December in New York

I confess I really enjoy New York in December.   But to be fair, I enjoy New York City all year round too.

Tonight, we are taking the 4:28 train to Manhattan and won’t be home till Sunday afternoon.  My cousin’s birthday is tomorrow and she scored another Hilton weekend rate of $42 a night.  This time we are staying in Chelsea.   I am looking forward to it, because when I am home I am constantly cleaning or working, I just cannot figure out how to relax.   Apparently I can only chill when you take me away from my normal environment.  In fact, this weekend I won’t even have my laptop (I am alreadly  missing it!)    Sick wise, I am feeling slightly better than yesterday, but I still have a call out to my doctor for another dose of drugs.  The weekend is planned chock full but I am going to have to pick and choose my activities.   My cousin has various people meeting us throughout the weekend and tonight  there’s a planned bar crawl around Union Square then dinner at Craftbar.  On Saturday I see  a potential trip to the Met for the Rembrandt exhibit (however, I’d like to view the Macy’s window displays) and then her birthday dinner in the Flatiron, followed by a birthday party at Mcsorley’s -and-  high tea on Sunday.     I think my best bet is to not over imbibe (or drink at all) and head to bed earlier than the crowd.     Have a lovely weekend everyone!

The Best Diet Ever

Perhaps being sick is the best diet ever.  Perhaps it’s a god send I got this sick the week after thanksgiving?  I have no appetite at all, but cannot seem to survive my medicine without food.  I’ve been taking Zithromax to combat double ear infections and a red throat.  It leaves me naseuos and er has other digestional tract side effects.    If I take it on an empty stomach, the results are painfully not pretty.  

I also use being sick as an excuse to drink delicious Starbucks beverages.  In fact, the past 2 days I’ve drank 1/2 of a skim caramel latte thingy.    That’s 100 calories of really tasty stuff I tell ya.  Hrm, yesterday I had 1/2 serving of split pea soup and 1/2 a macaroon too.  Half day.

I’m not sure why I am in a good mood today, but I’ll take it.   

This and That

I’ve been MIA from my blog the past few weeks – and I’m not sure why.  A lot has happened, but that’s no excuse.

-Tim’s now has a job through December 2008.  He’s staying with his present company.  The process included 6 months of red tape before we saw an offer.    What a relief.

-We only had 1 week to enjoy Tim’s positive job status when I lost my biggest client.    It’s a long story, but it’s difficult and hurtful.   I am still upset and suffering (mentally, let alone financially).  Really, we cannot seem to catch a break.   I had been gearing up to quit my day job, to pursue my business full time.  I have no idea if that is possible now.   Honestly , this feels like a huge step back.   Furthermore, as of January 1 I need to figure out how to replace 1/3 of that money monthly, and I am considering doing it via a blog (not this one).  Does anyone have suggestions about link ads and/or getting income via a blog?

-My mother and stepfather were in town for thanksgiving.  He was very sick.  As in he slept 3-4 hours everday, coughed nonstop and didn’t eat.  We are all sick now.  Edited to add:  I went to the doctor on Monday and I have 2 red ears (with fluid) and a red throat and he cautioned me to not worry if I cough up blood? Cough up blood?!  He said there is a broken capillary on my throat or some such.  I am now on Zithromax.   My doctor was generous enough to prescribe some for Tim too.   Yeah.

-My cousin and I spent an unexpected 48hours in NYC.  She works for Hilton got us a fantastic room off Time Square for all of $42.   We had high tea, drinks, dinner, lunch at my favorite bistro, and then did some Christmas shopping.    It was wonderful.    We shopped at Lush.  I bought a lot of Christmas presents and some fant-fucking-tastic lotion.  I bought some really cute boots at Macys too.   I probably should not have, but this was before I lost my client.  Holy crap, the Steve Madden site has them priced for like 50% more than I paid for them.

- Things with my brother are strained (the result of a mistake my mother made months ago) and I’m just sad that he is now lobbing me into his standard ”all the women in his life are crazy”  comments.   And I’m upset my mother interfered.   My relationship with my brother (prior to this) had been decent.  Now it’s not.

