Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Yanked to White Plains
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. ;)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Attack of the 50 lb Lighter Woman
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Somebody pass the biofreeze
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.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Hallelujah!
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!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
52 days!
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.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Sneak Peak
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
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Fitness Fourth
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.
Friday, June 27, 2008
women and weight
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for her that she's finally found something to make her want to finally get control over her eating. Even if it is a completely superficial reason, in the end she will be healthier for it. I've warned her against losing too quickly. For someone who's read every weight loss book ever printed, you'd think she'd know this by now.
But no. She goes back to her deprevation and restrictive dieting on South Beach (and eats Ricotta cheese all day) and back to her treadmill bingeing. Whatever works, right?
Sigh.
The problem is...and we all know this...it doesn't work! She'll be over it in a few months. Perhaps she will make it until she gets home from the cruise, but as soon as the motivation of the cruise is gone, so will be the results of all of her efforts. She is as stubborn as the day is long when I try to give her advice. It's her way or the highway. South Beach has worked for her in the short term. And like any 'diet', it stops working when you stop following it. She's made fun of me for the whole Weight Watchers "not a diet" campaign arguing that if you can't eat what you want all the time, it's a diet. I stress to her that switching your focus to less restriction with portion control is key. But I can't win with her. The only argument I hold is the final proof: that I've lost 50 pounds over two years with gradual changes and have kept it off. She has gained.
Do any of you guys have friends like this? I just don't know how to handle it anymore. Especially now that she's in her diet mode and wants to talk about it ALL the time. At least when she's eating everything under the moon, I don't have to have the discussions.
Anyway, I found a great quote today I would love to email to her (and might just yet):
"If you can't see yourself eating or exercising a certain way for the rest of your life — say, consuming raw food and running five miles every day — you shouldn't be doing it to lose weight in the first place"
LOVE it!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Bad at multitasking
I had a blah week last week. No Subway or McDonalds near the client site, so I ate too much sashimi and sushi instead. I am pretty much the same weight as last week. And so another week goes by...one week closer to the cruise and still stuck at 157.
It seems that I can only focus on one thing at a time these days. Either I'm eating perfectly OR excercising hard. But for some reason I have a hard time doing both at the same time.
Lately it's been the workouts that have slipped. So I got my butt in gear last night, tied up the laces, and hit the pavement. I bought some 8 pound weights for my arm reps (I was up to 24 reps with the 5 lbs - which is pretty much useless for building muscle). I plan to break them in tonight.
Turns out, I'm in town all week long, which should be a good thing for my eating AND exercising. I'm aiming to see 156 this week.
Here's what's on the menu today to get to that goal:
15 Coffee & half & half
40 Egg Beater
10 Tsp Salsa
100 Whole Grain English Muffin
130 Soy Nut Mix
160 Tomato Vegetable Soup
75 Salad with Feta Cheese, Olives and no dressing
160 24 Almonds
60 3oz Mango
90 2oz Avocado
30 8oz Romaine
70 2 Tbsp Sun Dried Tomato Vinegarette Dressing
150 1/2 Cup Weight Watchers Cheese Shreds
160 2 Tortillas
60 Jello Pudding
_______________
1320 Calories
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Life on the road
Eating on the road is a challenge. It's extremely hard to plan your meals, but I was able to count on the trusty McDonald's Southwest salads in a pinch. I loaded up on snacks at the convenience store Monday night - some almonds, apples with yogurt dip, a garden salad (that I ate for dinner) and some veggie crisps. Those certainly deterred me from calling in a late night pizza order and raiding the hotel vending machines. I continued to journal my food all week making the best estimations I could. When I wasn't sure, I calculated meals on the high side just to be safe. I was starving Wednesday evening after not eating enough on Monday and Tuesday. My body fights back with anything less than 1300 calories a day. So I treated myself with some wine and dessert with dinner. My only real 'cheats' all week. I can't even remember the last time I ordered dessert in a restaurant. But I managed to eat only half and it was delicious and well worth it. No regrets there. My one regret is not making it to the gym a single time during the week. The one night I was able to, I was sidetracked...read on....
