Whirlwind weekend - the one with an 8k run, pizza and some super fun news!!!

Really - it feels like ages since I feel this caught up on sleep. Usually Monday mornings I wake up kind of not ready for the week ahead.

 

But this weekend began with a sleep in on Saturday after which the Scientist and I went to see the progress of our house. Did I tell you we're getting the old house we bought in 2011 modified and will be moving in soon! So yes now that the handing over date is fast approaching we're feeling that the progress is far too slow. I had a mini adventure going up the steps - which right now consist of mere frame - no step!

 

I had already packed my gym bag because I wanted to cross off Saturday's workout on this list. Also there was plenty of dinner left over from Friday night and I did not have to cook. Since we had headed out without breakfast, we hit the local "darshini" -South Indian fast food joint - where I enjoyed an idli - sambar while the Scientist got fluffy yummy pooris. I was later dropped off at the gym, where I experimented some moves with a pilates ball and kettlebells after 30 minutes on the elliptical. I reached home with my hamstrings, inner thighs and glutes thanking me for waking them up!

 

Post lunch, we headed out for some tile hunting and returned home amidst a drizzle. Dinner was simple and homecooked.

 

Sunday morning, I was up at 5.30 a.m for a designated 8k run. When I got back home and finished stretching the Scientist and toddler were still asleep. Morning rituals later, the Scientist demanded the execution of my promise - a Mac Donald's meal so that he could get Chittu the "Minians" toy series.

 

 I relented because I had a great run and was ready for some carbo loading!!! But breakfast at Mc Ds was not as good as I expected and I had an additional sandwich from CCD to satiate my hunger! (I had already had a pancake and coffee )

 

On the cards was a India Preview of the movie Turbo

It should be hitting theatres this weekend and was just AMAZING!!! I loved it! And now for the most exciting part: The Scientist's name appeared in the list of Credits!!! Yayyy!!! What joy! This was a dream come true for the Scientist!

We spent the rest of the day at home - I napped in the afternoon and headed downstairs in the evening for a good 45 minute cycling sessions with Chittu - he cycles and I run/ brisk walk behind him. Dinnerwas planned to be at home, but I was tempted to have pizza from Papa John. Have you had their breadsticks? Does it not taste divine????

Anyway after all that crazy eating, I am going back to some serious calorie cutting. I really need to get these last few kilos off if I need to run the half marathon pain free! How was your weekend guys??



 

The weekend post - froyo, donuts, morning run, diabetes scare et al!

Whew what a weekend that was!!! I hope you guys had a good one too.

My weekend was packed with a little bit of everything - good food, good workouts, doctor's visit, some home improvement window shopping, friends, movie watching and yes Chittu time!

Friday started off on this note:

That's frozen yogurt!!! This was the Scientist's pista flavour topped with white choco chips and chocolate balls :)


The one below is mine - litchee flavoured.

(Also unpictured is the liberal test serving of mango froyo the friendly sales guy offered me)

And can the weekend start better?



Since the toddler had slept early, we had a real Friday evening to chill out and the husband and I had decided to head out for coffee. Just opposite the coffee shop was the Krispe Creme sig and we could not resist the idea of a doughnut to go with our coffees.

And finally the Scientist noticed the frozen yogurt signboard, and he knew it was something I have been wanting in a long long time :) So we stepped in and enjoyed dessert . But the Krispy Kreme sign did not stop enticing the Scientist who thought of donuts for Saturday's breakfast. I promised him I would not eat any in a mid-night fury and so we packed 6 and took them home:

Ofcouse I remembered to snap only after we had already eaten 3of the calorie laden goodness :). Why do carbs taste so good? But that was only after I had rushed to the gym for a good sweaty workout after waking up early :)

The rest of Saturday was spent visiting our house, currently under renovation, watching a tamil movie in the afternoon (over the remaining donuts, ofcouse!!!) and playing kickball with the toddler in the evening! I went light at dinner - restricting to a mango protein shake after the mornings carb fest!

Sunday began with a morning run! Its more than a month since I really ran out in open ? And I totally enjoyed it! Someone remind me - why did I stop running at Lalbagh?

Distance4.94km

Duration43:34

Avg Pace8:49

kCal299

I was coming down with a bad UTI and was feeling totally lousy by Saturday evening. Some rashes that had appeared on my body a week ago was also becoming more severe. I decided to bite the bullet and see the doctor. Based on the description I gave him, the doctor said I could be diabetic becasue the rash I was experiencing along with UTI was most commonly found in diabetics. "But how?" I asked the doctor - I was leading a fairly active lifestyle, have been eating healthy and basically have been working really hard on my health. He wanted me to run some tests, but put me on antibiotics anyway.

I gave my blood sample and kept my fingers crossed I was not diabetic. I kept telling the Scientist that it would be terrible if I was! Anyway, the test results came this morning and turns out all my parameters are perfectly normal. Nothing at all! That was relieving! I am already feeling better with the UTI meds :)

And the rest of Sunday was spent refrigerator shopping :) We are looking at some swanking stuff for our new home ( I have not spoken much about that here, have I?). Sunday evening was a quite one at a freind's place to watch to watch the IPL play offs! And then Monday again!

