Week 1 Goals Accomplished!

So last week my goal was to lose 2 lbs & get to the gym 2 or 3 times. I accomplished both goals, so I'm proud of myself. After all the junk I ate yesterday, I'm proud that I didn't gain 5 lbs between Sunday & Monday :)

Weight: 153.0
Breakfast/Lunch: 1 cup of Fiber One raisin bran & 1/2 cup of skim (2), coffee with skim & splenda (0)
Total: 2 out of 21

I won't be getting to the gym today - I didn't go into work because I had a stomach ache this morning. I feel better now - not very hungry - I'm guessing my stomach is still full of greasy Chinese & Mexican food. BARF.

Will update my menu as the day progresses...

Sunday Funday

So yesterday I didn't post my food menu but it wasn't very WW friendly. Yesterday was our 5 year anniversary from when we first started dating. So we hit up our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch. I used the 28 or so flex points I had, on top of my 21 points for the day, and basically went to town on the following: tortilla chips, queso dip, 2 Bud Lights, Taco Salad (minus the shell) & Mexican rice. It was delicious but probably 25-30 points in itself. I don't even know how to count up those points so we'll estimate it was about 30?

We then spent ALL day building the new living room furniture set we purchased. It looks awesome but it was a long day. Thankfully I did not snack but I did have 2 glasses of Champagne that D bought for me, along with roses for our anniversary. Awww :)

Dinner was not so good - Chinese food. This was D's idea...I had a blast eating it but I knew I shouldn't be. It was so wrong but it felt so right. LOL. I ordered Orange flavored Shrimp & D had Kung Pao chicken. I ate my shrimp with a spring roll, lots of white rice & 2 Crab Ragoons. I want to say that was probably 40, 50, 60 points, who knows?? I also washed it down with 2.5 glasses of red wine. So basically yesterday was a free for all.

Sunday's weight: 152.2

Today starts a new day & I will post my menu so far separately.

booooo

So last night, D & I relaxed on the couch, caught up on some tivo & drank wine. I indulged in 3 glasses of wine and then cut myself off. I dipped into about 5 flex points, which I don't normally use during the week. And what do I get? I woke up with a terrible headache & weigh-in of 154.0. YUCK. I don't know if that has anything to do with the wine or maybe I'm retaining water, who knows. I'm not going to let it frustrate me because I know I shouldn't weigh myself every day but it's a bummer.

Anyway, onward & upward! D and I have a ton of errands to run today. I'm hosting a bridal shower for D's sister at my house next weekend. My Dad comes this week to help us install some new light fixtures & other things so we need to go to Home Depot, Lowes to get everything ready.

Weight: 154.0 :(
Breakfast: 2 cups of Fiber One raisin bran & 1 cup of skim (4), Venti iced coffee with skim & splenda from Starbucks (1)
Lunch: Chic-Fil-a chargrilled chicken salad (3.5), FF honey mustard dressing (2), 2 french fries (1?)
Dinner: Fat free refried beans (1), cheese sauce (1), fat free sour cream (1), 2 glasses of Pinot Noir (5)
Total: 19.5 out of 21

Fabulous Friday!

Today has been an extremely long day at work...I'm tired & the last thing I want to do is stare at this screen but I want to track what I've eaten.

Weight: 153
Breakfast: WW bagel (2), WW cream cheese (1.5)
Lunch: Arnolds sandwich thin (1), turkey (1), American cheese (.5), light mayo (.5)
Snacks: 100 calorie cupcake pack (1), 1/2 Special K chocolatey pretzel bar (1), 1 cup of light peaches (1), cool whip (.5), 20 Light Lays Chips (1), bowl of Fiber One Raisin Bran with 1/2 cup skim (2)
Exercise: 60 minute spin class (-3 or -4?)
Dinner: Smart Ones Fettucine Alfredo (4), Glass of Pinot Noir (2)
Desert: 1 piece of sugar free angel food cake (1), FF cool whip (1), 2 more glasses of Pinot Noir (5)
Point total so far: 23

Flex Points left: 31 out of 35

Sidenote: I bought two boxes of Fiber one cereal & the points (including skim milk) are crazy good! One cup of wannabe Cinnamon Toast Crunch + skim milk = 3 points. One cup of wannabe Raisin Bran + skim milk = 2 points. So far I've only tried the raisin bran but I was happily surprised by the amount of food & the taste! Yum!!

I hope everyone has a great Friday, I will try to post this weekend.

400th Post

It's hard to believe that I've been blogging on & off since 2006. It's harder to believe that I've written 400 blog posts - all about my struggles & successes losing weight. You would think by post 400 that I would have it all figured out. But I don't & I'm still learning things about myself. I'm learning that I can really push myself when I am motivated. I'm also learning that I can really talk myself out of exercise or into eating/drinking something bad if I really want to. That's one thing I'm working on - my inner voice.

Today has been great in terms of diet & exercise. I got to the gym for a 45 minute spin/strength class. We cycled for 35 minutes & did arms & abs for 10 minutes. It was tough. I have been off the spin bike since July & that is surprisingly long enough to become out of shape. I held my own though & tried to look like my lungs weren't about to explode out of my chest. It was a great workout & my coworker wants to go to the 60 minute spin class tomorrow. I can do this.

Weight: 152.2 (yay! The scale really moved!)
Breakfast: Quaker Oats Lower Sugar Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal (2), large iced coffee with skim & splenda from Dunkin Donuts (1)
Snack: Special K chocolatey pretzel bar (2)
Lunch: Fat free spicy refried beans (2), cheese sauce (1) & fat free sour cream (1) - sounds gross but to me it's like a tortilla-free bean burrito
Snack: 1/2 WW bagel (1) & 1 tbsp of WW cream cheese
Dinner: Smart Ones Fettucine Alfredo (4)
Desert: Weight Watchers chocolate chip ice cream cup (2), Sugar Free Angel food cake (2), Fat free cool whip (2)
Exercise: 45 minute spin & sculpt class (-2?)
Total: 19 out of 21

Hump Day!

Today is day 3 of Weight Watchers & so far, so good! So far I'm down 1 lb but I will take it. My goal is to lose 2 lbs a week & if I can lose another lb by Monday I will be a happy camper. Baby steps.

I made it to the gym, which I'm really proud of. I met the goal I set Monday of getting to the gym at least 2-3 times a week. Yay! I'm going to a strength & spin class tomorrow morning with my coworker. Work was crazy but I managed to get away for about 45 minutes. I'm lucky to have a free gym at work, which I need to take advantage of more. They offer spin class, step class, Zumba, all sorts of fun classes that the offer all day long.

Weight: 154.4
Breakfast: Egg white omelet with veggies & 1 slice of American cheese (4), iced coffee with a splash of skim & splenda (0) - omelette was made with no butter, the cook uses Pam...I'm also very lucky to have a really affordable cafeteria at work as well that makes healthy, yummy food!
Lunch: I was in and out of meetings all day & didn't get a chance to eat before my 3pm gym "meeting"...that's bad, I know. I was starving & never made it back to my desk to grab a healthy snack.
After Work Snack: Arnolds sandwich thin (1), slice of Turkey (.5), slice of American cheese (1), 1tbs of light mayo (.5)
Dinner: Turkey taco salad: lettuce (0), 97/3 turkey meat (4), cheese sauce (2), light sour cream (1) - we didn't have any other toppings but it tasted great!
Desert: 100 calorie Hostess chocolate cupcakes (1)
Exercise: 30 minutes on the elliptical - burned 275 calories (-2)
Total: 13 out of 21

I did a lot of organizing & cleaning after work as well. All in all a productive day but I should have eaten more...lesson learned!

Snoozeday!

Happy Tuesday! Or Snoozeday as I like to call it. So last night's menu did include wine but in my defense, I had points left over & used 2.5 flex points. It's not the end of the world & I wasn't going to let delicious vino go to waste! I have one glass of Pinot Grigio left in the house, may or may not drink that or may save it for the weekend. We're going out of town this weekend for a wedding. I'm going to try to stay on-point as much as possible but will try to save my flex points just in case. Anyway, on to today's progress report...

Weight: 154.8 (did I mention I'm on my period? That counts, right?)
Breakfast: Quaker Oats Lower Sugar Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal (2), Oikos Plain FF Greek Yogurt (2), Coffee with splenda & a dash of skim milk (0)
Lunch: Michelina's Lean Gourtmet Lasagna (5)
Snack: Special K Chocolatey Pretzel bar (2) - sidenote: these are amazing, sooo good for 2 points - salty & sweet
Workout: 40 mins on the elliptical (burned 390 calories) (-3?)
After work snack: handful or 2 of popcorn (1), boca burger (1), Arnold's sandwich thin (1), 1 slice of American cheese & light mayo/ketchup (1), 2 cupcakes from 100 calorie pack (.5), 1/2 glass of Pinot Grigio (1)
Dinner: Lean Cuisine Fettucine Alfredo (4)
Desert: Smart Ones Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sundae (3) & Defcap hot tea
Total: 20.5 points out of 21

Starting Over...Again

Ok - let's get real. I've gained a solid 15 pounds over the past year & a half. This is crazy to me, considering I'm only 5'2 & that is a lot of weight for my frame. Oddly enough, I can still fit in most of my clothes. Then again, most of my clothes are stretchy dresses & outfits that incorporate leggings in some way or another. I even own a pair of jeggings. Jeggings are jean leggings. And I wear them often. With all of the stretch & material in my clothing, I have comfortably & knowingly put on these pounds.

