Indulgence no longer has to feel guilty. Go ahead, treat yourself!
Only 12% of Americans can estimate the calories they eat in a day! Find out why we're so clueless and get easy ways to stop calorie confusion.
You know what calories are, and you probably know that if you eat too many, you’ll gain weight. But do you know how many are in your favorite deli sandwich? Or how many calories you should really eat each day? Most Americans don’t. Only 12% can accurately estimate the number of calories they should consume in a day someone their age, height, weight, and physical activity, according to a 2010 survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation. So what is it about calories that keeps us baffled? Here are 8 reasons you’re confused about calories and the simple steps that will help you do the math
You’ve all heard about the rapidly expanding serving sizes of restaurant and fast food portions, but just how bad are they? Portions sizes in restaurants may contain double or triple the calories of home-cooked meals, and studies show eating out is associated with a higher BMI. Unfortunately, those portions affect our waistlines. When there’s more food on the plate, people eat more—up to 30% more, according to an analysis of several studies.
Stop the confusion: Use this cheat sheet of portion sizes. We know it’s hard to look at your plate as decks of cards, tennis balls, and all the other, so start by measuring out your food servings at home and take a good look at what a half-cup of pasta looks like. Until the serving sizes are engrained in your brain, when dining out, aim to eat half of your meal, saving the leftovers for lunch the next day.
“There really aren’t standard serving sizes for packaged foods, which makes them confusing,” explains Elisa Zied, RD, author Nutrition at Your Fingertips. She gives the example of cereal. A standard serving size of breakfast cereal is approximately 50 g, but depending on the cereal, that could mean a cup and a half of flakes or half a cup of heartier granola. Depending on the type of cereal you’re eating, just eyeing how much you put in the bowl, like most people do, can lead to inaccurate calorie counts.
Not only that, but larger-than-life snack foods may seem like single servings even though they often contain 2 to 3 servings per packet. Buy a 16-ounce bottled Coca-Cola, and the nutrition label reads 100 calories…for one of the two servings in the bottle. Drink the whole thing, as many people do, and you’re really getting 200 calories. Eat the whole bag of Austin Zoo Animal Crackers, commonly found in office vending machines, and you’re getting 230 calories, nearly two servings, instead of just one.
Stop the confusion: This is as simple as reading nutrition labels before you open the bag. To make it even easier, opt for instant portion control with whole fruit, like apples and bananas, or buy items you typically overeat in single serving packets. Especially for healthy, but higher calorie, foods, portioning out servings prevents pig-outs. For instance, Trader Joe’s carries what they call “Just a Handful” of almonds, which are packets containing just one 200-calorie serving.
“You hear a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, but I’m not convinced that’s the case,” says Leslie Bonci, RD, coauthor of The Active Calorie Diet. Studies show that foods that take more effort to chew—like fruits, veggies, lean meats, and whole grains—can increase your calorie burn. “More calories are required to digest them, and they’ll keep you satisfied longer,” she adds. Not only that, but other ingredients can up the burn: caffeine and other compounds in coffee and tea, and spices such as chiles, cinnamon, and ginger fire up your central nervous system and can boost your metabolism.
So is 500 calories worth of celery really different than 500 calories of French fries? A 2011 breakthrough study discovered that the quality of calories might matter more than the overall quantity. Those who ate a greater amount of certain unhealthy foods, like processed meat, French fries, and sugar-sweetened beverages, gained more weight faster over time than people with healthier diets. Unsurprisingly, eating more notoriously healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and low-fat yogurt were associated with less weight gain.
Stop the confusion: Eating plenty of low-calorie fruits and vegetables at every meal ensures you’re keeping your calories in check. “Fruits and veggies do double duty,” says Bonci. “They’re rich in fiber, which works extremely well to keep you satiated, and they take a while to chew.”
Seeing you burned 600 calories on the treadmill in the morning may make you think you have a free pass to pig out for the rest of the day. But be wary of exercise machines’ calorie counts. The University of California, San Francisco, used a V02 test to track down calories burned while on machines. The VO2 analyzer calculated how hard the body is working with its height, weight, age, and body fat. The machines’ calorie counts and the VO2 counts didn’t match up—at all. Machines overestimated calorie burn by 19%!
