Day 5 of 30

How powerful is the phrase 'Take a walk'. If you think about it, it can used in almost all situations.
Say you dont have appetitie and are complaining...you can 'take a walk'
You have eaten and are full, then also you can 'take a walk'
If you feeling mad, then you can 'take a walk'
If you are feeling sad, then also you can 'take a walk'
You dont like something, then you simply 'take a walk'.
It almost sounds like one pill cure for all ailments. Wonder how it kinda works in all situations and mind you if you have ever used the 'take a walk' pill, you sure feel better. Even if the problem at hand, is not solved, after the 'walk' there is a renewed energy to take a new look at the issue.

How come 'taking a walk' works so well..hmmm...it changes the current physical state, you are forced to take yourselves away from the current location, the change in location, the change in the people around you, the change in scenary around you, does help you think better. If the walk is out in the open, the fresh air, does some good too. Lungful of fresh air helps clear cloudy mind.

We all need to be active and for good health, exercise is vital. If you are not able to exercise, its very likely that your doc is going to 'take a walk' :)

Give it a try next time , you are stuck at making a decision, or need clarity on something, or just plain bored..'take a walk' pill will surely make you feel better.

And if you think this blog content is boring..ah well...why dont you just 'take a walk'

Day 4 of 30

We all live our lives doing one thing primarily...making money...we work different kind of jobs...some with no fixed time, some 8-4, sometimes we loathe going to work, but pull ourselves coz without the pay check, life is hard to live.

You look at the people on the street on a weekday morning, anywhere in the world, people are hurrying somewhere, lost in their thoughts and most of them are on their way to work or from work to home. The struggle to make the ends meet, the struggle to have enough and sometimes even splurge on unwanted things, this hurried life goes on and before we realise, we have spent years and years in making sure we have enough and a little bit more.

Except for the ones that were born with either silver spoon or gold spoon in their mouths, it is pretty much the story of the every middle class person. We may wonder at how some one is so adept at making money and while some slog day after day for the meagre amount. Some retort to not so right path and some dont take any path,and try to live off others.

Is money really that important, or is it a necessary evil we all need to get by, what else can we do other than shed the worldly garb and go out begging for alms...but again, if we all went begging, who would be the one giving alms..so the order of the world demands, while a select few beg for alms, other use whatever their wisdom and conscience let them do to earn that few bucks.

I am one among the people who wants to win that lottery...people who know me say, to win lottery you atleast need to buy a ticket..as much as i want that lottery loot, i dont buy a ticket , coz i think deep in my heart i think i dont want to win it. if i suddenly had the money what will i do...what will be the reason for me to wake up, what will be the motivation to use my brain and want to work harder and harder so i can earn a pay hike.Wanting more never stops, if you have 1, you want 10, and if you have 10, you want 100, and if you have 100 you want 1000. Wants are like addiction, the more you have, more you want.

Wondering why this thought came to me, i realised a couple of days ago, i am making less than some one i know who i believe doesnt work as much as I do, and was a little mad.and i thought about it with a cool mind and questioned, how long will i compare and with how many people will i compare with. Whats my worth, is it relative to how much others are getting paid? Am i not as ambitious as others are? Am i too complacent, that i dont care about how much i get paid? How much do i want? how much will make me happy? All these questions, led to this post today...let me know what do you think, how much is really enough?

Day 3 of 30

What else can i write today other than about love, it is 'valentines day' afterall.It wasnt as big commercially when i was growing up. It is a great thing that a day is celebrated for love, a day to remind the world to love...and somehow it has come down the love between couples and the way to express is based on the gifts you give and recieve.Can love be measured in materialistic gifts..no, its not wrong to buy each other gifts but to attribute gifts as a measurement of love is not right.
Love is a wonderful thing..in most cases, when someone says love, the first thing that anyone thinks is a couple, a man and woman...oops in this time and age, it could be of same sex too.But love is in every relationship...mother -child, friends, pets...if there was no love , this world be a very dull place. Thank god for love and i am sure all the retail industry will say thank god for 'valentines day'
On this valentines day, here is love to all of you...if you reading this blog..i am sure you will feel the love :)

Day 2 of 30

Day 2 , and already i am finding it very hard to write about something not revolving around 'me, i, myself'. every time i begin to write, i invariably write one of the below
' i think'
'i wonder'
'in my opinion'
'my husband'
'my daughter'
it dawned upon me, that i look at the world wearing a big 'I' glasses. everything has to be my opinion or my perception of what it is, i am not able to look at anything without associating it with me or my family. how sad..isnt it...the 'I' in me is making me blind to things as they are, but only making me see as they relate to me.This 30 day task is indeed going to be hard and liberating too. It is going to help me disassociate things around me with respect to me.

