Back on South Beach -- The Evil Darth Tater

I have to praise the South Beach Diet in one breath and then point out in another that calling it a "diet" is just not accurate. Eating this way is a lifestyle change. Now, Phase 1 of this eating plan is relatively low in the area of starchy carbs. If you love potatoes and rice you'll probably pine for them for at least a week. But, if you CRAVE potatoes and white rice and other starchy things that break down into pure sugar in your body, or if you are a dessertaholic/sugaraholic then this may be a good way to go cold turkey for a couple of weeks to quell your cravings. It works for me.

I started South Beach two years ago and lost 25 lbs in about 5 months. I even managed to take off 5 more lbs as the year went on. I kept most of it it off until about 7 months ago. Then, for some reason, I started to tell myself that it would be okay to start buying chips again. Surely I wouldn't eat them. But I DID eat them!

Yes, it is my fault. I am the person who gave up my lean meat without skin and started eating fried chicken almost once a week yet again. I am the person who should have stuck to my healthy eggs, egg whites, oatmeal, whole grain toast, and fresh fruit. Ugh! It sounds soooo good, doesn't it? What turned me back to pastries, sugared cereal, and biscuits?



But, even with all that said, my biggest foe is really the delicious and evil potato. There is not a potato that I don't love: Russets, Yukon Gold, little red creamers...my mouth is watering just talking about them. I like them baked, fried, scalloped, shredded, mashed, creamed, made into chips. You name it.

I have discovered that I can only indulge in my unholy lust for potatoes in moderation. I have to have some way of controlling myself. South Beach taught me how to fit these types of foods back into my diet in a sane manner.

So, here I am. It's day 2 of sanity and South Beach. I know it is all in my head, totally psychological, but I already feel better. I just hope that in a month or so my cholesterol will be down and my heart will be thanking me.

If you have a food that sabotages your good intentions, please share it in comments. I don't like to feel alone...and warped. hehe

Leona

Technorati Tags: South Beach Diet, potato, good carbs, Darth Tater

Driver's Permits and Crazy Mothers

I'll start off with a fitness update...

I haven't started walking again. Tomorrow is the big day. I also haven't started South Beach. I haven't had time to shop. As luck would have it, my boss assigned me a project of giantic proportions that is due tomorrow morning, along with one of lesser girth that is due tomorrow afternoon.

Now, on the the big news...

My daughter got her Learner's Permit today! (The crowd goes wild.)

Okay, here's where I open my soul online and stuff spills out everywhere. Are you ready? I did not want her to get this Permit.

There, it has been said. I said it. Does that make me a horrible mother? Am I not supposed to revel in my child's joy? Rejoice in her growth towards womanhood? I just can't do it.

I am a grown woman and driving on the roads in this country (and probably others, but I haven't driven outside this country in 16 years, so I can't comment) gets more harrowing every day. It has gotten so bad that now road rage is considered a mental disorder. Most drivers show absolutely no courtesy anymore and seem only bent on getting to their destinations as fast as they possibly can, regardless of the consequences.

And, let's face it, there are just more cars on the road than there were when I started driving. (You know, back in the Jurassic age when we rode around on dinosaurs and wore beaver skins to stay warm.)

I am so afraid for my baby to be out there surrounded by all those idiotic nuts who can't wait five seconds for you to pass the guy in front of you, so they MUST whiz over onto the shoulder of the road and pass illegally. Then, they blow their horns and flip YOU off! *sigh*

Now, let's assess the TEENAGE driver situation. According to the CDC, "The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash (IIHS 2005)."

A recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that, even though teens typically have quick reflexes and keen senses, their brains just haven't matured enough to handle the skills required to drive safely. The area of the human brain that "inhibits risky behavior" apparently doesn't fully mature until around age 25. Well, there ya go!

And yes, part of the reason I am afraid is I REMEMBER being a teenage driver. My dad must have remembered, too, because he managed to avoid going with me to get my driver's license until I was 17. :-) I always TRIED to be a responsible driver, but I remember how nervous I was. I remember almost hitting other cars. I remember other kids I went to high school with who never made it to graduation, mostly due to the combination of alcohol, an automobile, and the blissful teenage idea of immortality. They were mortal. Unfortunately, there's not much of a learning curve on that one.

