LADDventure

Wordless Wednesday - A Pep Talk

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o]

WAIST Management - Week 4

Current Weight:  182.8

Weight Lost This Week:  2.2 lbs!

Total Weight Lost: 3.5 lbs

I am thrilled with my weight loss this week.  2.2 pounds is a great number, and I totally stuck to the plan (Weight Watchers) this past week, tracked everything, and didn't go over on weekly points.

Speaking of the plan, can we talk for a moment about Starbucks?  I made a shocking discovery yesterday, while out with a friend for coffee.  I already knew that lots of hidden fat and calories are in those mochas and lattes, so I patted my back as I opted for a black coffee and just added a little cream and sugar of my own. Needing a little something to eat,  I decided on pumpkin bread.  It sounded like a sensible choice at the time.  

However, when I got home and entered it into my points tracker, that one slice of pumpkin bread was worth 11 points!  To give you some perspective, I could have had a McDonald's cheeseburger, a large french fry, or a DQ peanut butter sundae for that same amount of points, and I only have 27 in each day with 49 flex points to use throughout the week.  Points are calculated based on an item's fat and carbohydrates in relation to its protein and fiber, so for example all fruits and vegetables are worth 0.  Items with higher fat and/or carbohydrate content but lower fiber and protein are worth more points.

The real kicker is, that piece of pumpkin bread wasn't the worst thing I could have chosen there.  I did a little research.  "How about a scone?" I thought.  Surely a refined British scone would be a better choice - nope - 13 points!
"Hey!  A zucchini walnut muffin - that has an actual vegetable in it, so that must be good for you."  I thought. Bam -13 points.  Lemon pound cake - 14 points.  The reduced fat coffee cake isn't much better at 9 points. 
Basically any bakery item you might get to accompany your coffee could be half of your daily intake.

And what if I had chosen a different drink?  That could have been even worse:  
Grande (16 oz.) cafe mocha - 10 points
Grande (16 oz.) pumpkin spice latte - 11 points 

Here are some things from Starbucks that would have been a much better choice than the pumpkin bread and far more satisfying...
Chipotle Chicken Bistro Box - 7 points (yummy and a whole small meal really)
A banana - 0 points and a multigrain bagel - 8 points
Yogurt and fruit parfait - 7 points 

The bottom line is, I could very easily spend all my daily points on Starbucks, and I think a lot of us often indulge in a mocha and a little something from the bakery case.  This is not to say that there is not a place for indulgence, which is in fact what I love about the Weight Watchers plan.  But, I think I have not been honest with what exactly was an indulgence, calling it instead breakfast. 

Jeep Journal - Predator and Lower Terminator Edition

It had been a long time since we really had the Jeep out and about, so Mr. Ladd signed us up for an organized wheeling class through the AZ Virtual Jeep Club.  It was a full day of trails in the Table Mesa Recreation Area in the Northwest part of the Valley.  We were signed up for the 202 class - the Predator trail, and then had extra time so decided to do Lower Terminator with the group as well.

Apparently the people who named the trails we were on 2 weekends ago were big Schwarzenegger fans, but it definitely fits.  They were less like trails and more like large rock obstacle after large obstacle all day long.

The day started off with this view...

...which is the only benefit to being up that early, ever.

We met up with all the other off-roaders, probably about 100 vehicles all together.  Some kind Jeepers were making everybody pancakes and sausage with their clumsy blue heeler pup greeting us as we aired down tires and had a quick talk on safety and technique from the Virtual Jeep Club.  The Bureau of Land Managment also gave a quick overview of what they're doing to keep trails like this open for recreational use and mapping/designating areas for off-roading.
It was interesting, but I was freezing.  It was definitely the coldest weekend we've had this year with temps in the 20's when we started and climbing up to 45-50 eventually. (See, it's not always 100 here.)

Then we set off and most of the day looked like this...

With some breaks to help this poor stuck Toyota FJ - nice girl, but she needs a Jeep.

And a break to watch this craziness.  Don't worry Grandma. Our Jeep is not set up to be quite that adventurous and neither are we.  These guys we ran into on the trail had insane rock-crawling rigs built for such things as this...