Stop the confusion: If you really want to get an accurate number of calories burned, invest in a heart rate monitor, which will help you learn how intense your workouts are. If you don’t feel like splurging and you’re a treadmill lover, multiplying your weight times 0.75 will give you a solid estimate of the calories burned per mile of running. Multiply your weight by 0.53 to get an estimate of the calories burned per mile of walking. For ellipticals, stair climbers, and stationary bikes, assume the calorie count is off and aim to work out for a certain length of time, not a certain amount of calories burned.
Though studies are mixed when it comes to whether exercise actually stimulates or suppresses appetite, many people think of working out as a way to eat whatever they like. “There’s definitely a mentality of ‘I have sweated therefore I deserve,’” says Bonci. However, with most people burning about 100 calories per mile, a short workout won’t give you a free pass to eat junk food. “If you walk two miles, eating a handful of chips post-workout can undo the calories you burned,” says Bonci. As mentioned above, gym machines don’t accurately measure calories burned, either.
Stop the confusion: To stop an after-workout binge, fuel up pre-gym, Zied suggests. “Have something before—something with carbs and a little protein, like whole wheat toast and peanut butter or a banana and milk.” Depending on the intensity of your workout, you may need something afterward as well. After a workout longer than 45 minutes, you should aim to eat about 200 calories.
“People are spending hundreds of calories on beverages each day,” says Zied. Unfortunately, a lot of those calories are from sugar-sweetened drinks and alcohol, not milk and 100% fruit juice. According to a 2007 study, beverage intake accounted for roughly 12% of total calories in 1965 and steadily increased to 21% in 2002—that’s 222 extra calories a day from drinks alone! Because bottled drinks often contain multiple servings, it’s best to either pour a serving in a glass or look for mini soda cans and juice boxes.
Stop the confusion: The best way to minimize the calories you drink is to stick to calorie-free water and unsweetened coffee and tea. However, if you’re craving some flavor, consider making your own low-cal flavored water. Even though whole fruit is preferred over fruit juice, Bonci advises doing a glass check before pouring yourself some OJ. “Very few people have 6-ounce glasses, the recommended serving of juice. Most glasses are 10 to 12 ounces, which means you’re getting more than you need.” If you don’t want to buy new glasses, Bonci recommends mixing juice with seltzer water for a bubbly treat.
Between 1977 and 2006, Americans nibbled and noshed approximately 580 calories each day from snacks, according to information presented at the 2011 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo. Though researchers debate as to whether this uptick in snacking is causing obesity or not, they can agree that the foods people choose as snacks aren’t always healthy choices. “Snack foods are tremendously popular, and Americans are eating tons of nutrient-poor, calorie-dense foods like energy drinks, candies, cookies, and cakes,” says Zied. These items often come in oversized packaging, and not the recommended 200-calorie snack portion, leading to extra calories consumed throughout the day.
Stop the confusion: Instead of buying a huge jar of almonds and noshing all day, pre-portion your snacks ahead of time. Even healthy foods can cause you to gain weight if you eat more calories than you burn off, so portion control is key. Try filling up on lower-calorie foods as snacks—baby carrots, grapes, etc.—or saving half of your lunch sandwich to eat in the afternoon.
“The so-called health halos are everywhere,” says Bonci. “But just because a cookie is trans-fat free doesn’t mean it’s calorie free.” She adds that buzzwords such as “natural” and “few ingredients” trigger people to think foods are healthier and lower in calories than they actually are. “Natural” foods still contain sugar, sodium, and other health-harming nutrients. Reduced fat and reduced calorie versions of your favorite foods should be eyed with caution too. “Usually when something gets taken away, something is added,” says Zied. “Reduced in fat usually means the product has added sugar.”
Stop the confusion: Chances are “natural” gummy bears are still going to be almost as unhealthy for you as plain gummy bears, but if you see the word “natural” on a loaf of bread, read the item’s nutrition label and ingredient list. Look for unhealthy ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, large amounts of sodium, or small amounts of important nutrients.
source: prevention.com
It's better to look back on life and say: "I can't believe I did that." than to look back and say: "I wish I did that."
Good Morning and Happy Saturday Healthy Ones!