I made bajra roties for lunch and will share that with you on the next post :)

Have you had such unnecessary scares with the doctor?? This one sure had my heart racing till I saw the results :)

Celebrating four years of marriage with a small vacation

Hey guys!Brace yourself for a long exciting post with pictures and all!

I have got so much to tell you. I had a great weekend celebrating four years of marriage at a remote beach in Kannur, Kerela. It was exactly what we needed, fit into a decent or shall I say low budget and also smuggled into the three day weekend. I came back to work, rejuvenated, even despite the humid uncomfortable train journey back where we realised the second class train berths were not designed to accomodate a parent and a toddler.

We celebrated our marriage anniversary at the Taj, Kovalam, last year and while that was doubtlessly a splendid experience, the budget of holidaying at the Taj did not exactly suit our pockets, this year! I simply love beaches and while I was scouting for the closest beach holiday we could get from Bangalore, chanced upon Kannur as an increasing popular international beach destination. The virgin beaches of Kannur are simply pristine that obviously the term God's own country for Kerela is totally  justified. Sometimes sitting on the breezy shore I wondered if there was indeed a life beyond this small town where the politics and economics of the world were at logger heads. But the beauty in there was sufficient to let me forget about it for the short three days that we were there.

We had booked ourseves at a splendid homestay that offered us good kerelan food, was comfortable though simple and was gave a breathtaking view of our smallness when compared with the massive ocean ahead and even muted the million voices in the sound of the crashing waves.

Ofcourse we were excited, even though we travelled by sleeper class train and the tickets were not confirmed till the last moment:

Chittu was pretty scared of the ocean and only wanted to be carried on the first day:

Ofcourse there was some hammock fun:

We also made it to a Theyyam performance, and I'd say we were too lucky. The costumes were awesome:

I finally fulfilled my dream of running along the beach. I ran along the waves on the first day. On the second day I ran along the village trail path! Ofcourse the voice in my head kept wondering what people watching me might think about the size of my butt, but in the big picture, even the size of my butt is pretty miniscule, no? And that was the FIRST time I exercised on vacation EVER!

I also got an ayuvedic massage done, while the kind Scientist watched Chittu and kept him entertained.

Since Kannur is the land of the looms, we ventured on a super crowded bus into the city armed with only my extremely poor malayalam speaking skills. But the handloom stores were shut because of the closing of the financial year! Bummer on that!

And we also hiked along some paths to a secluded cove. We tried to teach Chittu the joy of playing in the sand and also got some great views of the ocean ahead!

I could not help but think that I did not look fat. Even at 77 kilos of weight! Whatever!

Despite al the fun we had I am glad to be back home and back to being in charge of the kitchen! From a weight watchers perpective:

• I did not overeat! there was little opportunity to!Ofcouse I OD'd on the cookies I carried for Chittu. But nothing too massive!
• I took a 30 minute run on both days! And stayed pretty active too!
• My weight showed 77.8 kg this morning! Oh well! Shall we just say I seem to have mastered the maintaining act!

That was our weekend! Hope you guys had a good one too!

My whirlwind weekend in pictures :)

This weekend began on Friday night, with us rushing to the bank for some paperwork for the loan. I missed my Yoga class at the gym, but was ready to drop dead by the time we got home and had dinner.

Even though I had intended to wake up early for a run, I overslept and decided against running because I have been having extreme pain in the muscle connecting my right hip with the knee. I have not able to stand on my feet for too long and I even woke up mid nap yesterday because the pain was a bit on the severe side!

Anyway, not working out was not really an option for me and I did the Jillian Micheal 30 DS (Level 2) I had found the level 1 fairly simple, and decided that level 2 is more for my level of fitness. The many plank movements are truly challenging and it was certainly a 20 minutes well used:

More bank work followed on Saturday morning and I only had time to put this together as a snacky breakfast with yogurt on the side:

thats bananas & pomogranate topped with pecan halves :) yummy goodness!


 

Lunch for the family was amaranth greens in dal, Lady finger subzi & rasam. I replaced the rce with roties.  I did not grab a picture because we were to rush out on some work and I burnt my finger while making my rotis :(

After the super important meeting it was time for grocery shopping and I made some important discoveries regarding reading labels, which I will share with you later this week.

Back home we had just enough steam to make dinner, play with the toddler in the park and hit the sack. This was the Husband's second helping of whole wheat fusilli in a tomato-cheese base with olives, carrots and bay corn. The toddler loved it too specially the baby corn:) I totally pat myself on the back when I make stuff the toddler eats too

Sunday morning I was up and out for my early morning run. I only managed 6k thanks to the hurting right leg, which I oil massaged later at night :







 

Back home it was time for some experimentation in the kitchen. Breakfast was Banana Cinnamon Ragi Pancakes (they were more crepes than pan cakes) but the recipe was a hit and all of us loved it (recipe coming soon):

 

No can be more cheerful than on a full tummy and kids are true testament to that. So after a hearty brekfast , it was lego time:

Lunch time - decided I'd eat rice because I wanted to - a simple menu of tomato rice and a raita made with grated carrots, cucumber and pomogranate. Sorry, it was so yummy, we ate it before I remembered to click :(

We had fun in the park in the evening and got home after juice at Booster Juice. The kiwi lassi and carrot juice was so good, we wondered why we did not go there more often!

