Luna TailAnxiety, Dogs, and Life

Two things you might hear a lot about if you are in the dog training world are Frustration Tolerance and Impulse Control. Dogs have to learn these things in order to be trained well, and to function in a human based world. Even wild animals learn both of things at a very young age.

I think both of these things translate well in the human world, too. I’ve been thinking about Impulse Control a lot lately. Mainly in the area of eating. I am pretty sure I’m addicted to sugar. And chocolate. And probably salt. I love them all and can eat them all day long.

I get major cravings in the evenings for sugar and chocolate. And usually I give in. Eating right is not only about choosing the right foods. I think a huge part of it is emotionally based, and not giving in to those cravings, and learning about that impulse control. Just because we feel something, either emotionally or physically, giving into it and doing it is not always the best thing!

Sometimes it is. Sometimes we need to follow our gut. But usually in the area of eating, in our society, in our day and age, it’s not. Following the gut, or filling the gut, isn’t a good thing! Eating less, eating healthier, helps us feel better in the long run, and live longer too! And when we lose weight, we can all win trophies for ourselves!

This is a picture of my healthy lunch. I had the same thing for dinner because I’m boring. It’s a boca burger, 1 point, on low cal bread, another 1 point, and all the veggies are probably only a point or two (Weight Watchers Points). I did have Cheese and Light Mayo on the Boca Burger, though, which probably was about 3 more points. But I don’t really like the Boca Burger as much plain, so spruced it up.

And as I was taking pictures of my lunch, Tatum decided to jump on the counter and check it out too.

And this one is, I think, my favorite picture. LOL Tatum is such a goof. It’s too hard to stop a dog once they start to counter surf. So we allow it. We don’t want to use any punishment with the dogs, so they get away with some things. But that’s okay, we are happy with what they do.

Anyway, I am trying to eat healthy. It’s hard… the chocolate calls me. And I love Symphony bars. They are so yummy. I do think I am addicted to sugar and chocolate. I get major cravings in the evenings for both. And, sometimes, for salt too. But my weight isn’t too bad… that’s probably why I don’t try as hard as I would like. Hrmph.

And although I do eat in front of the TV a lot, I don’t usually eat on the bedroom furniture. But then again, sometimes it’s comfy to eat in bed.

Bah! Bah and double bah! I’ll tell you again… bah!

I have been gaining my weight back. I won’t say how much… but when I go out to agility trials and things, I think I should just splurge, and so I do and that is where my troubles lie.

At the Farmington Arena they have these really yummy cheese fries with real cheese. I have to stop eating them. I have to stop having their pancakes for breakfast.

I think I need a plan. I need to make food and bring it with me. I’m not sure what I can make and bring cold though. Hrm.. maybe tuna something. That might be good.

I’m on my feet for 12 hours sometimes on agility days. And dangit, that burns a lot of points!

On a good note, I did go lift weights today.

Uuggggh. I’m terrible. If there is food in front of me, I will eat it. I am compelled to eat it. Doesn’t matter how full I am, how fatty it is, how many calories or anything. I swear… I just will eat it if it’s in front of me.

We went to lunch today for my coworkers birthday. Macaroni Grill. It was really good. I got a salad… but the bread, oh the bread! It was so good, dipped in oil and balsamic vinegar. I had too much. And then my friend had to go and get dessert and that was good too. And how can you just leave a few bites of cake sitting on the table? I just can’t I just can’t!

And so I ate way too much. I’m so much better if there is no food in front of me. Then I can resist what isn’t there. But I just ate and ate at lunch. The good thing is I’ll not be hungry tonight so I won’t eat much. Maybe some steamed asparagus or something. I have some at home. They are good. I don’t even want to know how many points I must have eaten!

Oh, I had a beer, too. Ugh.

I have a weight loss goal… that is the Cruise I’m taking in October! I am so excited! My friend from work and his sister and I are all going to share a cabin. If you stuff three people in a cabin it’s cheaper for the third person, less than half the price, so we are going to split the total cost three ways.

Anyway, lacking tool storage in my house or on the ship is not going to be a problem.. because we won’t need any! But really… I want to drop at least 8 more pounds. I now weigh 153. My high was 170 a couple of years ago. And at 5′7″ that is just too heavy. My low, when I dropped 20 pounds a couple years ago, was 147. I would love to get back down to 147 or less. My goal is, then, 145. I was about 135 in High School, and that would be ideal but I don’t know if I could maintain it.

We’ll see if I can do it. It’s going pretty well. I just need a structure to follow, which I have with Weight Watchers, and a goal, which I have with the cruise!

I’m sitting here eating my oatmeal, which is only a point for a half cup… and I like oatmeal!

Okay I’m still learning how to use the new Digital SLR Camera I bought. Here is a picture of lunch. Don’t you like seeing a picture of Lunch? Veggie Burger at Squatters Pub Brewery. Yeah, ate too much, but that’s okay it will hold me the entire rest of the day and my weight is still slowly dropping.