I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. We still have no snow- but some of our outlying areas do- just a little though. :) Looks like a mild winter this year. Yippee!!! :)
This weeks topic is a little deep but worth the read. :) We deserve to get serious and be more dedicated- we are worth the effort to change bad habits for good habits- change that sweet snack for a veggie/fruit snack or a lowsugar granola/protein bar.
Remember- yes, it may take a while to reach your goal- but what else do you have to do? One day at a time- to a healthier, more beautiful you!
Hugs and Waves- back later to catch up! Off for another cup of coffee- need to go to the Natural Foods Co-Op today and finish some projects around the house.
Good morning.
Good information. When I was doing WW all the time, one thing I always did was measure the cereal. That is a hard thing, for me, to guess. And peanut butter since I really like it I could over do it too. Never like to waste my calories on liquids.
Chilly here today, don't know if it got down as low as they said it was going to. But it is sunny and no telling how many people will be out today for the parade.
Lulu is crazy. I have 2 water bowls and put one in the dish washer a couple of days ago and now she won't drink out of it. Wonder if it has a strong bleach smell.
hi and hugs to all
Seems like its been quiet in here. Im part to blame for that. Muril, great topic this morning! I like your, One day at a time :) Dusta, I know liquid calories are a waste... and I rarely drink em, but sometimes a latte is just SOooooo good! If I have that, I try to think of it as breakfast, and eat light the rest of the day. Ive heard that if you wash pet food containers in the dishwasher, you should handwash afterwards to get rid of the detergent smell/taste, can be dangerous for some animals. Birds especially.Today we are heading to Ocean Shores with the club. Gonna meet for breakfast first, at 9am. Ive never been to the restaurant were going to, but have never thought it has good reviews... so dunno how itll be. Im gonna eat small there I think. Because 3 hours later, were supposed to have lunch (which is ridiculous, why not just have brunch around 11 when we get to the ocean?) No one listens to me haha.Gonna have my cup of coffee and a yogurt before I get on the road, otherwise Im likely to get car sick.Breakfast 1 - Coffee, YogurtBreakfast 2 - Unsure, Im thinking a small meal. A pancake, and egg, a piece of bacon type thing. But dunno.Lunch - Some diner place, again, who knowsDinner - Unsure if we will want dinner, or if we will be home or still on the road. So will decide later and let yall know. Helps to be accountable and see it written out on here :)
Great article, Muril. I read labels on EVERYthing before I buy it. I try to buy food with as few un-pronounceable ingredients as possible, and I make as much as I can from scratch, too. I swear there is something going on that makes us all gain weight more easily nowadays, if it's the HFCS or what, I don't know... but I don't want any part of it. I want plain food! No chemicals!
They say it's because we're more sedentary now, but I don't know... that is true to some degree, I suppose... but there were plenty of people sitting and working in offices years ago who were not the size the average American is now. As a kid, yes, I played outside but I don't think I spent any more or less time outside than my own kids. I may not have had a computer, but I had board games, Barbies, books, and Little People... and probably watched more TV than my own kids. So I spent plenty of time inside sitting on my rear. I don't think we as a society are more lazy or anything like that. I think portion sizes are skewed but I really do wonder if these chemicals and additives are another part of the problem.
So I agree with the statement that a calorie isn't just a calorie. We need to avoid calories from processed, nutrient-poor foods.
Just yesterday, I was buying food at Wal-Mart for my son's friends who were spending the night. I fixed baked chicken with homemade BBQ sauce, garlic-cheese potatoes, steamed broccoli and cheddar biscuits... then I also bought a bag of Doritos and a bottle of Dr. Pepper at my son's request. I usually keep caffeine-free Pepsi cans in our downstairs fridge for a once-a-week treat for my kids and we were out of those, too. So here I was looking at all my food and I tell ya, it really bugged me spending $7 for that garbage Pepsi, $1.29 for the Dr. Pepper and roughly $3 for the Doritos. We will probably not have to buy another Pepsi cube for 2 months, but still, I'm like, "Why am I spending this money on garbage food? I have homemade cookies they can eat for dessert... they don't need these Doritos and probably wouldn't miss them if I didn't buy them." I guess I don't want to be a "food nazi"... I do believe that eating these things occasionally won't kill ya, but ugh, I'm almost embarrassed now to have it in my cart, knowing what I do about nutrition.
