The Last Supper

Did I really eat my final dinner for January 2011?  Wasn't it just NYE?  January 31, 2011 - My final meal:   Seafood gumbo with whole wheat pasta.  Okra, Tomatoes, Shrimp, Crab.  Gotta love to-go gumbo from my mother. :)

January was an interesting month eating-wise.  I spent the majority detoxing from holiday cookies and Funyuns, only to discover how fun it is to stay in on a Friday night with Netflix endless movie streaming and a box of Duncan Hines yellow cake mix.    End results:   Cupcake Party Binge.  Moist, Delicious and so much more. Did I mention I had a cupcake after I finished my gumbo?  Someone send me to cupcake rehab, please.

During the month of January I baked 48 cupcakes -- 24 yellow cake, 24 Devil's Food.  That's intervention behavior, unless you bake for a living or are preparing for a birthday party.  It's also more cupcakes than I've EVER baked in my lifetime.   The reason for all the cupcakes:  no reason at all.  Not owning a microwave and not having cable is forcing me to explore my inner-cook.  I guess Spokeo is correct that one of my hobbies is "Cooking".  Creepy.

I think I got it out of my systems.    Cupcakes were shared -- at work, at a Bears-Packer football viewing shin dig and with family.  Why cupcakes?  I don't know.   Not only are they fun to eat but they are amazingly fun to bake.  No wonder there are cupcake specialty shops popping up everywhere - and cupcake Groupons monthly.  But why pay the mega bucks at a fancy bakery, when you can make two dozen at home for under $5?  Speaking of, there's a cupcake shop opening TWO BLOCKS from my apt.  Luckily it's not open yet, but opening an establishment in such close proximity of me is like dangling a stuffed toy mouse full of catnip in front of a cat.  I'm bound to cling to it and bite its' face off.

I don't want to know how many of those 48 cupcakes I devoured.  If it were all nice and sunny outside I could go for a post-cupcake stroll, but the downside of living in Chicago during January is that it means I walk less.  The cold gives me an "excuse" to take public transit, even if it's just one stop.  This eliminates my 15ish min roundtrip daily walk from my train stop to work.  The cold also makes me feel like not going outside ever, which means I'm using my gym less and just moving less, in general.

15 mins doesn't sound like a huge deal but when I multiply it by the 5 days each week I miss out it turns into 75 mins of missed walking a week, which turns into around 300 mins/month.  That means by taking the train one stop for the convenience of being let out right in front of my office, I rob myself of 5 hours of calorie-burning activity monthly.   I did the math as I rode down the elevator from my desk to my building's lobby today, and decided to walk one-way to catch my train.  The cold wasn't as harsh as I imagined, but it still wasn't as cozy as the one-stop train ride.  I think my new rule is, unless there's a blizzard a brewing, below zero temps, I'm sick or there's really bad snow or ice, I NEED to face the elements and walk myself at least one way to beef up my weekly moving activity.

Speaking of blizzards, I hear there's an blizzard headed toward Chicago tomm...does that give me a good enough excuse to take the El one stop?

January 2011 eating highlights:

Ok this wasn't all that good of a lunch choice with the fried papas fritas and catsup --
but I want to point out that I only got HALF a sandwich.
Yeah portion control!

Caesar Chicken wrap --- so yummy!

* * * * * * * * *
February goals:

EXERCISE:  250 mins/week -- Flirty Girl Fitness (I have a Groupon!!), Gym treadmill & elliptical, Slim in 6 DVD, Tuesday Balance & Flexibility Class, workday walks to and/or from my office

FOOD:  Water, water, water.   Veggies, Veggies, Veggies.  Fruit, fruit, fruit.  Protein shakes.

SLEEP:  Less late night Netflix, more early zzzzzzzzzzzs

POUNDS:  Lose 5-7.

QUOTE TO EMBRACE:  God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it into the nest. - Swedish Proverb




Off to do a Slim in 6 DVD workout...