AAAaaack!

I got home today to find a dead spider on my carpet. Actually, a large dead spider. Well, really...it's a large dead dismembered spider. *swoon*

I hate spiders. A. Lot. Hate them. And to know that one of my cats played and killed this thing makes me sick. The fact that this spider was in my house makes me sick. The fact that I had to clean up dead spider and spider legs makes me darn near hurl.

And now I can't get comfortable here at home. I'm afraid there's another one somewhere nearby lurking, waiting to attack me. (Yes, I know that's unreasonable.)

Let's hope watching some Oprah can help me forget about this mini-trauma...

And the Number is...

Today was my first weigh in and I lost....drum roll please.... 6.5 lbs! First week is likely to be high, so I'm keeping that in perspective. Needless to say, I'm happy to have a nice loss.

This week has gotten much easier. I am not really craving food as much now. And I think my body is adapting quite nicely. I not as tired anyway.

I still have these little bursts of thought though. For instance today when I thought about going to weigh-in tonight my mind immediately went to "What will I eat afterwards?" This is something else that has gotten easier as the week has gone on. I think about this less and less. I used to think about what I was going to have for dinner all afternoon, which gave me plenty of time to dissuade myself from eating healthy (especially if I started obsessing over wanting one particular food).

Anyway...that's that update. In other news...I got my Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit yesterday! Yay! I can't wait to set it up this weekend and try it out. I've heard great things, so I'm eager to have fun using that to help with strength exercises and yoga along with some tennis and golf. Sure it's a video game, but it's an active game in the privacy of my own home.

My New Path

I mentioned yesterday that I was on a new diet plan. I'd considered doing a post about it before, but wavered back and forth on whether I wanted to keep this private or not. In the end I guess I decided to mention it, so I should explain the whole of it: what I'm doing and why.

The plan I joined is called Optifast. It is a medically supervised program where I drink5 shakes and have nutrition bar a day (I can also exchange one of the shakes for a tomato soup). So it's essentially a liquid diet. I consume 960 calories a day. This goes on for 12 weeks until I spend 6 more weeks transitioning back to "real" food with the help of a dietitian so that I can make smart choices.

I'm sure this sounds pretty horrifying to many of you. I assure you, I did not make the decision to do this quickly. I thought about it for quite a while before I decided it was the right choice for me. Why is it the right choice? Read on...

At first glance this seems like a short-term plan. You lose the weight and then once you go back to eating normally, you'd gain the weight back. Yes, that is a possibility (as it is with anything I'd try). However, I recognize this for what it is. It's a jump start on weight loss. It's also giving me time to figure out what I was doing wrong. What is triggering me to eat like there's no tomorrow for no reason or why do I think I have to eat everything because I paid for it. Essentially it's a vacation from food. It's a time to recognize my behavior for what it is and deal with it.

I don't plan to go back to my old ways. In fact, after the 18 weeks are through, I'll likely go to Weight Watchers because I know that's a solid eating plan. And I expect to be armed better to make the right choices I wasn't making before.

Another reason for this plan is to get a bunch of weight off so I can start to exercise more comfortably. I don't want to exercise incessantly every day, that's just not me, but I want to be able to go for a jog or even run a 5K.

I realize this plan isn't for everybody and there was probably a time when I would have said this wasn't for me. But I have had to face facts. If I don't act now, who knows what will happen. This plan (and the price) forces me to stick to it to lose weight, and it gives me some tools and resources (dietitian, behaviorist, doctor) to make this permanent. I know I'll always need to be wary of my weight. I know I'm not ever going to be able to just eat whatever I want (like my sisters).

I just want to be healthy and this is the path I've chosen to get me there.

More Rest Please

This past weekend was a busy one. Friday night a trip to the zoo with my sister and nephew. Saturday hanging out with family. Sunday trip to the outlet mall with my sisters and a brother-in-law.

I feel exhausted. Not from all the fun, but from adapting to a new diet plan I'm on that will last 12 weeks and significantly reduces my caloric intake. My body is still adjusting after 5 days. I know that in the long-run this will be a good thing for me, but I'm still adjusting to the initial shock to my body.

