Thursday, April 29, 2010

Potbelly's and Stuff

I ws going to be a bad blogger and not post today but thought I would share with you my lunch. I decided to go to Potbelly's Sandwich place and got one of their new salads. I normally get a sandwich, the Turkey on Wheat/no cheese. Today I decided to try the Farmstand Salad. I like Potbelly's because they have all their nutritional information online and you can customize your order.

I looked up the Farmstand Salad. It has chicken, egg, tomato, cucumber, bacon and blue cheese. I got it without the bacon and blue cheese. I added the non-fat vinaigrette dressing. The whole thing was only 5 pts! I think next time I'll bring some feta cheese or something from home just to add a little extra pizazz to it! But I just love when you can customize your own meal! Good job Potbelly's!

I'm also reading a book my meeting leader recommended to me last week at the meeting. We were talking about procrastination and I'm a definite procrastinator. She told me to read The Last Lecture. So I got it out of the library. Does anyone know about this book? It's an autobiography about a professor who has terminal cancer and only has 3-6 more months to live. Sounds sad, right? That part is sad, but the tone of the book is happy and uplifting! It talks about this guy's life and the way he lived it in his last months, what to be thankful for, what to spend your time on. Perfect! I'm not done reading it yet but I'm enjoying it.

I've also been doing OK in the food dept. the last two days. Hopefully this will help at my WI on Sat. I would like to move in the right direction on the scale.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Roadblocks

This post is coming pretty much directly from Active.com. I take no credit for it but I thought the information is may be useful to some people whether it's running or any activity you are trying to do.

This article addresses what to do when you want to work out but morning, afternoon or evening roadblocks try to get the better of you.

Per the article:

"Hormonal and neurological shifts occur in our body, which can impact how we feel about exercise and how we feel while exercising," says exercise physiologist Julia Moffitt, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology and pharmacology at Des Moines University. Luckily, you can outsmart these internal power struggles and reduce the temptation of hitting snooze, working through lunch, or cutting a workout short. Here's how to clear the roadblocks in your running day.

Morning Roadblock:

Morning hours are challenging because body temperature and heart rate dip to their lowest point at this time," Moffitt says. "In the presence of light, body temperature and heart-rate increase, which makes it easier to be active." The carbohydrates in your last meal play a role, too. If you skipped dinner or ate fast-digesting carbs like rice, bread, or sugary desserts, your glycogen levels will be depleted, making it even harder to muster the energy to get up.

HURDLE IT: Prep for an early-morning run the night before. Eat slow-digesting carbs like broccoli, beans, and lentils. Set your automatic coffeemaker to brew before you wake. "Caffeine can help stimulate your arousal system and get you ready to run," Moffitt says. Shut-eye is important, too. If you're constantly waking up feeling exhausted, it's a sign you aren't getting enough z's. Turn off the computer and TV at least 30 minutes before you hit the sack and get blackout shades for your windows — the absence of light boosts production of melatonin, a hormone that makes you feel sleepy.

Late-Day Roadblock:

IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY AND YOU'RE BEAT

WHAT'S HAPPENING: Mental fatigue lowers dopamine, a brain chemical that makes you feel energized. Plus, blood sugar dips again between 5 and 7 p.m.

HURDLE IT: Don't confuse mental fatigue with physical fatigue. Researchers from Bangor University in Wales report that short-term mental fatigue doesn't impact the physical function. So it's your mind — not your body — that craves downtime. And running is the perfect antidote. "Running elevates your nervous system, which increases your sense of alertness," Moffitt says. Resist the urge to skip your run by packing your gear, changing at work, and going directly to the gym or trail. Even better, join — or start — an after-work running group. Keep your energy up with a snack before your run.

Midrun Roadblock:

YOU'RE TEMPTED TO WALK OR CUT YOUR RUN SHORT


WHAT'S HAPPENING: On a run that's longer than 90 minutes, it's probably a fuel issue. "As you run out of carbohydrates, your body uses fats for energy, which takes longer and leads to a sluggish feeling until that fuel kicks in," Moffitt says. Or it could all be in your head: "You may feel like you've done enough, and no one's watching anyway," DeVries says.

HURDLE IT: On runs longer than an hour, consume 100 to 200 calories every 30 to 60 minutes to replenish energy stores, says Nancy Clark, R.D., a sports-nutrition expert. Keeping a running log can also discourage you from taking shortcuts, DeVries says. You won't want to write that you did eight miles instead of 10.

Postrun Roadblock:

YOU WANT TO CRASH, NOT STRETCH AND ICE

WHAT'S HAPPENING: When you stop running, your blood pressure drops and blood pools in your legs, which may make you feel weary and lightheaded. "You may feel 'my work is done; I deserve to chill out now,'" DeVries says.

