And the weekend comes to a close...

Calories in: 1337

Calories burned: 428                     
Net:                909

To those of you 'in the know', I realize that the actual caloric demand of my body goes along with the calories burned, but I am just keeping track of my exercise. Keeping it simple rather than trying to calculate metabolic stuff.

Speaking of exercise, today I took credit for vigorous housework. It adds some motivation to vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms, I can tell you! And it is a recognized category according to my moral authority (Univera).

As I posted last night, reviewing what I'd done for the day, I felt a bit lazy. 'A body at rest tends to stay at rest'- I saw on a commercial this morning and got moving. The rewards? My house looks good, my husband feels the support of household help, and I am increasing my daily activity level. Let's face it; the bigger you get, the less you do. It happens gradually, but it happens.

Tomorrow morning- spin. I plan to do another 30 minutes on the elliptical after class, as long as I'm there. Thirty-minute sessions have been a good way to ease into working out, but won't glean the results I'm hoping for. I am NOT a morning person, but it definitely helps to exercise first thing; it's done and under your belt, you don't have to worry about the day getting away from you and not having time, and, you eat well because you don't want to 'undo' your hard work.

Not to mention that at 6:00am there's barely any traffic, parking is readily available, and the gym is not crowded. (Go ahead, Girl, keep talking yourself into it!)

I've been asked to report what I eat; it may help some readers to make choices.

Breakfast- one cup Special K with a sprinkle of Special K granola and about 1/4 cup frozen blueberries.

Lunch- 1 & 1/2 cups of leftover chicken & stir-fry veggies from last night; no rice.

Afternoon snack- 2 cups popcorn cooked in 2tsps canola oil with 2 tbsp. raw almonds tossed in & a glass of diet pop.

Supper- 1 & 1/2 small tilapia fillets sauteed in a little canola oil & seasoned with sea salt, ground pepper, smoked paprika and lemon juice, and 1/2 cup macaroni and cheese mixed with 1/2 cup mixed veggies.

Nighttime snack- 1 cup sugar-free, fat-free instant pudding.

I once read a psychologist's advice to one of my patients. She wrote: 'Choose foods for yourself that you would choose for someone you loved and cared for.'

I'd never heard it put that way before, but it makes a lot of sense.

Hour by hour, day by day. I snacked an extra time today because I was hungry. I don't see any benefit in self-imposed starvation- it might cause me to go overboard later.

Until tomorrow.