We hit the bed but not before I laid out work and workout clothes for Monday Morning.

Have a great week ahead, folks!



Weekends are for rest and other updates :)

The weekend was much needed. Oflate I have been feeling extremely tired and simply out of steam. Different parts of my body are hurting - specially my hip bones. And I'm not even 30. I used this weekend to catch divine afternoon naps and not really accomplish much other than spend time with the toddler.

 

My readers will know that I have a help- namely Maami who lives with us. Her main role is to take of Chittu like feed and bathe him in the mornings, pick him up from school,feed him lunch and basically take of him until I get home in the evenings. She also helps me with chopping vegetables, cleaning up after meal times and acts as a top up for the maid who comes to sweep the house and wash the vessles.

 

Oflate, I have been finding myself at my temper's end with Maami - more because she has literally made herself one of family. She does not respect our privacy or our need to spend time with Chittu. Also the toddler is very fond of her and does demand her attention even when I send her into the kitchen to do something like prepare Chappati dough. He even speaks more like her than us and his Tamil and English accents  are downright annoying at times. I have begun to actually question why I work and am seriously contemplating sitting at home and mean the whole world to my child - literally!

 

For some reason, post run, my weight shot up by 2kgs and I have been hovering around that. I must tell you that when I stepped on the scale this morning, I had tears in my eyes.

 

That apart - I started Saturday with a treadmill 6k after I fixed breakfast for the family:

I indulged in some unhurried stretches and headed back home for lunch - Rasam, Keerai-kootu & brinjal curry. The toddler and I hit the bed for an afternoon nap and we headed out to dinner. I barely ate beyond a cople of bites of paneer subji . But I also had a sweet lassi and split an orange flavoured ice cream with the husband and toddler. But I fit into a top that I bought last year. Yayy for disappearing poochie :)

 

Sunday, I was supposed to run outside but overslept. I instead did the Jillian Micheals - 30DS and the pilates video that PK linked to. I found certain movements pretty hard in the pilates thing, but did my simplified variations.

 

I made breakfast and then it was lunch time. I made a nice vegetable korma to go with Chappatis. Not exactly low calorie, but definitely healthy:

 

Again the toddler and I bonked off for nap time and the husband joined in too.

 

On waking the toddler and I took a walk to the park and also went to check out the swimming pool close by inspired by you know who.

 

I came back and made a batch of home made granola using this versatile recipe. This batch contains - toasted almonds, pecans, craisins and deeseded dates along with flax seeds and black sesame seeds. I also threw in a handful of ragi flakes, only to suit my fancy.

Dinner was basically leftovers. I had some marsh melon just to cool my system a bit. The heat has really been getting to me!!!

 

I woke uo before the alarm rang and had the Scientist's tiffin ready before I hit the 7am body combat class at the gym.

 

Overall a weekend with plenty of rest. I just cant figure out why my body decided to gain weight. Well I'm not going to change anything except drinking more water and just keep going on. The scale should catch up soon, no?

 

 

 

 

The weekend!

Friday!

Why do I feel I like spend every day of the week waiting for Friday? Was life always like this or has it become so lately?

I look forward to just unwinding during the weekends. it is a great relief to me that meals need not necessarily be ready at a specific time, that I can have a few cuddly minutes with  the toddler, some tantrums with the Scientist just to annoy him, a few moments to stretch my achy limbs at the gym or after a run, an easy paced long run without having the 9 a.m. panic deadline in mind!

I love to read a book cuddled up on the sofa and fall asleep reading, a mug of hot chai with conversation about where we got that mug from, an unhurried walk holding hands with the Scientist, cooking two or three dishes for lunch and some loving compliments :)

Meeting friends, many times the Scientist's friends and wondering when exactly I became an adult, responsible for my own life. Face-timing with the in-laws exchanging notes over whats for breakfast or dinner. Skimming the newspaper for another handi-craft exhibition. The Scientist begging me to go watch a movie with him. The prospect of a kutcheri. Some juicy-juicy gossip - how they met and feel in love? Oh god they were actually living together during their Ph.D? My second cousin, that is.

Sometimes, a million questions - what am I doing? What did I set out to do? Sometimes a silly fight - but you don't say that to her.Sometimes an agreeing discussion. Some good, hearty, healthy love. Sometimes dreams. We must go see Paris, I say. Some intense planning - when the home loan will come through? Second baby? School for Chittu. Some important conversations - when the hell will I learn to drive? Or will he learn to surprise me?

And there its gone, just like that - the weekend, I mean.

Do you guys wait for weekends too? why?



 

Weekend action and thinking time!

Brighty bright Monday morning here in Bangalore.

 

Looks like the winter is long gone and the summer is ready to roll. Summer makes it easier for me to run outdoors without having to warm up too much before actually breaking into a run. The weekend inspired me enough to run quite a lot. My mileage this weekend was 12kms (7 on Saturday and a treadmill 5k on Sunday morning). Yes I am prepping for the 3rd March event and hopefully I will be able to do 2 more 10k events - one in May and the other in July before the Kaveri Trail Marathon 2013 (September), where I plan to do my first ever half marathon!!!Gulp!!! Touch wood and God willing!