The best part of my trip was finding this awesome mall in Willow Grove, PA on the day of Macy's one day sale this week. I found these unbelievable trouser jeans by Nine West for only $20. I was paying for them and when the lady at the counter pulled them up to fold them, the girl checking out at the register beside me looked me up and down and said, "those look way too big for you!". When I tried them on, I did have some extra room in them, but for whatever reason, it didn't even occur to me that I could fit in anything less than a size 10. But hearing her say that made me wonder. So, I left the counter, returned to the rack, found the size 8's and tried them on. And I'll be damned - she was right. I walked out with an EIGHT, people!! My first size eight jeans that I have bought in my entire adult life!!!!!
Which brings me to another point. I am really struggling with clothes right now, because it seems that I can't see myself as anything but a double digit wearer. Even my bra that I just bought a few weeks ago is too big in the cup size. Now, to my defense, it does have very molded cups, so even though it doesn't fit, it still looks like it does. But I realized this week that I don't even begin to fill out the cups anymore. Sure enough, when I tried on new bras at Macy's, I was an entire cup size smaller. And I'm embarrassed to admit that I bought a 12 petite in a pair of pants (petities always run smaller, so I'm thinking equivalent to a 10 regular, right?), wore them back on the plane Friday only to be able to take them off without unzipping them when I got home that evening. *sigh* It's delightful and frustrating at the same time.
All said and done, I'm happy to report a loss this week. 157 for the week. Down about a pound. 12 more to go to my goal before the cruise leaves August 30th. This is definitely possible. :D
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Vacation...SHORT(s)!
*sigh*
But going back to the grind is always a good thing for me. My routines go out the window with no schedule to wrap them around and although I've only had one episode of all-out frivolity (yes, that means too many calories consumed by way of wine glass) since Friday, I know that I won't be seeing a loss when I get on the scale Friday morning. I'm aiming for a maintain.
I got a few miles in this extended holiday weekend on top of buying that fitness ball and....
running shorts!
There goes the neighborhood.
I haven't worn shorts since around 1998. I hate the way they ride up from my thighs rubbing together and I always end up walking like a cowgirl to prevent that from happening. Well, they still ride up. I have thighs. Always have, except for a brief moment around 140 when I was taking a fitness credit ballet class in college. But I have to find a way to continue running in this humid Georgia climate, so I found myself in Target trying on shorts Saturday. Not as horrible of an experience as I imagined it would be. Even the clothed view from the rear wasn't especially horrifying. Hurray!
Tomorrow I will end my vacation with a trip to the Farmer's Market with Joe to buy a few nice cheeses for a dinner we're hosting Saturday night and maybe pick up some in-season produce - whatever looks good. My goal of eating more fruit would certainly be more easily acheived if I actually bought some. Can't wait to see what I come home with!
Catch up with you all on the other side (the work side, that is).
Friday, May 23, 2008
Helloooooooooo 150's! (part II)
I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!
158.8
2 pounds lost this week!
Take that, pesky 160's.
The secret to my success this week has no doubt been the continued journaling of every bite of food during the week in my spiral notebook. Here's what else I improved on from last week:
1. Measured most everything. (I feel that measuring peanut butter is more trouble than it's worth. Can I get an amen?)
2. Ate a 1/2 banana every morning. That's more fruit in a day than I got at all last week. It's a start.
3. My workout tomorrow will put me at my (silent) goal of 4 workouts this week.
4. I have included the strength training routines after my runs twice this week.
5. Looking back over my food journal, I don't see too many huge setbacks. This is mainly due to my lack of journaling over the weekend. I will admit, Saturday was pretty rough: I had 4 or 5 beers at the lake. That doesn't even include the nibbles of junk here and there throughout the day. The purchase of a large bag of Doritos "for Joe" on Sunday wasn't the best idea I've had, but I managed to hold it down to a serving and a half the entire week. AND they're the hotwing/blue cheese combos. GOOD lordamercy tasty!
6. I substituted healthier side dishes with my dinners every night. Tons of veggies instead of something starchy.
7. I just realized that this 'clean out the pantry' project I've been on for almost a month now has discouraged my snack intake (since there are no snacks around to be eaten). And to be honest, I'm hardly missing the 100-cal packs and puddings! That's huge for me. I think I'll just skip that aisle at the grocery store when I finally go this weekend.
THINGS I CAN DO BETTER NEXT WEEK
1. More fruit, more fruit, more fruit. Otherwise, I feel my diet right now is pretty stellar! Wow, I can't believe I can say that!