So starting today (and I know I've said this before), I'm on weight watchers & I'm going to be honest with myself about what I'm actually consuming. No more handfuls of chips, bites of ice cream, or bites of whatever delicious food my husband is eating. I need to get back on track before it gets too far. Before I am resorting to filling out an application for The Biggest Loser because it's gotten too out of hand. And also, because my husband & I are trying to have a baby. When that happens (lord willing), I do not want to be overweight.

Goal: drop 20 lbs by Chrismas
Plan: Weight Watchers, exercise (3-4 times a week - at least 30 minutes of cardio with strength training at least 2x/week)& less alcohol

Alcohol
Now this may be my Achille's heel. I actually don't think I eat a lot of food, I'm not a binge eater by any means. At the end of the day, I don't dive into a gallon of ice cream, I'd rather have a glass or 2 of wine. But one or two can lead to three & this can be 200-500 extra calories a day. Slowly adding up to the weight I am now.

So how much do I weigh? 155.4 lbs according to my scale this morning. I must say, I think that is from some of the junk I ate over the weekend and I wouldn't be surprised if the scale is down 2-3 lbs tomorrow. I have been averaging at about 149-151 lbs for the past 9 months.

So here is my food journal for the day...I will keep updating as the day goes on or tonight when I get home from work. I really want to be accountable so any bite, lick, taste or sip I take, I will record it here. Even if I reaaaally don't want to.

9.27.10
Weight: 155.4
Breakfast: Special K with skim milk (4), iced coffee with splenda & a splash of skim milk (0)
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Cheese Raviolis (4)
Mid afternoon Snack: Special K Chocolaty Pretzel bar (2)
After work snack: Cup of cauliflower & cheese (0), Sugar-Free Jello (0), Smart Pop Popcorn (3), 1 100-calorie cupcake out of 3 pack (.5)
Dinner: Turkey burger (4.5), Arnolds flat bread (1), low fat mayo & ketchup (1), 1 slice of American cheese (1)
Workout: 35 Minutes Elliptical (burned 368 calories) (-3)
Wine: 1.5 glasses of Pinot Noir (3.5), 1 glass of Pinot Grigio (2)
Total: 23

Which means I used 2 flex points...considering I get 21 points a day. Not that bad but could have done without the wine. However, it's Monday & after a long day, I think that's not "thattttt bad". :)

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!

healthy eating is boring!

I've been eating very healthy for the past 3 weeks & I'm down 5 lbs. I'm happy with it but I'm still not at a happy weight. I want to lose 9 lbs this month & I have a goal in mind. I have two weddings to go to in the next 5 weeks. One is a friend from high school & another was my college roommate. So within 2 weeks I will be seeing a lot of people I haven't seen in a while.

I think Couch to 5k is in order....I've done it in the past & it's easy & a great way to exercise. Couch to 5k

picture post

today i made my first green monster and it was delicious!!! love.

i am also loving this: 2-3pts a serving. SO good.


weight: 146
exercise: amazing. i've done spin class 5x this week and the elliptical or treadmill 3x. and it's friday. i'm on a roll :)

145.0

That is all.

149.4? i guess so

did 40 mins on the elliptical & weights today. we'll see what tmw brings.

148.8

my weight after the weekend. i'll take it, hopefully it will be down tomorrow. i hit the gym for 60 mins on the elliptical today & i'm doing cardio & weights tmw :)

148.2

that's my weight today. i'll take it. 22 days until my girls beach trip. exercise today - probably elliptical @ the gym and a run outside. :)

i.am.fat.

i've avoided this blog the same way i've avoided the scale. i lost major LBs for the wedding (down to 138) and since...well i've quickly found them. actually, i've found 11 of them. 149.8 lbs is what i weighed in at today. but that's not the whole truth. i was 154.6 about 3 weeks ago & thanks to lots of exercise and little to no carbs, i am "down" to 149.8. how did i gain almost 13lbs in 4 months you ask? well...stress at work = over snacking, over eating, lack of motivation to exercise. add on to that new puppy, buying a house (so stressful) and winter blues. excuses are like assholes, i know. but those are my excuses and that's what led me to pretty much throw my diet out the window, eat whatever i wanted & forget that i needed to go to the gym to maintain my weight.

now that the dust has settled, we're moved in, the puppy is into more of a routine and work has settled a little bit...i'm ready to focus on my health.

one big reason is that i'd like to get pregnant in the next year or two & i want to be in better shape when that happens.

i don't want to get discouraged that i've only lost 5 lbs in 3 weeks. i know it's good but i just can't believe i'm this weight. i'm 5'2 and i am most comfortable around 130-135lbs. and that just feels so far way.

so...i'm trying. and that's all i can do. my coworker and i have hit the gym every work day for the past few weeks and that includes lunch time spin classes, which i love.

there's only one way to go from here...down.

MARRIED!!

we got married 11.7.09 - it was AMAZING, such a perfect day.

all you need is love... :)

i love spin class and...

BOOT CAMP! i love it. i do it once a week and it's such an amazing workout. its 60 mins long and the guy who teaches it always switches up what we do. he's kind of a jerk...he does tend to yell some of the class but it's motivational somehow. you always feel like he's going to call you out any second. but i do love it. it went from being so painful and hard...to being manageable now. same goes for spin class. the first class i didn't think i would ever do it again but i stuck with it and i LOVE it.

i'm "down" to 139...so that is amazing....i packed on a little over 10 lbs this past year and i'm glad to see it gone....i wasn't happy even saying that number (149) outloud. i'm also down 5% body fat, which is great too :) i feel strong, which i like best.

here are the rest of my may workouts & part of june:
5.14 - 45 spin class
5.15 - 60 min body pump
5.16 - 60 min yoga
5.18 - 50 min elliptical, 10 min treadmill walk, 60 min step interval
5.19 - 60 min boot camp
5.21 - 65 min treadmill walk, 45 min spin class
5.22 - 20 min abs/butt class, 60 min body pump
5.23 - 45 min spin class, 60 min yoga
5.26 - 30 min treadmill, 20 min elliptical, 60 min boot camp
5.27 - 35 min treadmill, 27 min elliptical

june...
6.1 - 35 min treadmill hills, 15 min elliptical
6.2 - 60 min boot camp
6.5 - 60 min body pump
6.6 - 45 min spinning, 60 min yoga

alright time to grill out....ta ta for now!

riding the wave

hi everyone!

still happily in the zone. i had a first this week...i went to a cardio class by myself. and what a class it was. i did BOOT CAMP on tuesday. it was sooooo hard. it made spinning and every other "hard" class i've been doing seem like a piece of cupcake! omg, so hard every muscle in my body hurts (esp my butt & thighs). we did weights, sprints, a lot of ab work & squats. AHHH! it hurts so bad. did manage to get to the gym today but i just walked on the treadmill...it was not fun.

tomorrow i may join my sister for spin class at 5:30am. INSANE.

workouts since we last spoke...
5.5 - 65 min treadmill hills
5.6 - 65 min elliptical, 60 min zumba
5.7 - 70 min elliptical, 60 min body pump
5.11 - 65 min treadmill walk
5.12 - 70 min elliptical, 60 min boot camp, 16 min walk
5.13 - 35 treadmill walk

down 2 more lbs :) wedding dress here i come!!

rainy day won't get me down

hi everyone!

i had a great weekend, my mom & grandma came up to visit and we bought my wedding dress! it is absolutely gorgeous. it fit like a glove and was so flattering (thanks to built in bra/corset thing)...i would feel comfortable wearing it today! but i hope to lose another 15 lbs before then (i'm getting married at the beginning of november).

this past week i've lost 5 lbs!!!! i can't believe it, the past few weeks i've lost 1 pound here, 1 pound there, but 5! and the number has stuck around so that is great. it motivates me to keep going. i definitely think it has to do with adding a second workout to my day (zumba, spinning, body pump) last week:

4.27 - 35 min elliptical, 10 min treadmill walk
4.28 - 68 min elliptical, 20 min treadmill, 60 min zumba class
4.29 - 38 min treadmill hills, 65 min elliptical, arm weights, 55 min spinning
4.30 - 60 min body pump, 12 min elliptical
5.1 - 45 min spinning
5.3 - 50 min treadmill hills, 20 min elliptical
5.4 - 65 min elliptical

this past friday my sister and i woke up at 6am to go to a spinning class and it was awesome. what a great way to start the day. i don't know if i could do it every day but once or twice a week could definitely work.

i hit the elliptical for 65 mins today and i'm going to a 60 minute step class tonight with my sister. OH! did i mention i'm in a wedding this weekend? well i am and that is motivating me to kick it into high gear this week so it looks nice on me.

alright....off to the gym on this rainy monday! have a nice evening.

spin

i went to my first spin class tonight and LOVED it. except i didn't have a cushion for my seat and by the end my butt was killing me. does anyone know where to get a good one? i saw some at dicks, but i want to shop around.

i'm still here!!

hi everyone!! not sure if anyone is still following my blog. i definitely fell off the wagon but i've been back on for the last month. but i'm in "fit into my wedding dress" mode now and i feel great!!

