Walking makes a difference

My weight has always been an issue with me. I'm sure most of you have noticed it's a recurring theme on this blog and for those who actually know me, know how much I have struggled with it. Two years ago, I went on Nutrisystem. I worked really well for a year. I lost 30 lbs and halfway to my goal but then Thanksgiving, my Birthday and Christmas happened and I gave myself permission to indulge. I still had my Nutrisystem for breakfast and sometimes lunch but when it came to going out and I didn't think, Oh, I should have veggies instead of fries. I ate what I wanted with the thought of going back on to Nutrisystem when the holidays were over. Well, that was a mistake. I got out of the habit of eating the meals and back to my old habits, which are hard to break and since then I have gained back all the weight I lost and then some. I am really disappointed with myself that I don't have the willpower or strength to get back on the diet. I did for almost a year and I saw the results and other people did too. It felt so good when someone would ask me, Have you lost weight? I miss that.

One of the biggest problems I had returning to Nutrisystems was when I'm hungry I want to what I feel like. If I eat something that I'm not craving at the moment then I still find myself still hungry. I guess it's a mental thing but if I want a taco but have pizza instead then I'm still going to want that taco. It's a problem because I rarely crave Nutrisystem meals. They are better then you would think but to make them filling you have to add a salad or veggies and that's usually want I'm not in the mood for.

Part of my reason to move to New York was I wanted to start over. I needed a change of scenery and maybe even a new lifestyle and the new lifestyle included a lot of walking. I sold my car (or in theory I did, Kate still has to sell her car so she can buy mine even though she is already driving mine but I digress) I weighed myself after the first week I was here and I had lost 5 lbs. I didn't take that much stalk in it because I did do a hell a lot of walking up and down hills that first week and it was pretty hot so I was doing a lot of sweating. So, I just figured it was a fluke. That my body would soon get used to it and it would stabilize. Two weeks ago, I was sick with the flu. The first day I went back to work, I wore a pair of Lane Bryant pants that fit me very nicely but on that day I noticed they were baggier then usual. I just chalked it off that I 48 hours ago, I barely ate and most of what I ate came right back up (sorry, it was gross) so I didn't have a lot of calories. I would gain whatever I lost right back so nothing to get excited about. Then his past weekend, while shopping with Mom and Jackie, I tried on a pair of 14 size pants and then fit! Really, fit, I didn't have to struggle to get them on, they were not tight but were just the right size. I probably haven't been a size 14 in about a year. I was really excited! So, I have lost some weight. My diet hasn't really changed all that much but I don't snack as much as I used to though (budget concern) but all that walking I now do definitely made a difference. Since I have moved to New York, I have lost 13 lbs!

I like to think that I have figured out the way to lose weight without even trying. Eat what you like, snack less and walk more but I know that eventually my body will get used to this and I will plateau. But at least, I'm on the right track. I'm exercising more, even if it is just walking to and from work and I have already lessened the snack intake, now I just have to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet and I will lose weight without actually dieting! Brilliant. Well, easier said then done. I will keep you posted on how well I do but I'm pretty excited about the prospect. I'm actually going to make a salad right now. Yummy.

A quick post. I am going shopping tomorrow! Most importantly I get to see my Mom and Jackie! I can't believe it's been almost 3 months since I have seen them. I can not wait! I'm not particularly excited about the early morning flight and even earlier cab ride but it will be totally worth it once I'm walking the grand halls of the MOA. Woohoo! I hope everyone's weekend is good, I know mine will be.

Not to be overly dramatic but I felt like I was going to die!

My ass got totally got kicked by some stupid microscopic virus. I had the flu and a cold and I was absolutely miserable. When you live in retail and are in constant contact with other sick humans and money (Money, is filthy ya'll.), you're going to get sick every now and then. It's prety inevitable but usually it isn't this bad or a least not for me. At first I thought I just had a cold. So, even though I felt pretty crappy, I went to work on Sunday. All week long, I felt it coming on but worked through it and hoped that it would just go away. Not to be. I was at work for about an hour and put up the white flag. I was supposed to close and I knew I wouldn't be able to make it 8 o'clock, let alone midnight! So, I went home. I stopped by CVS to get Sudafed (so cool to be able to buy cold medicine without having to sign your life away) and more kleenex and then went home. I tried to go to bed but with my nose constantly running it made it awfully difficult. I don't know when I eventually fell asleep but it was short lived. Around 5am is when the flu bug hit and Monday was spent between my bedroom and bathroom. I was really starting to get worried because even though I was trying to drink as much water I could so I didn't get dehydrated, pretty much everything I put in my body was coming back out (not to get to graphic). I don't have a doctor here so I wasn't exactly sure what to do. Make an appointment with whoever could get me in or is this something that you just go to the emergency room? and if that is the case, how long should I wait to go? So you can imagine how relieved I was that around dinner time, my stomach felt settled enough for me to eat and all was well again. Or at least better. I called out from work on Tuesday just because I was so exhausted from the previous days that it really was best for everyone if I just stayed home. I am better now. I'm still a little congested and still constantly blowing my nose but considering on where I was I'll take it.