On the positive side, the boys gobbled up my dinner, a bunch of the cookies for dessert, and the Doritos remained UNOPENED even though they were on the table! They didn't finish the Dr. Pepper, either.
OK, off to run. I've been measuring my calories and logging them on FitDay and doing quite well this week. I want to get ripped again, so I've been lifting weights hard. Happy to see a little progress there.
WOW really great article Muril, I am always amazed at how some foods - processed or from restaurants have SO MANY calories and the sodium and what not, well I won't even go there - it's like sometimes I feel we have blinders on about what we put in our mouths!
And, Jeannie, isn't it horrible how we think it's a TREAT to eat JUNK? I don't get that - I'm glad to hear that your real food dinner was eaten and NO doritos - they are one of my least fav foods, I think they are just disgusting. My 16 yr old of course, loves them, but I rarely buy them, it irks me too to spend that much money on a bag of salt and artificial flavors and colors. One thing that I will buy for the kids to snack on is fritos - believe it or not, they only have 3 ingredients - corn, oil and salt - no artificial anything - so at least they are better that way. I'd love to get 'em off all that stuff, but small steps, right?
I totally agree with the calorie concept - that a calorie from baked chicken is better than calories from a snicker bar --- I've head it debated many ways, but you just can't convince me they are the "same" Our body uses calories from real food better and more efficiently I think - I mean, you feel better when you eat better so doesn't that make sense? When I was doing WW before they had a program where you could "bank" calories and then spend them on whatever you wanted once a week and there was a lady that used to spend them on Snickers bars and I was like, well then what's the point? you might as well just eat whatever because you can't tell me that the candy every week wasn't negating at least part of her healthy eating the rest of the week! Just didn't make sense to me.
Okay, man, I have a lot to say today ...
Kris, thanks for the Valentines, you are so sweet - I must get my cards out today! HURRRY HURRRRRRRY!
well I did a big splurge this morning and spent $200 on organize.com ... omw you could spend thousands there! They did have free shipping though! I got some organizing stuff for the pantry, fridge and my desk, I am so excited to get it and put it into play. yippee! I will likely feel guilty about spending that much, but if it makes the day easier then I'm all for it.
Okay, better get busy and get off this computer! time for cleaning and laundry!
XXOO
My "Babies" are growing up!!!!
Good Morning Ladies:
Good topic Muril. I'm especially mindful of portions size, and when we have to eat out on the road I order the senior portion or Charles and I split something. The portion size at most restaurants is so out of control. And we do our reserch before hand so we pick a lower sodium option -- not always easy.
We are heading to New Mexico to hit the hot springs for valentines day tomorrow. Just a short trip -- one week -- but it's a nice getaway. We're packing a healthy lunch for the first day, then taking food to dine in for most of the stay. will probably go out to lunch on Valentines Day, but other than that we'll be eating healthy. We've really got this down to a science on the road.
Interesting guest on Science Friday on NPR yesterday. Talked about yoga. Now i do yoga occaisionally to help me relax and lower my blood pressure; however i know some folks do it as exercise for weight loss. Anyway, this guy wrote a book about yoga, and the misconceptions. Yoga actually lowers your metabolism, so in fact you can gain weight while doing it. Not so in my case, but i don't rely on it for exercise, nor do I regularly do it.
Natasha: I find it somewhat ironic that you get car sick, yet you are in a car club:) Hope you have a fun day. Hey I have to cover cruises and I get horribly seasick, but that's another story.
Kris: Thanks for the nice Valentines Day card. It was nice of you to think of me. Keep up the positive attitude with your healthy eating lifestyle plan. You're doing great..
Jeannie: It's sad that kids today are conditioned to think of junk food as a treat. And there are so many more choices today than when I was young. But it's good that the Doritos remained unopened.
Muril: In CA chain restaurants are now required to put calorie counts on the menus, and I really like that. It's also part of the health care act and if it isn't shot down, it will go nationwide. I wish they would include sodium, but I just have to research that on my own. anyway, I like seeing the numbers when I order. Very helpful. BTW, the low calories options at Applebees have huge amounts of sodium in them -- we can't even eat there at all.