And this...

Pulled it back upright.  Good as new. 


And there was of course the scenery - the reason I get up early, pull on hiking boots and layers, and am willing to pee in the wilderness.

Thankful Thursday - Raindrops and Reading

I woke up to gray skies and a dark bedroom later than usual.  For the first time since I was an infant, I am able to allow my body to go to sleep when it's tired and wake up when it's not, and I am discovering that my body naturally wakes up with the sun after about 8 or 9 hours of sleep.  I realize every day how thankful I am to get real good sleep for the first time ever, and I am soaking it up.  I know it won't always be like this.  Brian Williams was just talking about how we are a sleep deprived nation last night on the news, and I realize just how sleep deprived I have been these last few years.

Here are some other things I'm thankful for as the smell of rain floats in through the window and the gentle raindrops puddle in the pool:

The fact that our version of a cold snap here in the Phoenix area was 5 days in a row with lows around 20.  People of the Midwest, you don't have to live like that!  -2?  For a high?  Who wants to come visit?

The reinstatement of a regular date night, where we take turns planning, share a bottle of wine, and discover great food in little hidden neighborhood spots.

Phone calls on the road from my brothers and this hilarious blog post from my sister that reminded me just how much I adore that crew.

Books that I'm loving lately:

• The Young House Love DIY book that just arrived in my favorite kind of smiling box, full of ideas and inspiration. 
• The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  I opened it up and immediately found 2 yummy recipes to add to the menu for next week.
• The Book Thief - man!  This sucker is deep and profoundly written and full of so much meaning.

Have a good Thursday.  Take a nap maybe.

Wordless Wednesday - This is Rock and Roll

This is my youngest brother David, and this is his default photo face.  He's the drummer of Citizen Way who is on one of their first big tours over the next few months with Mikeschair and Big Daddy Weave.  Check them out if they're in your area!

WAIST Management - Week 3

But, how cool is this vintage bar sign from this weekend?

Current Weight:  185

Weight Lost This Week:  Gained 1 lb

Total Weight Lost: 1.3 lbs

It's like the second weigh in on Biggest Loser right?  When everybody's body rebels and they end up losing very little weight or even gaining a pound?  Let's be real, it's just actually Monday after a weekend of wedding showers, birthday celebrations, and staying up way too late.  None of those things are too hot for weight loss.

Besides that, the first couple of weeks back on Weight Watchers are tough in that I am not used to budgeting my points.  This past week I ended up blowing all of my weekly points by Wednesday, not allowing me much flexibility come Friday and Saturday.  Given my weekend plans, I should have been thinking ahead and saved it for indulging a bit on the weekend.  That's something I love about Weight Watchers - the ability to plan around real life - but it only works if you actually plan.  

Goals for this week:
Track and budget points more carefully
Drink 90 oz. of water a day.  This is harder to do in the winter, but it makes such a difference.
Exercise every day.  Even if it's just getting the dogs out for a nice long walk, it's better than nothing.
   .
I'll check in next week with my progress and some healthy recipes I've tried lately. 
 

5 Minute Friday - Cherished

Friday nights together.
They've become a tradition.
Walking dogs, dinner, then the living room
We sit with wine or something else and sometimes watch a movie but more often random hilarity on YouTube or guilty pleasure country music videos.  It doesn't really matter what's on because before long it really just becomes a background.
A background for wrapping up our week, solving the world's problems, dreaming together.

Friday nights used to be contentious.  Me falling onto the couch from an exhausting week of work, him itching to go out.
But now they are different.  It's unspoken that it will be quiet, just us, coming back together after a week of things to do with things to say.

The dogs snuggle in, we settle down, and the world disappears.

Friday nights are now cherished.

I'm linking up today with 5 Minute Friday.  Got 5 minutes?  Come join us and just write for 5 minutes on one word.

