It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

149.5

Walked 2.25 miles today.

I forgot how much I like my neighborhood! I have been living indoors for the last two years. Between the heat and my work schedule I just haven't been out, but one of the reasons I bought my house was the neighborhood.

I wasn't crazy about the house. It still needs work from the standpoint of curb appeal. Lots! There are so many things I want to do to the front yard and the facade of the house. I have a file folder full of drawings and sketches and a little big book of dreams...but that is another story.

It's funny. Long before I bought my house I use to drive by it and think: that house is kind of ugly. It's not especially ugly. And it's not even particularly plain. But it could be more than it is. It needs a makeover.

It was built in 1971 and it's got a split foyer. Enough said?

Perhaps I will win the HGTV $100,000 Great Fall Fix-Up Sweepstakes and get the opportunity to make all of my remodeling dreams come true. Otherwise I will have to do a little at a time as I get the money.

But I was saying...what convinced me to give the house a look, other than the fact that the price was right, was the neighborhood. It's a very nice neighborhood with lots of families and young couples, but there is also a mix of older couples and single retirees who have been here for years. There are people who garden, really garden...I mean they grow vegetables and eat them!

At any time of day - from first light until dark - you will see joggers and people walking their dogs, children on bikes. I feel really safe here. With the exception of living in the city center where there are fabulous lofts, condos, and townhouses, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in this town.

I am five minutes from everything! The mall. Downtown. Two different movie theaters. Every major grocery store chain in the local market. Every bank. Every car dealership. It's ten minutes to any kind of restaurant offering every type of cuisine. For as long as I live in this city, I never want to live anywhere else.

I was thinking this as I walked around today.

It doesn't hurt that I had my house appraised last week and found out that it is worth a significant amount more than what I bought it for 6 years ago and almost double what I currently owe on the mortgage. Score! Cha-CHING!!!

I needed some good news and something to be happy about.

So...I made a smoothie for breakfast and got too busy to drink it, so my first real meal was around 10:30. I had stuffed peppers again. I was at home today because, as some of you know, I am trying to start my own business, although I am being rather hush-hush about the details for now. I spend a lot of time doing research and working on my business plan and marketing strategies, etc....

I had a meeting at 2:00 and before I knew it, it was 3:30 and I was hungry and nowhere near home. (Actually, as I said before, I am literally 5 minutes from everywhere - but I still had about an hour and a half of errands to run before it was sensible for me to go home!)

I really did want to come home and make myself a really good Greek salad. I actually found myself fantasizing about it while I was in my meeting, so I was very hungry when I got out.

I needed to go to the grocery store. I stopped by the deli and looked longingly at the chicken tenders. (I love chicken tenders with honey mustard sauce. They are one of my guiltiest pleasures.) And cajun-flavored chicken wings. And bratwurst in sauerkraut. And green beans and fried okra. And southern-style macaroni and cheese....Yum!

I gazed at it all, face pressed against the glass (metaphorically) for a long while, willing myself not to give in to temptation. I did need to eat something, though.

I ordered a meatless sub on whole wheat. Provolone, tomatoes, olives, onions, oil and vinegar. It was filling. I threw away about 1/3 of the bread, or, rather, walked downtown to the park and fed my scraps to the ducks and geese who live on the river.

Even when I'm not trying to cut calories, I tend to have trouble getting enough protein in my diet. I'm just in the habit of eating foods that aren't high in protein, so when I go meatless, I really have to make an effort to get enough.

About two years ago my ex-boyfriend turned me on to drinks by Bolthouse Farms. They make several varieties of 'all-natural' and 'no sugar added' smoothie type drinks and fruit juices blended with vegetable juices and various exotic purees. IMO nothing you buy in a bottle holds a candle to what you can make with your own juicer or blender if you know what you're doing or if you go to a really good juice bar, but they're pretty respectable.

I love gourmet coffees (really, it's related) and they make a drink called 'Perfectly Protein'. One flavor it comes in is Mocha Cappuccino. They also make a vanilla chai and a hazelnut latte, but the mocha is my favorite. One serving has 180 calories (but only 20 of them are fat calories) and 10 grams of protein. So I treat myself to one of those every once in a while instead of an iced mochaccino with whipped cream and, like, 600 calories.

Today I treated myself to one.

My Dad went walking with me. He used to walk 5 - 8 miles a day well into his late 60s. And before that he was a long-distance runner. And before that he was in the air force. (He is now 73 and is just recovering from a recent bout with cancer, so he's just getting back into it.) He is still in pretty good shape for an old man, and he's a whole foot taller than I am (longer legs) so I really had to hustle to keep up with him.

He actually did pull away from me in the last block and a half before we got to the house. (He's got quite the competitive streak, and I just didn't care enough to hurt myself trying to beat him, so I graciously 'let' him win...*wink, wink*) But it was a fun way to spend the evening.

For dinner I had a cup of soup, and have been nursing the smoothie from this morning for the last couple of hours. Yes, periodically, I refrigerate it. I'm downstairs in my den. I don't know what I would do without my wet bar and mini-fridge. Walk upstairs to the kitchen? 'Course not. Drink a lukewarm smoothie? Probably.

And I wonder how I gained 4o lbs.? Actually, no, I don't.

Anyway, I'm having fun keeping the weight-loss blog now that I am actually making a little progress. I think I will be able to post daily.

I was so much more out of shape than I realized and I just didn't have the right mindset when I started. I am still going to train for the half-marathon, but I just wasn't ready for it when I first made the grand declaration that I was going to do it.

I am giving myself the rest of this week and next week to ease back into healthier eating habits and exercise before I start training for the marathon in earnest. I am taking vitamins and supplements again. When I first started back in August (or rather tried to start), I didn't have the energy I needed to follow-through, or the proper mental focus. Now I'm giving myself (and my body) the time I need to make the mental and physical adjustments. And the blogging is helping.

It's like keeping a weight loss diary. Keeping a written one that only I would read is just a really solitary and boring prospect. This has the potential to be so much more dynamic and interactive, so I am really looking forward to that.

Since I am posting every day, I know every post won't be entertaining or profound, but I do hope you enjoy following my journey. And maybe somewhere along the way I will say something that helps or encourages a sister who's struggling too.

Thanks for stopping by!