Friend Making Mondays: The Grocery Store

I just recently started following <a href="http://alltheweigh2009.blogspot.com/">All the Weigh</a>, a weight loss blog written by a woman from NYC. I love her stories and I also love her idea regarding "Friend Making Mondays".  You simply answer the questions below and <a href="http://alltheweigh2009.blogspot.com/2011/04/friend-makin-mondays-grocery-store.html">go back to her blog</a> and post a link to your answers.... read a few of the participants blogs and comment on theirs and then hopefully you've made a few friends!  Here's my first shot at it, and it's about our habits when going to the grocery store:<br /><br />1. <b>Do you make a list when you go grocery shopping? Do you stick to it?</b>  I agree with Kenlie on this one!  I do make lists but I hardly ever stick to them.  I always buy what's on my list, sure, but then I buy more!  I especially make lists when I'm making a recipe.<br /><br />2.<b> Do you buy more groceries when you're hungry?</b>   I cannot recall going grocery shopping while hungry, so I would say no to this.<br /><br />3. <b>Coupons. Use 'em? </b> Do I use coupons?! Heck yes!  Joel calls me the "Coupon Queen".  I have 3 coupon organizers, divided into food and non-food coupons.. and categorized within each one!<br /><br />4. <b>Have you ever complained to the manager of your grocery store?</b>  I have not, but have thought about it on MORE than one occasion!<br /><br />5. <b>Do you like to buy groceries at huge chain stores like Wal-Mart and Target?</b> <b>Or do you shop exclusively at food stores?</b>  I prefer Wal-Mart/Target for grocery shopping.  The food prices there are almost always cheaper.  Though because I live in a place where my Wal-Mart is not a SuperCenter, I get what I can at Wal-Mart/Target and hit up Giant/Bloom/Safeway for the remainder. Our Target recently got a makeover and now carries some produce though - score!  <br /><br />6. <b>How much time do you spend reading labels in the grocery store?</b>  I do not spend a lot of time reading labels because I do buy a lot of the same things over and over.  The only time I read labels are when I don't know the PointsPlus value of something because I've never had it before.<br /><br />7. <b>Do you push your own grocery cart to the car and return it?</b> Yes I do and I ALWAYS return it.  I intentionally park my car very far from the store so people don't ignorantly hit it with their car doors and so a cart-return is never close by.  However, I return it because it's a way to add more steps into your day and also, most importantly, it's the right thing to do!<br /><br />8. <b>What is the one food item you always buy at the grocery store that you must have in the kitchen?</b> Milk<br /><br />9. <b>Do you enjoy grocery shopping?</b> I do when I'm back home in the Motherland and can go to the far less crowded grocery stores there.  I also enjoy it back home because I can typically go to one place and will be able to find everything I need (my hometown Walmart SC) instead of having to run to 3, seriously 3!, grocery stores until I can get everything I need.<br /><br />10. <b>How often do you shop for groceries?</b> I try to limit it to once a week but sometimes it ends up being more..

Friend Making Mondays Friend Making Mondays: The Grocery Store

I just recently started following All the Weigh, a weight loss blog written by a woman from NYC. I love her stories and I also love her idea regarding "Friend Making Mondays".  You simply answer the questions below and go back to her blog and post a …

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16th Annual Run/Walk for Hospice of St Mary's

Saturday I participated in the <a href="http://www.runforhospice.org/">5K for Hospice of St Mary's County</a>.  The forecast for the day was rain and thunderstorms, and fortunately both held off for the duration it took me to finish the race.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVdcIYp2WYAd5ttO1CM04HKNI85g4lvw_IncCy3xYNehMqQStZx6eeQFBPlSIhq2CFz3ORUJCsPVJnqVMkAPZPZeMqI3PLwHSsww2C-TUD-cG_kU9UrYfMHhEwNnbM13BaYvfhgHjWso/s1600/run_for_hospice_logo_500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVdcIYp2WYAd5ttO1CM04HKNI85g4lvw_IncCy3xYNehMqQStZx6eeQFBPlSIhq2CFz3ORUJCsPVJnqVMkAPZPZeMqI3PLwHSsww2C-TUD-cG_kU9UrYfMHhEwNnbM13BaYvfhgHjWso/s320/run_for_hospice_logo_500px.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br /><br />This race went a lot better than <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/04/1st-annual-peter-mahon-memorial-trail.html">last week's 5K</a>.  For starters, this took place all on paved streets.  I was able to jog for roughly half of the race as a result (off and on).  This was so well organized and fun and I'll definitely do it again next year.<br /><br />I'll have the weekend off for 5Ks this upcoming weekend, so I'm thinking about <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/04/bloooower.html">going back</a> to the <a href="http://www.charlescounty.org/pf/parks_rec/parks/trails.jsp">Indian Head Rail Trail</a> and riding a little further this time.  <br /><br />My next 5K is on Sunday, May 1 and it will be for the March of Dimes! If you'd like to donate please click on the link below - I'm soooo excited to participate in this 5K, as it will be the first one I've ever raised money for.<br /><br /><br /><center><script language="javascript" src="http://www.marchforbabies.org/includes/badge_2011_vert_js.asp?w=4786860&u=hilaryjp248&bt=2" type="text/javascript"></script></center>