So anyway I think this is still a bit blurry. I set the ISO rather high because I didn’t want to use the flash in such close quarters. If you look at the big original you can see the bun is just a touch blurry. The rest of the settings were on Automatic. Hrm.

Lunch was good, nonetheless. The Sweet Potato Fries were good, hopefully they have a lot of fiber… and maybe not so much fiber cable as I bet that’s not so good to eat!

So far I do like the camera. I like how it feels in my hands and I like the images it takes. Still, I want super clear and super sharp. So we’ll see how to manage that. I have more reading to do.

Sometimes I don’t know how much stress I’m having until it’s gone. Whew… finally I think it’s gone and I’m slowing down. I get into such a rush. I rush on the computer, I rush in the house, I rush running errands. Rushing, to me, is a feeling I get inside where I must get things done. Must must must now now now.

I vented to my nail tech today about yesterday in the dog park. It really frazzled me more than I admitted to myself. And then work, too, not getting that to work. So finally today when I got home from having my nails done, I was able to relax again.

All is well. The dogs are healthy and happy. And I made a really yummy recipe from the Weight Watchers Cookbook my sister gave me for Christmas. Leek and Egg Casserole. Yummy! Lots of leeks, which I don’t like raw, but cooked they are good.

So now I’m going to bed Nice And Early today. It’s 8pm, I’m shutting down the laptop, and I’m going to get a good night sleep.

Happy New Year Again!

I find it interesting that us humans celebrate with food. We reward ourselves with food when something good happens. We comfort ourselves with food when something bad happens. I could so easily be 500 pounds. I love food. I love the feel of it in my mouth. The tastes and flavors can be so intense that really I do think it’s a kind of drug. And different food can make us feel, physically, different ways too.

Last night we went to the Melting Pot for our team’s Christmas Dinner. We pay for it ourselves, working for the State means we don’t get many things given to us. We are lucky to get four hours of administrative leave from the Governor. That’s about all we get. No bonus, nothing else. Anyway, I digress…

As I was eating all that yummy cheese fondue appetizer and the chocolate fondue dessert, I knew I was abusing my poor body. I also had two grasshoppers (the new bartender didn’t know how to make them, welcome to Utah) a White Russian, a Kahlua and Cream and a dessert drink called a Chocolate Martini that was to die for.

Today my body feels amazingly good. I am fortunate to have a fairly healthy body, though lately I’ve been feeling awful off and on. This morning I feel pretty good. And today I’ll be sticking with my fruit and soy smoothie and salads all day, to detox some and clean out my body. I joined Weight Watchers and it is helping a lot. But Christmas is hard because of all the celebrating with food. If I can just maintain over the holidays then drop after, I’ll be happy. I am now at 157lbs, and I want to get down to 147 again. That was a great weight for me.

Weight Watchers is nice because instead of eating mostly vegetables like on Eat To Live, I can even eat movie popcorn sometimes and as long as it’s within my daily points, I’m good!

Okay I haven’t done this Meme before but it looks like fun so here goes…

Appetizer
What was the last game you purchased?
Oh my.. game, last game I purchased, or my husband? He loves computer games, MMORPG and buys them a lot. Personally, I think the last game I purchased was Monopoly so we could bring it camping. I don’t think I remember the last computer game I purchased, though I did used to play Everquest.

Soup
Name something in which you don’t believe.
This is a hard one because I believe everything is possible. Though truthfully, I don’t believe in Christianity. I do believe in a higher power or powers, but not a Christian God.

Salad
If you could choose a celebrity to be your boss, who would you pick?
Well then.. hrm… I am not really into celebrities, but I’d love to have a vampire boss, how about Mick St. John? Or even his real life counterpart, Alex O’Laughlin. Then I’d have something nice to look at every day at work.

Main Course
What was a lesson you had to learn the hard way?
To be my own person and have a self. I didn’t used to, now I do, and I love it.

Dessert
Describe your idea of the perfect relaxation room.
Does it have to be a room? I would take a tropical island first of all. Or, since it’s winter, a room with a Christmas Tree, fire in the fireplace, a bit comfy couch and five dogs all snuggled up against me. Hot cocoa, warm PJs, and my husband by my side.

Fridays Feast Meme

I’m already in Thanksgiving Mode… I want to be off! But I work the rest of today and then I work for a few hours tomorrow. I need to see how many, since I went to the Dentist on Monday and worked the rest of the day. Our Maid Service also comes tomorrow, which is good, and I need to straighten up! They haven’t called yet, I wonder if they will come AM or PM.

I will be at my Mom and Dad’s Thanksgiving day. My Mom is, however, in Germany. So it’ll just be us and we are doing pot luck. I’ll bring sweet potatoes and cauliflower and maybe some yummy potatoes. I won’t be wearing any equestrian riding apparel, hehe, I’d have to wear that at Halloween since I don’t ride. Though I do love to ride.