april workout log
4.7 - 30 min elliptical, 5 min rowing machine, 5 min abs
4.8 - 25 min elliptical, 2 min treadmill
4.9 - 30 min tennis
4.10 - 25 min elliptical, 20 min treadmill hills
4.13 - 32 min treadmill walk
4.14 - 34 min run/walk
4.15 - 20 min weights, 30 min elliptical
4.16 - 45 min treadmill hills
4.20 - 45 min elliptical
4.21 - 65 min treadmill (26 min interval run)
4.22 - 35 min elliptical hills, 10 min treadmill interval run, 23 mins weights
4.23 - 45 min elliptical
4.27 - 35 min elliptical, 10 min treadmill walk
4.28 - 68 min elliptical, 20 min treadmill, 60 min zumba class after work
4.29 - 103 mins: 38 min treadmill hills, 65 min elliptical, arm weights

good, huh? i haven't been posting because work has been crazy and frankly i just haven't felt like i have much to say. i'm in a wedding next friday and i've really upped my workouts this week (twice a day the last two days) and added in fitness classes to my routine. hopefully i can drop some LBS...my sister and i are doing zumba or spin class tonight, depending on when she gets home.

just wanted to check in...is anyone still out there??

still here...

hey ladies (and gentleman if there are any reading this)! i'm still here...wedding planning, my birthday, D's birthday, vday and our upcoming trip to europe have kept me busy and honestly i haven't really been in the blogging mood! maybe it's the cold, windy weather? i don't know.

BUT i am down 3 lbs from last monday, which is good. almost back to my comfort weight. i had a run in with the stomach flu last week but i've been doing well with low carb eating so i really think that's what it is. i'm not counting points but of course i do it in the back of my mind anyway. i haven't been getting in all my points during the work week. work has been beyond busy. my boss was fired and i've been stuck making up for his work, attending his meetings and just really not having time to munch like i used to. so i eat breakfast, lunch, i get home later than normal, eat a light dinner and that's it.

i got to the gym 3x last week and this week my goal is 3 or 4 times. i'm going to do yoga tonight (dvd). i hope everyone is doing well!! i miss blogging and i'm going to try to get back into it.

wedding planning is going well, we have a venue and picked a bakery. we're doing cupcakes instead of a cake. it's going to be so cute, i can't wait.

alright...off to do some yoga, miss you ladies!

the plan so far

so i bought jillian michael's book and i've been following her diet plan since monday. she has three seperate food lists for slow, balance & fast oxidizers (depending on a quiz you take). apparently i'm a slow oxidizer so i need a certain percentage of carbs, protein, fat at every meal.

the menu is very similar to phase 3 of south beach diet. limited breads and dairy, lots of lean protein, veggies, fruit, no soda, no alcohol, lots of water. i've done well so far, down 3 lbs so far, and feeling good. one thing i like is she tells you to track your calories with these foods, so i've been doing jillian michaels/weight watchers. i like it, it just feels like i'm making healthier choices. eating almonds, string cheese and strawberries as snacks instead of 100 calorie packs and carby things. i also have aunt flow in town this week...and it's been hard with sugar cravings but i've tried to enjoy the sugar free jello & sugar free fudgesicles. hasn't been easy but what is?

i did the wii fit monday & today and hit the gym today for 35 minutes on the elliptical. i watched oprah yesterday and she said you need to also work out at the speed where you can talk but you don't want to. i tried to do that today and realized i haven't been pushing myself nearly as hard as i can. not a surprise but something to think of.

well that's about it, hope everyones new years resolutions are going well! :)

happy new year!

this is going to be an exciting year for me...a wedding to plan, new goals to meet!

i'm very excited for all of it. i hope you had a wonderful vacation! diet starts in 3 days! :-0

ending the year right

got in 50 minutes of cardio on the treadmill (run/walk intervals) today and it felt great :)

happy new year everyone :)

i went to the gym!

and it felt great. needless to say it's been a while. i'm starting my diet on monday - 1/5 but i plan on staying as much on track as i can until then, to do damage control from last week/weekend. i only gained 2 lbs but on top of the lbs i've gained before that it's not a number i like at all. maybe i'll tell you the number when i get back to my comfort zone.

so the engagement story...we planned a trip to new york for the night and after we got there i went up to the room to change and D, my sister and my sisters boyfriend went down to the hotel bar to grab a drink. i put on this really cute outfit that i had planned out and we were gonna go to central park. well i came downstairs and D and my sisters bf (B) said they had to go back up to the room. i didnt really think much of it but i had a sneaking suspicion something was going on. so we walked to central park and there was a really long line for the horse-drawn carriages. little did i know my sister slipped one of the drivers/rides $100 and they let us hop right in. we went around the park and we hopped out to see the bridge where they shot elf. then i hopped back in really fast. (i think D was going to do it there)....we got back in the carriage and went down a ways and D asked if i wanted to go see a bridge that the driver was telling us about. so we went and i was like "well we better get back" and he said "kelly" and i turned around and he was on his knee! it was so cute and perfect and i cried like a baby. but it was unforgettable and so much fun :)

my ring:



(i can't figure out how to take the picture without it being blurry. if you have an idea let me know!)

it's so gorgeous, i can't stop staring at it :)

so there it is and here i am, on my way to being in hardcore diet mode. i'm actually really excited and wanted to try body for life or PX90...has anyone done these? i just want to do it to jumpstart the weight loss and build muscle :)

alright off to make dinner.

ENGAGED!

i'm engaged!!!!! it happened last night! more details later but this definitely puts me into a different frame of mind for my diet...i'm ready to finally do it and now i have a deadline. so happy and excited :)

but for now...still celebrating :)

first of the month & back on track

back on track! needless to say i pigged out over the thanksgiving holiday but i've done great today and i'm sure the extra LBs will be gone soon.

my plan for december: gym every work day (mon-fri) and at least 20 minutes of cardio on the weekends...so far so good. day one: DONE!

have you all seen twilight? it's good but the books are so much better, highly recommended.

alright off to watch the hills...

time to track

hey guys - been slacking a little lately but i'm back on track. i'm picking up a small notebook today and i'm going to start tracking everything i eat for the month of november and see if that works. esp with the holidays.

not much else....work is SO busy, it's insane but i guess it's good. i was asked to be a bridesmaid in my best friends wedding in may so i will definitely have an incentive to drop some LBs and get in shape. :)

apple pie ice cream is back in stores! my favorite! only 140 calories a serving and soooo yummy!!

iLove my new iTouch

D got this for me for our anniversary...and i'm OBSESSED. it is so f-ing cool.



if you need a new iPod - i definitely recommend these, internet, email, IM, games galore and oh yea it organizes music in a really cool way...so much fun!

i suck at blogging

i am not a good blogger lately. i attribute this mostly to work being SUPER busy and secondly to not wanting to go near my computer when i get off work.

but i've been doing well. last weekend was D & i's 3 year anniversary :) we went out to a really nice (and fattening) dinner downtown. it was wonderful and i dont care how many calories it was. sunday i ate some bar food while watching football and drank some beers. but the scale isn't up too far....so i'm not worried.

got to the gym 4x last week! my goal this week is 5x and i've gotten there twice already :) yipeee!

my best friend from high school just got engaged so i will be a bridesmaid in her wedding in may! its definitely motivation to drop these LBs and tone up my arms.

alright...off to get the food ready. i'm making lean turkey meatloaf that i found on the food network site. if it's good i'll let you know!!

recipe: buffalo chicken wraps

this is what i made for dinner last night...so yummy!! spicy & delicious.

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce, such as Frank's RedHot
3 tablespoons white vinegar, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound chicken tenders
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup sliced celery
1 large tomato, diced

1. Whisk hot pepper sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken tenders; cook until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add to the bowl with the hot sauce; toss to coat well.
3. Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, pepper and the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl. Stir in blue cheese.
4. To assemble wraps: Lay a tortilla on a work surface or plate. Spread with 1 tablespoon blue cheese sauce and top with one-fourth of the chicken, lettuce, celery and tomato. Drizzle with some of the hot sauce remaining in the bowl and roll into a wrap sandwich. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 275 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 55 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrate; 24 g protein; 4 g fiber; 756 mg sodium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (35% daily value), Selenium (28% dv), Vitamin C (20% dv).
2 Carbohydrate Servings

quick monday post

hi everyone! did you have a nice weekend? mine was very relaxing...it was great.

got to the gym today and did 35 min on the elliptical and 15 min treadmill hills. not bad for a monday! off to read "eclipse" - i am loving this twilight series! can't wait for the movie to come out.

have a great night :)

gym day!

quick post - down -1LB from yesterday, so lower than my weighin last week... :) got to the gym today and did 35 mins on the elliptical and 40 min incline fast walk on the treadmill. feels good to be in the zone! :)

i'm baaaackkkk

i'm baaack! i haven't fallen off the diet wagon so thats good, i was on vacation from thurs-mon. we went to arizona! it was nice, very hot though. i don't think i could ever live there...i'd melt. ha! but surprisingly i'm only up 0.6+ lbs from thursday. not too bad but not entirely due to willpower. i came down with a nasty cold on the way there (like mid-airplane ride, gross!) and just didnt have much of an appetite. when i did eat, i would not finish my entire meal. you know how those colds are, when you have a lot of drainage from your nose/throat to your stomach. its gross, but you know what i mean. i felt icky and full for most of the trip. but it did kind of go along with what i've been doing lately. i am trying to eat just enough to be full, not stuffed. so far so good.

