Descending into eating disorders...

I understand now how easy it is to fall unsuspectingly into an eating disorder. So I mentioned that I lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks? It was so easy for me. I simply cut my calories down to 1500 a day, and what with all the exercising I do, the weight just dropped off. So now I fit into clothes I wore in college again, and in fact weigh less than I have since I started college. But yet I still manage to look at myself and think that I need to lose more weight. I look down at my thighs and see these big fat sausages. I want more definition in my arms, I want a six-pack... I've stopped counting what I'm eating on the weekends though because I really don't think it's healthy for me to lose more weight, but it's so hard to actually look at myself and be satisified with what I see. Why is it that I can be so happy with everything else in my life - my wonderful husband, great job, incredible family - and yet I still feel like I need to be thinner?

Rants and Raves #1

I try and bike from work to home two evenings a week, and then from home to work the following two mornings. Great workout, 8 mile bike ride that takes me about the same time door to door as driving, so it's a really good way to get some exercise in. I havent managed to do it quite as consistently as I wanted to 'cause other stuff often gets in the way after work, but I have managed to bike almost 400 miles since April. I've also found that biking really helps with my hockey stamina too!

My ranting and raving comes from the general lack of respect and courtesy that I get from so many pedestrians. (And yes, I definitely know that it goes the other way too - I've encountered plenty of rude bikers when I've been walking, or driving for that matter). It really chaps my hide, though, when someone is walking towards me when I'm on my bike, looking right at me, and forces me to slow down or go off the path to get around them, rather than taking one simple step to the side (less dangerous for them to go off the path than me, that's for sure.) And let's not even go into pedestrians who insist on walking three abreast and pay absolutely no attention to my bike bell dinging like crazy and me yelling "on your left. On your LEFT!!!". If everyone would just pay attention and treat others as they would like to be treated, the whole experience would be so much more pleasant. (Yeah, like the rest of life!)

So, here are my rules of the road, for pedestrians, bikers and motorists:

Pedestrians:
1. Walk on the right of the path / sidewalk, not on the left.
2. Don't have your headphones on with your radio so loud you can't hear a bike bell or someone yelling at you.
3. If you're walking with a friend, be mindful of people wanting to pass you, and move out of their way (to the right)
4. Look where you're going
5. If you see a cyclist or rollerblader coming towards you, and there's someone else they'd like to pass, step off the path so that they can get by.

Cyclists:
1. Bike on the right, pass on the left
2. Give other people warning when you're going to pass them - either a bike bell, or yelling "on your left", or both
3. If you're riding in a pack, be mindful of people (cars) wanting to pass you, and move out of their way
4. Follow the traffic signals

Motorists:
1. Don't pull right in front of a cyclist and turn or pull into a parking spot, cutting them off
2. When you've pulled over to park, check your mirror before opening your door!
3. When you're stopped at a stop light, don't pull all the way over to the curb so that a cyclist can't get by you

That pretty much covers all my pet peeves. Must go work on my thesis. Any others I missed?

Queen of procrastination

This is my first blog entry, after having read others for a few months. I've mostly been reading weight loss / fitness blogs, starting with Alicia's which I got into after dropping 12 pounds in two weeks and starting to feel some of the symptoms of semi-starvation (insomnia being the major one for me). This is probably going to end up being more rambles (hence the blog title) than anything else although my major hobbies right now are all fitness related so I'll talk a lot about that.

A little about me: My name is Nicola, I just finished my PhD in biology and started a totally kick-ass job at a biotechnology company. I absolutely love my job. Of course, if you don't love your job after 6 days, you might have a problem! Anyway, as far as fitness goes, I play ice hockey, volleyball, golf, bike and lift weights. At the moment I really *should* be working on revising my thesis, which is due on September 7th, but am I? NO! I don't want to!!!! So instead I'm writing emails, and starting on a blog. So to the voices in my head telling me that the revisions will be much less painful if I don't leave them until the last minute, I say "ha! I can outlast you for at least a few more days!".

Why is it that the hardest part of any project is getting started? Why is it that I *know* that, and yet still can't convince myself to do it? I had the same problem actually writing the damn thesis, although it wasn't quite this bad. It's funny - I have so much willpower that I can apply to what I eat and to exercising, (perhaps because I enjoy the feelings of control I get from that), and yet none to apply to this task. Maybe we each have a finite supply of willpower - if you apply it in one area of your life, that leaves other areas lacking. Food for thought.

Anyway (one of my favorite words, as you'll quickly see), if I'm not going to work on my thesis I should at least go to bed. TTFN.