Buffalo Bisons, or the Ricky Ricardo of mascots.

I'm glad to be home but at the same time I wish I was still hanging out with Kat but sadly she leaves to far away. At least this time she is only an hour and half flight away instead of 8 or 9 and I don't have to cross an ocean to get to her so that's an improvement.

On Friday, I left way to early to get to the JFK airport. According to mta.info trip planner it would take me about 1hour and 36 minutes to get from my apartment to JFK by subway/train. This also included a stop over in Manhattan. I found this absolutely ridiculous because, for those who don't know, JFK is in Queens and I live in Brooklyn. Brooklyn and Queens share the same island, so if I went the way they told me I would have to cross the bridge to Manhattan for 1 stop to come back the bridge into Brooklyn. Does that make sense? I know that is just how things work here. To get the tennis center in August, I did have to do that. Crazy! Anyway, I found another way that kept me in the same isle and took about the same amount of time. I just had to take an extra train. I get to JFK way too early but that's better then being late. Now, if you have a chance to fly Jetblue, do! They were awesome! They don't have a first class, so all those seats are taken out and everyone else's seat is moved up giving more leg room. I have short legs but it was still appreciated. Plus, every seat has it's own screen where you can watch 43 channels of Direct TV (including the Big 10 Channel Iowa fans) and XM radio. I didn't bring my headphones with me but I did watch ESPN. You really don't need sound to watch sports highlights. It's pretty self explanatory.

When I arrived in Buffalo, Kat was already there. She's such a good sister. We immediately go to the Original Pancake House and I got an omelet that was as big as my head. Oh yeah, it was good. Then We went this posh grocery store called Wegman's. The original plan for Friday night was our friend Elizabeth (who I haven't seen in like 3 years) and her girlfriend Becky were going to come over to make Scotch Eggs but Elizabeth was sick so that didn't happen. Well, as fate would have it, the snacks we bought would be perfect for us to take the drive-in. I can't even remember the last time I went to a drive-in movie theater. We saw a double feature of Eagle Eye (love me some Shia!) and the Dark Knight. It was great. We had to get some hot chocolate from the concessions stand because a) they guilt you into it and b) we were cold. It would have been nicer though, if the hot chocolate was hotter but I guess you can't have everything. Anyway, That was Friday.

Saturday, we both slept in to noon. I have to say, I didn't mean too but it had been so long since I had got a chance to sleep in because I have doing a lot of opens. So it felt good. That feeling didn't last long because Linda my landlord called and asked if I left any of water fixtures running. Of course this freaks me out because I could remember checking everything but what if I forgot something you know? It turns out that my toilet's flush master (whatever she called it, the handle) was stuck in flush mode so my toilet was constantly flushing. Even though everything turned out all right, it still freaked me out. So, to cheer me up we had to see some penguins. The Niagara Aquarium has penguins, as well as Seals and Sea Lions. There is a difference as Squirt the Sea Lion demonstrated to us. When you walk into the Aquarium, the first thing you see is the Penguins, Humboldt Penguins, and front and center were these two penguins going at it. We were like, are they really, oh yeah, they really are. It was funny. Kat and I will admit that when it comes to aquariums, we are spoiled but it was still a nice but small aquarium. Next we decided we would drive to Canada instead of walk across the bridge. After a series of questions, we were let into Canada and found a parking space. The Niagara falls is Big and Massive. You have to use both words to describe it because its truly Big and MASSIVE. We had lunch at this restaurant called the Edgewater's which is across the street from the Falls. Beautiful! From there we walked down the street to the Hershey's and Coke stores and had dessert and then home. Well, Canadians obviously don't want you to leave quite so early or they like fucking with Americans who have no idea where they are going because we followed the signs back to the US borders but they kept sending us around in circles until eventually we did get across the borders. The very attractive US guard pretty much asked us the same questions as his Canadian chum so we knew what to expect this time. We get home and are pretty tired. Why, we have no idea because we did sleep in until noon, mind you. Oh, well. We settled in and then decided to play our new favorite game of Camp Rock drinking game. Oh, yes Camp Rock!

Sunday, again slept in later then we intended. I wanted to go to Sephora. I know there are Sephora's in New York but they are all in Manhattan and I just don't get there that often so I figured since there are things I need from there, this was the best chance to go. After that we met up with Elizabeth, who was feeling better and pretty much hung out for the rest of the day. It was kind of like all day, just chatting way, playing with her cats and just having a good time. We made the scotch eggs. For those you don't know, a scotch egg is a hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage and then bread crumbs and baked. So good, finally the Scots have come up with something tasty! They were delicious!

Monday, Kat got up early to do homework. I got up a little bit later to pack. She went to class and I walked around the University at Buffalo. It's a nice a campus but it kind of reminded me of a business park. After that, we went to Anderson's for roast beef and then I came home.

So that was my weekend. I miss Kat already but she will be here for Thanksgiving! Yippee! I can not wait. I'll have to find a turkey!