My 4 Month Marathon

I have really been marveling at the fact that I was (for the first time ever) able to successfully commit to losing weight.  I would say I don't want to toot my own horn, but (toot toot) I think it's something I should celebrate, considering it's been a work in progress for the last 4 months.  To date, I have lost just over 25 pounds and maybe still counting.  I made it to my goal weight, and I've been vacillating on whether I should go for 5 more or not.  I've been grateful to have steadily decreased my weight over time with no setbacks, but I can attribute that to taking this seriously and also weighing myself once a week instead of obsessing about tiny fluctuations from weighing myself every day.  I feel like I've learned a lot, so I figured maybe I would be able to share what has worked for me here (this also is great because I never know how much of my advice is solicited). 

My first tip is move to England.  I'm half joking, but I can't deny that limiting my access to my trigger foods and fast food has helped immensely.  There is only a McDonald's and a KFC (becearf) in a 15 mile radius from where I live, so I set out to find decent things at McDonald's.  From previous (failed due to laziness) dieting experience, I knew that I should aspire to have meals that hover somewhere around the 400 calorie range.  I was able to find a spicy chili (as in the pepper) chicken wrap which alone is 460 calories.  It was enough to fill me up, so I did not miss having fries, and not too much of a splurge outside of my 400 calorie goal. 6 Chicken nuggets and a side salad only set me back about 300 calories, so I had 2 perfectly reasonable "splurges" if I ever required them.   These accompanied diet soda which I have learned to nearly enjoy as I can't be consuming 150-250 liquid calories along with every meal. 

I was lucky to start my attempt at losing weight right after moving to England because I used the opportunity as a fresh start.  It was reasonably easy to do because I had never tried any English food, so I never got the chance to fall in love with certain things and resent not eating them.   I always tried to stick to things with small portions (even considering the overall smaller portions served here) like soup and bread or something light like that.  For those of you who can’t pack up your lives and move to a brand new country with markedly healthier habits, I recommend avoiding fast food as a go-to option and instead using it as a few times a month splurge (and even then, keeping the calorie count reasonable).  I’ve thought a lot about what I’m going to have to do to maintain my weight once I get back to the states, and I realized that all I have to do is to eat in moderation.  One of the things I realized I did was reward myself with food.  Any time I was tired, I’d get a blended coffee.  Any time I had lady times, I got chocolate.  Whenever I had a bad day, I’d grab fast food, and I used working out as an excuse to have whatever I wanted when I ate out at restaurants.  When I started out trying to lose weight, I was fairly strict about my calorie intake, so there was no opportunity to reward myself with extra things.  I found sugar free 20 calorie popsicles and those were dessert. 

I read in a Time Magazine or something similar that diet is more important than exercise when it comes to losing weight.  Vigorous exercise will burn off a few hundred calories, but if you take in several hundred extra, there’s no way you could burn it all off with exercising.  I've also read that people significantly underestimate calories consumed and overestimate calories burned.  This means that I did not use exercise as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted anymore, but instead, looked at it as a way to supercharge my weight loss.  When I got here, I discovered there is a gorgeous wooded trail behind our house and I took to running it about 3 times a week.  I tried to stick with the same route because then I could mark my progress more easily.  I’m extremely fortunate to have an entire gym and fitness classes at my disposal.  Cameron goes to PT 3 times a week (at 6am!) and I’ve made a commitment to go with him.  Also: I would have a cup of chocolate milk after cardio, as it’s supposed to be a fantastic recovery drink.

Besides not rewarding myself with food, I also tried to consider what kind of calories I was putting into my body.  This especially came into play with snacks and desserts.  With the meals, it would kind of lend itself to healthier eating, because otherwise you would blow through your calories and still be hungry.  But I tried to change what I thought of as a snack.  Instead of having Cheetos or cookies, I bought tons of different kinds of trail mix and nuts.  I had honey roasted peanuts, spicy cajun trail mix, butter toffee (powder, not glaze) almonds, jalapeno smokehouse almonds, walnuts that went into oatmeal or yogurt, etc.  I tried to eat something that didn’t taste like a punishment, but would actually give me nutritional benefit and be filling at the same time.  String cheese and hummus + carrots were other staple snacks.   With desserts, I like to think I came up with an innovative way to reward myself.  What I tried to do was avoid all store-bought sweets.  I would eat home-made things only which meant that they were made with love, and my opportunity for having them was significantly restricted.  Instead of the processed garbage you can get in the store which is full of preservatives, fillers and additives, I chose to eat homemade things which have a lot more integrity than Ho-ho’s or crappy Chips Ahoy.  When I bake goodies myself, I pawn almost all of it off on others (and I don’t think they mind) so I am left with a serving or two.  I basically looked at my calorie intake as a budget and wouldn't eat anything that wasn't worth its 'cost' in calories. 

I could probably ramble on forever, but these are the main things that helped me get through my 4 month (and maybe counting?) marathon through weight loss.  Keep thinking about the bigger picture…the fact that nothing you eat can taste as good as success: being healthier and feeling accomplished and proud of your achievements.