-Speaking of childish and immature, my father has been nothing but snide and bitchy to me lately.  Not to mention he was intrumental in my losing my largest client.  I just don’t know what to say anymore.    We RSVPed no to his company holiday party.   I’m just not feeling it.

-I swear I have always hated reality television, but I have a new secret pleasure:  Keeping up with the Kardashians on E.  I don’t know why, I mean, I’m sure it’s scripted, but it sure was cute when Bruce Jenner got a pedicure with his 2 preteen daugthers.    Not to mention there is 1 sister is is significantly less attractive than the others, and I feel for her.  I also feel bad for Kim on occasion, as her weight (to me she’s curvy and beautiful) is something they all seem to pick on.   Or hey that’s just a story line.

So that is the update.    The holidays are coming and I am definately up 3-4lbs, maybe more as right now I am PMSing.    Next week we have a birthday bash in the city, the following weekend we have a friends 30th birthday celebartion(Tim is bartending), in fact there seems to be something important every weekend till New Years.   I have to say, I’m looking forward to 2008.  

-

What She Said

So sayeth Skwigg: 

“1) You can continue doing exactly what you’re doing, eating exactly what you’re eating, and taking great joy in the fact that your exercise program is effective enough that you’re not gaining fat, even with all of your indulgences. Nothing wrong with deliberately hanging out in Maintenanceville from time to time.

2) You can make an adjustment or two, possibly make your portions a little smaller, eat a little less junk, step up the exercise intensity, and you’ll start to see gradual but consistent fat loss.

3) You can totally get it together. Eat clean 90% of the time, lean protein at every feeding, fruits and vegetables for your carb portions, starchy carbs early in the day or post-workout, healthy fats, buckets of water, amp up your exercise routine, cardio intensity through the roof, and fat will fly off of your body.

The approach is entirely your choice, but your expectations have to match your actions. You can’t expect drastic amazing fat loss when your actions are only enough for maintenance. Or expect to lose fat from exercise alone when your food intake is at maintenance level or above.

You don’t have to go hardcore every day from now on. If you’re patient, you can get in damn fine shape without ever being a squeaky clean freak about it, but you have to come up with a calorie deficit somehow. And even if it’s a small one, it has to be consistent.”

Its clear to me that I’ve seen all phases in 2008:

Option 1 (tweaked) is where I have been the past 6 weeks or so, maintaining, within .4lbs everytime I got on the scale, except for today, I was up 2lbs, but I’m just coming off my period.

Option 2 seems like the best way to get through the holidays, and just live a normal life while dieting.  The reasonable healthy lifestyle approach.  It’s the current plan.

Option 3 was what I did January 2007 to September 2007 and is my plan (again) come January 2008.

Although I Shouldn’t? Or Should I?

It’s time I acknowledged that I’m just not taking care of myself.   I can attribute this partially to tight finances but in reality I’m just too stressed to put an effort into myself these days.  Does there come a point where you should just freaking get a haircut, money or stress be damned?  I don’t even know the last time I got one, but I will say he scalped me and I have not been back in 10+ months.  I need a pedicure too — in fact, I let that lapse into months (partially because I walked into a wall and banged up my big toe).  My eyebrows are in a sorry, sorry state as well,  and when I look all I see are big furry animals above my eyes.    Although I cannot fathom  getting them waxed right now, as I know the spa lady will comment about the huge colony of acne currently on my chin — and I’m not sure I can handle that right now.

It’s funny, because as I re-read the above paragraph I am reminded that I need to be kinder to myself.  That there must be grace in my life and I need to direct it at me sometimes too.  It’s just easier said than done — isn’t it?  I think tomorrow (today) I’ll start with a haircut.  I’ll take my vitamins.  I’ll drink some water.   I’ll go for a walk.   It’s something.

NaMoLoMo

Because I need something positive to concentrate on, I’ve decide to join Jessifer at http://jessiferseabs.blogspot.com/ in the National Move & Lose More.  So there are my intentions for November:

1- Journal Everying – keeping my calories around 1500 a day.
2- Drink 4 Waters a Day
3- Take all my Damn Vitamins
4- Exercise 3x a Week

Historically I always rally diet wise around the holidays – I think I kick into diet overdrive to combat the holiday food.   November is already a dietary minefield, so having a plan in place is a good idea.