One particular incident sticks in my mind. And, it may be the moment in time that my own mortality hit me hard. There was a young cheerleader who was a couple of grades below me in high school. She was a sweet girl, and everyone liked her, even those, like me, who didn't run in that crowd. She was just one of those girls who smiles all the time and is just NICE.

There were some guys at our school who formed a group called the Rebel's Club and most of the jock guys belonged to it. They were notorious for their kick-ass parties. This particular weekend, I was invited to go. It wasn't really my scene, so I decided to go out with some friends instead.

The next morning, a friend called to tell me that there had been an accident. The little cheerleader and her friend were driving back from the party after having too much to drink. The driver (another cheerleader) said that "Sue" began sitting on the back of the seat of her convertible VW bug. She took her eyes off the road to attempt to get her friend to sit down, came up over a hill and into the path of another car. She swerved. "Sue" fell out and the VW flipped and landed on her.

I took in this information and walked like a zombie to the bathroom, where I stripped, stepped under the shower and then curled into a ball, sobbing. I had just seen her at school the day before. Now she would never go to school again. She'd never smile again. Or cheer. Or hug her parents and her sister. I couldn't wrap my brain around it.

As a parent, the thought of someone knocking on the door in the middle of the night (or any time of day, really) to deliver the news that I'd never see my child again tears my heart out.

So, my Devin has her Permit. She is 15. She is a responsible girl. She is nervous. I trust her. It's all those OTHER people out there I don't trust. And, I know that no matter how responsible she is, she's not infallible. I just have to pray that all goes well.

And, not let her have the car keys until she's 25! Bwaaahahahahhaha

If any moms of teens have advice, I'd sure like to hear it.

Goodnight.

Leona


Technorati Tags: Driver's Permit, teenager, road rage

Eating Well at Blogher?

Since this IS a blog mostly about fitness and weight loss, I feel the need to get back on track a bit and chat about my eating habits during the past week.

I don't think I did too bad. Although, I probably had WAY too much coffee. With all the time zone adjustment, I kept sucking it down! LOL. But, I also drank a lot of water. The water and the coffee was most likely the reason for all the peeing I did while on the West Coast. Snead and I finally decided to stop counting our trips to the bathroom. There were just too many.

I have to say that we stuck to mostly the nutritious side of the foods that were offered during the conference. One morning I broke down and had half a danish in the room. For breakfast the days before Blogher officially started, we were very good girls and had oatmeal, eggs and fruit. (Okay, we both also had a slice of bacon...sue me.)

There were excursions into the unhealthy side of the buffet table on my part. Day before yesterday I had both pecan pie during lunch and a brownie as a snack later on in the day. Ugh.

I guess I should also confess the bag of Cheetos I bought at Target. Luckily, the cheese puffs, when opened, tasted and smelled burnt, so I only ate a handful and threw the rest away. Probably a good thing.

The worst thing was getting out of my exercise routine. Yes, we did a lot of walking through airports on Tuesday, but the only other really great exercise I got was the up and downhill trek we took in San Francisco on Wednesday. After that, the only movement in my day consisted of strolling back and forth between conference room, the pool and our room. I'm really going to have to rev up my walking/jogging this coming week.

I've also decided to go back on South Beach on Monday.

"My name is Leona, and I am a carboholic."

My intake of veggies has gone downhill fast during the summer, which is strange since I usually eat MORE fruits and veggies this time of year. They are fresh and plentiful. I think I am in a rut. Bored or something. Anyhoo, it's time to lay off the bread, potatoes, and fatty meats and try to maintain a better balance. For me, South Beach is a pretty easy way to do that.

I'm going to attempt to post my daily menus here for the next two weeks, but don't shoot me if I falter.

Leona

Technorati Tags: blogher, fitness, weight loss, diet, South Beach Diet

Home again, Home again...jiggity jig!