Jumble

#1. I think I've finally (finally) chosen my outfit for the Rotaract Ball.  It's 50s themed, so I needed something requiring a petticoat, naturally.  What do you think?

#2.  I most definitely did NOT choose the right Avon Lady.  I STILL don't have my stuff yet!  She was supposed to deliver it on Saturday, but I called her and asked if she could come Sunday and she said that would be fine.  We set up a time and the time came and went on Sunday with no call and no appearance.  I called on Monday after the time she said she'd be there just in case I got confused and she still hasn't called me back.  I'll try her one more time, but it's ridiculous that I should have to work so hard to earn her commission for her. 

#3.  Alice and I went on this amazing stroll from St. Ives to Houghton today.  It was so incredibly beautiful, I can't even put it into words.  I stupidly left my phone so I couldn't take pictures, but I hope to go back while it's still lovely and warm and capture it.  There was ivy everywhere.  Everyone was out.  Moms with babies in strollers, dads with dogs on leashes, runners, cyclists, teenagers all hanging out next to a tree in the meadow.  We saw swans, ducks, horses, cows, sheep, squirrels, bunnies, (heard) crickets, and even saw a toad which slimed all over Alice's foot!  There were chestnut trees, acorns,  blackberries, crabapples, elderflowers, and someone was even selling cherries from their trees.  The path we walked was wooded but it overlooked a lovely stream and then huge meadows beyond that.  We walked into Houghton and had ice creams at a local pub (I got pistachio, Alice got caramel and chocolate) and browsed the area around the mill and some of the most adorable, quaint cottages I've ever seen.  I can't even handle the cuteness that permeates everything: doorframes you'd bonk your head on if you were 5'10", thatched roofs, tiny little flower gardens, mossy rocks, shutters with hearts carved out, tiny markets actually titled "Ye Olde Village Shoppe," et cetera, et cetera. 

This place is even better than I could have imagined. <3

The Doors

I have no idea why, but I love a good entrance.  England is lousy with fantastic and unique doors, so I thought I'd share my collection thus far.  [Please forgive the weird centering and distance from some, many of these are right on the sidewalk,and I'd have to go into traffic to get a better shot.  Also, most of these I encountered in passing, so we didn't have time to set up quality shots]

More to come!

Getting out

So.  I'm not sure why I ended up deciding not to blog about anything that's happened to me in the last couple of months, because there have been plenty of noteworthy events.  My favorite one has to be getting involved with a group called Rotaract.  I found an article about them in the paper and they looked like a lot of fun, so I decided to look up their Facebook page.  After I was added, Hazel, one of the group's movers and shakers invited me to go on a boat trip on the river the next night.  I decided I needed to go.  See, I'm not averse to social engagements, but I am averse to feeling awkward. ;)  It's not like people are going to be beating down my door to meet me, so I have to put myself out there. 

Every night at my house

So I went and it was a great time.  Everyone was so friendly and funny and I was surprised that even though the group's age parameters are from 18 to 31, almost everyone was about my age or older.  [A very welcome change from being at HPU where I was always older than everyone.]  So the next time, I brought Cameron along and he loved everyone too.  We decided we would start going every time.  Basically the group is designed to be a social slash service/fundraising group.  I can't think of a more perfect combination: Spending time with fantastic people and helping others while I'm at it.

Some of the fun things we've done:

Boat ride on the river

Group cricket team

Dragon boat racing

Curry night at Spiceland

Pub quiz

Sadly, there were no pictures taken at Jive class, but that will change next week. :)

Tons of exciting things are on the way.  October 22 is the Rotaract Ball and it's 50s Rock n Roll theme, so I'm having a blast trying to find a cute swing dress (this is also where the jive class comes in). 

The weather has been unseasonably warm (read: 77 degrees) and I'm trying to take advantage of it while it's here.  Alice and I are going on a bike ride tomorrow if our bikes cooperate, and a nice long walk if they don't!  Friday, Alice is having a barbeque at her house, so this has been an especially eventful week considering Cameron isn't here.  I miss him like crazy, but he'll be back soon. :D

Home

Here are some pictures of our house so far.  We are living out of suitcases, so it will look nothing like this when we get our stuff.

Kitchen all together

From the living room to the dining room

Patio + daisies

Kitchen

Some bedrooms

Living room with our loaner furniture

Kitchen annex

Diningish room, probably where we will put our table

Where important meetings take place (dining room)

Winda!

Our yard from upstairs

Stairs!

View of our neighborhood out our upstairs window

Pretty flalr bushes/trees

Our electric fireplace!  It's a cute heater with flame pictures. :)

Our back yard

Upstairs bathroom

Rinse Aid 2011

Now that I have internet again for our laptop, I can regale you with the goings on of our life!  When we contacted the internet company to get set up for our new house, they said the first day they could set it up would be the 5th of July: a good 3 weeks from when we called.  I have definitely learned not to expect things to happen on an American time frame.  Another interesting thing to note: we have to have a landline hooked up in order to use the wireless, and yet it's not dial up.  I have no idea how that works, but I'm just glad the internet is leaps and bounds faster than my phone and even faster than I expected home internet to be here. 

