glad to be done with those!  This morning I was able to tighten the belt yet another notch so I was happy about that, too.  Six holes in; I haven't seen that for a long time.  None of my pants fit well, so I may be searching some thrift stores soon.

The Bad:  I am having my cholesterol checked soon; HDL, LDL, triglycerides and everything.  I'm not looking forward to finding out what it is now.  My cholesterol has been as high as the 240's, which is bad for someone in her early twenties.  I haven't had it checked for a few years, and I'm long overdue.  I'm certain it's still over 200 and I need to bring it down, now.  If it's lower than 200 I will probably die of shock. 

The Ugly:  My diet.  It is atrocious.  Yeah, I have been losing weight, but I still eat a lot of "bad" food. 

I'm finding that I eat the worst after eating perfectly healthy all day.  Nothing tops off a healthy diet like a couple of cupcakes or a piece of chocolate cake, right?  Seriously, I need to learn better willpower.  I also think that if my diet during the day were more satisfying, maybe I wouldn't feel so inclined to binge on the junk at the end of the day.  Then it sits in my stomach all night and I don't feel hungry in the morning, which does not help my metabolism. 

Not only do I crave junk, but find myself eating mindlessly.  I had checked out a book called "Mindless Eating" some time ago; maybe I need to go find it again.  I don't remember the author but the book made a lot of sense. 

I need the strength to pull this off.  Exercising and eating less is helping, but putting the right things into my body is still of utmost importance.  I need to fill up on the fruits and vegetables, lean meats and whole grains...and put a padlock on the snack cabinet.  NO fast food, period.  And if I'm going to munch on something mindlessly, make it rice cakes...