OK, off to pack and put things in order. Took off early yesterday and visited a few wineries, so still have a few things to do. Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Candy Harrington
EatingWellontheroad.com
Hi Again Healthy Beauties!
Did I mention that today was owner appreciation day at the Co-Op and we saved 10% off our entire purchase - but they were out of transistions(I was going to stock up,lol) I did get some wildflower honey, healthy graham crackers, nonfat greek yogurt, Ez. bread, silly seeds and DH stocked up on candied ginger. He uses it when he feels nauseous(because of pain meds).
Kris, thank you for the sweet V'day card. You are so thoughtful. I so appreciate you girl!
Jeannie, I know what you mean. I still get sodas for the kids when they come over- but it is something like a 2 liter ginger ale or the cranberry gingerale. We keep an extra - it's great to have on hand in case someone feels under the weather. We used to get colas and such but no more. DH fusses at me for buying the gingerale- says they can drink water or milk. LOL But, I still buy the gingerale. At least it's caffiene free- that's what I tell myself. We do occasionally get lowfat kettle chips or even sweet potato chips. If I buy tortillas- I get the plain ones instead of doritos- so maybe next time -you could switch to a healthier plain tortilla chip with salsa- kinda wean them off the doritos- sounds like they won't miss it anyway- since they didn't open it. :)
Candy, I like having the calorie counts at restaurants- they all should have to do it. That way if one looks at a dish that is loaded in calories- at least they can say- my goodness, I am getting ready to eat a pasta meal with 2000 calories - at least it is there staring at them in the face- might help some. :) The last biggest loser - they did the restaurant thing and coached them on what to order and how to order it- well, it was an eye opener to most of them on what they had been consuming calorie wise.
Natasha, have fun today. Sounds like you are being much more accountable. That's what we are here for girl! :) If I am going to write something down- I feel much more accountable. I rarely drink many calories- unless it is my meal. This morning I had a protein/fruit/almond milk/oatmeal smoothie- and it was breakfast- so pretty healthy because of that. The almond milk only has 34 calories per cup and it has twice the calcium of regular milk.Love almond milk too!
Rebecca, glad you are feeling some better. I finished a crocheted hat last night- still want to make another one for Macie too with a dusty purple - she has a lot of purple stuff to go with it. LOL The furniture sounds lovely. You so deserve it. We have mismatched pieces in our house and it all kinda comes together. Our most intersting items in our living/dining combo room came from y.s. People can't believe it. :) But-it's true. I love unique furniture and these days having perfectly matching furniture is not the norm anymore. :) You did a great save on having a bowl of cereal since you forgot to have supper. I do lunch like that sometimes -forget all about it and then it is almost time for supper- so I will have a healthy snack. When you stay busy- you forget to eat! Who would have thought? That means you aren't obsessing about food. Woo Hoo. :)
Dusta, lo and behold we are still bugging you about that yummy roast! You are such a strong determined woman. :) Lulu has a sensitive smeller- ther dishwasher must have really disinfected it good. :) The muffins sound good- sounds like pineapple would be good in them too. Yum!
Have a healthy day ladies!
good article. still under the weather here. know i am sick when nothing sounds good! not sure if it is a cold or sinuses. Spent most of Wed and Thursday (except for the parish nurse conference) nursing it, went to work yesterday and was feeling somewhat better, but the day at hospital was a horrible one, so I am pretty much back to square one.
Dusta, maybe Lulu is allergic to having a clean dish (LOL).
Muril, remember when it was fall and the wooly worm predictors were saying it was going to be a cold winter etc. It started out cooler and wetter than usual here, but hasn't really been very cold after December.
I have got to do something with those chicken breasts in the frig, but they dont sound good at all. Only thing that sounds edible at this point is soup, crackers, and pudding and I am starting to get tired of bland food. Sorry to whine. At least I have 4 days off to recuperate from whatever this is. A lot of the staff at the hospital has it too. Even the clinical manager called in sick yesterday and believe me, I would have if I had known it was going to set me back this much.
Going to try to read or something and catch up with you all tomorrow.
Faith is not demanding what we want; it is trusting God's goodness in spite of life's tragedies. Dave Branon
Hello everyone!!
Its cccccccold here in Indiana!! Brrr!!!