Oh well, the idea was to write about something not concerning me and i end up writing a couple of paragraphs about i,me,myself again.ok, to the matter of the day
Music and how it effects your mood.
An organized sequence of sound has the power to make you happy, sad, makes you get off the couch and start dancing...some power this sound has.Many of us have found ourselves transported to a totally new world listening to our favorite music, the soothing ghazals are a lovers favorite pasttime, where as a devotee finds music as a way to worship his/her God, the young need some foot tapping music to party and a mother's voice singing a lullaby makes the little baby sleep. Whereever you are, whatever you are, it is very possible that music somehow has affected you in some way...classical, pop, rock,jazz..vocal, instrumental in some way, shape or form, it has found a spot in your life, which gives you comfort. Not just humans, studies have shown that even animals and plants enjoy music.It is said music is the language of God, it indeed is.

Day 1 of 30

Day 1

As the first day of my 'write a post everyday for 30 days', I had to think about writing something not involving me and not about my life or family and when i was reading an article in thehindu.com today, i appreciate this newspaper for not stooping to the level of timesofindia, and honestly i promised not to visit timesofindia unless really needed, dont want give them network traffic, ok, back to the topic.. i was reading about an article how two young men, who went out of india and returned to the mother land and did a social experiment by trying to live lives of an average and a poor indian, a very interesting and a thought provoking read.

Here is the link to the article

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Harsh_Mander/article2882340.ece

Very recently i was having a conversation with a friend and was wondering how with growing income and more luxuries, you want more, and having more always seems less. How as a society we are in a race to be 'successful', successful as measured by the monetary standing, that the human emotion such as empathy is totally lost.How often does a upper middle class or rich person think about someone struggling to feed their family twice a day feels when dumping the food in trash can. As we get richer as measured in money , we seem to get poorer as a person.

You might ask, what do we do, starve because someone in some other part of world is hungry, to abstain from luxuries because someone else cant afford it, to live always wanting more.Actually i dont know, I want to say, be considerate to the not-haves, but who am i to make your decisions.

Weight loss update and more

I did finish the first phase on SB diet and had some success and then later fell through, good news is i havent gained weight after that, did loose a couple of pounds with eating right, but that keeps fluctuating...so i'd say i neither gained or lost any weight after my SB diet thing.

The good thing is, even though the motivation to loose weight is gone, the intention is still there, so as a revival i joined weight watchers...what the heck, let me try this one too...i am hopeful this time, to get back to pre-preg weight and hopefully a little less than that. wondering why i am hopeful...coz i am spending over $300 for 20 week program...well at the end of 20 weeks i will definitely be lighter...if not be pounds definitely by dollars...hehehe

so apart from that, i realized i am getting bored very easily these days...seems like life is becoming a drag...wanting something new in life..its not like life is a cakewalk now, but in a laundry list of to-do things, i am getting lost and the real me needs something to do, just when i was feeling like this, i saw this in a online community

http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html

i thought,there you go, that was answer to my need to do something new. i could do many new things, 30 days each...wow,what a wonderful idea..to implement it,where else can i go than to go to my dear blog...that sits there hoping i would update at-least once in a while.

So, after a little thought, i have prepared a list of new things, i think i can do for 30 days
- update my blog everyday , well honestly sometimes i don't update my blog, for the lack of anything to write, i don't like writing about my private affairs...so when i start writing, i have to edit out my personal life details and realize, after all the censoring, there is nothing left to write. that's how my life is now, so involved in my family that there is nothing else my brain thinks about these days...so i am going to write something, even a few lines, everyday, about something that's not my life, something random, i don't know what...so we'll see how that goes
- And if i successfully finish the first one, I'll do the photo a day...i have seen some people(ladies you know who you are and thanks for being an inspiration.) do it, and some pics are really remarkable...so there is no shame in copying to do something nice..so I'll to do that next.

My dear readers...go ahead and make some suggestions of what i can do for 30 days and also a big thank you for being my readers, as few as you are, you are the reason i look forward to updating this otherwise very inactive blog.

Battling the bulge

Ok, today i need my blog, more than it needs me. I know i have neglected it for the longest time, but now i need its help.Wondering how, well i need to loose weight, you ask whats new? , well i have started on a diet and want to be accountable to someone...and after a lot of thinking, i figured i can be accountable to all those who visit me blog( not that that's a great number!!) but in any case, the thought that someone is reading my achievements might give me that extra push to get leaner.