i was bad at exercising last week but we did a LOT of walking and we hiked a bit so i'll take it. i got to the gym today for 40 mins on the treadmill and i plan to go at least 2 more times this week. i have a show to go to after work thursday so i dont know if i will be hitting the gym during the day. even if i shower and fix my hair, its still kind of flat and i feel sweaty still. i dont want to feel that way since i'll be downtown all night, ya know? excuses excuses...but this one is a good excuse at least!!

alright...hope everyone is doing well. my goal for this week: exercise at least 3 times. what is your goal?

gym mojo

helloooo. i have been a bad blogger lately. everyday i think about blogging but it just doesn't happen. i've also been a bad gymgirl this week too but i made up for that today! here is what i did so far:
25 min elliptical
45 min treadmill (fast walk)
5 min bike
15 min walk outside

PHEW! 90 minutes of cardio so far. and i'm running errands after work too. i already feel my gym mojo coming back. it was gone last week but now i'm back on track. clothes fitting good, scale is decent, i'll take it.

alright back to work. just wanted to check in. going to get to the gym for 45 mins of cardio thursday & friday. i blew the challenge already but next week i am starting a new challenge - getting to the gym 4x. thursday night i leave for a mini vacation out to arizona so i just want to be prepared. alright...toodles :)

a quickie

hi everyone...lots to do but just wanted to give you some quickies

- going to a wedding this weekend
- found a REALLY cute dress for the wedding...a cheaper version of an herve leger dress




looks more like the one on the right. it's by a designer named adrianna papell - it's black, slinky, hugs the right places and very flattering. i've been searching for it in my size all week and i FINALLY found it at nordstrom
- still staying steady at 137...i'll take it
- haven't been to the gym all week, i'm dying to get down there but work was too busy and i had afterwork plans each day
- excuses, excuses, i know. getting to the gym next week
- going into hardcore diet mode starting monday...i'm trying to lose 3 or 4 lbs in 2 weeks.
- i will get to the gym 5x next week, lets do a challenge...anyone? carolyn?

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! :) i'll try to take some pics of the dress, it's so pretty i'm so excited to wear it :)

i'm still here

hi all! i am still here...had some PMS last week and only made it to the gym once. but i did do 60 mins of cardio that day. either way, i've been back on track since yesterday and the scale is being kind to me. only up 2 lbs which will hopefully be gone by friday.

i've been reading those new vampire books. i'm on the first one, called "twilight" - it sounds weird but its actually REALLY good. i recommend it.

watching all the premieres this week...one tree hill was extra cheesy. i loved it. 90210: not sure how i feel about it. one of the girls is playing a teenager and looks to be in her 30s. lol. i guess its just hard comparing it to the original 90210 which i LOVEDDD. what else...the hills...it gets more fake each episode i think but i still like it.

went for a 30 min walk today so at least i did that. back to the gym tmw. work has just been REALLY crazy. but i need to get back in there.

alright....off to relax! :)

checking in

doing good - didnt get to the gym today but about to go for a 30 min walk with my sister. food is good and exercise is good. just another week :)

toodles!

exercise

did a 30 min run & 30 min walk today on the treadmill. alternated every 10 mins and it felt great. very sweaty but great. i did this at 10am and had to go back to work so my hairline was a little sweaty even though i showered. but well worth it i think because i felt great the rest of the day! :) just thought i'd share...

monday...already?

well my weekend was fun. traveling down 95 though, no so much fun. all the beach traffic, it's ridiculous. it turns a 1.5 hour trip into a 3 hour trip. BLAH! but i did pretty good with eating. i splurged a little on my mom's stromboli (like a pizza rolled up) and guacamole (lots of cheese & sour cream in it). but compared to what the scale said last monday, it's down 2 lbs. so i think thats good. only up 2 lbs from friday! i'll take it.

nothing big planned for this week. i have a "stock the bar" party on saturday for one of my engaged friends. basically you buy them a bottle of liquor or wine to stock the bar in their new house. they are always fun parties. gotta try to be REALLY good this week and the goal is to get to the gym every day this week to stock up some extra points for the weekend. i'm not really counting points like i said but i still think in terms of "points" for some reason.

i'm surprisingly energized right now....so off to get a head start on work while it's quiet and no one is here yet!
have a great day!

fabulous friday

oh friday friday, i'm so glad it's friday!! :) my sister and i went downtown yesterday to have drinks and see american idols live. it was a blast but i definitely had too much fun and one too many drinks. i'm a little hungover. blah. hate that feeling. but the scale said 135.0! woohoo. i dont know if that's real weight or not (i tend to weigh less after drinking since i'm kind of dehydrated) but i will take it! :)

this weekend: not much planned. heading home for my brothers 4th birthday! i have 3 siblings that came from my mom and dad. my parents divorced when i was a senior in high school, remarried and each had one more child. a boy for my mom (4 years old) and a girl for my dad (3 years old). they are sweet little kids and sometimes i will bring them to each others house to play....it's really cute. my little sister has blonde hair and pretty wavy curls. not tight curls, like sausage curls. so cute. i definitely have black hair though and tan skin - its funny to think we have the same father. anyway, so we're going to the birthday saturday and then sunday probably hit the pool! so it should be a fun/relaxing weekend.

hope your weekend is fabulous! is it 5pm yet? haha i'm so ready for the weekend to begin already.

fabulous friday

oh friday friday, i'm so glad it's friday!! :) my sister and i went downtown yesterday to have drinks and see american idols live. it was a blast but i definitely had too much fun and one too many drinks. i'm a little hungover. blah. hate that feeling. but the scale said 135.0! woohoo. i dont know if that's real weight or not (i tend to weigh less after drinking since i'm kind of dehydrated) but i will take it! :)

this weekend: not much planned. heading home for my brothers 4th birthday! i have 3 siblings that came from my mom and dad. my parents divorced when i was a senior in high school, remarried and each had one more child. a boy for my mom (4 years old) and a girl for my dad (3 years old). they are sweet little kids and sometimes i will bring them to each others house to play....it's really cute. my little sister has blonde hair and pretty wavy curls. not tight curls, like sausage curls. so cute. i definitely have black hair though and tan skin - its funny to think we have the same father. anyway, so we're going to the birthday saturday and then sunday probably hit the pool! so it should be a fun/relaxing weekend.

hope your weekend is fabulous! is it 5pm yet? haha i'm so ready for the weekend to begin already.

weekend here we come!

hi everyone! just got back from the gym. i thought of carolyn as i blowdried my slightly sweaty hairline (haha). i showered but my hair still gets a little weird after the gym. maybe its the humidity or the headband i wear. i just can't get it back to normal though and usually throw it in a ponytail.

gym was good, going to dinner tonight with my sister and to a show. going to try to not have any carbs and stick to seafood i think. my weight is hovering around 136. which is fine. i saw 135 last friday but i think that was a fluke. it went back to 137 a day or two later. so if i can maintain 136 tmw i will be happy :) if not, no big deal. i feel great and i my stomach is looking so flat lately. i think it's from running but i'm very happy with it. i also saw definition in my legs when i looked in the mirror this morning. i think that is more important than that # on the scale....but it would be nice to see. i am down 8 lbs though since july 6th or so, gonna focus on that. :) if i can lose 5 more lbs before september that would be great but i'm prepared to wait it out.

going to grab lunch with D at corner bakery. i usually get a half sandwich (whole grain bread, turkey, avocado slice, dijon mustard) and a cup of fruit salad. its so yummy. plus they have coke zero on tap. which is my favorite soda. i'm not longer a diet coke girl. coke zero all the way.

have a nice day! it's almost friday!! :D

same old same old

hi everyone!

not much to write, wanted to check in. i did 50 mins on the treadmill today (hills) and yesterday i ran 25 minutes and walked 15. so far the exercise has been good and the eating has been even better.

scale is down this morning, let's see what happens friday.

off to have a drink with my coworker and watch project runway. have a good night!! :)

my quesadilla review on "heat, eat, and review"

love this site and they used one of my reviews! click here

yipeeee :)

just another manic monday

hi all!

hope your monday went better than me. it wasn't bad, just SUPER busy. lots of meetings and i didnt get a chance to make it to the gym. but mondays i usually give myself a free pass. i really wanted to go though. i want to take a walk later tonight and i'll definitely be in there the rest of the week.

scale was up 2 lbs from the weekend water weight and bloat. which i'm okay with. my work capri pants were SO loose today. i think i need to retire them soon. i got them at new york & company, along with an another pair (different color) - i'll be happy to pass them along to my sister and buy a smaller size.

anyway, not much else. went to the pool this weekend. we grilled out saturday night and i probably ate too much of my mom's homemade guacamole but i only have it once every other month or so, not worried about it.

off to relax and be lazy :P

finally....

hi all! :)

so i was very pleasantly surprised when i stepped on the scale this morning. i saw a number i have not seen since probably june of last year. 135.6!!! yay :) i couldnt believe it. i was just hoping for 137 or 136 maybe (i saw 136.4 yesterday). and then i saw a 5 and i had to jump off the scale and hop back on just to be sure. i dont know if that will stick but hopefully it will. and if not i'll take 136 next week when i weigh-in. but that was certainly a good feeling.

i haven't been doing ww or counting calories. i'm doing something that i've learned is called "intuitive eating" - basically you eat when you're hungry, you stop when you're full and you listen to your body and question halfway through the meal "am i still hungry?" and if not i stop eating. granted i'm doing this with diet foods so i'm sure that helps but according to wikipedia this type of "non-diet" is good for people who want to eat whatever they want, in moderation.

wikipedia says...
"Intuitive eating is the opposite of dieting, the latter of which is externally driven. It is a key component of the Health at Every Size movement. Supporters argue that eating in response to internal cues of hunger and fullness, while allowing all foods to be part of the diet, weight will be maintained to one's "natural" weight. Natural weight is the weight range predetermined by genetics.