 

I had a stellar weekend with the BIL & his wife coming over from Chennai. There was plenty of window shopping, walking, talking, eating, gossiping & movie watching. Family time is always good, no? I guess except for the doughnut mania, the eating was pretty sensible. I pat myself and forge ahead.

 

I also finished reading this book- The Valley of Masks by Tarun Tejpal, which I will highly recommend that you gift to anyone you wish to torture immensely! Sorry, in case any of you guys reading really liked the book. That was my opinion, that's all.

 

That apart there was plenty of Chittu time and now I'm beginning to wonder what exactly I do keeping my job missing out on all that growing up my baby is at furiously paced. I was looking at some pictures of his taken about 6 months back and wonder if I have lost a lot of that babyness that he had in him. He seems all grown up now and even says he is a big boy when I call him a baby! Sigh!!! But that figure with all those zeros which get credited into my bank account at the end of month force me to actually keep the job, considering we have a million loans to pay off, right now!

 

Weekend Update!

We began the weekend with a family day the Scientist's office. I must admit, I thought that the Scientist was kind of lucky to be working at the ITPL. I mean, you would not really feel that you are working in a third world developing country. The Office provides everything that would motivate him to spend maximum time at the work place. Contrast that with my work environment. Sigh!

So yes, I ate Chinese fried rice and some gravy and ice cream. Yes I ate moderate portions. But I still ate. Even though I had planned for a pace run on Saturday, I overslept and did not make it to the gym. Since I had to work o Saturday, I down delegated the cooking job to Maami and made it a productive day at work. Saturday evening we had a temple visit on tap and some miscellaneous work.

Sunday was shopping day - for groceries, home supplies and veggies. I did go to the gym and did a fast 5k in about 38 minutes. I am getting faster. Lunch was very simple, but there was no time for a nap!

When I woke up this morning, my body hated being disturbed from sleep. I was not able to run as I usually do. When I pushed myself too much, my left ankle rolled. I stopped running and walked instead. I guess some days will just be like that.

Oh did I tell you, after seeing a 76.8 kg on the scale some time last week, I have been seeing a steady 78! Really, I have been keeping calories around 1500.  And no scale love does make me a bit sad. I will keep going, though.

Weekend Update - resting, socialising and mental therapy!

The heading pretty much sums up the weekend for me. My I-dont-feel -too-good days last week were the result of the hormones at play. I took 4 full rest days, not bothering with exercise and by last night the guilt was just eating away my brains. Also my body seems to have settled so much with the idea of "exercise" that I find it is unable to cope without physical exhaustion! I was finding it so hard to fall asleep these last few days, that I lay awake much after the Scientist and Chittu had dozed off. But  I finished up reading "The Sea of Poppies, by Amitav Ghosh" and really loved the book.  The amount of research that must have gone into writing that book was phenomenal. It sounded so authentic and so real, it might not have been a story, after all!

 

Anyway, that apart, my mental fog has cleared up now, and the reason could be  a. that I sized up and did an 8k run this morning or b. that the monthly cycle is over. I really struggled this time, I don't know why!

 

Sunday morning was spent cooking an elaborate meal for some guests :) And Sunday evening was spent socialising with the Scientist's colleagues. I had enough leftovers to see me through the morning today, and less cooking on Monday morning, truly makes life simpler. Don't you think?

 

On the SBD front, I am doing pretty ok, I guess. I am not 100% abiding.  I took my tea with sugar, until this morning when I used splenda, and decided the tea was not palatable. I have stayed mostly grain free - rice & wheat included, except for yesterday's roti. Sugar made its way into my hot cocoa and also in a laddoo I ate. I have wavered a bit.Or may be more than a bit.  But I AM trying to stay as focussed as possible. It sure is hard to say NO to sugar when every cell in my body is demanding it! Its like an addiction I guess. But I am trying to fight it off! With exercise picking up again this week, I think the relatively stricter food habits will show good results. I am going to try to sustain this as long as I can. I know I will never have a perfect food day or a perfect body or a perfect anything. There will always remain something to be desired. But it sure is fun to get better everyday, right? I've long ago left the person behind who always sought out an all or nothing philosophy! Either I did it all or I did nothing. But now I'm aiming to find a mid ground and be more forgiving to myself when I don't be as perfect as I expect. I try to see the next minute as a new opportunity, when I need not gobble up all that candy we brought home from the US. Did anything I just said make any sense?

 

Phew! What a start to a Monday morning! One week to Diwali. What plans?

 

Super-fast weekend!

I guess thats what happens when you have a toddler who gives non stop entertainment and work. I was so not ready to face the week this morning.

 

Ever since we returned from our US vacation, we have been so caught up and busy. First we had to deal with the jet lag and cockroach infested home, then I did my first ever 10k event and then there was the BIL's weding! Sheesh! That's a lot of things, ain't it? I am really craving some down-time :)

 

Anyway the weekend started off with yoga class. One that I rushed to, but found the instructor talking about spirituality and related stuff. Don't get me wrong, its not that I dislike such discussions, just that I was so ready for an action packed class, that sitting and listening seemed too lame. The class was only for about 40 mins, but still, something is better than nothing, right?