I know exercise is supposed to help with energy, but I think I need to give it a few more days before I really take off in that area or my body will certainly rebel. I'm looking to make the changes for the long-run, so a few days of being tired are worth it.

Of course, the gloomy skies outside today aren't helping me feel any more energetic either. Luckily this is a short work week and I took some days off next week. So hopefully I'll get some energy back. And maybe some mental power so I can come up with interesting blog posts, since all I have lately is this lame one.

The Mystery of the Hallway Light

Early this morning I woke up to find my hallway light shining brightly into my bedroom. Now, I know it wasn't on when I went to bed as I would never have been able to go to sleep like that. I've developed the following theories as to how this light came on overnight.

1. For some reason in my sleep, I got up, turned the light on and went back to bed without waking up.
2. Someone broke into my house and just turned on that single light.
3. I have a ghost.
4. One of my cats did it.

Yeah, it had to be a cat. Now, this light has two light switches. One at the top of the stairs and one at the bottom. The one at the top is a little out of reach for the cats, but the one of the bottom has a table underneath it. So a cat could very easily stretch up and turn the switch. Both of my cats enjoy stretching up against walls, so I could see either of them possibly doing this. However, only Cady enjoys waking me up at 5:30 a.m., so I'm quite sure if I dusted for pawprints, hers would be the ones all over that light switch. Of course, it IS possible that Paris wanted to do a little light reading and she flipped the switch, but I'm fairly certain the troublemaker did it.

Now THAT's a Tiny Car

Wow...it's been over a week since my last post! I've been busy and also in somewhat of a drought for blogging ideas. Nothing sounds particularly interesting (to me).

Though yesterday at the grocery store I saw a Smart Car. It was very cute... At first I thought I should have gotten one of those (yeah, right). But then I realized that it would be hard to haul ANYTHING in it. If there were two people in it you couldn't really fit anything else in it. But still...very cute.

My Achy Muscles

How out of shape are you when you're sore from painting?

Yesterday, my parents, sister, and I painted my living room in my continuing beautification efforts on this townhouse. It took two coats and about seven hours...but it's done. And it looks great. I'll be taking some pictures after I get everything put back up on the walls, so I'll post a few then.

But seriously, my arms feel like I did a workout. I mostly used the extension roller, so I'm sure that's why.

Now, today I need to do more organizing upstairs. I hope I can convince myself to do that. Right now, laying on my couch sounds much more attractive.

New Bed!

I got my new bed delivered last night. Yay! It looks so weird to see an actual headboard in my bedroom. I've NEVER had one.

The weird part of the delivery? They were scheduled to deliver it between 4 and 8 p.m. When did they arrive? 3:30! They actually arrived early. Strange.

Anyway...I took a half day off yesterday to buy all sorts of odds and ends to make my place look nicer, too. I got some cheap, but good-looking black metal patio chairs at Target. I got some mulch to make my newly beautified "garden" look even nicer. I got some new blinds, because my sister was revolted by the ones I had (that came with the house). And, I got some paint. My place is going to look spiffy in no time. (Yes, spiffy.)

Now, if I could just get an agent who will sell my place for very low commission...

Today's Ramblings...

I'm mad at myself right now. Last night I thought of a great blogging idea...but I thought writing it could wait for today. Now I can't remember. CRAP! All I remember is thinking..."Great blogging idea!"

So...that means you get to read that I can't remember what I wanted to write. Lucky you.

I don't even have any fun videos to put up. Maybe later this afternoon when the Friday really starts to weigh down on me and I start checking out my "I'm-bored-at-work-and-want-to-goof-off sites".

Today is my niece's 2nd birthday, so tomorrow I get to go to a Cinderella party. I'm sure I'll have some funny things to post after that. After all, my nephew (her cousin), loves to get presents, so he's going to have a hard time not opening all of her wonderful gifts. They'll likely all be pretty girly, but I happened to get a few for her that he'll probably like (and want) too. So at least he'll have a little fun.

Have a great weekend everybody!