When someone is disconnected to his or her internal cues of satiety, it is easier to be trigged by external triggers to eat, (which can be emotions, "because it's time", opportunity, and/or perceived rules of eating.)

If someone has rigid rules for so-called healthy eating, he or she is more likely to succumb to overeating, as a consequence of breaking their well-meaning rules. Scientifically, this all-or-none type of eating, built around eating rules rather than internal hunger/satiety cues, is referred to as restraint eating or Restraint Theory."

so i dont know if i'm doing it completely like that but pretty much. don't get me wrong, i think my stomach has shrunk a little from eating smaller portions and i definitely get full faster. but its working for me and i guess thats what matters. with weight watchers i would eat my points during the day and when i'd get home at 6pm and still have 10 points left over, i would eat them, just because i could and not necessarily because i was hungry. that doesn't make much sense to me. i've also started running again which i'm sure is playing a big part in it.

whatever it is, it was nice to finally see the scale move in the right direction over the past 5 weeks.

i hope everyone has a nice weekend! i will be relaxing poolside and running errands. TGIF!

we're goin down down....

happy hump day! the day started off great, i saw 137.8 on the scale. sure there is a 0.8 on there but at least i saw it, and i know i can get that lower by friday. i'm gonna hit the gym again today for weights and some cardio. the best part is, i put my capris on for work, straight out of the dryer. they were just a tiny bit tight but they looked fine. usually they are VERY tight out of the dryer and i have to wait for them to loosen up to feel good in them. so that was nice. i also caught a glimpse of my backside in the mirror and my booty has shrunk. :)

not much else. busy at work today but im sneaking down to the gym in about 15 minutes. project runway is on tonight! love that show! my coworker comes over to watch it with me and we have a glass of wine. so that should be fun. i cant stand suede and blaine (the obnoxious orange one who says things like "girllicious" and "holler at your boy")...blaine is no christian and he's trying too hard to be.

oh! last night i watched "true life: i can't get thin" - it was disturbing to say the least. this one guy, started at around 350 lbs. he cut off ties with his family, friends, quit his job, and moved into an apartment where he eats between 200-400 calories a day. he dropped 150 lbs in one year and just to see him so focused on weight loss was scary. he said all day long he cant wait for night to come so he can fall asleep so he can wake up and weigh himself. he loses the weight very fast and once he's reached his goal weight, he invites his sister over and they go out on the town. he ends up binge eating like 4 burgers and 3 large fries. it was really sad to watch and i feel for people who struggle with binge eating. i've heard of it but i've never seen it before. this guy, when he was bingeing, he said he couldn't feel anything, it felt like euphoria and he had no cares in the world and that the food made him so happy. watch it if you get the chance, it was interesting, yet very sad.

okay, i'm rambling. off to the gym!!

i was runnin

so i did something i haven't done in a while! ran on the treadmill. i've been doing a lot of interval runs on the treadmill but not straight through. well today i did 30 mins and 10 mins cooldown. it felt great! note to self: run more

scale is holding steady at 138 - i think 137 came to say hi but hopefully it's back by the end of the week. i'm finishing TOTM and the pants are loose!!

did i mention i've had fluid behind my ear for 3 weeks. its grosser than it sounds but basically my ears have been popping nonstop for 3 weeks. lots of pressure in the ears and my head kind of hurts. went to the doctor and he said it takes 2-4 weeks to go away. WONDERFUL. hopefully that means one more week. hopefully its not 2-4 weeks from when they gave me the antiobiotic. something i tried last night and this morning was the neti pot. google it but it's basically a little teapot looking thing that you fill with salt water. you stick it in one nostril, bend to the side and forward and the water comes out the other nostril. again...probably sounds gross but it cleared me out and helped the ear poppage! you must try it, esp if you have allergies. my sister got it at whole foods and we saw it on oprah a while ago.

alright...not much else to report. i had a nice relaxing weekend, probably ate up all my flex points and maybe a few more but i have a nice tan from the pool and the has already gone by pretty fast. hope you're having a great day too!!

weekend plans

i have no plans this weekend and it's awesome! today i'm hitting up the pool and then probably just taking it easy tonight. tomorrow maybe pool again and i need to clean up a bit. but thats it! :) i need a lazy weekend.

scale said 138 today, thats after going to dinner last night so i'll take it! also its TOTM so maybe it will go down even more? who knows. but im gonna keep doing what i'm doing. i'm kind of doing WW and kind of just listening to my body. i try to assess if i'm really hungry at the beginning and halfway through my meals. usually i'm pretty full midway. so that helps. i also have definitely gotten back into the gym zone too.

hope everyone has a nice weekend :)

137.0

137! i cant believe i saw that number on the scale this morning! i have not seen that number since january. where did that come from! i'm happy, don't get me wrong, but i was shocked when i saw the number. i think it may be dehydration though, i had some wine last night. i also started TOTM and lifted weights. so that number should have been up. not complaining but just not thinking it will stick.

going to happy hour tonight with friends from home and my coworker. should be fun but i want to try to stick to 2 drinks and no bar food. the scale movement really is a motivator to keep up what i'm doing.

going to the gym today to do arms & back weights & light cardio. i dont want to get really sweaty, since i am going straight to happy hour from work. but i do want to get some movement in.

have a great day everyone!

pounds: muscle vs. fat weight

so i was just reading in fitness magazine that women need to stop using the excuse that muscle weighs more than fat because it's not likely that a woman can gain more than ONE POUND of muscle in a month. (i think pertaining to like a monthly weigh-in type of situation, not overall)

wow. i wonder if that's true. this whole time i was under the assumption that it was more like 2-3 lbs of muscle maybe? i'm gonna do some googling on this.

got to the gym and did 40 mins of high inclines at moderate speed on the treadmill, with a 5 min cooldown and leg weights. it felt good :)

totally in the zone

wowie wow. i am totally in the zone and it's finally paying off on the scale. i'm down 6 lbs since 7/14. i was at my high weight, the weight that i absolutely never let myself go above: 144. today the scale said 138.4. love that, and i know that since i have more muscle tone now, that i'm a better looking 138 than i was before! hah :) ok, enough of the big head, but it was a really nice feeling. especially after a long vacation weekend. my goal is to maintain the 138 by friday. i think thats reasonable.

today's plan is to get to the gym and do weights & cardio.



last night D picked up the new smart ones breakfast sandwiches. he bought the egg, cheese & canadian bacon on an english muffin. i took the canadian bacon off (not a bacon girl), which eliminated like 3/4 of the cheese unfortunately, but its pretty good! the english muffin is pretty chewy though. but at 3-4 pts (minus the bacon)....its a pretty filling breakfast!

hope everyone can find their way into the zone this week too. i've noticed that when i'm off, my blog friends are usually off too? maybe its the different times of year. but i hope everyone is back on track so we can all share in the fun together! :)

back from my trip & back on track

hi everyone! i'm back from my LONG weekend. well, yesterday i worked from my mom's house but never got around to blogging. i was too busy trying to explain to my 3 year old brother what the internet was. haha - he was so cute though and was constantly by my side. at one point D called me to say hi and say he's going to the gym. my brother says "wheres he goin?" and i said "hes going to the gym"....and his favorite question "whats that?" - so i tried to explain to him what the gym is. too cute.

i am only up 0.2 lbs from friday which is amazing if i do say so myself. i definitely had my share of drinks this weekend but i think i kept the food to a minimum which helped. i've also been trying really hard to listen to my body and stop half way through my meal and ask myself if i'm still hungry. i've been finding that i am full about midway through. i'm so used to cleaning my plate but this way really seems to be working. i've had about half of my lean gourmet (like a lean cuisine) and i'm pretty satisfied. i definitely felt skinny today when i got dressed and my capri pants are loose now. my stomach has also deflated and the love handles have slimmed down. i'm wearing a fitted shirt with the capris and it looks nice.

going to the gym today. i want to be down one more lb this week. i want to set realistic goals like that. one pound at a time for sure.

alright...back to work.

weekend

hi everyone!

quick post....i deleted my vent from last night. its not a big deal and i just need to ignore it. its sibling rivalry i guess. i just didnt want her to logon my computer and see it accidentally. not worth it.

i got down to the gym today and did 30 min hills on the treadmill and arm weights. i got to the gym 5x this week! i'm ready for the bachelorette weekend! i have my flex points saved up, calories burned and a cute new outfit!

the good news is, today i saw 139 on the scale. havent seen that in months. i hate #s and letting that rule me but its nice to be back in a comfortable weight zone!

be back sunday! :)

happy friday eve! :)

can you tell i'm excited for the weekend? i'm stoked. tommorow night i'm driving down south to my mom's house to see her before leaving saturday morning to go further south to the beach for yet another bachelorette party. don't get me wrong, i love them but they definitely are a huge to-do. my plan is to have saturday be a semi-cheat day. im going to eat healthy breakfast and lunch and then maybe cheat a teeny bit saturday night as far as food. my flex points are going to be used for drinks on saturday night too. sunday will be the ride back home so i should be fine. gonna try to stick to low point snacks and lots of water to rehydrate. i'm excited though.

scale was down today! i've officially lost 4 lbs since last monday (almost 2 weeks ago) and my clothes feel so much better. i'm ready to get the next 10 lbs off but i know it will take time. :) it's just nice to be back in a semi-comfortable weight zone.

heading to the gym in a bit for strength training and a little bit of cardio. i'm reading "straight talking" by jane green. so far so good. any good chick lit recommendations are greatly appreciated :)

tonight D and i are going for appetizers but we will probably just get potstickers and i'm only have 2. and then a salad, dressing on the side. i ate a light lunch so im saving up some points for dinner and a drink or two.

have a great night!

quick mobile post

One quick post from the crackberry. Got to the gym for 20 min hills on the elliptical and 25 min hard inclines on the treadmill.