HURDLE IT: Slow your pace the last mile of your run, and then walk for a few minutes before stopping. Because muscles are most pliable and inflammation is at its peak right after running, try to stretch and ice trouble spots after cooling down. Then, within an hour of finishing, consume a carb-protein snack. "Carbohydrates refill your glycogen stores, while protein repairs muscles," Clark says. Record your postrun routine (stretching, icing, refueling) in your log so you'll consider it just as important as the run itself, DeVries says.

Again: I take no credit, nor do I agree or disagree with the article. I think it has some useful information that may or may not help with your workouts. Let me know what you think of the information provided.

I may just have to go for a run, a longer one, this evening!

****Also, Danica from Danica's Daily is having a giveaway for a Wiseman Tea package. Visit her blog if you would like to enter to win. Contest ends this Friday!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

No Time and Baby Pics!

There is just not enough time in the day. I had to finish up homework last night for tonight's class. It needs to be done at home because I need access to a dvd player and a voice recorder. I got home from work at 6:15 and by 6:30, I was doing my work. We have to watch someone signing something and interpret it into the voice recorder. The piece is only 10 mins long but watching it and stopping it to write down my notes made the whole thing last 1.5 hours to watch one time through. I took 1 break from 8:00-8:30 to shower and eat dinner. Then back to the grind. I even was on the phone with a friend for 1.5 hours going through the whole thing.

So how long was I doing my homework last night? From 6:30-12:00 midnight, with that 1/2 hour break in there. 5 hours of straight homework! Blah!

But the good news is that it prevents me from eating! Although it prevented me from working out yesterday too!

A quick run-down of food: Cottage Cheese with pineapple, banana, cake (??), subway, orange, 2 chicken sausage w/ 1 bun, roasted asparagus, 1 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup slow churned vanilla ice cram, carrots/hummus.

Come to thing of it, I think I toasted a bagel thin and didn't eat it. It's still sitting in the toaster. That's what happens when you are too busy to think straight! :-/

Oh, I have some cute pics of me and my cousin's new baby Elise. These were taken at the hospital on 4/7/10 when she was less than 1 day old!! So cute! I'm going to have to steal her away!

Monday, April 26, 2010

New Eats and Play Pics

This weekend flew by! Where does the time go? It's almost May.

I went grocery shopping yesterday, quickly. No planned meals, just picking up essentials. I decided to try something different. I was inspired by Marisa at Loser for Life the other day when she made a smoothie using cottage cheese and pineapple. I'm not a fan of cottage cheese but it's one of those foods that I want to like! I don't eat things I don't like, but I will try them occasionally made different ways to see if I might like it.

I didn't make a smoothie like Marisa but I did mix together crushed pineapple, low fat cottage cheese, little bit of vanilla extract (straight from Mexico - the good stuff!), and splenda. It wasn't too bad. I'm a little weirded out by the texture of cottage cheese. I think that's what throws me off. But it was doable. I'm going to try this a little this week and see how it goes.

Anyone have a good way to use cottage cheese for those that aren't huge fans?

On another note, my 15 year old cousin/goddaughter had a play on Saturday. It was her first high school performance. The play was young Frankenstein. She did good. She had a lead female role so she was in a lot of scenes. Here are a few pictures of her in the play. Good job Anna!




I'm still working on getting back on the right eating path. I'll let you know tomorrow how it's going!

In other news, Ali from Fat to Fit is having another wonderful giveaway! Go to her link if you want to enter to win, but don't bother, because I'm going to win this time!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Getting Back in Control

My weigh in was today. I had a dream last night that I gained 4 lbs. Yikes! The scale was a little better to me than that but I still gained. Only 0.4 lbs gained. I can deal with that.

Now I'm getting back in control. Control of my emotions, control of my eating, control of the mess that is my house. Control of my homework. I think the stress combined with that (sorry dad) time of month - TOM, really did me in this week. I think what saved me were the few days I did feel in control.

I also got my tax returns back. And I got the first time home buyer tax credit. Nice! Now I can buy some clothes and stuff for my house and a few accessories for my phone. I haven't been buying anything for myself because with a new house, you have more expenses and bills than when you live in an apartment and I just get scared and want to make sure that I have enough money. So now I feel in control of my money too!

I feel that it will be a good week. I still have a challenging week but if I keep my head on straight, I'll make it through.

My 15 year old cousin/goddaughter has a play tonight. She is the lead female character in Frankenstein. Should be good!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Stress Eating

I've been stress eating in a BIG way. I'm kind of disappointed in myself because I did so great on Monday and Tuesday. But Wednesday and Thursday were disastrous in the food dept. Chocolate cake, Twix, ice cream from my parent's restaurant (yum!! thanks dad). I know there is no way I won't gain this week (was that a double negative??). I was so close to goal 2 weeks ago and now I'm inching back up.