The house.  We have been in England for a month now and are finally getting settled into our house.  Getting used to British appliances is a task in itself.  In the kitchen, there is a space for a dishwasher, but there was never a hole cut in the cabinet next to it to hook it up to the water.  The handyman who was here before we moved in tried to drill a hole where he thought made sense, but he drilled it too far forward and our dishwasher stuck out from the counter about 7 inches.  He came back and drilled a hole all the way back so it would actually be flush with the rest of the cabinets.  We have yet to use the dishwasher because we own 2 bowls, 2 cups, paper plates and some silverware, so I just wash everything by hand.  In order to use the dishwasher, you have to have the dishwasher soap, something called a rinse aid (which keeps the glasses from getting smeary) and you have to pour salt crystals into this other area.  I was told that it's because they have super hard water here.

The washer and dryer are interesting because they hold less than half the size of a normal load, yet the machines themselves are the same size as US specs.  I was really shocked when I did my first load (the washer dial doesn't have a timer, only temperatures) that a normal load takes about an hour and a half to complete.  I finally discovered that there is a quick wash cycle which only takes probably 45 minutes.  I was also expressly instructed never to put American detergent in the washer because it will overflow with suds.  I had to put the clothes in the dryer for another hour and a half to get them dry.  Since what we have is a condenser dryer, instead of the kind with the tube vents, we have this little drawer of water and filters we have to check on every so often to make sure it doesn't overfill. 

We have a gas stove which we thought had a broken igniter until we realized that the switch to it (located away from the rest of the other cooking related on-switches) was off.  See, everything in the house has its own on-switch.  Electrical outlets, the stove, the igniter switch, the oven.  I can see why this helps keep electricity drain down, but it's also a pain to have to remember to plug something in and then turn it on.  The good news is no little kid could turn the stove on accidentally if the adult remembers to turn the switches off every time.  The gas stove freaks me out because I had never used one before I came here and the open flame intimidates me, but I'm finally getting used to it.  I realized that it cooks things way faster (even on low) than flat top or coil burner stoves.  I can boil water faster on the stove than I could in the microwave!  The oven seems simple enough, but so far we only fully understand what one of the knobs do (the timer).  The other looks to us like temperatures in Celsius, but the handbook calls it a selector mode knob.  And the other it calls a grill knob, and says to select the temperature with that...but the only thing on the knob is 1/1----1/2----OFF. 

I have to wonder if we're so dumbfounded by all this because we're American and haven't ever seen this stuff before, or if British versions really *aren't* intuitive and people just learn it as they grow up.  So far, every appliance we have has more hoops to jump through than its American counterpart.  I want to bring the magic of large loads of laundry to Britain!  "There is an easier way, my friend, it takes half the time, and you can do twice as much!"

Oh well, it's fun and interesting learning some new things and by the time I get back to the states, I will not take fast laundry, easy ovens or spacious fridges for granted again.

Stinky cheese

So today we decided it might be fun after taking care of some errands to go to Stilton, a town about 12 miles from base.  Stilton is famous for its cheese of the same name and they are proud of that heritage.  There are a few shops that boast their Stilton, but the one we went to is an Inn and it says right on its website that they are the "birthplace of Stilton cheese".  We went in and Cameron ordered Fool's Nook Ale and it was apparently fantastic!  I ordered a diet coke and the lady poured it for me out of the tiniest soda bottle I've ever seen.  It must've held 8 ounces if that.  We decided on a cheese plate to share and it came with "traditional accompaniments".  It had five kinds of cheese: Golden Cross Goats Cheese - Thomas Hoe Red Leicester -
Colston Bassett Stilton - Keens Cheddar – Milleens Dote.  I think the Leicester was my favorite, and one of them was really stinky (and tasted just as stinky), but I'm not sure which that was.  They came with very earthy crackers and some sort of chutney which was delicious.  I ordered the broccoli and stilton soup with bread and it was fantastic.  So far, every soup I've ordered in this country has been green.  The soup was fantastic, just like everything else I've eaten in this country (Well, maybe not lamb pizza, but that was my own fault).  London might be different, but everything I've had has plenty of flavor and tastes great.  Cameron got a stilton and tomato chutney sandwich, and it was super good, almost like a cold grilled cheese with tomato soup.  I kept looking around and marveling that the building I was sitting in was built in the 1640s!  Once we went up to pay, I was panicked slightly because I still don't know the tipping etiquette.  I asked a guy who was standing at the counter doing a crossword what was customary, and he said to tip a 'bit'.  I remember that 15% is definitely not the standard here.  I tipped 10% and hoped that was satisfactory.  So far, I've been told that tipping is based on discretion, and to not tip is not considered an insult.  We wandered around Stilton for a while and then headed back.  Above are a few pictures I took of the building!

Here is the menu: http://www.thebellstilton.co.uk/TheBellStilton_BarBistroMenu_Summer2011.pdf