Love being in the zone and hope you all are having a great week!

another good day

on track today and feeling great. i hit the gym for 30 mins of weights & 30 mins on the elliptical. points are on track and the scale was down exactly 2 points from last tuesday. gotta love google 15 weight tracker

not much else...how to look good naked is on tonight, i definitely want to tivo that.

have a great night! :)

new name, new look

Like the new look? I love Marilyn Monroe and she looks awesome in that pic. Changed the name just for a change of pace.

Did 35mins of hills on the treadmill. It felt great!!

Ok off to shower and get ready for bed. Night!

monday monday

i had a great weekend....saw dark knight (very good but made me sad to see heath ledger, i was a big fan), got a nice tan at the pool, and just basically relaxed. i didnt go over my points and i probably had some flex points left over. so thats good.

i'm down 2 lbs from last monday. so thats good. i saw a lower number on the scale yesterday so hopefully i will see that again before the week is over. i forgot my gym bag but i am going to go on a long walk tonight i think.

hope everyone has a great monday!

5ive Things

5 things found in my purse:
1. My louis vuitton wallet that I adore
2. Blackberry
3. Work ID badge
4. Chanel sunglasses
5. Angel coin from my nana

5 things found in my bedroom:
1. My laptop
2. Black and white Audrey Hepburn print
3. Big silver bead bracelet that D bought me for my birthday from Tiffany & Co.
4. Tivo
5. Too many pairs of shoes

5 things I've always wanted to do:
1. Go to greece
2. Get a tattoo...of what? I don't know
3. Get married
4. Have children
5. Buy an english bulldog

5 things I'm obsessed with:
1. Steps I can log in my pedometer
2. My boyfriend
3. Counting points
4. Grocery shopping
5. Cheese

I tag everyone!!

obsessed

my new obsession. :)

i'm a geek.

mobile blogging

Hey all! So I gave in and bought a blackberry. And I'm prettý obsessed. Just thought I'd try to post a blog from my phone. I'm a nerd, I know.

Today was great. Down 2 more lbs, hit the gym everyday this week and going tommorow too.

Tommorow I am getting drinks with my college girlfriends. Saturday is pool day...gotta work on this tan. Hopefully I will get to see Dark Knight. Looks awesome.

Oh! I'm still reading Jen Lancaster's books. I'm on "Such a Pretty Fat"...so funny and all about dieting and trying to lose weight. I recommend ALL her.books.

Okay I'm out. Toodles!

on the right track

my friend at work and i have been hitting the gym together, everyday! i'm 3 for 3 so far and plan on going thursday and friday. i'm gonna try to do more abs too.

feeling good....the LBs are falling off...not too fast but at the right pace. trying to not focus on the scale but happy with what i'm seeing.

hope you are all doing well! :D

mission: somewhat accomplished

hi everyone!

i'm back after a long holiday weekend in chicago. we went to a family reunion and the taste of chicago, so needless to say there was plenty of food to grub on. i think i did okay. i'd give myself a C+. i ate some things i shouldnt have but i kept my pedometer on and walked between 7,000-15,000 steps per day.

i had a great time and the best part is i'm only up 2 lbs. and its quickly dropping off. so thats good. usually on vacation i gain 4-5 lbs. so ill take the 2. my planning ahead was a good idea and even though i splurged, i tried to make healthy choices. i even ate a "tofu salad sandwich" on wheat bread at the airport. it was spicy and surprisingly delicious. i'd like to try to find a recipe for a similar version.

got to the gym today and back on the points system. this weekend i am going home to see a friend and then saturday night D, my sister, her bf and i are going to a friend's joint birthday party. ill try to save up all the flex for that.

feels good to be back in my routine :)

off to the windy city

just a quick post before i go....i meant to do this earlier and lay out my plan of attack for the holiday but work was super busy.

i've already figured out my cheats: 2-3 tastes at the taste of chicago, 1 chicago style hotdog and my grandma's famous potato pancakes (3 max). i'm excited and i've gotten to the gym 4x this week and done yoga 2x to get ready for it!

so i have my planned cheats and i'm sure they may be a few that aren't planned. saved my flex up for going out one or two nights so thats 35 pts for drinks right there. should be okay there. i will be wearing my pedometer the whole time and i want to try to get in a long walk or two as well.

alright time to finish up packing but wish me luck :)

and did i mention i'm on my period! let the challenge begin!

accountability

so i've decided to be more accountable for what i'm eating/drinking. mainly bc i'm maintaining and not losing any weight and also because it's about damn time. lately i'll guestimate points, count 3 huge spoonfuls of ice cream as 1 point, when it's probably 2+, count a *full* glass of wine as 2 pts...knowing that its probably more. whats the point of it? why do i think lying to myself is going to produce any kind of change. there is no point. i've watched laura lose weight every week, and it's motivated me to get my act together! i need to drop 1-2 lbs a week too! she uses sparkpeople. i have an account so i signed back in today and i'm already at 17 out of 20 total points (i convert to WW points myself). and its 6:30 at night. puts things into perspective.

but i'm on track, every point is accounted for an i even measured out what 4oz (2pts worth) of wine looks like and its not as much. not nearly as much as im used to having. gonna limit myself to one regular size, unlike the 2 super size i'll indulge in. got to the gym today and did 35 mins on the elliptical and 30 mins of weights. finished "bitter is the new black" and i think i might read jen lancaster's next book "bright lights, big ass" - i like her style of writing. any other good books you all recommend.

oh! and to challenge myself even more, i'm going to try to stay on WW even throughout my out of town trip to chicago. normally i have the "eat what i want" on vacation mentality. but i just don't want to. i'm coming up with a plan of attack, scheduled cheats, exercise to do, etc. i'll let you know what i decide. any vacation tips?

alright, off to watch some tivo-ed bridezillas. love that show! :)

same old, same old

hi everyone! haven't been posting much lately, just living life. trying not to concentrate too hard on the dieting, cause i'm going to get frustrated if i do. i've been getting to the gym and eating well during the week. the weekends have been my downfall but overally i've been maintaining the same weight for a few months now. my clothes look fine and im toning up so i try to just focus on the positive and not the number on the scale!!

hope everyone is having a great week. getting down to the gym today during work to get my cardio/weights in!

happy hump day!

feelin strong

this morning, around 4am, i got up to use the bathroom and i swung my legs over the bed and put my hands on my thighs to lazily drag myself to the bathroom and i felt it...firm thighs. nice, strong, firm legs. and i at 4am, a smile crossed my face as i made my way to the bathroom.

my the scale isn't budging but my clothes feel better and i notice definition in not only my legs but my arms. i am really loving this weight lifting thing. i love how strong it makes me feel. that is a good feeling.

got to the gym today and did 25 mins of weights & 25 mins on the treadmill. today was a good day!

quick post

got to the gym today and did 50 mins on the elliptical. really didn't want to but i forced myself and i'm happy i did!

just wanted to give a quick update. i'm heading home tmw for a father's day BBQ. grilled chicken and veggies for me! then im going out with my friends from home so that should be fun.

have a nice weekend everyone! :)

"weight ain't nothin but a number"

doing well this week - had some wine with gf's on tuesday but the scale actually went down the next day. my super busy weekend of the 5k, baseball game, extreme sweating from the heat and the concert left me with a 4lb gain! WHAT! thankfully all 4 of those pesky pounds are gone but i do need to tighten up on the eating and eat more fruits/veggies and less carbs.

i can definitely tell that my stomach is getting flatter and my clothing fits better. i was complaining to D the other day that i'm frustrated bc i feel like i'm doing a really good job on the diet & exercise front (for the most part) and the scale is hardly budging. he said "well you just said all your clothes fit better and you've been getting in really good workouts. if other people can't tell the number on the scale by looking at you, why do you let it get to you so much"....so i thought about it for a while. he's right, only i know what the number says and if my pants are clearly looser than they were a month ago, why do i care so much? i guess it would just be nice to see some movement on the scale every once in a while. im holding steady at the same number for the past 2 weeks. my crazy weekends aren't helping, i guess that may be where the weak link is.

got to the gym yesterday and today and i'll go again tmw and i want to do yoga on saturday. that will make 4 workouts for the week :)

alright almost time to go, its gonna be a hot one outside....keep cool!