Happy Birthday Jess

It is my friend Jessica's birthday.  That's her name, Jessica, but I don't like calling her that.  To me she is just Jess.  It fits her and fits our friendship better.  Jessica seems too formal for our relationship because Jess is my sweatpants friend.  Do you have a sweatpants friend?  Do you know what I mean?  She's the kind of friend you can hang out with in sweatpants, no makeup, and not even necessarily showered and it doesn't matter; in fact it's preferred.  She's the kind of friend who comes over for a pool day and you don't care that the rest of your house is a mess, or what you look like in your swimsuit.  You just mix up some fruity drink and make fun of cellulite together. 

Let me back up and let you know how we got to this point.   Her husband, Erik, and Mr. Ladd met in the dorms their freshman year of college back in Wisconsin.  They became friends and later roomates, meaning the three of us became friends as Mr. Ladd and I were kind of a package deal.  Then Erik met Jess a few years later and the rest is history. 

They moved to Arizona about a year before we did, and are really the reason we started to think about moving after this visit.  They were our incredibly generous hosts for 4 months when we first moved out here and were looking for a house, and I wouldn't trade those 4 months for anything.  It was like college again, and when you live with someone and your husbands and your 3 dogs total, you see the good, the bad, and the ugly, and you become sweatpants friends.  

We have had our arguments, I mean knock down drag out arguments, but that's part of what I love about Jess.  She will say what she means, and you can fight about it and then talk about it more calmly the next day, and then you can move on.  This is not a common trait in people unfortunately.  Relationships would be stronger if people were able to move on more frequently after the argument.  

She is passionate about almost everything and makes the best cocktails around.  Some of the funniest moments I have ever experienced have been with her.  Together we  have laughed until we can't breathe frequently, developed a bit of a secret language and accent, consumed an obscene amount of cheese, and often wonder why everyone else can't just be normal.  We have celebrated holidays together, gone on vacation together, and house hunted together.  She is family.

She even celebrates her birthday passionately, starting at the beginning of the month and usually going until the end.  So Jess, on your actual birthday here's to you, my sweatpants friend.
Cheers!  Love you!

Wordless Wednesday - Predator Trail

WAIST Management - Week 2

Current Weight:  184

Weight Lost This Week:  .6 lbs

Total Weight Lost: 2.3 lbs

I'm moving in the right direction!  It's encouraging and exciting to see pounds, even if they are just fractions of pounds, melting off as I work hard at saying no, getting up, and keeping track.  Here are some insights I've had this week:

Sometimes store-bought is better.  Let me explain.  Usually homemade is a healthier option, right?  There are less preservatives and added salt and sugar.  You know exactly what is going into your recipe, and you are more likely to eat healthy when you are taking the time to plan and prepare things on your own.  Well, this weekend we went out Jeeping (more on that tomorrow), and it has become kind of a tradition to pick up a bag of Chex Mix Muddy Buddies (also known as puppy chow) at the gas station before hitting the trail.  Well, I decided to just make the Muddy Buddies at home this time and bring some along.  Bad idea.  The recipe makes 9 cups of muddy buddies, so there was about 3 times the amount of that crack around the house then there would have been if we just bought one small bag of it.  Lessons learned #1 - I should just cut the recipe in half for making treats so there is not so much around to tempt us.  #2 -  Sometimes buying a small package at the gas station is built in portion control.

Take advantage of what's in season.  Winter in Arizona is actually a really great time for fresh local produce.  I have used every single vegetable or fruit that was in our Chow Share last week from Chow Locally.  The watermelon radishes were tasty and pretty in a salad.  I roasted the beets with  cauliflower, made this veggie version of buffalo wings with the cauliflower, and still have some left for snacking.  I made this winter greens gratin with the mustard greens and red kale.  Then there were Arizona Sweet oranges and Meyer lemons.  Delish.  I've got some Meyer lemon greek chicken marinating currently.   The citrus abounds this time of year, and I am loving it!  Let's just hope it doesn't all freeze in our latest cold snap.  I just heard on the news that this is the longest cold streak we've had in the valley, with temps down in the 20's at night, since 1998.   

Here's to a week of lots of produce and no muddy buddies.  Happy Monday!