Accountability, Part Deux

Well, I've gone and done it.  I've joined "The Biggest Loser Club" online.
Sorta.
Because I don't believe in diets (or "food plans" or "lifestyle changes" or whatever the marketers are calling them these days), I won't be following theirs to the letter, but WILL be using it for inspiration.  I have a whole bunch of healthy cookbooks, and therefore plenty of ideas for meals. For example: this morning I was "supposed" to eat 2 slices of whole wheat toast with neufchatel cheese and strawberries.  Well, I didn't have any strawberries.  So I started out with a cup of grapefruit juice, followed by 2 slices of whole wheat bread with low-fat cheddar and tomatoes, along with a cup of coffee. Good enough!
I'm also ticking off numbers of things like servings of veggies, carbs, protein, etc.  It gives me a picture of what I'm ingesting and, if I can continue to do this without becoming obsessive (like I usually do), then I think I'll be much more aware of what and how much I eat, as well as if I'm eating from hunger or from something else.
I'm also tweaking the workouts a bit. Since I just joined, they have me doing the ultra-easy-peasy beginner strength workouts.  Phooey! I'm teaching 7 Pilates classes this week, so THAT will be the mainstay of my strength training!  And, not to toot my own horn, but the workouts I teach are a lot tougher than the ones I'm being given.
(I got a very nice compliment from a client the other day; she said she likes my class because she gets a good workout without really knowing it at the time, lol!  So my evil plan is working! Killing with kindness, mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!)
And, yes, cardio is part of the plan, as well.  They leave that up to me.  I plug in what I did and for how long, and they tell me how many calories I burned.  Although I sometimes think the calorie count is a bit inflated.  Maybe not.  What do I know? Last night I swam laps.  It took me 30 minutes to swim 20 laps, however, because I had to pause a lot to play with the kids.
Anyway, the point of all this is to get myself to pay more attention.  I've started paying more attention to my emotions and hunger cues, now it's time to put more focus on what, when, why, and how much I eat.
I have to say, I'm  not a huge fan of the "The Biggest Loser" TV show.  I think what they do to those poor folks is dangerous (and one former contestant has come out and said that the show gave her an eating disorder, which I TOTALLY understand!!!) But I like the workouts and the recipes.  So we'll see how it goes!

In the bigger picture, things are changing.  I've felt a number of seismic shifts inside lately.  I think it might be called "growing up."  I'm wanting to spend less money, earn more, spend more quality time with the kids, and I'm not as bothered by certain things as I would have been just recently.  (Except campaign ads.  I still HATE campaign ads.  Doesn't matter who or what they are for or against, I HATE campaign ads!!!!!!)
I also want to keep the house clean(er). I feel calmer with less clutter and crap around. I'm doing things like drinking green tea, because it's good for me, rather than reaching for a beloved froofy-girly-coffee-drink. I want to be HEALTHY! I want my FAMILY to be healthy!
My priorities are shifting, and I think I'm becoming more realistic.  (Sure, I'd LOVE to move across the street into one of those big, fancy, single-family houses, but we CANNOT afford it!  Maybe we'll NEVER be able to afford it.  And that's OK!  We have a beautiful townhouse, and the kids are comfortable here.  This is HOME! Yes, I wish we had a yard, and I'm worried that our ultra-cool next-door neighbors are moving and might be replaced with people who aren't as cool and as accepting of my crazy, loud kids, but there's NOTHING I can do about that.  So I just have to accept it.)
Then there's having faith.  Faith that all will work out as it should.  That worrying about things usually doesn't affect the outcome, and only leads to ulcers.  Faith that, just because someone is frustrated or angry, it doesn't mean that a) it's my fault or b) it's my responsibility to fix it, and faith that they will eventually get over it. Faith that WG is going through a scratching, hair-pulling phase, and she,too, will eventually get over it. 

Finally, I'll end with some GREAT news; LG is starting at a new school in the fall, and we were worried that his new teacher wouldn't be a fabulous as the one he's had for the past 2 years.  Well, she, the teacher, has decided to switch schools and take over the class LG will be in!!!!! There are also 3 other kids from his class moving to the same class with him, so it'll be a tiny adjustment instead of a huge one.  We are VERY happy about this!
I hop all of you have something to be really happy about today.  Have a great one!