Yanked to White Plains

I love it when I'm given notice on a Friday that I'll be going out of town on business the following Monday - LOVE IT. Especially when it's White Plains, NY. UGH!

I think if I went the rest of my life without going there again, it would be equivalent to winning the lottery. Difficult client, to say the least. We're sent on a mission trip and expecting the building to be in flames when we arrive from the sound of it, but it was quite the opposite. They just have a crappy system administrator without a spine required to do his job. I think it's time we fired this client.

Ok, vent is over. Now on to the stuff you really care about. You have requested before/after pics and I promise they're on the way to ya. I found the 'before', just gotta take a good 'after' shot. I'll get that up for you guys this week. I'm kinda looking forward to seeing the difference myself!

So even though I was in White Plains eating on an expense account, I managed to hold steady for the week AND get in a couple of good workouts by Sunday. I didn't journal all week, which is a first for me since April, but I still managed to make super awesome choices even when the boys (aka my coworkers) were eating the cheese fries from Outback right in front of me. Bastards!

I'm back home this week and clinging to the hope to see a new number on the scale this Friday. I've been strength training consistently and hard for over a month now and I'm finding the process of making muscles fascinating! I think Joe might be a little sick of the daily "check out my muscles" requests though. Sorry, honey. :D
But every week I feel new definition in my thighs, arms and butt - it's so exciting!! Notice I didn't say abs though. I admit to not giving them enough attention, but it's not as though I've been completely neglecting them either. Does it just take forever to see results there or what?

Side note: 30 days til vacation!! Not that I'm counting or anything. ;)

Attack of the 50 lb Lighter Woman

How on earth could I have forgotten?!



I cruised right past 156 without even realizing that when I started this whole thing, I was 206. I've reached a huge milestone this week:

Yep, that's pounds lost.

I remember when I started this how the thought of losing 50 pounds seemed near impossible. The only way I could get around it was to NOT think about it. And now, two years later, I'm there!

10 more to go.

Somebody pass the biofreeze

I cranked up the incline on the treadmill yesterday at the gym.

Ouchie. :(

I've been focusing more on my arm work lately and it's amazing how fast you see results! The tricep jiggle is minimal today and it's so motivating to keep it up.

I think I may be in for another good loss this week although it is rather too early to tell. And by good loss I mean a pound. It's almost impossible for me to lose more than that a week without starving or spending every waking minute I'm not at work on the treadmill. I'm just happy that I'm actually losing again.

OH! And I'm wearing shorts today. To the office. I KNOW!!! But dangit, I've worked hard for cute legs. I'm gonna show 'em off!

Ok, have a great week. I'm off to book a massage.

Hallelujah!

The 157 streak has finally been broken. The scale reads 156. Even. No point anything.

I'm gonna keep plugging along at this sparkpeople thing. Turns out, I do a pretty lousy job at planning my own meals.

The best part of today though is that it's Friday! It's been a hell of a week at work. About a month ago, I drew the short straw (without even knowing) and was assigned to a difficult client to go and 'fix'. An upgrade to their latest version didn't seem to fix the problems they were expecting to be fixed. AND it caused some other issues that didn't exist before the upgrade. *&#$*! So I've been dealing with upgrade fallout all week on top of having to learn how to install a reporting module for them. At this point in my job, everything is a learning process. It will be so nice to finally be here long enough that I'm not having to learn something new everyday just to do my job.

I really do love my job on most days, but man, I cannot wait for vacation!

For now, the weekend will have to do. And I will be keeping to the plan in hopes that next week another new number appears. Oh how I would love to be in the single digits of pounds left to lose!

52 days!

52 days until the boat leaves the port.

52 days until my 35th birthday (huh? how the hell could that even be possible?? even if my slowing metabolism and coarsened peach fuzz declare that it must be so??!)

52 days until I wear a bathing suit while I strike the best skinny pose I can for the camera.

And post it here for the world to see!

If you recall back some time ago, I took that challenge to post a bathing suit pic after I return from the cruise September 6. I'm still holding to it. I predict you will all be on the edge of your seats, refreshing my blog at light speed in anticipation of the grand event that day.

Especially any lurking, pervy ex-boyfriends who will just have to settle for me being *somewhat* clothed. Ahem.

Dear lord baby jesus. What have I done.

Sneak Peak

I couldn't help myself from a quick peek at the scale this morning and I am pleased to see 157.6 after the weekend. That's a darn good setup for my official weigh in on Friday. How cool (however unlikely) would it be to skip the 156 altogether??! Not getting my hopes up or anything. I seem to be concreted to this 157.6 number. But Friday is four days away...


This is what I'm munchin' on today:

BREAKFAST

Calories
Instant, Quick, and Regular Oats Cereal, 0.75 cup, cooked 104
Instant, Quick, and Regular Oats Cereal, 0.75 cup, cooked 104
Bread, reduced-calorie, wheat, 2 slice 91
Jams, preserves, jelly, 1 tbsp 56
Peanut Butter, smooth style, 0.5 tbsp 47

401

LUNCH
Celery, raw, 2 stalk, large (11"-12" long) 20
Tuna, Canned in Water, 0.5 can 96
Bread, pita, whole-wheat, 1 pita, small (4" dia) 74
Popcorn, air-popped, 2.5 cup 76
Kraft Mayo Fat Free Mayonnaise Salad Dressing, 2 tbsp 22

289

DINNER
Yellow Sweet Corn, Canned, 0.2 cup 27
Yellow Sweet Corn, Canned, 0.2 cup 27
Beans, black, 0.5 cup 114
Cottage Cheese, Nonfat, 0.75 cup (not packed) 92
Brown Rice, long grain, 0.5 cup 108
Brown Rice, long grain, 0.5 cup 108

476

SNACK
Strawberries, fresh, 1 cup, halves 46
Yoplait Yogurt Light Fat-Free - Peach (6 0z), 1 serving 100

146

Total = 1312

Fitness Fourth

I failed to see 156 this past week. Boooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Despite my solid efforts, and a huge disappointment, I didn't let it get me down. I turned my long 3-day weekend into a fitness fest. Instead of watching the Braves game on the couch, I drove to the gym at work and watched it from the treadmill. I pushed myself through some hard hittin' strength training (leg presses and pull ups) and although I am suffering from it today, it was SO worth it! I took today off to do some yardwork, but in terms of my meals, I've been pretty great all weekend.

I took my measurements this weekend and I was shocked to see a 1.5" loss in my waist and a 1" loss in my hips in a month. But is that even possible having lost only a few pounds??

In a ditch effort to get these last nagging pounds off, I signed up for the infamous SparkPeople pages. Although I've been journaling my food since May, I love that I can get more accurate counts, keep up with my water intake with a click, and get meal ideas. I'm so bored of the same old thing everyday. I have 8 weeks to lose the 12 pounds. It can still happen. I'm not giving up.
Another inch in the waist and hips is my other goal.

And it will be the best 35th birthday present I could give myself.