I've just been stressed because work's been super busy and I feel like I've got tons of work to do with school and things I have to go to outside of class to write papers for class. It just seems like a lot and I don't have any time for myself.

Sorry for the whining rant. I think we all need to vent sometimes, right?

I guess the only thing I can do is start today off right regardless of what happened the last 2 days. And the gym is calling my name tonight. It's going to be a great Friday.

And what can be greater than the fact that my boss decided to take a vacation day today. So I've got all day to catch up on the work without much distraction. Ahhhh....good day it will be!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Health vs. Wealth (Greek Yogurt)

I have a problem with getting myself to buy Greek yogurt. There are so many pros to eating Greek yogurt though that I'm fighting an internal battle with myself! The top benefit is the protein Greek yogurt contains. It can contain up to 15 grams of protein for a 6 oz. container. It's also lower in sugar.

The con I'm finding with buying Greek yogurt is that it costs so much more money than regular yogurt. A 6 oz. container of regular yogurt will cost me around 50 cents. A 6 oz. container of Greek yogurt will cost a minimum of $1 and usually more! How do I justify spending the extra money? Sometimes I will buy 1 or 2 containers of Greek yogurt just to buy it. People may say to buy a larger container of the Greek yogurt. True, that may save you a few cents versus buying the 6 oz. container but it's still hugely more expensive than regular (at least in the Chicago area). I'm not a huge fan of plain yogurt either but maybe Greek plain would be better tasting.

So that's the battle I'm fighting, health vs. wealth. What's a person trying to live a healthier life to do? I eat yogurt every day. Spending twice the amount of something every single day is a lot.
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What do you guys do about this?
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Moving on to yesterday. I didn't do too bad (at first). Had half of a muffin (I'm sure that's not good) but I can deal with it.

We were getting lunch from Portillo's (delicious hamburger, hot dog, beef sandwich place). I looked online and, even though they don't provide nutritionals (not even when I emailed them!), I did get some info from other sites. My best best was the Chopped Chicken Salad, no cheese. It was delicious and filling!

I actually didn't count my points for the day either (bad bad girl!). But I was keeping things in check (mostly). Then I made dinner, measured out my portion and was good to go. Until an hour later when I grabbed the container and just dug into more! Why do I do these things? But that was the only major slip-up.

I also mowed the lawn. The first time I mowed my lawn, I did it two different days. The front half and side, I burned 300+ and the back the next day, I burned 200 calories. This time? Only 326 for all of it, front, side and back! But it took the same amount of time. Maybe I was conserving more energy? Maybe it was because it was hotter (80 degrees) last time and this time it was only about 50 degrees. Would that make a difference? Maybe. **Note to self - only mow the lawn when it's hot outside!

The Pasta dish I made yesterday was pretty good! I got a few different ideas from several different places and then just made it up (I NEVER make things up in the kitchen, I'm not that creative).

Ingredients:
garlic
olive oil
bow tie pasta
tomatoes
baby spinach
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

-Cook bow tie pasta according to directions.
-In a separate pan, saute garlic in olive oil.
-When garlic is softened, add chopped tomatoes. I used grape tomatoes and quartered them (although next time, I might just half them). Cook until softened (about 4 mins).
-Add about 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped. Cook about 1 additional minute or until spinach is wilted.
-When pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain the rest.
-Add the tomato/spinach mixture to pasta and toss.
-Add 2 TBSP of pasta water (more if needed) to pasta if you think it is too dry and needs more liquid. (I added a little more olive oil too).
-Add salt and pepper to taste (then I added more s&p)
-Add Parmesan cheese and toss.

My picture of my bowl (the first one):



It was good. I liked it although I would try it a little differently next time.

Total pts used: ??

Exercise pts earned: 4
30 mins walking
1 hr 10 mins yard work

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Running for Charity

I am running the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon in August as a charity athlete to benefit UPS for DownS, an organization dedicated to providing support, information and community outreach for people with Down syndrome and their families. They also give scholarships to some great kids.

This is the 3rd year I'm a part of this group and I think it's a great charity. Please help me support UPS for DownS and make a contribution to my page today.

Please use the link below to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!!

http://www.active.com/donate/ufdrnr2010/amanda

If you would prefer to send a check, let me know and I will provide my address.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Key to Success

I figured it out! I'm so happy! I've learned the key to success when it comes to preventing binging! Do you want to know what it is? Do you? Huddle around...closer, come on, don't be shy.

The Key to Success is.......(drum roll please.....)

STAY BUSY!

