So pretty good week on the dieting front. Working out, however, could've been a little bit better. Monday I had a GREAT workout! Ran my fat face off! Of course my legs were aching after & the next day. I had my 1st go at the strength training workout I was attempting. There are 12 exercises in the workout....I got through 5 of them & I wanted to die. It was rough. Squats & lunges are not your friends! My legs were killing the next day. Tuesday I tried running but had to split my cardio between that & the bike cuz my legs were screaming at me. I did a few more of my strength training exercises. Still a good workout. Wednesday I didn't get to the gym until way late & 2 of my gal pals were just getting ready to go sit in the hot tub. I felt that was better use of my time! Thursday I helped Joelyn move so that burned some calories right!? I finally talked myself into going to the gym but when I got there I discovered that I left my ipod at home. I can NOT workout without my ipod. Forget it. I drove back home & you know I wasn't going back. Friday I had to weigh in for Biggest Loser at my office. why am I only down 1 pound?! i think this scale is wack! that night I indulged in some frozen yogurt. hey it's better than ice cream so back off! Saturday me & Chalise drug our butts to the gym & I had a GREAT run! this was my last chance workout before todays weigh in & I was determined to get rid of every calorie I could. I will have my 3 pounds even if I have to cut something off! So today we weighed in....I stepped on the scale....and....I had lost my 3 pounds!!! YEAH!!!! I was so excited! So in total I have lost 7.8 pounds & I have 17.2 pounds to go. Next week I have GOT to be at the gym at least 3 days but really I should get in there 4 days this week.
Also I indulged in another round of frozen yogurt. Don't judge me. Don't you dare judge me! I lost 3 pounds this week!!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Biggest Loser Day 21
Today was weigh in day....While my eating the previous week was on track I only made it to the gym 3 days. Plus some other factors were going to mess me up...I'm a girl...you figure it out! I was hoping to at least lose 1 pound from last week & I'd still be on track with my 25 pound goal. I stepped on the scale & i was EXACTLY the same weight as last week. Down to the fraction of a pound. That's pretty crazy. Ok so i didn't lose any weight but I also didn't gain any so I'm ok with it. This week I'm doubling my efforts at the gym. Cardio 4 days instead of 2 or 3 & I also printed out a full body strength training routine to do 2 days a week plus some target routines for the other days (legs, shoulders, back, abs & the ever dreaded glutes). I'm looking forward to getting to my new routines & trying them out. Altho I'm about to become one of those people I always make fun of who come to the gym with all these notebooks & paperwork to keep track of everything. Now people will be making fun of me! I'll report back next Sunday on the week's progress.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
This Is What I'm Doing....
Ok so it's a new year & of course that means the dreaded New Years weight loss resolution. I expect 96.5% of people in America have made this same resolution. Ok so have I. And I'm serious about it. For realz. I read online that blogging about your weight loss journey can be really helpful so I thought "hey I already have a blog so why not throw some of this on here. It's my blog & I can do what I want!" So here we go....it's truth time....
So last Spring you may or may not remember that I ran a 5K. I'm still really proud of that. from January to May I worked to turn myself into a runner & let me tell you it was painful. Seriously there for about a month I thought my ankles were going to snap. My legs hurt so much every day. Icy Hot was my new BFF & my apartment reeked of it. After 30 years of never running I was determined to turn myself into a runner. There were days I could barely drag myself out of bed because my legs hurt so much. I had to take the stairs one at a time like some toddler. There was even one day that I just couldn't go to work cuz I couldn't get myself out of bed. My legs!! eventually it went away & running became easier. I was eating well, I was exercising & I lost a good amount of weight. It felt great! Then summer came & I had no desire to work out or eat correctly. I just wanted to be out playing & soaking up the sun & everything involved food. Burgers & hot dogs & smores & chips & potato salad & I wanted to eat all of it & honestly I didn't feel guilty about any of it. Summer was great. Somehow in all my frivolous eating i only managed to gain about 7 or 8 pounds. please you can't even see that! Then came Fall & Winter & my bad eating & lack of exercise continued. And frankly I just didn't care. I felt fine about the state I was in. Yeah sure I would've loved to be skinnier. who wouldn't?! But I didn't feel self conscious enough or unhappy enough with myself to even really care. It was actually kind of nice. Then one day I woke up & felt like my pants were getting tighter. well crap. I paid a lot of money for these pants & they need to fit me cuz i'm not buying bigger ones. By the end of the year I had put on another 6 or 7 pounds. Really that's not too bad for all the eating I did & frankly I enjoyed it. However that's got to stop. My clothes are starting to get tight, my face is looking chubby & I'm starting to feel gross. Hence the New Years weight loss resolution.
