Getting in the right mindset

I'm catching up on episodes of "The Biggest Loser." I have several backed up in my DVR, and I think I stopped watching at about the same time I started concentrating on my novel-writing.

It all comes back to that balance problem of mine. When I'm writing, I'm not doing the weight-loss thing the way I should and vice-versa. I need to find a nice, even balance between the two.

I suppose we all do. If balance came easily, none of us would need to lose weight. We'd all already be perfect. ;)

How about 12 hours on, 12 hours off?

Nah. That won't work. Speaking of things that won't work, have y'all heard of "The Skinny Switch"? I keep watching that infomercial, wondering if it could really be that simple — "two days eating, one day treating."

Then, when I think about it, it's not all that different from WW, with the Flex Points. You could spend 2 days eating just the daily Points allowance, then use a chunk of FPs on that third day, no problem.

Something to think about, I guess. Right now, I'm not so convinced WW is the way to go. I know it works, but for some reason, I've been unable to make it work for me lately, because I've flat-out been unable to stay OP.

I've even entertained the idea of going back on Atkins ... except for the fact that I'm not sure I could eat that way for the rest of my life. There was a time when I thought I could ... but then I fell off the low-carb wagon and couldn't get back on. Also, I never made it to Atkins' "lifetime maintenance" phase. I was perpetually in Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL).

I know I can lose on Atkins, because I lost 110 pounds doing it. Of course, I regained 70 of them once I stopped doing the low-carb thing. It took 2 years to lose it and 2 more to regain it.

Maybe I should shake it up a little bit by trying the Skinny Switch or 6 Week Body Makeover. Then again, maybe I should just stop making excuses and start doing WW properly. I know it works, too.

Out of balance and out of control

It's been another rough month for me, and I think I weigh more now than I did when April started. (I can't be sure because I've been avoiding the scale again.)

Somewhere along this journey, I've lost my way. Bad habits have crept back into my life: inactivity ... not tracking what I eat ... eating way too much junk ... that whole "the day is ruined so I might as well keep eating" attitude I thought I'd vanquished ...

The Boyfriend says it's because my life is out of balance. I'm spending too much time writing and not enough on other pursuits.

Maybe that's true. I do find myself avoiding the kitchen because I'm on a roll with my writing, and then I end up letting some drive-thru do the cooking for me. The problem is, I've neglected my writing life for years. Now that I feel like it's starting to go places, I don't want to slow down.

Still, that doesn't mean my healthy-living efforts should grind to a halt. Somehow, some way I need to find a balance (something I've tried to figure out before, without much success).

Anyone out there have any ideas?

I know, I know: If we all knew how to strike that delicate balance, we'd all be in shape and healthy.

For now, I think I need to get back to one basic principle: Taking things one day — one choice — at a time. Like an addict, I need to focus on just one day ... one day where I take a walk and avoid eating a lot of junk food.

Just one day can't be that difficult. Can it?

Day 1 of WW week went well

Tuesday was a successful Day One for my WW week. I ate 27.5 Points but took a 50-minute, 3+ mile walk that earned me 3 APs. That means I only used 1.5 Flex Points for the day. Considering I usually use all 5, I'm not complaining.

I need to try to save up some FPs, though. I have my romance writers group meeting on Saturday, and it's not easy to order something low in Points at the restaurant where the meeting is held.

Speaking of romance, I spent the morning at a write-in, boosting that NaNoWriMo word count. I've written 14,500+ words since Nov. 1 — an amazing number for me, and that doesn't include my random blog posts. It's only words in the manuscript I'm currently working on. I just might have it finished by the end of the year if I can keep up this pace.

Of course, this pace is a bit hectic. I'm still finding it tough to balance the day job with writing, blogging, eating right and exercising. Why is it so hard to get the balance right?

This morning started off with Hungry Girl's Egg Mug Classic on a Sandwich Thin. Delicious (but I still like the Egg Mug Lorraine, with a few bacon bits and dijon mustard, better)! Then, after hour one of the two-hour write-in, I treated myself to a serving of the Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf I made yesterday.

Now, I'm about to leave the coffee shop for a walk and healthy lunch before heading into work. And I'm still trying to finish up my Golden Heart entry before I leave for work. Wish me luck!

Successful experiment

I've had a busy, busy morning. Not only did I manage to get up early (thanks to a call from the Boyfriend) and eat a healthy breakfast, but also to take a 50-minute walk AND bake a loaf of chocolate-pumpkin bread.