That's all. That's all I have to do to not eat uncontrollably! Really, does this work for you guys? Now, how do I get myself to want to stay busy? My problem is that I like to watch TV at night to relax at the end of a long day. And I'm addicted to watching certain shows. I DVR them and watch them at my convenience.

Yesterday, after work, I went for a quick run (30 mins) because that's all I could afford to give myself. I'm hugely behind on homework and needed to hit the books! So my night was, run, dinner, shower, books! And I sat and did my homework for 3 hours! Pretty much all night long. Didn't even get up to use the bathroom! Then after homework, I sat down to watch the rest of Dancing with the Stars and eat 1 snack. Count them...ONE! And off to bed it was!

I know, I really don't need a snack before bed, but well, I wanted it! STOP JUDGING ME!! :)

On to the food

Breakfast (4 pts)
(I know my breakfast is always boring but I work in the city and get up early and don't like to eat, so I eat at my desk at work)
Banana
Yogurt

Lunch (8 pts)
Subway (Turkey/Ham on Wheat with veggies, oil/vinegar)
Medium Iced Chai (Skim Milk)

Snack at Work (2 pts)
Mini Twix ( damn clerk, stop bringing me these)!!
Small piece of bread (the subway bread wasn't enough carbs!)

Dinner (6 pts)
3 oz Teryiaki Pork Tenderloin (from Aldi)
Leftover Whole Wheat Couscous Salad

Snacks (4 pts)
Fiber One Bar (pre-homework, didn't really need this, should have left it out)
1/2 cup sugar free pistachio pudding! So Good! (post-homework)

**There is room for improvement but I will call this day a success. And I even squeezed in activity.

Total Points Used: 24 (2 over daily allowance)
Exercise Points Earned: 4
30 mins walking
30 mins running

QUESTION: Why do people feel the need to honk at you while you run? Are they cheering you on? Are they saying you look cute from behind? Are they laughing at you?

Monday, April 19, 2010

Back in the Saddle

I'm back in the saddle. Really, this time I mean it. Saturday afternoon was just practice, now I really mean it....really...

Thanks to all of you for your supportive comments. I know I can get to goal. And when I get there, I know I can stay there. So, I'll just keep trucking along. Oh and I would like to apologize to my father for using the work "bloated" in my last post. :)

I made a good side salad from the weight watchers website on Saturday. I'm usually unsure of the recipes from WW. Sometimes they are good, and sometimes they are definitely lacking! This recipe was pretty good and I had some couscous that I wanted to get rid of.

Whole Wheat Couscous Salad



This is a picture from the ww website, not my picture. I really want to start taking pictures of my food, but I haven't gotten to that stage yet! Click on the link above to get the full recipe. Very simple and easy and no weird ingredients. I had most of them in the fridge already.

Question for those that use blogger, or used to use Blogger. How do you get your own customized template? I only am using the ones that they provide on this site, but I'm not too fond of them. Can you get them online?

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Weigh In Results - Disaster Zone!

My weigh in was today. I was only 0.8 away from goal. Unfortunately I gained 1.6 lbs. Ouch. That hurt! After reviewing my week, I realized there were a number of factors that resulted in this gain. First and foremost, I ate too much. I snacked all the time. My main meals were fine! I actually don't think this is the only reason though.

I don't like to make excuses. I'm not making excuses. I'm just trying to assess the situation. Yes, my fault. The snacking got the better of me. But I think that my time of month is nearing and I was feeling a little...well...(sorry guys) bloated. I felt fatter. I think that had a little to do with it.

I also think a reason may have been because I weighed in on a different scale at the meeting. I hate when they have me weigh in on a different scale. There may be a discrepancy between the two. It's possible.

So my goal for the rest of the week is to really watch the snacking. I can still have a snack. But I can't binge on it. Another goal, drink mostly water. I will allow myself 1 pop this week. ONE! That's it. It just might make my stomach feel better. Mostly water and maybe some iced tea. Yum!

Now I haven't followed the snacking rule today! Apparently I don't learn from my mistakes. But from this moment on. Right now, in the middle of my Saturday, I'm making the commitment.

Wish me luck in a successful week. I'm determined to get to goal. My 3 year anniversary of being on WW is May 5th! I want to get to goal by then! Sooner if possible!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Mini-Meltdown

I had a mini-meltdown yesterday. It wasn't food related, so that's good! Like I said before, I take sign language interpreting classes twice a week. Now, let me draw you a map. My house is southwest of the city where I work. I take classes far northwest of the city. So on these two days (Tues. and Thurs.) I drive downtown in the morning to work, and after work, I drive northwest to school. Got the mental picture?