Down to business, i started on the south beach diet on Sunday( binged on biryani on Saturday!!!) , its a three phase diet, phase 1 apparently the hardest, no fruits and no cereals and grains, must include lots of protein. when i first read, i said to myself, how hard can this be...and there is a long list of vegetables allowed and to be avoided and what fruits allowed in what phase, the book has a pretty exhaustive list i must say, and with every revised edition, some modifications are made, earlier dairy was not included in phase 1, now 2-3 cups per day of low-fat and fat free daily is allowed.

To begin with, i must say, i am a very conscious eater, i don't eat a lot of junk food, away from the aerated drinks, try to eat well, but for more than a week i entered my meals in sparkspeople.com and realized i was eating very less protein and most of my meals were filled with carbs, though good. i don't eat white bread, always whole wheat or multigrain, i eat rice 2-3 times a week, eat quinoa,broken wheat. But the problem was the amount of protein was far less than it should be.

And the exercise part, you may ask, well i go to pilates class once a week, and try to do leslie sansone walking atleast 2-3 times a week, but with little one at home, its hard to get the exercise. I know i need to be little more disciplined if i were to loose weight,

I am hoping, getting on this diet will jumpstart my weightloss.

Before i proceed, i must set my goals, so at the end i know if i met them.Recommended BMI range is 19-25 and i am 28.3, so technically i am overweight. And my ideal weight must be within 104-137. I know 104 is un-realistic for me, 137 is on the border , so i am aiming at 125 pounds

My current weight - 155
Goal weight - 125
Total Weight loss - 30 pounds

Apart from tracking weight loss, i intend to track inches lost, i will do that on sparkspeople and will post it when i reach my target weight.

As per the book, most people loose from 8-13 pounds in the phase 1. I am not going to weight myself until the end of phase 1.Actually i have about 3 luncheons/dinners to attend in these 2 weeks, so will add a couple of days more and weigh myself on Oct 12 2010.And plan to start phase 2 on Oct 13 2010.

South beach phase 1 - Week 1

Day 1 , Sep 25, 2011 - Sunday..ate eggs for breakfast, chicken for lunch, snacked on almonds and towards the end of the day, not having rice was getting to me. I was offered chips, pop corn, i ate one of each(couldn't resist, had to taste them) . Snacked on roasted almonds. I had actually baked 3 chicken breasts previous night and freezed them. so on days when i too tired or busy to make lunch/dinner, i have my protein. Overall was not so bad yesterday, but i found myself, checking the book every time i had to eat something.
Good - pretty much ate according to the diet.
Bad - did not have salad. This diet recommends lots of raw veggies, as they need to burn more calories to be digested and hence you loose weight quicker.

Day 2 , Sep 26 2011 - Monday morning, woke up with really bad ear ache, must be the cold air i was in the previous night. Decided to take sick day and rest, i couldnt have concentrated on way anyways if i went to office. ate, omlette with one whole egg and a egg white, added some roasted veggies....i was hungry in about 2 hrs, i wondererd it was filling breakfast, how can i be hungry. snacked on roasted almonds...was feeling dizzy, couldnt get off the couch, not sure, if it was my ear ache or the lack of carbs that i was feeling dizzy, for a fleeting second i wanted to abandon this diet, i took a deep breath and said, it was for my good health, i had to stick to it, only the first 2 weeks are hard, then it'll get better. Had unsweetened black tea...then about 4pm, had another cup of tea, this time decided to add sugar. i know i am not supposed add sugar , but could use sugar free, but i dont beleive in them. I'd rather not dump chemicals in my body in the name of sugar free. Had salad for dinner.
Good - included raw veggies
Bad - 2 tsp sugar

Day 3 , Sep 27 2011 - Tuesday. Feeling better, my ear ache is gone.Dint have time to make breakfast, darn i should have planned last night. i am gonna make some breakfast options i can freeze. after coming to work, ate some chickpeas and fat free cheddar cheese slice. was very filling, dint feel like having my mid morning snack...lunch i had brought some tomato juice,chickpeas, roasted veggies and baked chicken. i was surprised i couldn't finish the lunch. other days, i could have finished it in a jiffy. Mid afternoon had cup of fat free buttermilk and dinner was baked fish and baked vegetables. i have to make sure, every meal has some protein in it. that's the idea behind this diet.
Good - included raw veggies, no sugar in my tea
Bad - ate late breakfast