So me & my little crew (Chalise, Matty, Joelyn & Dain) have started a Biggest Loser contest amongst ourselves. It lasts 12 weeks & I am determined to win. I'm also in a Biggest Loser contest at my office which is ending a week later than this one. I am also determined to win that. Joelyn & I started our weightloss extravaganza week ahead of the official Biggest Loser start date & in the 1st week I lost 2 pounds. good job. Last week i was down 3 more pounds. good job again. I want to lose 25 pounds in the 12 weeks.
what am I doing to achieve said 25 pound goal? well Ill tell you...and it's painful...besides dieting...I am back to running! and it hurts!! Pretty much I'm having to go through the same misery I did last year with getting my body into running condition. MY.LEGS.HURT. Icy Hot is my new BFF & my apartment reeks of it. a few days ago I came walking out of the gym & by the time I got to my car I was in tears. My legs! I just need to power through for 2 or 3 more weeks & I'll be fine. Hopefully I can make it. Ok I'm not trying to be all whatever but I was blessed with a fabulous pair of legs. seriously I was. they are my most valuable asset & I've been praising them all my life. It's time for them to earn their keep!
Also I found this GREAT website www.caloriecount.about.com where you can keep a food journal & track your calories & finD out where your nutrition is lacking. I am FOREVER lacking in the vegetables department. You can also keep track of what you're doing with your workouts & how many calories you're burning. There are workout plans on there & TONS of great recipes. I am possessed by this website. After Icy Hot it's my new BFF.
Another thing that really motivates me is having some visual goal items where I can see them. It gives me something to work towards. Currently I have a pair of jeans tacked on the wall in my bedroom. They're staring me in the face. Begging to be worn & I intend to wear them soon. I also found a fabulously vintage swimsuit I want to be able to wear this summer. I look at that picture every so often to keep me on track. I will look so cute in it! Also when I reach a certain weight milestone I am going tom splurge on a fabulous pair of new jeans. I'm going to buy them next month but in the next size down from where I am then. They cost $80. I'm not spending $80 on a pair of jeans that never fit me. I intend on fitting into them!
SO that's what I'm doing right now. Pretty much all my energy is focused on this right now. what am I having for my meals everyday? When am I going to get home to eat dinner? When am I going to be able to get to the gym? When are my legs going to stop hurting? Are my ankles going to snap today? I'm hoping to devote some time to blogging about this little odyssey so hunker down for that.
My next weigh in is tomorrow. I have a feeling there might be some tears...and not just because of my decrepit legs! I'll report back.
So last Spring you may or may not remember that I ran a 5K. I'm still really proud of that. from January to May I worked to turn myself into a runner & let me tell you it was painful. Seriously there for about a month I thought my ankles were going to snap. My legs hurt so much every day. Icy Hot was my new BFF & my apartment reeked of it. After 30 years of never running I was determined to turn myself into a runner. There were days I could barely drag myself out of bed because my legs hurt so much. I had to take the stairs one at a time like some toddler. There was even one day that I just couldn't go to work cuz I couldn't get myself out of bed. My legs!! eventually it went away & running became easier. I was eating well, I was exercising & I lost a good amount of weight. It felt great! Then summer came & I had no desire to work out or eat correctly. I just wanted to be out playing & soaking up the sun & everything involved food. Burgers & hot dogs & smores & chips & potato salad & I wanted to eat all of it & honestly I didn't feel guilty about any of it. Summer was great. Somehow in all my frivolous eating i only managed to gain about 7 or 8 pounds. please you can't even see that! Then came Fall & Winter & my bad eating & lack of exercise continued. And frankly I just didn't care. I felt fine about the state I was in. Yeah sure I would've loved to be skinnier. who wouldn't?! But I didn't feel self conscious enough or unhappy enough with myself to even really care. It was actually kind of nice. Then one day I woke up & felt like my pants were getting tighter. well crap. I paid a lot of money for these pants & they need to fit me cuz i'm not buying bigger ones. By the end of the year I had put on another 6 or 7 pounds. Really that's not too bad for all the eating I did & frankly I enjoyed it. However that's got to stop. My clothes are starting to get tight, my face is looking chubby & I'm starting to feel gross. Hence the New Years weight loss resolution.
So me & my little crew (Chalise, Matty, Joelyn & Dain) have started a Biggest Loser contest amongst ourselves. It lasts 12 weeks & I am determined to win. I'm also in a Biggest Loser contest at my office which is ending a week later than this one. I am also determined to win that. Joelyn & I started our weightloss extravaganza week ahead of the official Biggest Loser start date & in the 1st week I lost 2 pounds. good job. Last week i was down 3 more pounds. good job again. I want to lose 25 pounds in the 12 weeks.
what am I doing to achieve said 25 pound goal? well Ill tell you...and it's painful...besides dieting...I am back to running! and it hurts!! Pretty much I'm having to go through the same misery I did last year with getting my body into running condition. MY.LEGS.HURT. Icy Hot is my new BFF & my apartment reeks of it. a few days ago I came walking out of the gym & by the time I got to my car I was in tears. My legs! I just need to power through for 2 or 3 more weeks & I'll be fine. Hopefully I can make it. Ok I'm not trying to be all whatever but I was blessed with a fabulous pair of legs. seriously I was. they are my most valuable asset & I've been praising them all my life. It's time for them to earn their keep!