Had a slow paced day today...dh worked this morning (he doesn't work Sat. very often) and then we went to the inlaws for supper.....NOT a good meal! Ate very small portions and drank water, so hopefully it won't show up on the scales tomorrow.
Had ham & beans, potatoes, mac & cheese, corn bread and for dessert cinnamon rolls!! A totally ALL CARB meal!!!! I didn't eat any dessert either!! :) When I got home I was hungry because i didn't eat much for supper, so heated up some LC egg rolls (200 cal.) So hopefully I done ok.
Been trying to decide what to fix on V-day....we will be going out after V-day, so need to make something special on that day. I think I will make homemade choc. chip cookies for something special...we (well 'I') havn't had anything sweet in so long! and I have been craving some cookies. I am sure Riley will help eat them. lol She has such a sweet tooth! Will probably bake a few and then freeze the rest of the dough or else bake them and give them away.....don't want sweets hanging around.
Not sure on what else to fix tho....need to look in the freezer and see what all I have on hand.
Tomorrow we will be going to a big bluegrass jam about 30 minutes away......going to eat a big breakfast before we leave and fix a meal when we get home....probably take water and peanutbutter crackers with us to snack on.
Hope that everyone is doing well! ((hugs))
Jill it is cold for here too, haven't had very many below freezing days this year. It was cold yesterday too, instead of going out with Lulu I let out in the back yard.
Rebecca I think you are right about the calories. I think our bodies store fat caloried really well and burns the ones in the foods we have to chew and our bodies process.
The paper said there were 1000's of people at the parade yesterday. They come from Ark, TX and LA and it is good for the economy here.
Nothing going on here, Mel has gone back to sleep which is not unusual for him now. He sleeps a lot, sort of like a baby.
hugs to all
Good Morning!We had fun yesterday! Didnt do good with food, but did well with the portions of food I ate.Candy, its the law here that the entire nutritional menu be available for each menu item in restaurants. I think its a great idea :) Good idea of packing food for your trip! Our car club is a toyota owners club. So we have social meets, as well as cruising meets. Ive always gotten car sick... Im not gonna let that hold me back though.Muril, do the graham crackers from the co op taste different? We are going to a bakery next weekend (planning the next car club cruise) and they have home made graham crackers I was thinking of trying! Sherry, why dont you throw together a freezer meal with your chicken you dont wanna cook? Jill, glad you had a nice Saturday :) On Vday, I am taking Sean lunch at work (getting Olive Garden to go). Then that night Im making steaks and twice baked potatoes and salad. Dusta, what are you gonna do while Mel naps today? Any big plans?Our next cruise, Sean and I are hosting. And its gonna be in Bellingham, on Chuckanut Drive. Its a scenic byway and supposedly just gorgeous. So we have a rough outline of the cruise and plans, we just need to go up, see the scenic outlooks, see if the cars can fit for photo ops. And see where we might like to stop here and there. Also create a time frame. So, I think we will be doing that this weekend. Hoping today flies by at work. Im so done with work I just need some real time off. This split days is really getting to me. BC is less than 2 weeks away, and I just cant wait.Breakfast - 2 pks peach oatmeal with a tbs crushed pecans, coffeeLunch - Leftover Salmon and riceDinner - Rice A Roni Casserole (new thing Im trying)
Happy Sunday Healthy Ones!
I have already been to church and back home now. As Miss Nancy used to say "Home agian, Home again, Jiggety Jig! :)
Natasha, the grahams are a step above the regular grahams- made from wholesome ingredients and no trans fats. I love the taste of them too. (New Morning Organic low fat honey grahams) I try to get them on sale and then they aren't much more expensive than regular ones. The homemade graham crackers sound really good. I should bite the bullet and make my own- that way I really could control the ingredients- love them with pnb. :) Let me know how the homemade ones are- bet they'll be delish!