They are doing construction (because it's construction season, right?) on one of the expressways. I take a different one to school but they sort of run parallel and so my expressway has been much busier too. Yesterday, it was unbearable. So I tried to take streets a little bit just to get further ahead before going on the expressway. BIG MISTAKE! The traffic was horrible, I got all turned around because the streets weren't straight. After almost 1 hour, I had virtually gone nowhere! At this rate, I would make it to class maybe by Monday!

I called a friend in class and left a message saying I was going home, but because of all the frustration, I started to cry! Good lord! I think it's time for the semester to end! And I sent a message to my teacher's pager.

Want to know the best part? She said she wasn't going to be there and there was a sub! What? All that for nothing! A wasted hour of my life, crying, gas, parking money, for what?

Another thing though, my friend said they got to leave at 8:00 (instead of 9:15). So if I would have got there late, maybe around 7:15 and left at 8:00, I would have been furious! Maybe it worked out for the better.

The next best part? I went for a run with my cousin's husband to relieve stress. I wouldn't have normally been able to exercise on school days, so I was excited about that.

Now on to the food! It's been boring lately. I'm sorry about that. I'll try to spice it up next week!

Breakfast (7 pts)
Banana
Oreos (oh my!)

Lunch (6 pts)
1 cup ronzini smart taste pasta
1/2 cup sauce
parm cheese
roasted broccoli w/ olive oil

Snacks (3 pts)
Yoplait Yogurt
mini twix
1/2 cup grape tomatoes

Pre-Workout (2 pts)
Banana

Dinner (7 pts)
1 cup brown rice, diced chicken, salsa, green peppers
(all sauteed together! Yum!)
1 cup FF Milk

Snacks (3 pts)
Orange
bagel thin

Total Pts Used: 28 pts

Exercise Pts Earned: 3 pts
35-40 mins run/walk

I've got weigh in tomorrow. Ugh, 0.8 away from goal. Not sure I'll make it, but hopefully I won't gain! Wish me luck!

**CHEECHA GIVEAWAY
Ali from Fat to Fit is having a cheecha giveaway! There are lots of great things to be won! To enter, go to her blog post at Cheecha Giveaway!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Summer Days!

I love days that feel like summer! I wish every day was like yesterday and today. Here in Chicago, it's about 80 degrees (although, not for long). I'll take it! It really puts a spring in your step!

As I said before, I moved from an apartment to a house in Nov, 2009. I set out to mow my lawn (the back part) yesterday after work. I did the front last Sat. and it took me forever and I burned over 300 calories! I figured I would burn at least that much doing the back because it looks bigger than the front. I was wrong. I only burned 200 calories. Really could have used that extra 100 big ones!

Anyway, before I mowed the lawn, I decided to change out of my work clothes into shorts and a tank! Pull out those old shorts and dust them off! Big bonus, I bought a pair of cargo looking capri's last summer but they were juniors. I didn't try them on. Big mistake! I couldn't even get them past my hips! But I never returned them. When I checked out a few shorts yesterday, I tried them on first. Whoa! They slid right up and buttoned!! I didn't even have to suck in my gut! Score! I think I could stand to lose a few more pounds in the stomach before they are really comfy though but I could wear them if I want to.

I put on a pair of shorts that hit the knees that I bought last year. There's lots of room in them! Pulled on a tank and hit the yard work. Now, while I was mowing the lawn, I noticed I constantly had to pull up those shorts! I guess it's time to invest in a belt. I really don't like belts though, do you?

I also have very nice neighbors! Before the lawn mowing, I stepped outside and my elderly neighbors on the one side were outside sun-bathing! Not really sun-bathing but enjoying the weather nonetheless. They came over and asked if I wanted their help cutting down a clematis. The previous owners never cut it down last year and it's this huge, dead, dry eyesore! I didn't have all the tools required to cut it down and they came over and helped out! So nice!

They told me that although I live alone in my house, I'm not alone because I have them!

The man actually reminds me of my grandfather. He is always trying to do something, whether it's painting something, trimming bushes, anything!

I really want to start growing something! I'm not a gardener at all! Know nothing! But I'm going to try to do something now that I have my own house!

On to the food...it wasn't a total waste of a day. A few strays. I wanted to do better, but it could have been worse...much worse!

Oh! You are kidding me!! I don't have my food journal with me! Well, let's see if I can re-create from memory!

Breakfast (6 pts)
Banana
Yogurt
4 peeps

Lunch (11 pts)
Spinach Salad (tomato and vidalia onion dressing)
Fat Free Bean Burrito from TJ's
2 onion rings (thanks co-worker!) Not sure the points on this but I estimated

Dinner (7 pts)
Eggplant cutlets (from TJ's, these are so good!)
Whole wheat light bun
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup roasted broccoli w/ olive oil

Snacks (9 pts)
1 cup FF milk
about 3 servings of chips from TJ's
slice 2% cheese

Total Pts Used: 33 pts

Exercise Pts Earned: 4 pts
30 mins walking
30 mins yard work
15 mins home stationary bike

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Sabotage

Sabotagers! I think we all have these in our circle of friends and/or family.