 

Saturday was a fun day, as I headed out for a run. I spent almost all morning searching for the bike keys, and later found that I had left it in the bike! The watchman had noticed and retained it until I asked, by which time the sun was up and shining bright! I was angry at myself for my poor skills at being an organised person but still did a 5k as that brought up my weekly mileage to 20 kms. I could not run anymore than that either because it was too hot or because I was too tired!

 

Later in the day the Husband and I headed to a carnatic music concert by- Dr.Nithyasree Mahadevan. Her singing was splendid and it was a 2 hours very well spent. We came back home for lunch and stayed home the rest of the day.

 

On Sunday I awoke with a non-functioning fridge, maami on leave and in a whiny mood! I dashed out for dance class only to discover it had been cancelled! Ugh! I hate when that happens! Lunch tasted unusally sorry! But whatever, I got an afternoon nap. We were to attend a school friend's wedding reception yesterday night and my saree did not exactly co-operate with me.

 

When my alarm rang this morning, I mentally cancelled today's run. I am pmssing very very badly ( which is usually not the case) and was headachy and hot and basicallu very uncomfortable! I had to tell myself that I'll try and take this coming Friday off. Since Thursday is a holiday, I was just thinking a four-day weekend would be perfect for me.

 

October is alomost over! Only two months left of the year. I mean I remember January, then March and August! But where did the other months go?

Whirlwind weekends are back?

When I said I was going to take the power yoga in my last post on friday, I was really hoping I'd not find an excuse to skip it. So even though the Scientist was home early, I decided to suck it up and just go for the class anyway. I was sweating by just doing breathing exercises. Power Yoga. More power to it. That reaffirms my belief that:

1. the hardest thing about working out is getting your butt out of the door

2. you NEVER regret a workout - EVER

 

So, upon return I was a happy hen and settled for dinner with someleft over carrot soup and dosas. The baby slept early, and even though going for a movie was an enticing prospect, we had to skip it , for the Bangalore Bundh was underway, already!

 

Saturday was the official Bandh and the city wore a deserted, almost eerie look with no buses, most shops shut down and gloomy weather. The Scientist was not sure that I would be safe running outdoors and advised that I stay in bed and under the sheets. Wow. Glorious!

 

And so Saturday was spent mostly at home. We ventured out bravely in the evening to  Lalbagh which is really close to us. But the rain gods promptly sent us back home. It was raining. I was fighting pakoda cravings and wondering what to do with the available time. My blogger, facebook and gmail pages were refreshed atleast 1 million times in about half an hour and I was beginning to crib about being bored, when I remembered that old me who was obsessed with books and reading. With the toddler, sometimes I don't really get my reading in. And I found the habit wearing away, and the pile of unread books just growing. I resolved that this year I would reignite my reading habit and have read a couple of books. I had started on the Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh. But that was a couple of months ago. So I fished out the book and got reading whilst it was raining outside. Romantic, no?

 

Sunday morning I woke up battling with guilt for not doing the long run I had lovingly planned. I had dance class at 9 and had just about an hour. So I laced up and went off to my running venue. I got 6 kms in and plenty of pretty sights too! Not to mention the cool weather even around 7.30 a.m. I really love Bangalore for that one reason. I got back home, showered, quickly refueled on a sandwich and scooted off to dance class. Go me!!! After being in there for 15minutes, I rediscovered my love for it. I feel grateful to have a guru and being able to dance with no objections from people or my body :-)

 

I got back, made a quick lunch and napped with the toddler, promising him an evening outing, if he woke up early. He did and were off to Ramakrishna Mutt, for our dose of spirituality and got some books for the toddler. I read the exact same book in my childhood and loved, loved it. I can't believe life has come a full circle.

 

As a reward for being a good girl, we finished up an early dinner, outside. I really love to eat out. Once we got home, the Scientist remembered that he had to collect his glasses from the specs makers. I suggested we walk and we did! Guess, what? I finished the week making up my total weekly mileage of 21 kms (18 run and 3 walked). I feel accomplished and totally ready for this week!

 

How was yours?

 

 

TGIF, an exercise question, my sweet tooth and running mileage!

Of late, I find myself pining for the weekend. I think its the prospect of not staring at the computer/ legal documents for eight hours that makes the prospect of the weekend so very attractive. Understandable, is it not?

 

And also, I've been having a question that is really bugging me. I think its official that I'm addicted to working out. I've been feeling pretty disturbed on days I choose to skip it. But tell me ladies, do you go for your workout on "those days of the month"? What I do is usually not a constant. I go if I feel up to it and skip if I don't. But sometimes I am confused if I did not go because I was not feeling good or if I was feeling plain old lazy. Do let me know what your approach to the subject is.

 

So, I guess I am back in the grind and doing my best in the weight loss department. My days are far from perfect and I do eat sugar, though I stay within my calorie limit for the day. I have a sweet tooth ad usually crave for a little comething sweet after my meal. I usually indulge in a piece of chikki or sweet made of dates and dry fruit ( that I buy at Namdhari, Bangalore) or sugar free mint. I have run out of sugar free mint so its mostly the former two these days. Also on days I have a light dinner of a soup, I end up feeling hungry, late night. So I have some hot chocolate with cocoa powder (that has no sugar in it) and a teaspoon of sugar. That way I get comfort food & chocolate fix but with a self controlled amount of sugar. On days I feel tired or drained out I opt for a glass of horlicks in case I have an intense workout planned the next morning and have gone grain free for dinner.