Sunday...on the way home. Snead and I are sitting on the plane from San Jose to Dallas in zombie-like comas (These are Snead's words. They sounded good, so I stole them. hehe)

We both tried sleeping, but it's just not happening. Probably gonna pass out immediately when we get home. Or, even more cruel, we'll NOT be able to sleep at all for the next three days.

The Blogher conference wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, but I still learned a lot. I am looking forward to opening my electronic goodie box when I get home and reading all the recaps from each session.

We got to meet several A-List bloggers, and Snead got chummy with Nancy White. We sat in a great session about writing about sex and sexuality on the Net. Maybe I'll spice up my blog a bit after this. No, there will be no porno, so don't get that excited.
;-) And, the names will be omitted to protect the innocent.

I really enjoyed meeting DrowningInKids, who hails from Canada. I'd read her blog several times, so it was kewl putting a face with it, and she was delightful. I also wrote down a TON of new URLs of blogs I'd like to check out. One that really intrigued me was a foodie blog called Egg Beater. We also met Halley, of Halley's Comment, and Susie Bright. I have visited Susie's blog MANY times, and it was great to meet her and hear her speak in the Sexuality panel.

I also met Amalah. I read her blog quite a bit. And, I met Karianna, who writes The Karianna Spectrum about her PDD-NOS (a mild form of autism) son at ClubMom. She and Snead, who also blogs at ClubMom (Use Your Words), had a really animated discussion about their sons and the various aspects of raising a child with autism. Shout out to Karianna!

I also sat in on a session on Group blogging. I was hoping it would be much meatier than it turned out to be, but I did get some good ideas from it. When I get home, I'll be creating a group blog for the Gainesville High School Swim Team. I had considered creating a website for the team, but I think a blog will give us a place to post all our stats, schedules, etc., and also allow the kids to have access to post themselves and share their photos and other things that interest them. I'm hoping they'll enjoy the experience. I just have to figure out what the best platform will be. I'm going to look into Movable Type this week. I really want to get it up and running before school starts.

The most amazing thing was just to be in a room with almost 800 women at once...all of them smart, funny, creative, empowered and more!

Can't wait to be home. I am missing Brandy, the kids and my nice, soft mattress. The hotel beds were like sleeping on bricks. Ugh. All-in-all, though, the Hyatt turned out to be better than it first appeared. The Internet connection was touchy and service was kind of slow, but the room was super clean. And, the staff did a good job of setting up our rooms for the conference as well as all the food and beverage stations. It was a plus that they served Starbucks coffee.

The girls called yesterday to tell me that Colton found a kitten near the yard. Naturally, they are dying to keep it! I have no idea what I want to do about that. I'd really like to stick with only the two cats we currently have, but who knows what I'll be suckered into when I get home. *sigh*

I'm hoping more than anything that the house is not a terrible, horrible, very bad mess when I walk in the door. That always stresses me out, because I know that I'll have to clean it in order to start my week off right. I have a hard time concentrating on work with a mess all around me.

Time to shut up before I ramble on.

Leona

Technorati Tags: blogher, blogher06, blogging, Halley's Comment, Susie Bright, Nancy White

Google Potty Story

I, um, had a bit of a bathroom issue the day after we arrived in San Jose (July 26, 2006)...okay, I get constipated when I travel. There, I said it. Anyhoo, I had tried to solve that with many mucho cups of java at breakfast. Unfortunately, the coffee didn't kick in until we were screamin' down 101 North towards San Fran.

We passed Ebay and Yahoo's headquarters and waved as we went by. Snead said, "You know, it would be so cool to see the Googleplex while we're here. That would just make the trip!"

A few minutes later, I informed her that I needed to find a bathroom...NOW. We saw a sign for the Amphitheatre Parkway exit and took it. I immediately said, as I squirmed in my seat, "I don't see any fast food joints or gas stations here. I don't think we'll find a place at this exit." Snead said, "Don't worry, we'll find something."

We were concentrating so hard that it took both of us a few minutes to register that the sign on the parking lot we had just pulled into read GOOGLE, in all it's fun, colorful glory. We both sat in awe for a few moments.

Snead says, "Just go in and ask if you can use the restroom." I said, "No way!" She pursed her lips together and gave me "the look". "Okay, okay...I'll try," I said as I stepped out of the car.

