Saturday seems to be Survey Day for me, so I thought I’d jump in with my answers to this survey that’s been making the rounds. I saw it most recently on Kelly’s blog, Laughter, Strength and Food.
All my answers pertain to Friday happenings, since I’m blogging before I hit the hay. Confused yet? I hope not!
1. What did you eat for breakfast?
Overnight oats, made with 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk and a scant 2 T Craisins. I mixed in a sprinkle of cinnamon and banana this morning. It looked something like the photo at left, if you imagine banana slices where the blackberries are …
2. How much water do you drink a day?
I’m with Kelly on this one: Not enough. I SHOULD be drinking at least 64 ounces … 115, if you go by that “half your body weight in ounces” rule … But I actually drink anywhere from 32 to about 60 ounces (and that’s counting iced green tea from Starbucks. I usually track half the amount, so if I get a Trente and a free refill, I count 30 of them … just one glass counts for 16 oz.).
3. What is your current favorite workout?
Walking. I love Zumba, but I don’t have access to classes … so my workout of choice is the simple walk. I want to re-start C25K, though, and try to transition into running.
4. How many calories do you eat a day?
I’ve never done well with calorie-counting, and I don’t count calories now. I do, however, count Weight Watchers Points. I’m currently allowed 37/day … and I’ve been dipping into 1-5 of my weekly Flex Points each day, as well.
I’m going to guess it’s about 1,800 calories, but I really have no idea. I couldn’t begin to say.
5. What are your favorite healthy snacks?
Greek yogurt, string cheese, nuts (especially almonds), apples with nut butter and hummus with veggies & pretzel crisps. I’ve also been really digging cold roasted green beans. I never would have guessed, but they’re really tasty.
6. What do you usually eat for lunch?
Honestly, lunch is the one meal I’m likely to grab on the run — and that means fast food. This week, I had a grilled chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A twice, a burrito from Taco Bell once and today’s treat, a grilled onion cheddar burger and fries from McDonald’s. Midday usually also involves a drink of some kind from Starbucks. (Pre-work writing time at the Bux runs from about noon to 2:30.)
7. What is your favorite body part to strength train?
I don’t do enough strength training as a whole, and know I need to get with the program. But when I was in Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp, I really loved the leg work, like Sumo squats and Genie squats.
8. What is your least favorite body part to strength train?
My back. During bootcamp, those Superman moves on the stability ball killed me every time.
9. What are your ‘bad’ food cravings?
Good question — and it changes depending on the diet du jour. While I was dabbling with Paleo, I’d have said cheese/dairy. On Atkins, I tend to be on a pretty even keel without craving anything (though before I start, I swear up and down I won’t be able to give up bread/pasta/potatoes). On Weight Watchers, where I can eat everything in moderation, I gravitate toward sweets when it’s time to use my Flex Points. And French fries. Always with the fries. They get me (almost) every time.
10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?
No, but I know I should. I go through phases where I try to take a daily multivitamin … but I usually forget.
11. How often do you eat out?
More often than I ought to.
12. Do you eat fast food?
Umm, see my answer to question 6 …
13. Who is your biggest supporter?
When it comes to my writing, it’d have to be the Boyfriend. He’s always encouraging me to write more/faster/better so I can sell a novel and we can buy a cabin on a lake. (He doesn’t realize how little money first novels make …) He doesn’t understand dieting, though. As an athlete (he’s a tennis pro), he can — and does — eat anything and everything.
14. Do you have a gym membership?
Not currently, but I’m in the market for one.
15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Not enough, that’s for sure. I average 6 … I work until anywhere between 11 p.m. and midnight (later on a bad night), and then head home and unwind with my laptop until about 3 a.m. Then, because I hate to sleep the day away, I try to get up around 9 or 10 a.m. The earlier I’m up, the more time I have for working out/cooking/writing at Starbucks.
16. Do you have a ‘cheat’ day?
Right now, no. I’m really striving to come to terms with what Roni calls “Stateless Dieting.” You’re not “on plan” or “off plan” (the latter meaning scarfing down everything in sight), but owning the choices you make each day — each meal. Too often, I use the justification “I’ve already ‘blown’ my diet, so I might as well eat that _____” when what I SHOULD be doing is choosing to indulge sensibly and make the very next choice a healthier one. I think having a daily/weekly Points budget to spend is helping me make better decisions, both in regular meals and those little treats.
17. Do you drink alcohol?
Not often. When I do, it’s either Corona or mixed drinks. (Rum and Diet Coke has 0 net carbs …) My favorites are amaretto sours, fuzzy navels and white Russians — all of which are too expensive to indulge in regularly.
18. Do you have a workout buddy?
Sadly, no. I used to try to get tennis lessons out of the Boyfriend, but I have a bum knee that doesn’t like the side-to-side movement prevalent in tennis — and I can’t get him to walk/hike with me often. He’s always saying, “I played two hours of tennis today. I don’t need to take a walk.”
19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a Healthy Lifestyle?
Wow … the questions are getting tougher and tougher. Sometimes I wonder if I have committed to a “Healthy Lifestyle.” I’ve been trying to lose weight for years, with varying degrees of success. I guess it’d have to be the folks I’ve met in blogland who inspire me to keep striving to become the best version of myself. I know I’ll get there … someday.
20. What was the last healthy thing you did?
I had no Points left after work, so I snacked on a 0-Point apple. Again. Better that than dipping into my dwindling supply of Flex Points.
Adventures in weight loss, cooking & life 