 

Anyway just thought I'd update this space before I disappear for the weekend. I will begin with a yoga class this evening, followed by a long run tomorrow ( am thinking of of 8 km run to bring up this weeks mileage to 20k - really I can't still believe this is the same old me) and dance class on Sunday after a very long break.

 

What are your plans dear reader? And do help me answer the question I asked in this post.

 

Happy weekend, you all!

 

 

 

The weekend, some thoughts and a good run!

When the alarm rang this morning, at 5a.m I lay my head on the Scientist's shoulder and wondered why every weekend zips by so fast. Even if I did NOTHING. So that was pretty much this weekend for me. It all started when I bunked yoga/ spinning class on Friday to just be home and finish up some long pending work. And then it was Saturday morning and we stayed in bed till 8 that is until the maid rang the bell. We woke up, lazed around while we had tea, then mulled over the newspapers, worried about the effect of the kaveri issue and whether life in Bangalore would come to a halt and basically potered around the house doing nothing. Then when I decided I would not hit the gym, I settled for somne yoga on my mat. Little chittu joined in learning to do suryanamaskars and insisted he wanted the yoga mat as well. We tried to get him out of the way using his new cycle as a distraction, but he was quite intent about riding the cycle on the mat as well! Finally we got Maami to deal with him, while I stretched my fatigued muscles into bow, butterfly, serpent and warrior poses.

Lunch was an elaborate affair cooked with love and oil - specially for the Scientist because I ruined his birthday meal.(Sidenote: Am I not the perfect wife? ) And then belly full, we tried to catch some afternoon winks. Then there was chai to be prepared and then dinner! And just to reinforce, I am not a cook my profession, but a lawyer. The only reason I took to cooking is that I cannot find healthy, wholesome and lowcalorie food at the restaurants!

Sunday was identical with the exception of my waking up early, fixing breakfast and rushing to dance-class in an auto in the pouring rain. But what a bummer- no class!!! Ugh! So I took a BMTC bus back home, riding back on an old route in a new city with changed bus stop names. I got a ride that reignited old memories and younger days for just Rs.9. I would like my son to be able to do the same too. See that life is not all about air-conditioned cars and carpeted floors.

After dinner, the fact that we had gone more than two weeks without a meal outside just caught up with me. I asked the Sientist if we could go out for coffee, because the weather was wet and cold and just perfect for coffee. When we hit the mall, I saw a board for frozen yogurt and my heart did a little tango. But the serving size was so miniscule, it did not even let me take a guilt ride for the indulgence!

After carbo loading all weekend, I figured the best thing would be to head out for an early morning run. It was a superb 7 km run. Superb because I simply breezed through about 5k. I found my pace and tempo and just kept running. It was the best feeling in the world. But I am inclined to think that it was so good bacause I was well fed and well rested and my body and mind were so ready for it this morning. It was a glorious run and the endorphins are still pumping! I AM going to do the Bangalore Ultra - 12.5 km race. Thats 2.5 more than the KTM 10k, and I will get to the venue on time. (oh that reminds of another rant - but thats for anotehr post!) So any others want to run with me?

 

 

 

A little pride, a little joy and a little sad - Hi! on Monday

So, its Monday again and back to the grind of being a superwoman - aren't  we all? Managing work, home, baby/toddler, husband, in-laws, upcoming family events like a wedding, festival cooking, healthy cooking, grocery shopping and weight loss - with two legs, two hands and one brain? Sometimes I am so proud of myself.

My weekend this time was a combination of all of the above. I helped the husband design the wedding invite for the upcoming BIL's wedding, home cooked all meals this weekend, paid bills, went grocery shopping, played with Chittu, went for a 5k run, took a spinning class and even lost a teensy bit of the USA weight!

So yes. I am like that - sometimes feeling so proud of the million things I try to accomplish and sometimes want to throw myself in the garbage dumpster for being unable to control myself around sugary food.

In other news, we are on a super tight budget norms thanks to wedding shopping, the many dollars we blew up in the USA and may be an upcoming home renovation project! (finers crossed* fingers crossed* And Oh God, please please do not jinx this for us!). But there is the Scientist's birthday on Wednesday for which I have a simple yet special/fun plan (even though its a week day), but that can be executed ONLY if the Scientist does not scoot off for an official meeting at 5a.m.!! Speaking of birthdays, sometimes it  makes me think of death, and how closer we are getting to it, atleast mathematically! Sorry for sounding morose. But I just had to say it. Despite my dark thoughts, a birthday is still a special day for me and even though we are not big into the cake celebrations and all, I would still treat it as a happy day.

 

Ok ok. I guess I will have to stop my Bhaashan here, before I get fired for blogging in official hours. But hell I also do work during non-official hours. So I guess that makes up for it!

 

I have been updating my weigh-in page regularly as also my workout schedule. And I have also logged in my food on spark people ( as sugarsweetsmile for those who care). So I am working at it again! I'm off to drink my midmorning snack- buttermilk power!!!!

 

Lots of love!

 

Weekend update!

Hey Guys!

Happy Monday!

I don't like to start the week with a particularly whiny post. So I'm going to reserve that bit for the end.