Also I found this GREAT website www.caloriecount.about.com where you can keep a food journal & track your calories & finD out where your nutrition is lacking. I am FOREVER lacking in the vegetables department. You can also keep track of what you're doing with your workouts & how many calories you're burning. There are workout plans on there & TONS of great recipes. I am possessed by this website. After Icy Hot it's my new BFF.
Another thing that really motivates me is having some visual goal items where I can see them. It gives me something to work towards. Currently I have a pair of jeans tacked on the wall in my bedroom. They're staring me in the face. Begging to be worn & I intend to wear them soon. I also found a fabulously vintage swimsuit I want to be able to wear this summer. I look at that picture every so often to keep me on track. I will look so cute in it! Also when I reach a certain weight milestone I am going tom splurge on a fabulous pair of new jeans. I'm going to buy them next month but in the next size down from where I am then. They cost $80. I'm not spending $80 on a pair of jeans that never fit me. I intend on fitting into them!
SO that's what I'm doing right now. Pretty much all my energy is focused on this right now. what am I having for my meals everyday? When am I going to get home to eat dinner? When am I going to be able to get to the gym? When are my legs going to stop hurting? Are my ankles going to snap today? I'm hoping to devote some time to blogging about this little odyssey so hunker down for that.
My next weigh in is tomorrow. I have a feeling there might be some tears...and not just because of my decrepit legs! I'll report back.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
How Domestic!!
So you know how I love having fabulous dinner parties right? Well I've been trying to think of new fabulous foods to try out for said dinner parties plus I need to start eating better in general. So I got this amazing cookbook for Christmas. I've been eying it for awhile ever since I saw her on Oprah. And you know I have to do what Oprah says!
You NEED to get this book! There are so many great recipes in it & they're all healthy for you. She has you add some kind of bean or these vegetable purees to everything so you're getting your veggies & stuff without even knowing it. Genius!
So today I tried my 1st recipe...Pumpkin Ravioli. 1st you put a can of white beans (such as navy or the like), pumpkin puree (like you'd use for pie filling), ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese & garlic powder all in a food processor. I'm glad to have more uses for my food processor cuz I never use it.
Puree it all up & that's your filling. So easy & healthy!
Next line up some won ton wrappers
Add a tablespoon of the filling. Don't overfill them or it'll squish out the sides!
Wet the sides with an egg wash so they'll seal up & put another wrapper on top.
Drop 4 or 5 of them in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I found if you put too many in the pot all at once they tend to start sticking together.
The recipe calls for you to use a marinara sauce on top but I used just a traditional flavor spaghetti sauce cuz it's what I had in the cupboard. top with sauce & a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese (my own addition)& enjoy! It is delicious!!
I wanted to try this recipe out before I served it to people & since it's just me there were leftovers so I decided to see if they froze well to eat later. I placed the uncooked raviolis in Ziploc bags & threw them in the freezer.
If they freeze well then I'm going to make up a bunch more to have on hand. This is a great recipe & it was really easy!!! How domestic am I?! I'll report on further recipe experiments!
You NEED to get this book! There are so many great recipes in it & they're all healthy for you. She has you add some kind of bean or these vegetable purees to everything so you're getting your veggies & stuff without even knowing it. Genius!
So today I tried my 1st recipe...Pumpkin Ravioli. 1st you put a can of white beans (such as navy or the like), pumpkin puree (like you'd use for pie filling), ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese & garlic powder all in a food processor. I'm glad to have more uses for my food processor cuz I never use it.
Puree it all up & that's your filling. So easy & healthy!
Next line up some won ton wrappers
Add a tablespoon of the filling. Don't overfill them or it'll squish out the sides!
Wet the sides with an egg wash so they'll seal up & put another wrapper on top.
Drop 4 or 5 of them in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I found if you put too many in the pot all at once they tend to start sticking together.
The recipe calls for you to use a marinara sauce on top but I used just a traditional flavor spaghetti sauce cuz it's what I had in the cupboard. top with sauce & a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese (my own addition)& enjoy! It is delicious!!
I wanted to try this recipe out before I served it to people & since it's just me there were leftovers so I decided to see if they froze well to eat later. I placed the uncooked raviolis in Ziploc bags & threw them in the freezer.
