Weight Loss

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

I Hate Zombie Dreams!



Yes, I really do hate them. I don't have them a lot but often enough that it bothers me. I hate how in vivid color and detail, no matter what I do, the dead fuckers keep coming after me. And sometimes, just to make it that much more of a nightmare, they go after my family.

And I am not watching zombie movies or reading zombie stories when I have these dreams.

On a Sunday, not too long ago, I needed to take a nap. Only it ended up being a less than restful one. It started with repeated lucid dreaming, then I was awoken by crazy cat play. Drifting back to sleep, I was hit with the zombie dream.

- It was a beautiful sunny day. The house had vining flowers growing up and over it and a lush yard. I step outside and, wham, there it is, reaching for me. I'm not sure if it was male or female, but I think female. And it wasn't one of those grotesque rotting flesh zombies - it looked human, but acted zombie. I took a club/bat to it, beating the crap out of it, but it kept coming. For some unknown reason, there was a huge, person-size, pot of boiling water in the yard. And, yep, I managed to get the zombie crammed into that pot and held it under as long as I could. Still it kept coming after me, looking horrid now and falling apart. I managed to start a large fire and after partially severing its head with a large axe, threw in not only the zombie but the pot of icky zombie water. I knew I had to evaporate away all that zombie water or it could cause more zombie problems. -

Shortly thereafter I woke up, feeling dazed and even worse than before the nap. And I think that's understandable after such a horrid dream.

Out of curiosity I went online and searched dream dictionaries. The first was http://www.dreammoods.com

- To dream that you are attacked by zombies, indicates that you are feeling overwhelmed by forces beyond your control. You are under tremendous stress in your waking life.-

Okay, yeah, that could be it. But I do take comfort in the fact that I beat the shit out of and then defeated it. :)

Other definitions I found were similar.

So now you know that if you dream about being attacked by zombies, and you haven't recently seen movies or read books with zombies, you're life is really stressing you out. Most of the time I am painfully aware of how overwhelmed I am; I really don't need the zombie dreams to point this out o_0

*hugs*
Robin

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Your result for True Colors Test - A Self Inventory...

NT - Scholar (Green)


Congratulations! You are the SCHOLAR.


First, the bad news. On any given bad day you're most likely to be perceived as cold, arrogant, know-it-all. At times you are closed off and independent, seemingly absentminded, and have probably been told that you've got your head in the clouds. You get lost in thought easily, and sometimes you leave people back on Earth when you go off on a reverie. All of this means that you can come off as aloof and unappreciative of other peoples opinions. You know better, you're probably just smarter than them.


Now that we've got that out of the way, on to the good news. You are a critical thinker and an innovator. A lifetime learner, your passion and thirst for knowledge will entertain you throughout your lifetime. You are the "ideas" person that people come to for solutions. To hell with implementing the ideas, you'll leave that for someone else to figure out. In the meantime, you're probably always eager to share solutions and wisdom with those who seek it. You're good at being alone, and probably need alone time periodically to recharge and just be in your head. You're a visionary, mentally tough, analytical and capable of meting out judgment. You are highly knowledgeable and people seek that out in you. Try not to let that get to your head.


Scholar Traits:


  • Visionary

  • Conscientious

  • Calm and patient

  • Sees the big picture

  • Serious

  • Competent

  • Inquisitive

  • Meticulous

  • Innovative

  • Insightful and intellectual

  • Adaptable

  • Can never know enough


Take True Colors Test - A Self Inventory
at HelloQuizzy

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Thought I'd share a couple of my favorite FREE websites.

Paperback Swap ~~ http://www.paperbackswap.com

Sign up on this site, post 9 books you want to give away, and start earning credits to receive books you've requested from others on the site. There is no expense to join ~~ the only cost is in mailing the books that others have requested from you. I use media mail and have paid less than $3 for each book. Considering the average paperback is now about $7, I'm saving more than 1/2 the cost of buying a new one.
There are 2 sister sites as well, for swapping CDs and DVDs.

Check it out ~~ they explain it much better than I do.


SparkPeople ~~ http://www.sparkpeople.com

There is no way I can do this site justice, just go check it out. Make sure you check out the video about the founder. He took the money he made in dot.com and used it to create this site to 'spark' people into living healthier lives. It's geared primarily to diet and exercise, but has all sorts of groups, message boards, blogs, challenges, articles, wellness information, etc.

One of the fun things about this site is earning points. Just about everything you do earns you points ~~ for me it is an incentive to watch my point totals go up, and my trophies to change.

(only problem with the emails ~~ my eyes tend to turn the 'r' in spark to an 'n', just for a moment, but it's enough for a double-take when I'm checking my emails *grin*)

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Reading Signs

This is just so sweet. It is long (12 minutes), but hang in there 'til the end.


Tuesday, March 17, 2009

I am Persephone

Your result for The New Greek Goddess Archetype Test...

You are Persephone!

The Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld


Persephone represents change and transformation - a chameleon who can be whatever someone wants her to be. Out of all types, she is the most dependent on her parents or her lover and tends to need these relationships to feel safe. However, she usually undergoes a period of psychological distress at some point, which opens her up to be more independent, assertive, and enables her to inspire transformations in other people as well.


Take The New Greek Goddess Archetype Test
at HelloQuizzy

Thursday, February 26, 2009

So, back from vacation. Didn't really diet or exercise while gone. The ship was seriously lacking in the foodstuffs I was wanting/needing to stick closely to my planned diet, and with all the walking ~ everywhere ~ ; and the general lack of sleep ~ stuffy, uncomfortable cabin ~; I just could not work up the enthusiasm to head to the stuffy, crowded gym that didn't even have cardio equipment I could easily use...