5k: complete!

i had my first 5k this weekend and i loved it! it was great to be out there with all those people and i ran with a girl from work. we took a break to walk, she wanted to stop, but other than that we ran for a majority of it! next one i want to run the whole thing. i'm already looking into signing up for my next one!

went to a baseball game last night, the weather was horrible yesterday, extremely hot and uncomfortable. today we're going to a concert (outdoors, yet again) so im sure that will be a sweat-fest as well! oh well, maybe ill sweat away some LBS. jk.

have a great sunday! :)

habitat for humanity

quick update: we did habitat for humanity today at work. while it was VERY rewarding...it was the most i've ever sweat in my entire life. it was about 90 degrees all day, the hot sun was blasting on us from 10-3 when we left....lots of heavy lifting and hammering and carrying...i am exhausted!

that is my activity for the day....no gym but i'll get there tmw. one more workout before the 5k on saturday! :D

have a great night!

i ran 3.6 miles: outside!

hi everyone! well i really surprised myself today. i attempted my 1st outdoor trial run of the old 5k....in my neighborhood. i was weary of it because it has a few hills, one big one, and i didnt want it to discourage me. D said that going around my circle once was a little over a mile so that if i could make it around 3x, it would be a 5k.

so i put on my pedometer and the ipod shuffle and hit the pavement. the first 1/2 mile was fine, it felt good to be running outside. i wasnt going very fast (catching my reflection in a few cars, i really didnt look like i was going fast) but i kept a good pace and my breathing was up. the hills are what got me but in the end, it wasnt bad and i felt amazing afterwards. i probably walked for 2 mins total, after the hills, which isnt bad at all for my first go round. AND i lifted weights afterwards!!

when i got in my car to clock the mileage, it came out to be 3.6 miles! so i ran an extra half mile. that felt REALLY good :)

ok off to hit the showers....have a great night!

fabulous monday

hi everyone!

today has been a good day so far. i had tons of work to do which kept me busy and i even managed to get in 50 mins on the elliptical.


i started reading "bitter is the new black" - such a funny book. this lady is a straight up bitch but its funny to hear some of the outrageous things she says. so far i'm enjoying it.

i'm going to try to get to the gym 5x this week! i want to run 3 of those days: tues, thurs and friday. then i have the 5k on saturday so i guess that will be 6 days straight of working out. is that a good idea or should i give myself a free day before the race? it's my first one, tips are welcome!!

alright, time to watch some tivo and catch up on magazines. have a great night!

gym: 4 days complete

i got to the gym today and did 70 mins on the stationary bike. finished baby proof, very good! :)

thats it for now, just wanted to update! :)

productivity!

productivity at it's finest yesterday! got to the gym, did my 5k on the treadmill, ate a light snack, went on a walk with my sister to old navy & then we stopped for a salad/glass of wine at macaroni grill (the salad was 14 pts total, i ate half and it was delicious and filling), walked back towards our house, stopped at the grocery store and carried the groceries home. needless to say i am SORE today. probably from the running, i checked my exercise log and i have not ran since september and even then i was running for 20-25 mins. i cant remember the last time i actually ran that far and for that long. i'm hurting today though! i probably pushed myself too hard but i wanted to see if i could do it. and i did.


almost forgot! after our hike around town we went to the midnight showing of sex & the city! i loved it. i dont care what the reviews say, if you loved the show, you'll love the movie. simple as that!!

im very tired today. have a lowkey evening/weekend planned. probably takeout from outback tonight (chicken/veggie griller most likely), some wine & some tv or a movie. the scale said 139 today....and i just got a visit from aunt flo so im hoping to be down 2 lbs by next week! :) ive been really good the past 2 weeks and my jeans are looser today. trying not to focus on the scale but its tough!

hope everyone has a great weekend. heading down to the gym. i met the challenge goal of 3x a week in the gym, but i pushed it to 4x a week for the last leg of the challenge! ran that

3.32 miles ran!

hi everyone!

so i got on the treadmill and gave it my best shot at running a 5k and i did it, and a little more: 3.32 miles! and i never stopped running. granted it wasn't the best time ever but i did it and i wasnt sure if i could. i got a cramp mid way through - i need to do research on how to get rid of them/proper way to breathe when running.

but besides that i feel great! got in my cardio and weights and now i'm off for a walk with my sister. might see sex and the city at midnight if i'm not too tired, can't wait to see it!!

5k anyone?

did i mention that i'm running/walking a 5k on june 7th? my coworker asked me to sign up and said we can walk or run/walk, whatever we want. so i signed up and i havent trained or anything. needless to say i will be attempting a 5k run before next week. probably friday....wish me luck. i've never run a race before but i got my shirt and my number in the mail and i got really excited and i want more shirts and more numbers :)

got in 65 mins on the elliptical today. my 2 days of weights each week has been going well and i feel great! the scale is working with me, i know i should ignore it, but we all know i cant.

doing weights/cardio tmw...cardio will probably be a run. still doing low carb/weight watchers so thats good. today at subway i got a 3' mini sub, took off half the bread and got a salad. it was super filling and delicious.

reading "baby proof" by my new fav author: emily giffin. its getting really good. can't wait to read "love the one you're with"

and yay to shannon for her boy coming back tmw! i love her blog and i know she's beyond excited!! :) and a skinny bitch if i may say so myself. hehe

ok, toodles, i'm out!

new week!

hi everyone!

back on track after a 3 day weekend, well kind of a 4 day weekend for me, i had the stomach flu and called in sick on friday. it sucked.

stayed low carb all weekend except sunday, drank beers and had some ice cream. but not so bad! i feel good today and the pants i wore 2 weeks ago to D's graduation are loose and feeling good. when i wore them to the graduation they were tight...and i definitely had a muffin top hiding under my blousy shirt. today they were nice and loose and no muffin top! maybe they stretched out but whatever, it was a nice feeling!

i got to the gym today and did weights and 25 mins on the elliptical. i may be just imagining it but i moved my arm back when i was looking in the mirror and i saw a little muscle growing! how awesome is that?

going to try to do no/low carb this week again. it wasnt hard and really worked.

have a wonderful night!

back in the swing of things

day 4 of no carbing and i'm down 4 lbs. but please note that these are all 4 lbs i gained over the 3 day weekend so i guess i'm back to square one. which is fine. it's nice to see that my efforts are working and i feel pumped to keep it up! i may drink red wine (trying to stay away from beer) on sunday - which i want to be a cheat day. i dont want to cheat as far as eating cupcakes and cookies, but the red wine will be the cheat. then back to basics on monday.

did you watch idol last night? i dont want to spoil it but i'm so happy about the outcome :)

i've been to the gym every day this week. going back today to do weights/25-30 mins of cardio.

tonight we're going out for japanese for a coworkers bday. i am planning on doing the seaweed salad, ahi tuna & maybe miso soup. as far as i can tell there are no carbs in that mix, there might be oil/dressing on the seaweed but that's not so bad. normally i'd order 2 sushi rolls, wine, seaweed salad & probably snack on someone elses sushi or my leftover sushi when i got home.

so that's the plan....not gonna beat myself up if i dont stick to it but i'm going to try my best to stay focused!

tuesday: quick update

-got to the gym! 40 mins elliptical, 25 mins weights
-no carbs! (AHH! give me bread!!)
-lots of veggies & protein. i'm stuffed and still have to eat dinner.

can't wait for idol tonight!

that is all :)

carbs are the devil

hi everyone!! back after a long girls weekend....and i feel so bloated/fat/gross. yesterday i decided to try to the south beach diet plan for just this week - to kick start some action. basically its lean proteins/low fat cheese and lots of veggies with nuts, SF jello & SF fudgesicles as snack options (well the ones i chose anyway). so far so good. i got to the gym yesterday so i made my goal of 3x a week (my week starts on tuesday)....so far so good. i do feel bloated but i know its from the crap we ate this weekend so i'm not going to focus on it. i'm going to keep eating SBD this week and try to up the workouts to 5x this week. so thats the plan.

not much else is new, i saw an ad for 100 calorie pack chocolate covered pretzels (mmm....carbs!)...can't wait to try them. next week i'll be back on the carbs but i want to try to cut out more sugar & unnecessary carbs. i noticed that most of my snacks/meals contain some carb/pasta/bread/sugar in them. i need to eat cleaner.

off topic - i hope david cook wins idol, i love him!! download his covers of billie jean & always be my baby on itunes - so great!

alright...back to work! have a great week!!

off to the beach i go...

hi everyone :) hope you're having a happy hump day!!

got in exercise yesterday (1 of 3): 35 min on the elliptical. today i had to run errands so i didnt get to go during work and tonight i have to work late (until 5:30ish) so i'm trying to find the willpower to get to the gym. i dont know if i'll be going tmw, i have a half day and then i'm going to D's graduation (he's on the 7 year plan...lol - kidding, he's been working full time for 2 years now & only takes 2 classes a semester) so i dont know if i'm going to be able to fit it in? we'll see. i will figure out a way to get that last work out in - it might just be on monday (i've been starting my weeks on tuesdays).