Day 4, Sep 28 2011 - Wednesday .Woke up feeling a little hungry....don't know if i hadn't had enough dinner last night. Ate peanuts first thing in the morning and had one whole boiled egg and an egg white. today was a busy day at work. my lunch was interrupted by a meeting. ate celery sticks with fat free yogurt dip and the leftover from last night. Almonds for mid afternoon snack.Dinner, its veggie soup with some shrimp. I had a big bowl of soup and an hour later, i was feeling hungry, had another medium bowl of soup.Oh, forgot to mention had regular coffee,mid morning and added sugar free...darn i was too afraid having regular sugar will blow my diet.Feeling little low on energy. I wonder if i am not eating as much as i should.I am not hungry, but just not very energetic.
Good - Did not have the sugar
Bad - not enough veggies. Feel low on energy

Day 5, Sep 29 2011 - Thursday. Today is a vegetarian day and had to plan ahead to make sure, i have my bases covered, don't want hunger to prompt me to eat whatever is available. Ate celery sticks and cucumber dipped in fat free greek yogurt with a dash of chat masala...actually i love chat masala, for me it makes any food edible.Had mid morning coffee, added one pack sugar free and one pack brown sugar ...for snack, i had forgot to replenish my almonds stock in office,so had only 4 almonds left :( . Lunch salad and tofu . mid afternoon snack, small cup of cooked lentils with some 1% cottage cheese added.For dinner, tofu again. added some cucumber ,raw onion , lemon juice and chat masala, so it basically became tofu chat. and a glass of very diluted buttermilk..(remember i cant exceed 2-3 cups daily intake restriction)
Good - Woke up feeling light
Bad - still am having sugar...

I couldn't resist getting on the weighing machine...have lost 3lbs...it has given me encouragement to continue and stick to the foods this diet recommends.

Day 6, Sep 30 2011 - Friday Had leftover tofu for breakfast, D flatly declined to even taste it, he said he would have nothing of it. So i had to finish it. I forgot to bring my almonds, so had to skip the mid mornign snack and did not have my coffee either, for lunch, ihad chicken breast and salad at office cafeteria, ate salad withou the dressing.Made pesarattu for dinner. beans are allowed so mungs are ok, but the challenge was i am allowed on 1 tbsp of oil in a day and it will only last for one pesarattu. so i alternated my pesarattu and D's, on his i put little oil and mine none, the oil on the tawa was enough to cook it without getting stuck.{no, i dont have non-stick, i threw away all my non stick pots and pans 2 yrs ago, i have iron tawa} To go with it, i had made some ginger chutney.
Little A had some pesarattu too and D dint complain either..
Good - still on track
Bad - missing my snacks and still have not given up sugar 100%

Day 7, Oct 1 2011 - Saturday, come weekends, all the routine is gone. woke up late. had pesarattu for breakfast and tea made from 0.1% milk. had about 3/4 tsp sugar...am still not able to part with sugar. Weekends means going out, grocery shopping. laundry, playing with A, tolerating D...in all this meal planning gets pushed in the back. For lunch, i had some chickpeas and some frozen baked chicken i made earlier in the week. Had almonds for snack and for dinner..ah..well ..did not have dinner..it was too late by the time we came home and i dint have the energy to make any dinner and the thought of eating salad at the late hour dint look appetizing.
Good - dint get tempted when we went out.Was feeling tired, before going out, but i felt a surge of energy later, maybe fresh air did the trick.
Bad - missed dinner.

Day 8 , Oct 2 2011 - Sunday. Today is the party day. Breakfast had some chickpeas and veggie omlet, D made coffee, he forgot to use my 0.1% milk and used 2% instead and instead of 3/4 tbsp sugar, he put 2tbsp...well i dint complain..just had my coffee..Lunch was at a party, ate rice and sweet both. gave my dessert and ice cream to D. Came home, had ripe bananas dint want to throw them out, so made whole wheat banana and blue berry muffins for A and D and made healthy quiche, lots of veggies, 7 eggs and 5 egg whites..and got about 12 quiches. i could freeze them for quick dinner or breakfast. Had a couple of quiche for dinner.

Good - Hmmm...
Bad - ate carbs and 3.25% fat yoghurt.

I told myself, that i am not going to use the fact that i blew my diet at lunch to discontinue my diet...there is a couple more parties next week, cant avoid eating there, but at the other times, i am going to stick to my diet...and hope and pray that i still loose weight.