Dusta, is Lulu drinking from her water bowl yet? :)
Jill, the cookies sound like a good idea- you can give a bunch of them away or freeze them- just put them way in the back of the freezer- frozen cookies are good before they are thawed. LOL Spoken from a true cookie lover. :)
Sherry, sorry you still feel terrible? Hope you start getting better soon. I hear you on the bland foods- the only good thing about this is that you are probably losing wt. since you don't have an appetite but it's not a fun way to do it though. (((Hugs))) Whine away, I would. LOL
Hugs and Waves to everyone! Debi, what you up to these days girl? Haven't seen your smiling face in a day or so. :)
Natasha have a big day planned goint to take a couple of things back to WM. lol
Muril I rewashed her bowl in water, no soap. Maybe she knows best. Debi had company this weekend.. Wouldn't you love to spend the weekend with Debi? And she would just love it too.lol
Sherry hope you are feeling better.
Mel slept until after 11, then he made egg bread and some time he calls it loss bread............ french toast. Never heard it call this. He doesn't like the way I make it, doesn't taste right. Isn't that sad?
My male cat, Jasper, is a lady's man! He has been my partner and followed me around all weekend. If I leave a level of the house within three minutes he is calling for me. He's such a partner! Jasmine loves to nap face to face. She's my licker and I won't let her get any closer than my chin but she wants more if possible. We have had a nice indoor weekend together since it's so cold I won't throw them out.
Yesterday I worked on year-end books for P.E.O. Finished the deposits, paid bills, completed the paper work, and typed out the new roll call sheet. Now I need to get the books audited before I can put all of last years reports to be filed. Later I figured my taxes. Surprisingly I get a good amount of return on the Federal and some back from the state. Last year I was within $5 on the state. Oh well. At least I don't have to search for the money.
Today I worked three hours on a lesson plan. I was almost finished and my printer started acting up AGAIN! I went through reinstalling the ink, cleaning heads, unplug and replug and still nothing. I got on line with Kodak and after 1 1/2 hours we got disconnected! I was not happy. Called back and worked another 45 minutes. I stayed calm and pleasant but told them this was a waste of my time after 2 hours. Finally they said "You have a problem we can't fix. We will send you another printer by Tuesday."
The cats and I went for a nap. All week I have been getting worse and worse but not bad enough to stay home. My nose is stuffed up and running along with a scratchy throat. Wonderful. Just in time to start the State Assessments. We start the kids Tuesday (Valentine's Day) and last through our last test in April. With being assigned students in special settings there really is no room for absences unless you are on your death bed.
I have been bad. I have not exercised since last Monday. Tuesday it was rain/slushy snow and after a trip to Wichita to see my Dr. I wasn't in the mood. Wednesday I had my check in with my program in Wichita and getting back to town late I still wasn't in the mood. Thursday I felt horrible with crampy stomache and gas and didn't want to embarass myself let alone clear out the workout room so I stayed home. Friday, Saturday and today I've been fighting a cold. I have not seen my workout partner for 10 days for she's had obligations also. I must be better this week!
Yesterday I also broke down and had two slices of Pizza Hut pizza. I haven't had commercial pizza since May of 2011. Surprisingly it wasn't as good as I anticipated, but I did enjoy it.
Texted several times with my nephew, a junior at Colorado State University, yesterday. He is doing well. I was teasing him about going to see the 3D Star Wars movie. When I sat for him one week when he was in elementary school we watched the entire series over and over and over again!!!
Sad about Whitney Houston. Shocking when I'm so close in age to her.
LOL Dusta that Mell will make his own meal!
Natasha - Jealous of all your gorgeous scenery you are able to enjoy!
Muril - LOL at Jiggety Jig! My 101 YO Aunt always says good-bye by, "Take care of your self for I still need you! Now that's not selfish at all!"
Jill - Anxious to hear what you decided for meals on Valentine's Day.
Sherry - Wishing you healthy thoughts!
Candy - Wishing you relaxation in the hot springs of NM.
Rebecca - Excited for you to receive your organization material! You are way productive this winter!
Jeannie - Way to go on lifting weights and journaling! You will be fit in no time!
Debi - Great times with family and friends!
Dawn - Sending (((Hugs))) and prayers for you and your family. Hopefully conversations of security and being productive.
Dad went to the doctor to freeze and cut out some moles. I'm concerned for one was cut out above his right eye. Now 72 hours later his eye lid is now droopy and looks terrible. I'm encouraging him to go to the doctor but I'm not sure he will do it tomorrow.
Chatty today. Hope everyone has a good week!
Kris