i went out last night for a going away party for D's sister. she's moving to the west coast. his sister and ex-gf (before me) are BFFs so she was there. and she has put on a LOT of weight....not that that made me feel good about myself (okay it did)...but it made me realize i'm not fat, i'm not a big girl. i'm a girl who struggles with 5-10 lbs to lose. and that upped my self esteem. is that bad? it sounds bad when i type it. oh well.

anypoo.....still reading "something blue". pretty good, not as good as something borrowed but it definitely holds my interest! i bought another emily giffin book: baby proof. anyone read that?

oh yea! i'm going to florida for the weekend for a girls trip. i'll try to be good but honestly, i'm probably going to splurge and there will drinking...but only wine or light beer for me. i dont drink liquor.

alright....time to find something to occupy my time for the next hour. SO bored!!

private blog

oh yea! forgot something...

i've been thinking that i want to make this a private blog, like shannons. if you want to be added give me your email address and i'll add it to the list. i'm going to do it in a week or two so i dont miss anyone on here.

let me know! just leave it in a comment, i turned on the comment approval so only i will see it and i'll delete it after that.

exercise goal for the week met

i did it! i got to the gym 5x this week

5.5 - 66 min elliptical
5.6 - 30 min elliptical, 25 min weights
5.7 - 70 min elliptical
5.8 - 35 min elliptical, 25 min weights/abs
5.9 - 50 min elliptical

it felt great and i saw 138 on the scale today, which i haven't seen in a while. i've been hovering around 139/140 for about 3 weeks. so it was nice to see it budge but i'm not gonna let it get me down. i just need to focus on the progress and not the number. and i need to keep it up with the weight machines, i feel a good burn lately in all my muscles, its nice!

have a great weekend!!

day 4 of the gym: complete!

workout accomplished: 35 min cardio, 25 min strength training & abs

note to self: keep this up, it feels good

note to scale: come on buddy, move! ~ trying not to focus on the number but it hasn't budged lately, it's frustrating. oh well.

tgit!

hi everyone! :)

so i've made it to the gym 3 days straight this week. i'm going again today to do weights & then i'm gonna switch it up from the elliptical and walk on an incline for 25-30 mins. thats the plan for the day! i'm obsessed with this book "something borrowed" - i'm almost finished with it! i can't put it down. i'm excited to read the next one. i broughtt hem both today, hopefully i can finish it up.

after today i'll have met my summer challenge commitment of 3x a week. my week started on tuesday since i started the challenge last tuesday...anypoo! last night after work i went to the gym and got on the elliptical - i set it for 60 mins and covered up the time, i dont like to look at it until i feel like i'm almost done. well i hopped off really fast to get water - i had probably been on for 35 mins and when i got back on, i kept going but the incline didnt change after a while, so i looked at the time and the machine had shut off. so annoying. so i did another 35 minutes and i'm guessing i hit 70 mins on the elliptical yesterday? which is great....but i think i need to switch it up and get on the treadmill or the bike or something, just for a change.

alright....back to work. tgit! (ti-jit as my sister pronounces it!)

quick update

just a quick update - i did 25 minutes of weights/strength training and 30 mins of the elliptical yesterday! going to hit the gym today and do cardio. i cannot put down "something borrowed" - such a good book and very scandalous! it's about this girl drunkenly hooking up with her best friend's fiance and the repurcussions of that. apparently the next book in the series, "something blue", is from the other girl's point of view, how cool is that?

i'm a nerd.

seis de mayo!

happy seis de mayo! (i'm a nerd) - hope everyone is doing well. i got my 3 days of exercise in last week and i'm going again today. yesterday i did 66 minutes of the elliptical ~ 600 calories. woohoo! this reading and working out thing makes the time fly by. and its still a tough workout since i set it on random inclines. i finished eat, pray, love - great book! i'm starting "something borrowed" today....anyone read that one? my coworker lent it to me and said it's good.

had a few cervezas last night for cinco de mayo - which was probably not the best idea but oh well, i had a good time.

alright, back to work!!

summer challenge: on target

hi everyone!

i'm on point this week for carolyn's summer challenge. i challenged myself to get to the gym 3x a week, although i'm secretly trying to get there 4x. last week was a success and so far i've gotten in two LONG elliptical sessions this week:

tuesday: 60 min elliptical
wednesday: 65 min elliptical

i've been keeping an exercise log since 2005 and i looked back on it and this time last year and the year before i definitely spiked up my exercise. i'm sure it had something to do with summer but i think the nice weather motivates me to be more active. i love it. and i'm really impressed by the long elliptical sessions. i used to do about 30-45 minutes but since i've been incorporating reading my book into it, the time flies by. and its definitely not a slacker workout, im panting and sweating and maintaining my pace. and im almost done with my book! i'm reading eat, pray, love and i definitely recommend it.

going to sister dinner tonight (with my sister of course) hopefully either crapplebees (haha - i do like the WW menu) or maybe bonefish grill or possibly sushi. there are healthy items at all places, i just need to make sure not to over indulge. the 550 calories i burned give me a little leeway but i'm not going to eat like it does.

alright....have a great day everyone!!

happily motivated

good morning, it's such a beautiful day! :D its already 60 degrees. i really love this weather and it motivates me to keep on exercising and eating right. the good news is i'm in a dress that i wore when i was 5 lbs thinner at this time last year and to me it looks the same. so i dont know, maybe i've gained muscle?? haha...yea....i'll keep telling myself that!

yesterday was a good day and hopefully today is too! i'm planning to get to the gym and do the elliptical 30-45 mins.....or longer. i was in the zone yesterday and definitely could have kept going. next week i'm gonna switch it up and do the treadmill but i'm really into this book and i want to finish it. eat, pray, love - yes, it's good. i like the way she writes. i'm on the part where she's in india (this lady travels to italy, india & indonesia to find herself. well in india she's trying to learn that pain is just a physical feeling and you can recognize it as a sensation but then disregard it and move on. i tried that when i was on the elliptical on the tough hill parts. i just tried to focus on the sensation but know that it would eventually go away or i would get used to it. does that make any sense? it was an interesting concept though.

she also talks about how you can do anything, you just have to visualize yourself doing it and if you want it badly enough it will happen. so i am going to visualize myself 10 lbs lighter by this summer. hehe. ;)

have you all ever tried "lean gourmet by michelina" frozen dinners? they are so cheap here - probably $1.25 each. and they are so yummy. they even have WW points on them. how great is that. click to see their website - i had the bbq chicken and mashed potatoes in the fridge here at work and someone ate it! WTF! at least i have another but come on people, thats ridiculous.

okay...back to work! :) have a fabulous day!

65 minutes

i did 65 minutes on the elliptical today ~ 550 calories :D

yay!! back in the groove!

weight-less

today's plan: going to the gym for 30-45 mins of cardio after work.

and oh yea, i took my weight off this page. for the record i'm 139 but i'm not going to let the numbers bother me bc i'm feeling really motivated lately. and that number up there is just annoying!!

have a great hump day :)

smiling!

i did 50 mins on the elliptical today, it was great!! woohoo! i was sweating up a storm. i totally lost track of time bc i was reading "eat, pray, love" - 50 mins flew by before i knew it. it's a great book by the way.

hope everyone is having a great day!! :) getting back in the swing of things at the gym and it feels good.

wedding weekend!

hi everyone!

still here, still alive. unfortunately i've gained about 2 lbs but that's okay. i got back to the gym this past 3 weeks and i went 3x this week which is the most i've gone since february. baby steps!

going to a wedding this weekend and wearing the dress (see below). so excited. i got some super cute carlos santana shoes to go with!



hope you're doing well, have a good one!

gym girl

hello everyone! somehow motivation has creeped back into my life. i'm going to enjoy it while it lasts bc i know it comes and goes. the other day my coworker said "hey, how come you never go to the gym anymore? you used to always be down there"....and i think that's when i really felt guilty for getting out of my habit. i want to be gym girl again.

but the good news is i'm back in the zone! i got down to the gym yesterday and it felt great. i was walking down and started smelling that "gym smell" and instantly perked up. i liked that routine, going 3-4 times a week during work. since work has settled down a bit its definitely going to be a mandatory part of my routine now.

well that's pretty much it. i have one month until a friend's wedding and i'm wearing this:


it's nanette lepore and super cute. it is a little snug (only in the chest, i may need a minimizing bra). but i'm excited to wear it. i'd like to drop 2-3 lbs by that point. then in may i'm going to florida to visit a friend for the weekend. i'd like to lose 2-3 more lbs by then.

small goals & baby steps people!
happy hump day!

ipod anyone?

check this out: http://www.cookingbytheseatofmypants.com/

chance to win a free ipod & a great website.

it's been a while

and i know, i dropped off the face of the blog earth. but i'm still here just very busy busy busy at work. which is when i used to blog and read blogs. i cant remember the last time i've ever opened google reader. has to have been 3 weeks ago?

well just to let you know, things are going good. i'm counting points and not going to the gym which has helped me maintain for the past 3 months but i'm getting sad that i haven't been back to the gym. i'm going to try to and make it my goal and if i don't make it, i'm not beating myself up over it. i'm just livin life.

i hope you are all doing well and i will try to post on monday.
have a good weekend :D