I saw the recipe over at Carrots 'N' Cake this morning and knew I HAD to try it. But I didn't want to make it as it was written, because it had a lot of sugar in it. We all know "limit added sugar and alcohol" is one of Weight Watchers' 8 Good Health Guidelines, and since I'm trying to be good this week, I

didn't want to blow that on Day 1.

So I set out, using my knowledge of healthy cooking, to improve on the recipe. Here's my version:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup Splenda
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 can (7.5 ounces) pumpkin
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Spray loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray (butter flavor would be nice, but I'm out and had to use regular).

2. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl; blend well.

3. Once mixed, pour batter into loaf pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until top is firm and a toothpick comes out clean.

I must admit, the result doesn't look like much, especially after I cut it into 16 pieces, the way it is in the photo above. And I was nervous because the batter was so darn thick. Take my word for it: It tastes better than it looks. It was so delicious I'm having to fight to keep myself from having a second piece. But since 1/16 of the loaf is about 3 Points, that's not an option right now.

I'll take one with me to the write-in tomorrow morning. Work on my NaNo MS is coming along — up past 13K. Since I'm aiming for 40,000, I'll be halfway when I hit 20K ... and I'm about to take my characters off to Alaska, where there'll be plenty of opportunities for madcap adventures (and, finally, some lovemaking. They still haven't done it, and I'm 20+ chapters into it! Nothing like building the tension, eh?).

I'm thinking about taking a few slices to work to share, and freezing a few more. I also promised the Boyfriend I'd bring him one next time I see him (though if that's not til Monday, he may be SOL.) The fewer I have in the house, ready to eat, the better. :D

Off to a much better start (11/12 Breakfast & Lunch)

There still aren't enough hours in the day to get done all I want to do ... but today I chose exercise.

After being up until 3:30 a.m., I slept until about 10:30. Then I got up and had a healthy breakfast. I had two of these Egg-o-Muffins in the freezer, so I heated them up, threw them on a light English muffin smeared with just a little light mayo and had a delicious (and filling) breakfast to power me through the ext

ra-long walk I had planned. It weighed in at 4 Points (2 for the eggs, 1 each for the muffin and mayo).

Next, I fired up the iPod and hit the pavement. I headed into a nearby neighborhood with a few good-sized hills, figuring I needed the hills after last night's book club meeting fiasco.

All told, the Nike+ said I walked 3.8 km (a little over 2 miles) in 42 minutes. Now, I know this isn't quite right, because it stopped registering my pace (and progress) at least three times. I probably walked closer to 3 1/2 ... but that's just a guesstimate.

When I got back to the house, I spent a little time online, uploading my walk to the Nike Web site and checking Twitter, then headed to the kitchen to make myse

lf some lunch before work. I opted for quick and easy with some instant brown rice, Hormel turkey chili and grilled zucchini. Yum — and all for just 7 Points!

Now, it's time to get ready for work. No writing for me this morning. But I do feel better for having treated my body to the nice, brisk walk it needed.

Struggling to 'get the balance right'

So far, I'm failing — not miserably, but failing nonetheless.

I try to strike a balance between healthy food choices and indulgences — the indulgences won all day Friday and part of Saturday. Sunday, the healthy choices took the prize. I even still have a couple of Points left for a snack when I get home from work. I'm thinking popcorn drizzled with EVOO for 2 Points. Yum-o!

I try to strike a balance between working out and resting. Unfortunately, these days I find myself resting a lot more than I'm working out.

The biggest area I'm trying to find a balance in is life in general. I'm trying to balance the healthy eating and exercise with work and (in my off hours) work on my writing career. That's a lot of balls to keep up in the air at once, and I'm not doing a very good job of it. I can't imagine what would be falling by the wayside if I had a husband and kids to take care of. I don't know how Roni does it: Maintaining her weight, working, three blogs, training for a marathon ... I wish I had half her energy and discipline.

It seems that when I'm at work, I'm either stressed or (when it's slow) bored, so I'm snacking a lot. When I'm home, I have time to exercise and eat right, but feel like I should be writing instead. And when I'm writing, I may not be snacking because I'm busy with my novel ... but I'm not taking that walk I know I should take.

I need to strike the right balance wherein I can work out, eat right, hit my goal weight by Thanksgiving, get my novel rewritten in time for the Golden Heart competition (deadline Dec. 2) and still have time to go to work and spend time with the Boyfriend.

That's what I want for my birthday, which is on Wednesday: A recipe for balance.

Anyone have any tips for me? I'll try anything, within reason.