5K 16th Annual Run/Walk for Hospice of St Mary's

Saturday I participated in the 5K for Hospice of St Mary's County.  The forecast for the day was rain and thunderstorms, and fortunately both held off for the duration it took me to finish the race.This race went a lot better than last week's 5K.  Fo…

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Bloooower

This was the first week I had tracked ALL week and <b>every </b>single thing I ate in a very looooonnggg time. I was so proud of myself for doing it after so many failed attempts. I participated in a 5K on Saturday and I was active all week long - making it to the gym everyday, adding on an extra 5 minutes to my cardio routine and even incorporating weight lifting into it all. Let's just say the scale did not reveal my hard work! I gained over 3 lbs! After all that, <u>ALL THAT</u>, and I had a gain?! This is not at all what I expected. I know you have weeks where you know you derailed big time and a gain is inevitable, but this week was not one of those weeks for me.<br /><br />I've heard and read many, many times that I should be focusing on the other achievements I had this week, such as tracking and fitness, but I am doing both of those things to achieve weight loss after all.  And when the scale does not show a loss, it's hard to see the light in those other things! <br /><br />I wish I could say I came back with a vengence for the upcoming week, but no. Even though I don't want to have this mentality, I couldn't help but think all weekend "why bother, the hardwork doesn't pay off anyhow!" and the eating pattern sure did reflect that attitude.<br /><br />Saturday I did another 5K (more on that later) and then Sunday I took an 8 mile bike ride with Joel's mom.<br /><br />The bike ride was great! I have not been on my bike in almost 5 years.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5epcHE1gMKeAa8KVXYN6v_YfdR4g06-E6boI1NnwuXa8fx8ib6KiY5hI1GOrLXHRehoMHwNyNwhOaIGtQ8oEPdOcP1XkMnpZlI1PIgwIxnFzbWghowO4ymi4YI-GBsc0bjJugeGIJsM/s1600/Me+Indian+Head.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5epcHE1gMKeAa8KVXYN6v_YfdR4g06-E6boI1NnwuXa8fx8ib6KiY5hI1GOrLXHRehoMHwNyNwhOaIGtQ8oEPdOcP1XkMnpZlI1PIgwIxnFzbWghowO4ymi4YI-GBsc0bjJugeGIJsM/s400/Me+Indian+Head.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br />Other than the issues I had with the seat not staying in position, it felt great to get out and do something other than my normal walk/jog. The trail was AWESOME - both scenic and flat - and I will definitely be going to that place again!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii383rqVkUiVAfi4iyNLOT_Oh6UIkjcwe8498yMqYikH0ehzLllecRNLXjBHfeBkLDhHUIK_Uermeol16BvJnApqZPvJrdMF2bv8NrVOYTgdL4UwXpsUts3YnKuzSn_AygxJ4XdsJI5p4/s1600/bike+weathervane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii383rqVkUiVAfi4iyNLOT_Oh6UIkjcwe8498yMqYikH0ehzLllecRNLXjBHfeBkLDhHUIK_Uermeol16BvJnApqZPvJrdMF2bv8NrVOYTgdL4UwXpsUts3YnKuzSn_AygxJ4XdsJI5p4/s400/bike+weathervane.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cute weather vane, nice bathrooms!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h_acRpHsRnOTXqcwsPMVYLdzmvOWrrYKzo7weOlP5aU3taxgXmMv5QL-tgBSfxrENbIUg8u_-ncjQW3pqPRbRVDNQStBjYd8KmlRxeFnUFEiDQCufo7ySqKSDtWGVw4SipxvjJa3JdA/s1600/laurie+indianhead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h_acRpHsRnOTXqcwsPMVYLdzmvOWrrYKzo7weOlP5aU3taxgXmMv5QL-tgBSfxrENbIUg8u_-ncjQW3pqPRbRVDNQStBjYd8KmlRxeFnUFEiDQCufo7ySqKSDtWGVw4SipxvjJa3JdA/s400/laurie+indianhead.JPG" width="398" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they did a great job with this trail</td></tr></tbody></table>

5K Gain Bloooower

This was the first week I had tracked ALL week and every single thing I ate in a very looooonnggg time. I was so proud of myself for doing it after so many failed attempts. I participated in a 5K on Saturday and I was active all week long - making …

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