a hurricane of yuck

I've started walking again, beyond just the walking everywhere now that we're back in town. My weight loss is stalled so I need to kick it back into high gear. I also decided tonight that I would start doing ab crunches again and was surprised that I was able to do two sets of 25 reps. Not too shabby considering it's been months since I even attempted any ab exercises! My walk yesterday was from the office up to the schools and then home. Tonight we walked all the way across campus and back, which took about 45 minutes. I think if I can get back in the habit of walking at least 30-60 minutes a day, add in three or four days of doing ab crunches, and then maybe throw in some other aerobic exercise I'll be well on my way.

I've started reading Gender Outlaw by Kate Bornstein (thanks sk_brainstorm  for loaning it to me!) and so far it's a very easy and interesting read. I like her point of view regarding gender fluidity and breaking the gender rules. There are little things here and there that bug me, but nothing major, and I'll probably go into those a little more once I've had a chance to finish the book.

Tomorrow is the employee picnic at work. Free lunch! Woohoo! And it won't be ramen or grilled cheese or corn meal mush. I have mixed feelings about being able to spend $30 on a week of groceries for two people. The revelation in this is just how much the free market attitude has dire consequences on our nation's health. I'm not unconvinced that our nation's obesity problem doesn't stem at least in large part from speculation on commodities. Sure it's easy for poor people or even lower middle class people to scrape by and live on the cheap, but don't expect people living on the cheap to eat healthy. It just isn't possible. The cheap stuff is all processed foods that can be mass produced and come in conveniently stackable packaging that facilitates bulk shipment of vast quantities of product. The healthy stuff (which doesn't really come from local farms but gets shipped from all over the country and world) isn't as convenient to ship. Fuel goes up in price, bringing food with it, leaving those scraping by to eat whatever fits within the stretched food budget. This means pastas and noodles and sandwiches are the menu: in other words, lots of empty, processed, refined carbohydrates with little in the way of lean protein or healthy fats to accompany them.

Here's another quick update while I wait for files to upload.

• In the past week I lost another eight pounds and have tightened my belt another notch. Three more notches to go before I have to buy a new belt! ^_^
• The new diet is working out well, if only a bit confusing. Some of the materials the dietitian gave me seem to contradict each other and what we discussed.
• The morning walk is also working out well. I still enjoy it! :)
• Our portions are A LOT smaller now so we're saving money on groceries. That's always a big plus.