As always I had a great weekend with plenty of walking, a body pump class and a bharatanatyam dance class which had me sweating profusely from my forearms!Thanks to the level of fitness I have been able to attain, I find that I am able to dance with fairly good posture and stamina given that its more than three years since I actually danced!

The weekend also saw pantry stock up for the week, stocking up on seasonal fruits and generally chilling in the awesome Bangalore weather. Quality time was also spent with the toddler, who has become very clingy to me because he is missing his dad terribly! I was able to catch up on glorious sleep and rest and am finding improvement in my stomach related issues.

On the food front though I have been slacking, though I am journalling. Rice, a bite or two of sweets and the baby's biscuits are all finding a way into my belly!

Personal stress levels are pretty high and I have been terribly running out of luck! I have not exactly resorted to food as a means of distraction, but am tempted to! Somethings which can be just plain and simple and getting so complicated. Ahhh! Sometimes, plans can get so messed up, is it not? I'm a bit upset and sad and teary and let down!

Hope things brighten up soon! And lady luck comes knocking and my door! Until then, enjoy the week dearies!

And oh! I've updated my July work out plan page. Do check it out! I am doing a great job!

Weekend Highlights!

Quick bullet highlights of the awesome weekend that passed:

• Satuday morning, I woke up with an achy butt after the unintended spinning class on friday. Since the Scientist is out of the country, Chittu and I played around home after breakfast and face-timed with husband.
• For lunch I cooked up some waiting to be used broccoli, baby corn, mush rooms and leeks with a bit of fresh cream gravy. Yummy! Chittu loved it!
• Post lunch I put the kid to his afternoon nap, while I quickly hit office to catch up on pending work.
• Back home,we finished up evening tea to take a small outing. I really want the toddler to understand that there is a lot to do in life other than sitting at the T.v/computer. So we were off too sankey tank and had a long long evening walk! There were ducks in the lake, the fountain engaged Chittu and we wandered around generally chatting!
• Home for dinner and zonked out for the night.
• My Sunday morning began with dance class, but not before breakfast. I'm loving the fact that I am able to dance again!
• Home for lunch, then wandered around within our apartment complex, sipped tender coconut water and genereally chilled at home.
• Another evening walk on Sunday. How can we not not be out when the weather is sooo pleasant!I am so glad I can easily pick up my toddler and head outside. No more panting and puffing. Fit me!
• End of weekend.
• Guess who did an awesome 6k run on Monday morning?
• I'm doing good on the increasing calorie and workouts. Only I have not been able to get a good estimate of my weight, thanks to the stomach issues I am facing. Lets hope I get better soon.
• Enjoy the week, folks!

100 - Posts not kilos & an awesome whirlwind weekend!

Yes this is my 100 th post on this blog! And even though my initial posts were not much to do with weight loss, I still have come quite far in my blogging journey.

What better way to celebrate than with a weekend? My weekend began a wee bit  early on friday, with my little Chittu completing the age of two :) It has been quiet a journey in motherhood. Here is the little guy and me at the temple:

Saturday began with an early aerobics class at the gym, which gave a much needed kickstart to the weekend. I came back, made myself a tomato sandwich and settled down with my tea and the newspaper! Then there was a bit of tidying up to do. Followed by some grocery shopping which was incomplete because I did not find my low-fat laughing cow cheese wedges :( in ANY store! 

After a healthy home cooked lunch of bisibele bath which is essentially rice cooked in tamarind with lentils and veggies ( mine was with brown rice) we headed out on an adventurous trip to a dam about 100 kilometres from Bangalore, at Krishnagiri. It was adventurous because were not sure of how good/ bad the destination would be. Another family with twins joined the Scientist and me and off we went. 

We were pleasantly surprised at what we landed in. Some awesome views:

Irrespective of how bad I look in my oversized kurta I was able to have fun! We returned late night after dinner outside. I tried to keep the calorie count down and promptly refused the lays that was passed around!

Sunday morning began a bit late but with breakfast of a banana with wheat flakes in milk! See how breakfast is something I don't miss AT ALL these days? There was another home cooked lunch followed by a precious noonly sisesta. We headed out in the afternoon for some shopping and then came back home for dinner and Chittu time :)

Overall it was an active weekend with absolutely no laziness. I tracked my food and kept the snacking control on! Weight updates are not so encouraging though :( I will be my saintly self though!

Happy monday, everyone!

Another weekend out of home and old memories and weight loss!

Remember, I said wedding bells were ringing? So this was the weekend of engagement shopping for the bride-to-be. We promptly packed our bags and carried a feverish Chittu on the train to Chennai. Tatkal tickets made a budget travel possible, and the little guy was mighty excited about the train and engine. Only, the Scientist had to keep the toddler on his lap all night and managed to catch only a few winks of precious sleep.

Once we reached Chennai, both the Scientist and I crashed out once again, leaving the toddler to have fun with the grandparents! We then headed out for purchases in the sweltering heat of Chennai, and satiating the little shopping bug that had arisen in me. I was able to finally check out stores that I had always wanted to, in the name shopping for the new bride!