I had no idea where to enter, so I just picked a random door.

I walked into a modernly-appointed lobby where a fresh-faced young guy sat behind a large wooden barricade, or reception desk. He smiled. I smiled. I asked if there was a bathroom nearby that I could use.

He said, "Oh sure! It's right over there behind that door...Do you have a badge?"

Darn it!

I said, "I sure don't. I am here for a conference." I didn't mention the conference was in SAN JOSE, but he didn't ask either.

He smiled again and said, "Oh no problem. I'll let you in with mine."

A few moments later the door beeped and I was behind it and breathing the air in the inner sanctum of the Googleplex! If I hadn't had to go to the bathroom so bad, I am sure I would have stood there for a moment in silent prayer, but...

So, I made the instant left turn into the Google women's potty. At first glance, it looked just like any other office restroom. Lines of stalls and all that. But, when I went into one of those stalls, I balked just slighty. (Man, I WISH I had taken my camera!) There were all sorts of lines attached to the toilet and little electronic boxes on the walls with digital readouts and buttons. Holy CRAP, Batman! Literally.

I sat down to find that the toilet seat was cozy warm. Heated toilet seats? Unreal. I frantically searched out the toilet paper dispenser to make sure I didn't have to find a digital button to work it. Whew! It just unrolled normally.

Minutes later I was back in the hallway. I took one longing look towards the murmur of working Google employees in their cubbies and then turned and floated out of the inner sanctum.

The young man at the desk was kind enough to point me back to the 101 North. Perhaps he'll never know that he saved me from embarrassment and also made my entire week by allowing me tread on almost holy ground for a blogger. He was the hero of the day.

Leona

Technorati Tags: blogher, Mountain View, Google, Silicon Valley

Cable Cars, Golden Gate and GREAT Chinese Food!

Yesterday, Snead and I got up early. We actually both woke up at 3:59 a.m. PT and sat up to stare weirdly at each other across the room, until we realized that our body clocks were not yet synched and we still had a few hours to sleep! After some tossing and turning, I did manage to drift back off again.

Neither of us could make it past 6 a.m., though. We got dressed and walked over to the Hertz office, which is located handily right here in the Hyatt, and picked up our reserved rental car. It's a cute little charcoal gray Mazda 6. Looks like a mini-van got personal with a sedan. hehe

After breakfast, we set out for the 40-mile drive from San Jose to San Fran.

The trip was mostly uneventful, except for one side trip to the Googleplex. It's an interesting story and warrants a blog entry of its very own, so stay tuned. :-)

When we hit San Fran it was easier to find the big landmarks that we'd expected. We drove down to Fisherman's Wharf and stowed the Mazda 6 in a parking garage. Then, we hit the sidewalks and decided to do the cable car. There was more walking as we finally found the start of the Hyde-Powell line, paid for our all-day tickets and got in line.

While we were standing in line, the fog lifted just enough for us to see the red shadow of the famous Golden Gate bridge peeking out. Snead had promised she would squeal with delight when she finally saw it, and she didn't disappoint.

Riding the cable car was so incredibly San Francisco that I felt like a little kid on a ride at Disney World! Going up and down the hills and fearing that the breaks would give out at any moment and send us hurtling to our bloody deaths pumped all sorts of adrenaline into my system. I have to admit it was quite a rush.

We got off at the end of the line and paid a local guy a dollar tip to tell us where we should go next.

We headed up to Grant and walked until we hit Chinatown, where we browsed through all sorts of quaint little shops and cheesy little shops. We admired the interesting offerings in the outdoor markets and listened as folks haggled over prices in Chinese.

Snead was determined to find a "good" place to eat, so we peered into every little place until we found one that seemed to be overflowing with locals. That was the place! We ordered one #1 Special -- Mongolian Beef, Chicken with Cashews and Fried Rice, along with a couple of bowls of Hot and Sour soup. There was so much food that we couldn't possibly consume it all, and there was a DELICIOUS!

When we had gorged enough to pop, we waddled back out onto Washington and climbed the hill until we found a cable car back to Fisherman's Wharf.

