The Plato Family Trip East

Stay tuned to the blog for posts along our journey. Here's a brief itinerary:

Monday, August 3: On the road
Tuesday, August 4: Arrive in Lee, MA
Thursday, August 6: I turn 40. I think it was on Nostradamus' list for Armageddon, so, if there is a next day, we'll still be in Lee.
Monday, August 10: Head to Reading, PA
Tuesday, August 11: Girls' Night with some old friends
Friday, August 14: Head to NJ
Saturday, August 15: AM's Perpetual Vows Ceremony and Reception; start to head west that evening
Sunday, August 16: Home again, home again, jiggedy jig
Monday, August 17.... wait, that's not vacation anymore... it will be avoided until then

What's new in the land of diet and exercise...

Well, here we are three weeks before August. Some lessons I learned:

1. Depression apparently is the enemy of healthy weight.
2. Depression meds are, apparently, part of the enemy forces.
3. Jumping in to a heavy-duty exercise program would have been OK if I wasn't working at the same time. Too much fatigue for both parents.
4. Supplements may or may not be helpful. I have to take them long enough to make a definite conclusion.

So, tomorrow, I will begin a new regimen geared more to the fact that I am almost 40 and fighting some demons that I didn't necessarily fight "back in the day."

EXERCISE: I am using the Slim in 6 program. This program starts off very basic and allows you to move up when you feel you have mastered basic moves. I am not doing the dieting part of Slim in 6, as some of its tenets were recipes for failure for me. For example, it suggests that you do a two day fast before starting the program. Yeah, that will not work. Also, they recommend a slew of supplements. Went that route before, too. I'll just be completing the exercise portion of the workout. Slim in 6 is based on the idea that, in 6 weeks, you'll be slimmer than you are now. Of course, in advertising, they show dramatic results. These are people who, undoubtedly, went whole "hog" with the diet, supplements, meal replacement drinks, etc. I will just be happy to be back in a good place with my motivation.

DIET: I will be using Complete Nutrition's Reveal program. I like the idea that the company notices that older people need different supplements and that different times of the day require different nutrients. I will also be attempting to consume their SMART smoothies. These protein smoothies are supposed to be quite good and high in good protein and (good) cholesterol.

Should be interesting since I start a week of technology training tomorrow. At least my mind will be busy. For day 1, I'll take the makings of a smoothie with me, but if that doesn't work well, I will just eat the regular lunch on Tuesday. I'm trying not to do a lot of huge sacrificing, as that has backfired on me in the past. As I eat, I am just going to try to half the portions I would normally take. That's a huge step! I will, however, try to avoid excess sugar. That was a major portion of my diet, and it was dragging me down. I won't avoid it all together, but I want to be more conscious of how much of it I am eating and drinking.

Speaking of drinking, many programs advise against diet drinks. We'll see how that goes. I do have my occasional diet beverage, so I don't think I'll have to worry too much about that. I will be a LOT more conscious of getting in my water, though.

So, that's all for now. We shall see how this goes. Both programs have gotten really good results, so I look forward to a hybrid approach.

Happy Fourth of July

Even though it was rainy, we still got in some fireworks (Towanda) and some sparklers. It was Max who really pushed us to get in the car and go see what was going on. We were sure that the shows would be postponed. We were wrong! He kept saying, "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" as he saw the fireworks while we were driving.

Happy July!

It is overcast and cool. Crazy. June was hot and humid. Yeah. Global warming.