Now having said all that ~~ all the walking means I didn't damage my weight loss plans too badly. I haven't really weighed myself, wanting to give myself a week home to readjust, so I don't really know how bad the damage is, scale-wise, but my clothes really don't seem tight and my oldest commented that I did look thinner... So, well, we'll see.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Friday, January 23, 2009

Your result for The Lover Style Profile Test...

The Exotic Lover

50% partner focus, 10% aggressiveness, 60% adventurousness


Based on the results of this test, it is highly likely that:



You prefer your romance and love to wild and daring rather than typical or boring, you would rather be pursued than do the pursuing and, when it comes to physical love, you concentrate more on enjoying the experience rather than worrying about your performance.



This places you in the Lover Style of: The Exotic Lover.



The Exotic Lover is a wonderful Lover Style, and conjures images of the exotic, romantic hero out of a romance novel, or perhaps a slightly dangerous and deadly sexy femme fatale from a noir mystery. The Exotic Lover loves pleasure and is a treasure to date, though it can be difficult to do so because they sometimes tend to be mysterious and reluctant to commit.



In terms of physical love, the Exotic Lover can be quite surprising, as they are often more exciting and adventurous than predicted. Given a little freedom, and the right lover, the Exotic Lover can be a delight in bed.



Best Compatibility can probably be found with: The Liberated Lover (most of all) or the Devoted Lover, or the Romantic Lover.



Congratulations!


Take The Lover Style Profile Test
at HelloQuizzy

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Chakra Test

Your result for The Chakra Test...

The Visionary

You have scored 100% Imagination - Your dominant Chakra is the "Third Eye or Indigo Chakra"


The "Third Eye or Indigo Chakra" is where our intuitive and visionary energy comes from. It is located on one's forehead. And this is the chakra most developed in you at this time.


Depending on your percentage score, there is always more room for development. When this chakra is under-active, one's may not think clearly, become confused and begin to rely on authoritarian figures. If over-active and out of balance with your other chakras, you may be prone to fantasy. You may even begin to see and believe in things that are not there.


What is most important is to find balance amongst all 7 chakras. Have a look at what percentages you scored on the others and work to increase their power and balance with each other.


Root Chakra: 18% Passion, Sacral(Spleen) Chakra: 94% Desire, Solar Plexus (Navel) Chakra: 59% Purpose, Heart Chakra: 67% Balance, Throat Chakra: 89% Expression, Third Eye Chakra: 100% Imagination and Crown Chakra: 100% Spirituality!



"Third Eye Chakra" Key Words: Intuition, Invention, Psychic Abilities, Self Realization, Perception, Release, Understanding, Memory, Fearlessness


"Third Eye Chakra"Attributes: Color - Indigo Sense - Sixth sense, Higher mind Element - Time Seat -Primordial Power





If you enjoyed this test, I would love the feedback!


Take The Chakra Test
at HelloQuizzy

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

What Color Green Am I?




You Are Grass Green



Down to earth and a bit of a hippie, you are very into nature and the outdoors.

You accept the world and people as they are. You don't try to change things.

You are also very comfortable with yourself, flaws and all.

Optimistic about the future, you feel like life is always getting better.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Diet Update


I finished the Jumpstart & Monday morning I had lost 4 pounds & 1 inch around my waist.

Woo hoo!

It's not really a visible change ~ yet. But I can feel the difference.

Ok, *deep calming breathe* I'm being brave here... Jan 1 I weighed a little over 250 lbs. Yesterday morning I was 244. For me that is huge, and super motivating. And today, for the first time in I don't know how long, I stepped on the scale at the gym, fully clothed with my tennies on, and I didn't have to move the bottom weight to the 250 mark. Oh. My. Goodness. Fully dressed, w/ shoes, and having eaten 3 meals & I was still below 250 (I'm always higher at the end of the day).

It is so amazing to see a positive change almost everyday.

Now to just keep it going.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

It's that time again. Diet time. Ok, I really prefer to call it something like Health & Fitness Improvement... I have really got to get some of these excess weight off. To be at my 'ideal' weight, I need to lose about 100 pounds. Right now I'd be happy to see a steady loss of 5 to 10 pounds a month.

I'm trying the Flat Belly Diet by Prevention. I chose it because it allows really good things like nuts, and olive oil, and avocados, and dark chocolate. They call them MUFA's ~~ which, for the life of me, I can't remember what that stands for *shaking head in disbelief*. Something about healthy unsaturated fats ~~ and you have to have some with every single meal & snack. I'm hoping I won't feel too deprived.

I start tomorrow with breakfast. There's a 4 day jumpstart, then a 28 day program, which you keep repeating as long as you need to.

I think the main challenges are going to be:

  • Making sure I eat every four hours
  • Making sure I get everything for breakfast, lunch & snack prepared the night before
  • Dinner at home with family
  • Weekends, when my schedule is not structured at all
I've been going to the gym regularly the past few weeks ~~ at least 2 times a week for at least an hour each time. I've been doing mainly cardio work ~~ at least 1/2 hour on the elliptical & another 1/2 hour or so on the rowing machine. I really like the rowing machine ~~ a nice full body work out, cardio with strength/toning. Between the two, I do feel it the next day, in a good way. And according to my heart monitor, I'm getting & keeping my heart rate in the proper zone while exercising & burning massive amounts of calories. I really need to add at least one more day, ideally two, to get the best results. Looking at the Yoga, Pilates & Aquaerobics classes at the gym, but right now they are filled to overflowing. I'm hoping they empty out in the next month or so.

And I'm hoping some exercise & weight lost will help with my back pain. My right hip has been very painful lately... I've been to the chiropractor & it's helping, plus I am constantly doing pelvic tilts, hamstring stretches & such to try and make it better.

There is exactly one month 'til our vacation, and I'd really like to be a little bit lighter, thinner, firmer.

Wish me luck :)