"Come on, you can eat this one piece! It's not going to kill you!"
"You are all skin and bones! You need to eat more! Eat this!"
"You are skinny enough, you can stop doing Weight Watchers."
"Why go to the gym tonight? Come out for drinks with us, instead!"

Do any of these phrases ring a bell? Have you heard things just like these? I think anyone on a weight loss journey or even maintenance has heard things similar to this. But what happens if you are the one doing the sabotaging? To yourself! How do you handle that situation?

Sometimes I do feel like saying "It's one piece of chocolate. It won't kill you!" Everyone else just walks right past and grabs it and eats it without thinking! So why do I have to think about it! Why do I have to stress about eating a piece (or two) of chocolate, or cake, or these darn Easter peeps!! Why can't I just eat it and move on! Why can't I go out for a burger and fries like the rest of the world does and not feel guilty and feel like I now have to work out for hours on end!

I think being so close to a weight goal that I never thought I would ever get to has me feeling stressed. Never in all of my adult life (at least from college on up, maybe even part of H.S.) have I ever been this weight or this size. It's the smallest I've been. It feels great. But the thought of being here or getting to goal, really has me stressing out! And I feel that I'm sabotaging myself.

I'm not going to bore you today with my food. Besides, 10 pts of it was candy. CANDY! My main food was good. Spot on. But the candy and the snacking has got to stop.

The problem with me is that I can't have just one. I can't! So saying to myself, it's just one piece of chocolate, is a lie! It won't be one piece! Even if I think it will be, I know from experience, it never is!

I'm 4 peeps (2 pts) down today, but that's it! I'm turning over a new leaf...again! I know what I have to do, I just have to do it. And if I have something, like chocolate or those delicious marshmallow goodness peeps, that's OK. I'll try not to feel guilty. I'll try to just make a better, more healthy choice the next time. I guess that's all I can do.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Old Habits

Old habits die hard! Night snacking was what got me today. I did good the rest of the day though. Let's recap. I had the day off. I took it off because I needed some "me" time. Now, by "me" time, I mean I had to run errands and mow the lawn. Yes, mow the lawn. Now, I've never mowed my lawn before because I just bought this house in November. I've mowed my parents lawn when I lived there but that was a while ago. I didn't have a lawn to mow at my apt (ahhhh, the good ol' days!).

I broke out the new handy dandy lawn mower. I started in the front because, well, it's smaller and I figured I would just knock the front out and start on the back. WRONG! The front took me forever! I think it's just that I'm not used to the layout and the new mower. I did the front and side and after about 45 mins-1 hr, I said that the back can wait until Wed! The best part though is that I wore my HRM (heart rate monitor) and I burned over 300 calories. And I only did 1/2 the lawn! Woohoo! Bonus exercise! Love when that happens.

Afterwards, ran some errands (Trader Joe's among them) and headed back home. Watched TV and went to the gym. I went to a double class that I normally can't get to when I work. The first is a 45 min. Kwando (kickboxing) class, the second is one that I have gone to a lot in the past. It's a very hard Powerflex (weights) class. I love to do double classes! Feel the burn!

On to the food. I did great all day! I even had a cadbury egg (hey, they were on sale) and planned for that. But late night snacking got the better of me! At least I burned lots of calories to make up for it. I'm so obsessed with hitting goal this week that every time I eat when I'm not really hungry, I get mad at myself! Here's the menu...

Breakfast (3 pts)
Oatmeal (splash FF milk, splenda, cinnamon)
Orange

Lunch (8 pts)
BBQ Black Bean Burgers (borrowed from Marisa at Loser for Life)
I made these with black beans a while ago and froze a couple.
www.loserforlife.com/2010/02/the-method-and-madness/
Banana
Spinach Salad with Kraft LF Toasted Asian Sesame Dressing

Pre-Workout Snack (4 pts)
Hard boiled egg
1 cup FF milk

Dinner (9 pts)
1 cup Ronzini pasta with 1/2 cup sauce, 1 tsp. olive oil
1 slice whole wheat toast

1/2 cup more pasta w/ sauce :( This is where it started going downhill!

Late night food feast (9 pts)
1 slice Kraft 2% cheese
Cadbury egg
2 servings baked chips from TJ's (similar to Sun Chips).

Total Pts. Used: 33 pts :/

Total Exercise Pts. Earned: 9 pts :P
1 hr. yard work
45 mins. kwando class
1 hr. powerflex class

Monday, April 12, 2010

WI Results!