2. Eh, what's one more workout gonna hurt. I am DYING to sign up for a yoga class or a gym. I need something new, but money is tight for now. So on the to-do list, I think I'll buy that exercise ball I've been wanting for ages. Way cheaper than yoga class.
3. Enjoy my vacation and time away from work! (without finding myself back in the 160's next week)
Happy Memorial Day!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Favorite Finds

These have surged ahead of the competition in the race for my favorite afternoon (or sometimes morning) snack. They're perfectly sweet and salty, really fill me up and keep me from pantry raiding when I come through the back door at 5:17. I thought I would have to resort to hiding the last few bags from Joe or challenge him to a duel if he tried to take them. Lucikly, the shipment arrived today to replenish our stock and has likely saved our engagement.
These perfectly sized bags of soy nut mix Crum Creek's Brilliantly Blended Soy Nut Mix are:
Organic
High in fiber
High in protein
Just 6 net grams of carbohydrates per serving
Conveniently packaged in 10 single-serving packs(1 oz. each)
Trans fat and cholesterol-free
Kosher
Vegan
Soy Nut Mix Ingredients:
Organic Non-GMO Soy Nuts, Organic Chocolate Chips (organic cane sugar, organic chocolate liquor, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla beans, soy lecithin), Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Raisins, Expeller-pressed Canola Oil, Sea Salt.
130 calories per bag or 2 points.
You can order them here individually or as I prefer, in the Hungry Girl Super Snack Duo containing soy bites and soy nut mix. 12 bags of soy bites, 20 bags of soy nut mixes all for $20 including shipping.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Reminder to Self
DO IT!
YOU'LL FEEL BETTER!
NO. YOU'LL FEEL AMAZINGLY AWESOME!
YOU'LL FEEL STRONG!
YOU'LL THINK CLEARER!
YOU'LL SLEEP BETTER!
YOU'LL BE CLOSER TO YOUR GOAL ON THAT CRUISE SHIP!
YOU'LL BE A HOTTIE!
Now get off your ass, future me. Feel as good as you do right now!
Friday, May 16, 2008
yeah yeah
I imagine the demolishing of tuna salad AFTER dinner last night did not help. I had only eaten 400 calories by the time dinner was on my plate, so I was famished. Not a good plan.
Ah well. I still feel back on track. Still writing everything down. Trying to workout as much as possible, including strength training additions to my runs this week. I found the perfect circuit training set in a Fitness magazine that kicked my butt with squat/dumbell combos and planks.
Looking back over my food journal for the week, here are my observations:
- I desperately need to buy groceries. This 'emptying the pantry' mission is starting to limit my healthy eating options.
- I'm averaging around 1400 calories a day. I think. See next bullet point.
- I'm still not measuring exact sizes. I'm eyeballing. This is something I need to work on next week.
- The lack of fruit appearing on these pages is appaling. The grocery excursion will definitely need to include a selection of 'new' fruits I haven't had in a while - grapes and bananas might be good. Perhaps a smoothie for breakfast will help with the fruit intake. Any other ideas out there?
- I need to ditch the pretzel snack I go for at around 3pm and go back to nuts or a Fiber One bar instead. Those wasabi almonds are really calling my name.
- Clearly, I love vegetables. But I tend to think of them as free foods that I don't have to measure. Do I really need to?
So the goal for next week is to incorporate these into my food plan AND be in the 150's by next Friday. I'm gonna kick me some 160's ass next week!
On a side note, taking our puppies to the lake tomorrow. It's their first time (that we know of) being in water. Should be a blast!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
old school
I'm going old school and journaling my food & activity in a little spiral notebook...
And it's working!!!
It's been since last November since I've really, seriously, truly journaled everything. I'm always conscious of my choices, but sometimes you do forget and underestimate what you've eaten throughout the day. I like to blame that on a combination of my thirty-something year old memory and ADD - but placing blame certainly doesn't help the case of my fifty-something year old looking ass.
Joe and I have booked a cruise to Mexico leaving August 30. What a perfect time to start a new goal - for my 35th birthday! And this, my friends, will be my last scale-related goal. After I reach the 145 mark, I plan to stick to fitness goals and measurements. I don't want to be obsessed with the scale anymore. I feel chained to it.