The engagement ring was bought, the saree was chosen and a some great conversation was exchanged over lunch. I was wary of calorie overload, and tried to stick to eating only at meal times, and not snack on nonsense in between. Dessert was skipped but more good news trickled in from a cousin who just had a baby boy! We were the first to visit the pink bundle of cuteness and it totally made our day! Sometimes, I get all emotional thinking of how as cousins we used to play under the mango and neem trees in my grandfather's house. My grandfather is no more now, but all of us cousins have grown up, begun to work, got married and have made our babies. Sigh! Time!

Sunday, I decided to head back to Bangalore, leaving the Scientist and Chittu back in Chennai to complete some personal work there. The bus journey alone gave me thinking time, and I was surprised at how I did not feel like sipping a cold coca-cola nad munching lays chips to beat the heat and solitary boredom! May be I am evolving into a healthy eater. I reached home rather tired and stuffy nosed, carrying the virus that Chittu had sufferd from all of last week.

I stepped on the weighing scale to see 77.2 this morning. I could not believe my eyes. so I stepped off and then on again. It still read 77.2. I hope putting this up here does not jinx my weight loss yet again, so I go back to seeing 79 point something tomorrow. Maybe my cutting the snack habit and not eating out is helping along with cutting back on refined carbs. My fingers are crossed that the downward trend is sustained and I don't go back to maintaining mode. I began Monday morning morning with a soup to soothe my sore throat and some warm brown bread. I shall go back to working out from tomorrow.

As you can see, I had a near perfect weekend. How was yours?

Was that the weekend that went by?

I don't know why, but it feels like ages since I went to office! Still every Sunday night, I feel so dazed and unwanted. As if suddenly the world became a lonely place for me.

Saturday morning began with a super aerobic workout! Seriously, my hamstrings still hurt. The Scientist had called me from the airport at 6 a.m. to tell me he was on the taxi home. He was away on business for a week. I told him I was heading to the gym and would meet him a bit later. That's my level of commitment! I got home from my workout, fixed myself breakfast, because I have learnt the hard way, that I must eat beakfast even if I'm not ravenously hungry. Inevitably, skipping breakfast thinking I'll make an early lunch, will just not work out, and by lunch time, I'll have a headache and just eat evrything in sight!

So I sat down with my morning tea accompanied by brown bread sandwich with hummus. Yum, and filling. After a wholesome, home cooked lunch we all tiped right back in bed. Ah! The saturday siestas! Bliss. We went to meet a friend in the evening. On the bus ride to the said friend's house, I told the Scientist that we'd get back home for dinner. I really want to cut back on eating out, as I know that restaurant food seriously hampers weight loss for me! We did not get back home for dinner, but instead ate at the friend's house, where I tried to eat as little roti and rice as possible! There was some tasty dal, which I totally pigged out on, though!

We took the bus ride back home and little Chittu loved it! Sunday morning, I got to work by trying to clear up the dirty laundry the Scientist had brought back. Again I diligently made myself breakfast, even though no one else was interested in any! Sunday's breakfast was lentil crepes with ketchup. Again, low carb and yummy!

We were complete home birds on Sunday, wandering out of the house, only to get the weekly veggie supply! The blackening sky allayed our plan of a trip to the park with the little guy. The Scientist and I caght up on lot of chatter over the weekend and were basically rejuvinated by Sunday night, except the little fellow was running a fever. After a dose or two of paracetamol, we managed to catch some sleep, before I hit the gym early this morning!

Are my posts getting too wordy for you guys to handle? I must try to sneak some pictures in. But I need a proper camera before that! I will leave you for now, but will return with some good pictures the next post.

How was your weekend, folks? And how are your May goals coming along?

Delayed Whirwind weekend and Other updates

Sorry guys! I know its too late, but better late than never, right?

The last weekend, was a complete whirlwind. We made a dashing visit to Chennai and back. It's ringing weding bells in our family, and I'm so excited. 

Therefore there is so much motivation for me to shed some more weight. I have been maintaining for a while now, and it's mostly because of my eating ways. I must bite the bullet soon! Sometimes it stresses me out to think that I have 12 kgs to go to reach goal weight. I was supposed to achieve that by August this year. 12 kgs in four months does not sound difficult, but given the plateau I have been maintaining, I wonder how much more time this is going to take me. Sigh!

Back to happy stuff, this weekend, also saw me on the road to recovery and my stomach and back have return to their usual forgiving selves :)

Although there was no workout during the weekend, I was glad that I was feeling better. Energy levels have returned, and I should be getting back to my exercise regimen soon! Food front, I was kind to my stomach after the tumult it was going through and fed it very often to ensure acidity was at bay. 

Healthy eating has resumed, and I am enforcing portion control. I do eat rice/ wheat/ brown bread in small quantities, and honestly, I wonder if this will slow down weight loss for me. Initially, when I started losing weight, I tried to follow the South Beach Diet, and lost a good lot of weight on phase 1. I have lately not been able to follow the stringent phase 1, though I know it works marvels on my body! Reading stuff on the internet also makes me wonder whether I am insulin resistent, as I seem to have all the indications of that. However, I shall resort to it, if I don't see results even after curbing my unhealthy snacking habits. Snacking has been fairly under control, and that is mainly because my pantry has almost nothing I am tempted to snack on!

Anyhow, I don't want to turn this into a disjoint rambling post, and will culminate by saying that week 1 has been good so far as May's goals. 

How is your May coming along? Do leave me a line?