Sorry I've been MIA the last few days. I did, however, want to share my weigh in results from my WW meeting on Sat. I lost 2.8 lbs! I attribute this to a few things. First, my new blog! I think the new blog really helped me not binge on food or candy. Knowing people other than myself would be seeing what I was eating really helped me stay accountable.

I also think that eating some sort of meat every day helped me too (sorry vegans!). I don't just mean protein, but actual chicken or red meat of some kind. The helped me a few weeks ago too, where I had so much chicken that I cooked that I ate a little every day. That week I lost 1.8 lbs. So I tried it again and it really seems to help with the weight loss. Thoughts?

I didn't do great yesterday (Sunday) on WW. I had an Easter party with my cousins and even though there were some healthy things to eat, there were just as many non-healthy things to eat. But one day won't kill me in this process. I have to look at the whole.

I am now officially 0.8 lbs away from my WW goal weight of 160! I can't believe it! I've been toying around with the last 10 lbs for months and months. I really hope to get to goal this week but if I don't, there is always next week. I'm not sure of an ultimate personal goal yet. Right now, I'm shooting for 160. Later, I may lose a few more lbs but I'll figure that out later.

More on the food tomorrow.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Husband & Tutor

Just what I need! A husband and tutor! But alas, I still have neither. :/

Had my class (sign language interpreting) last night. Our instructor has a person living with her and her husband. I think he is living there because he is taking classes for something, not really sure. Anyway, he is deaf guy. Very nice and cute too. Helped us with our work. It's nice to be able to socialize with a deaf person because I don't get enough practice on my own. So I was thinking "Perfect! I could have a husband and a tutor with this one!" But no, I'm too shy! I did tell him we enjoyed having him in our class and for him to come back one day.

No other good information. On to the food. Well, there was a birthday at work and of course, I had to have some cake! But I split the piece with my attorney and didn't eat the whole half.

Breakfast (4 pts)
Oatmeal (splash FF milk/splenda/cinnamon)
Banana

Lunch (9 pts)
McDonald's Southwestern Salad (Grilled Chicken)
Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Iced Chai with Skim Milk

Midday Snacks (8 pts, guesstimate)
2 piece chocolate
1/2 piece cake

Dinner - After School (4 pts)
3/4 cup skim milk
Parfait (yoplait yogurt, 2 strawberries, 1/2 cup fiber one cereal)
Candied Carrots (leftover)

The candied carrots were made from a Hungry Girl recipe http://www.hungry-girl.com/week/weeklydetails.php?isid=1779. They were good but sweet. Nice side dish though.

Exercise: None

Total Points Used: 25 pts

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Even if you stick a needle in my eye!

I have always had weird dreams. Ever since I could remember. They usually involve people chasing me and trying to kill me. I know, weird! My dream last night involved an eye doctor appt. While checking my vision, he was looking at 2 specific things. One of the things he was looking was not checking out good and he said it would not be good when I fly in a plane. What!?! Well, I guess I was going on vacation and was going to be in a plane. So he took a needle and stuck it sideways in the corner of my right eye very slowly and it hurt so bad! Then took it and did it to my left eye. My mom asked if I was ok but I answered her with one slow tear running down my cheek! I was in so much pain!

So what does that dream mean? Any dream interpreters in the house today? Anyone in the house today? Helllllllllloooooooo out there!! I will have to investigate this one!

On to the food...

Breakfast (4 pts)
Medium Banana
Dannon Light 'N Fit Yogurt

Lunch (5 pts)
Boca Breaded Chicken Patty on Bagel Thin with Laughing Cow Cheese
1 cup Broccoli/1 cup Califlower (steamed)

Midday Snacks (6 pts)
Peeps
1 piece chocolate/2 mints
(I need to make this a healthier, more nutritious snack!)

Dinner (5 pts)
1 cup milk
1 oz. chicken
baked potato

Snack (4 pts)
1 slice whole wheat toast with light butter & cinnamon
hard boiled egg

Exercise: 30 min. walk
20 mins on home stationary bike

Total Pts Used: 24
Exercise Pts Earned: 2

While doing these food posts the last two days, I realized I'm seriously lacking in my healthy oils! I have my good weeks with oil and my bad weeks. I really need to try to incorporate some every day!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Elise!

My cousin Jessie and her husband Nick had a baby yesterday. It's their first one and we were all very excited waiting for baby Elise. She was due Friday, April 9th but the doctor advised her that she had a flat pelvis, which makes it much harder to deliver the baby the normal way. They decided to try to induce her yesterday, April 6th. After they spent all day at the hospital, the baby was not in a hurry to come out into this world! A c-section was decided and Elise was born around 10:30 pm last night. She was 8 lbs 9 oz. and 21 in. long! Whoa baby! But she is a cutie!