But don't worry. That doesn't mean I'll let go of it all. Oh hell no. I love my newly purchased size 10 jeans (or maybe an 8 when I'm finished)! The exercise is now a part of my lifestyle. And I love having legs that I'm kinda proud of for the first time EVA in my life! The scale hasn't budged for me in a few months now, but my body still has. So I feel confident in declaring 145 as the stopping point. It's practical and healthy for my height and frame. I graduated high school close to 170 - so suffice it to say, I've never been skinny. I wasn't born skinny. I don't care if I ever AM skinny. I just want to FEEL good.
I love to pieces how some of you have posted your bikini pics. I'm jumping on the bandwagon and embracing my body! I plan to have one for the cruise and of course I'll also have a camera in hand. No better time than then, right?
So expect to see me in all my dimply glory on September 8th. Mark your calendars!!
Friday, May 02, 2008
Off My Ass
It's been 2 weeks since my last run.
It's been 2 weeks since my last loss.
The last loss was a desperate attempt to lose some of the 4 pounds I've gained.
I need a kick in the butt.
I need a plan. I need a new plan. The old plan is no longer working.
I have but 15 pounds left to lose. I've been sitting at this number on the scale for pretty much the entire year. I'm ready to be DONE with it.
*sigh*
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Just when I thought it was over...
I want my normal life back.
I miss reading all of your blogs and I can't even begin to catch up on all of you in the few minutes I have during the week. So here is where I tell you all who might be reading - that I hope you are all doing well and keeping up with your goals. AND having a Happy Easter if you celebrate it. I don't, but the easter bunny managed to visit Walgreen's yesterday and bring me chocolate this morning. Cadbury...mmmmm!!!
As for the rest of life, the stress is great for weight loss. I've dropped like 4 pounds in the past two weeks without even really trying. I'm almost at my goal I set for last week and I'm in the 150's for the first time in maybe a decade! 12's are starting to be a little big on me. I'm still running/walking, logging the miles. It's really the only way I can stay sane with the workload.
I'd be on prescription meds for sure if I didn't.
Shoutout to everyone reading!!!
Until next time I can spare 5 minutes...
xoxo
Saturday, February 23, 2008
The End is in Sight!
As of Wednesday around noon I will be completely finished with my final examinations, manager reviews and hardware challenge. It has been exhausting and I'm struggling to fight off a cold this weekend likely induced by all the stress.
I've lost a little more than 5 pounds since class started, so I'm quite proud of that too. I'm down to 161.2 this week and I can't tell you how nice it's going to be to see the 150's on that scale!!
I should be back around more regularly after next week. I miss you guys and the support I get from you all. Hope everyone is well & happy!
xo
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Week 1: Complete!
Holy hell.
My manager asked me last night (while we were all celebrating at the local pub by getting completely trashed) what the biggest surprise of the class has been so far.
My answer: crying after the 4th day.
It's true. At the end of each day, there is a quiz, and for the second day in a row on Wednesday, my grade was not a fair reflection of how well I understood the material. I only scored 80% because I either overthought the questions or misunderstood them. And it would be different if I didn't get the concepts. At least then I could ask for help.
So, I went home, cried, slept, ate a large serving of comfort food and did my best to shake it off. The next day I made sure not to assume anything about any of the quiz questions. I asked for clarification, and lo and behold I scored 99.83 - the highest grade in the class. My strategy continued to pay off on yesterday's database quiz - my first 100%!!!! (to the dismay of my lower scoring Georgia Tech graduate neighbors who had just took this college course and commented on how easy the test was going to be - heehee! select statement THIS, bitches!)
Ok, I realize this isn't exactly a weight loss related post, so I will end with an update on that front. In spite of grueling 10 hour days, I forced myself to get out of bed at 5:30 twice this week to get in a workout. That, my friends, is just a plain out miracle. This girl NEVER gets up before the sun. But I did, and honestly, it wasn't all that bad. I may just do it again this week since it's too cold now for my usual outside run when I get home at 7pm.
And last but not least, I saw a nice loss of 1.8 pounds this week. That was Wednesday's weigh-in - and it already looks like I'll be having a nice loss next week as well - crossing my fingers!
Finally, the holiday pounds are gone and I'm seeing numbers not yet seen since 2003! Feels so good.
Hope you all are having fantastic weekends!!