Along the way, we shopped for stuff to take back to our loved ones at home. (Kisses to all the loved ones reading!) I bought a kewl apron (I have a thing for aprons) with the Fisherman's Wharf crab logo on it. I got my boy at little cable car with a dinging bell. And, finally, we ended up having Anchor Steam beer (thank you, Michelle!) at the Hard Rock Cafe. (Girls, you've got t-shirts coming!)

We ended our San Fran day with a stroll around the pier. We gazed at Alcatraz and the Golden Gate and took some photos of the sea lions barking away on the floating docks.

The chilly wind whipped up and reminded us that it was high time we got back on the road for San Jose. What an unforgettable day! I hope the photos turn out.

Leona

Technorati Tags: blogher, San Francisco, cable cars, Golden Gate Bridge

Do you know the way to San Jose?

Well, I do! You leave Gainesville, Fla., at 6:48 a.m. ET and drive through Waldo, Starke, and Lawty, Fla., where you diligently obey the posted speed limits to avoid the local redneck law enforcement's wrath. (If you are from North Florida and have even tried to get to Jax from the Gulf Coast you'll know exactly what I am talking about!)

You then arrive at Sneadwoman's house at approximately 8:30 a.m. (after sitting parked in the sea of other traffic trying to get onto I-95 S. from I-10). There is time to suck down about half a cup of Snead-brewed coffee before it is time to head out to the Jax International Airport.

(Ummmm...Let's not mentioned that whacked-out missed turn that lead you back onto I-10 for a brief moment!)

We arrive at the airport, take the shuttle bus to the terminal after parking 10,000 miles away in the ecomony lot. (Did I mention my company is NOT paying for this conference?) We use the handy-dandy self-check-in feature, get our electronic boarding passes and blaze through the snaking line of security with amazing dexterity.

On the other side, we immediately go in search of a Starbucks, only to realize that we just freaking don't have TIME! OMG. The world could have come to an end!

We have just enough time to grab a danish and a muffin at Yucky Airport Food Slinging Place (name changed for legal reasons) and within minutes are boarding our plane to San Jose...no wait...DALLAS/FORT WORTH!

(Simulate bumpy 2-hour plane ride here.)

Upon arrival in Dallas, we have two hours to kill. We share a burger and slug down a couple of Coronas in an airport burger joint. As we are sitting at our table, we both spy a Starbucks cup bopping by in the hands of a blond chick. Our search for Starbucks began anew. And, *Hallelujah* there were TWO of them to choose from.

Two Java Chip Frappachinos later (and a brand new set of magazines) Snead and I were both feeling human again and boarding the flight for San Jose.

As we buckled in, Snead had to point out that her ass was hanging over the crack that divided our seats. From my end, this didn't appear to be the case, but she didn't believe me when I told her so. She gets this way on long flights, so I have to placate her.

As the flight progressed, we were privy to the loud conversations of the three preteen girls sitting in the seats on the other side of the eisle. The word "like" was used more times than I can even count. The girls were traveling alone, but had befriended each other in the terminal and the flight attendents were nice enough to wiggle EVERYONE around so they could all sit together.

She also wiggled an older lady and gentleman into the seats in front of us. Snead's enthusiastic reaction to the article about Oprah and Gayle's friendship in the most recent "O" Magazine caused her to bump the tray table and illicited an angry response from the bitch...ummmm...lady in front of us.

Other than that, the 3-1/2-hour flight was rather uneventful. We took off a little late and landed a little late, putting us in San Jose at around 4:30 PT (7:30 ET). Needless to say, we were pooped.

A friendly shuttle deposited us at the Hyatt. We checked in, hand dinner (which was good, but too expensive) in the hotel restaurant and then struggled to stay awake long enough to stave off too much jet lag.

Dr. Phil was still gabbing away about too much plastic surgery when my eyes closed of their own accord around 9:30 p.m. PT.

So, yes, I know the way to San Jose, and it takes a long freaking time to get here. LOL.

We're off to a day in San Fran. Later!

Leona

Technorati Tags: blogher, San Jose, airline travel, Starbucks, Hyatt San Jose