More on Elise to follow. Hopefully I'll get to see her tonight after work.

Now on to the eats from yesterday! I was mostly good. I did eat some candy and planned to eat some peeps at the end of the night after I got home from class, but I didn't binge and I wanted to but knowing I had to do this blog actually stopped me from binging on candy last night! Yay me!

On Tuesday and Thursday right now, I have a class. I go to school for sign language interpreting. This school is about 30 miles from work in downtown Chicago and it's in the opposite direction from my house! Needless to say, it's a long day! So my eating on these days for dinner is not consistant and sporadic since I leave right after work to get to school. I don't get home until around 10:30!

Breakfast (3 pts)
Small Banana
Dannon Greek Yogurt

Lunch (5 pts)
Large Grilled Chicken Salad (I made) with lowfat Vidalia Onion dressing
Orange

Midday Snacks/Early Dinner (9 pts)
3 mini chocolates
Chocolate marshmellow egg
Hard boiled egg

After School Dinner (6 pts)
Baked potato
1 cup skim milk
4 peep bunnies

Exercise: 20 mins on home stationary bike after school at 10:30 pm!

Total Pts Used: 23
Exercise Pts Earned: 1

*My eats don't look perfect for today. Need to cut out the midday snacking for sure! Will try to work on that.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Where my peeps at?

My mom actually has a shirt with a peep (the marshmellow candy goodness) on it and it says "Where my peeps at?" Love that shirt!

My bright idea yesterday after work was to go to Walgreens and get after-Easter sale candy! Every year I do this and every year I wonder why! I decided on some peeps and 2 cadbury eggs! Ahhhhh, Easter candy! Oh, the calories! So I ate the cadbury eggs (yes, both of them) and half the peeps! My poor tummy did not feel well this morning. And what do I do after lunch today? Go to walgreens and get more peeps, of course! I have no self control! I love peeps! But I am not opening the new ones today. They are tucked safely in my drawer at work! I just can't refuse a good peep sale!

I've done pretty well today on WW (Weight Watchers). I'm planning on sticking to it for the rest of the day.

My cousin Jessie and her husband Nick are having a baby today! They are inducing her sometime today. Her due date is Friday but she has a flat pelvis (?) and the baby is a pretty good size now, so they want to try to get things moving. I'm so excited. Details of the new baby Elise to follow.

I will try to get this post geared towards my food for the day but right now, I'm feeling my way through being a new blogger!

Monday, April 5, 2010

First Post

I decided to create this blog on my quest to make it to goal! I only have 3.6 lbs left as of last Saturday. I've been toying with the last 10 lbs for probably close to a year (well, maybe 6-8 months or so).



Yesterday was Easter and I'm still feeling full! The food I ate wasn't too bad for you but the quatities got out of control. I still don't know why I do that! I overeat! I eat like I will never eat again! I've been on my weight loss journey since May of 2007. You would think I would learn how to control these days! I think to myself, "It's one thing, or one day! It won't hurt you! You should be able to enjoy it!" But do I really need that much food?



So before I go any further, let me tell you a little about me. I'm 31 years old, no hubby, no kids. I live in a suburb of Chicago, IL. All my life, I've felt "bigger" than my friends. I was taller than all the girls and boys at a young age (not so much anymore) and even though when I look at pictures now of me back then and I know I wasn't fat, I felt fat. In high school, I was probably a size 12-14. In college, I got up to a size 20! I've always worked out. Since I was about 12. So I just considered myself a healthy fat person. Hey, they exist!



I actually started doing runs (5k's, etc) in Sept. 2003 with a friend when she was turning 30. So, I was a fat person doing these runs! I felt like I would die. In fact, I found my first picture of me running a 5k! So embarrasing! But I continued to do these runs: 5k's, 8k's, 10k's, and eventually half marathons! In fact, my first half marathon was in 2006 I think. I estimate that I weighed around 230 lbs back then. I ran with a friend and finished with a time of 2:55:55! Actually not bad, under 3 hours! Since then, I've run two more. Each time I've shaved 16 mins off from the time before. My last one was the Rock N' Roll Chicago Half Marathon in 2009 had a finish time of 2:23! I think that's pretty good!



So lastly, I joined Weight Watchers in May 2007 at 251.2 lbs. To date, I've lost 87.6 lbs. Wish me luck as I finally try to get to goal! I may make a new goal sometime after that but right now, 160 is the top weight of my weight range. I would finally be a normal weight!



I look forward to getting to know all of my fellow bloggers. If there is any ideas or criticisms, please share!