The Story Of The "Dead Grapes"

15 weeks of 20 weeks

weight today: lost one pound

total lost:9 pounds in 15 weeks

pre-work-out:
3 oz banana:75

post work-out:
1/2 cup of oatmeal:150
1 1/2 tsp of sugar:22
1 tbl of powder creamer in tea:30
2 tsp of sugar in tea:30
total:307

1/2 cup of brown rice:85
3 oz chicken breast:105
1 tsp of Smart Balance light butter:15
appr. 1 tbl of peanut better dipped with
pretzels:40
1/4 cup or so of raisinets:190
total: 555
-------------
running total:862

1 large egg:70
1 large egg white:16
1 lefse:30
total:116
------------
running total:978

1 graham cracker sheet:70
1 tbl of powder creamer in tea: 60
2 tsp of peanut butter:66
dipped with pretzels:15
total:211
--------------
running total:1,199

1/2 cup of brown rice:85
1 tsp of Smart Balance light butter:15
3 oz chicken breast:105
1 tsp of peanut butter:33
several pretzels:20
total:258
-----------------
running total: 1,457

Today's challenge: All I want to do is eat. I don't know if the work-out in the morning has something to do with it. Also, the fact that I'm more tired in the morning and so, being tired makes me want to snack too. After I took a nap this afternoon, I didn't feel even half as "snacky". I'm thinking maybe I need to dump load more "good" calories in me in the morning so that I'm filling up on healthy stuff and then taper off my eating in the evening when I'm about to go to bed because I'm going to bed earlier.

or...maybe I need counseling...why do I always want to eat? So, I'm still trying to work through this, and my goal for tomorrow is to cut the snacking and maybe shift my good calories to the morning.

Note on rising early: Another successful day for rising early. I set out my work-out clothes the night before, so that all I have to do is get dressed...eat something light to give my muscles some glycogen to work with...and then walk 4o feet out to the cold car. My husband drives, so I huddle for about five minutes during the short drive and then walk about 75 to 100 feet till I get inside the warm gym (this is the worst part). It takes between 10 and 15 minutes of working out at the gym for me to forget that it's really early in the morning and that it's freezing cold outside. The getting up early part, for some reason, is not the hard part. I think I've been getting enough sleep.

I don't start feeling sleepy till about 9 a.m., oddly enough, when I'm cuddling with our 7-year-old doing reading lessons. So, maybe as we do this longer, I'll feel less tired in the morning.

Fitness: Already completed: bicep and back workout with abdominals. Plan on doing a five mile run tonight.

Actual fitness: bicep and back work-out with abdominals. 5 mile run in 50 minutes.

Note on picture: Man, these are good but high calorie...We gave each a kid a box of these for part of their stocking stuffers. Of course, they shared with their momma. 1/2 a box is 190 calories.

The Story Of The "Dead Grapes"

This is how my husband announced to our children four or five years ago his description of raisins.

I remember it clearly. We were in the van driving somewhere and the two younger ones were not yet born. He said to this effect that raisins are dead grapes and basically how gross is that to eat dead grapes.

And since I knew that children are very impressionable, I tried to get him to not say such things about the harmless little raisin because then the kids would not like raisins either...

But he persisted... I think in part because the whole "dead grapes" description was just too irresistible for him not to say.

So, I, being very clever told the kids...well, dad does like dead grapes. Because...wine has dead grapes. And he likes wine.

A few years later when the kids told him this, that was a minor victory. Because then he had to admit that he was contradicting himself. Of course he won't agree with me...and so on goes the debate.

It may be no surprise, then, that our 7-year-old has firmly stated that he does not like raisins...or dead grapes... either...just like dad.

until today...that is.

The night they got their stocking stuffers with raisinets, I gave him one to eat and he quickly spat it at saying how much he disliked raisins.

The three younger ones, however, do not yet have an opinion on raisins. So, this morning, when I discovered that the 3 and 5-year-old did not yet open up their box of raisinets, I gave them their box in the hopes that they would like them. They did and were happily munching on their raisinets while the 7 -year-old looked on.

At first he asked for a raisinet with the intention of just eating the chocolate outside. Nope, I told him, he had to eat the whole thing if his sister was going to share a raisinet with him.

So, finally he had one...and then another...and before you know it...he was trying to connive several more from his sister.

Then, I said to him...you must like raisins if you like raisinets. "No, I just like the chocolate," he said.

"Yes," I said, "But the raisin is a big part of the raisinet. How about you can have another raisinet if you say you like raisins."

And, so, with a big smile and all the enthusiasm of a 7-year-old he says,

"I like raisins!!"

When dad came home I said, "Dandy Lion has something to say to you..."

"Dad!! I like raisins!!!"

And, dad, dutifully playing the role that left such a strong impression in the first place says,

"What?!? You like dead grapes?"