If they freeze well then I'm going to make up a bunch more to have on hand. This is a great recipe & it was really easy!!! How domestic am I?! I'll report on further recipe experiments!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Biggest Resolution Ever!!
So as the year's winding down I'm starting to think of my new goals & resolutions for the new year. This could be my biggest challenge ever!
Ok it's truth time...on any given day this is what my bedroom looks like....
I know it's a disgrace so you don't need to tell me. It's ridiculous. I keep the rest of my house neat & tidy & hostessing ready & this is where I let loose. I can't keep my room clean for more than 1 day to save my life. Honestly I'm frustrated with my inability to get it together in there. So for 2011 I've decided one of my goals is to work on keeping my room clean. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to accomplish this but I'm gonna die trying!
I also decided it was high time for a new bed set. I've had this one for quite a few years & I'm over it. It's white so it's hard to keep clean & white & it's too big to fit in the washer so I have to get it dry cleaned & it costs more to do that than I paid for the stupid comforter. It's time for a change.
Out with the old
In with the new
Don't you love it! I love the way this set looks on my black bed. Good choice Melissa!
And after like 2 days of work I got my room all cleaned up. I'm exhausted!
How am I gonna keep this up all year?!?!
Ok it's truth time...on any given day this is what my bedroom looks like....
I know it's a disgrace so you don't need to tell me. It's ridiculous. I keep the rest of my house neat & tidy & hostessing ready & this is where I let loose. I can't keep my room clean for more than 1 day to save my life. Honestly I'm frustrated with my inability to get it together in there. So for 2011 I've decided one of my goals is to work on keeping my room clean. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to accomplish this but I'm gonna die trying!
I also decided it was high time for a new bed set. I've had this one for quite a few years & I'm over it. It's white so it's hard to keep clean & white & it's too big to fit in the washer so I have to get it dry cleaned & it costs more to do that than I paid for the stupid comforter. It's time for a change.
Out with the old
In with the new
Don't you love it! I love the way this set looks on my black bed. Good choice Melissa!
And after like 2 days of work I got my room all cleaned up. I'm exhausted!
How am I gonna keep this up all year?!?!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Holiday Dinner Part 3: The Table
Ok I've saved the best for last....the table!!! Pretty much I'm in love with this table setting! I've been needing to get some new plates, napkins & glasses (since I've broken so many lately!) and I found some really good deals & used this dinner party as the perfect excuse to finally purchase them.
1st I laid down this delicious red table cloth
Next I situated all the napkins
Rolled them up
Then added ribbons
Then the name tags that I cut out on my Cricut
Finally I slipped in a candy cane. How festive!
Here they are all done! Not gonna lie this took awhile! But they look so great!!
Next I set the table. I found these cute plates at the Dollar store. No Joke! And placed a napkin roll on each plate.
Then the glasses
Good thing My Grandmother taught me how to set a proper table. Don't worry I know which side the knife & fork go on!
Next up was the centerpiece & the little gift bags I made
Here's the festive centerpiece I put together. Sorry it's a blurry shot.
I love these place settings!!
The table looked just how I pictured it! I wish I could do this all the time!!
1st I laid down this delicious red table cloth
Next I situated all the napkins
Rolled them up
Then added ribbons
Then the name tags that I cut out on my Cricut
Finally I slipped in a candy cane. How festive!
Here they are all done! Not gonna lie this took awhile! But they look so great!!
Next I set the table. I found these cute plates at the Dollar store. No Joke! And placed a napkin roll on each plate.
Then the glasses
Good thing My Grandmother taught me how to set a proper table. Don't worry I know which side the knife & fork go on!
Next up was the centerpiece & the little gift bags I made
Here's the festive centerpiece I put together. Sorry it's a blurry shot.
I love these place settings!!
The table looked just how I pictured it! I wish I could do this all the time!!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Holiday Dinner Part 2: The Food
I know everyone's been waiting anxiously for more pics & happenings from my holiday dinner. So we'll talk about the food & my next post will be the table setting...save the best for last! So I really wanted to be able to put on this whole dinner all by myself & pretty much I accomplished that! Go me!! I had everything so organized & planned out there was no way I could fail. what do people get so worked up over making Thanksgiving & Christmas dinners?! Yes it's a little stressful but if you're organized it's not a big deal. So the night before I decided to make the rolls so I could get that out of the way.
Really I made like 3 pans of these which was WAY too much but really can you have too many rolls!?
On the day of the dinner party I came home from church with a RANK headache. oh great I don't have time for this. I thought I could lay down for a bit before I had to start cooking but then my ever growing to-do list kept scrolling through my head so that didn't last long. First up I got the ham ready & put in the oven. I found a fabulous recipe from my cooking idol Paula Deen & knew I couldn't go wrong,
Cola basted ham! How festive does it look!? Every 1/2 hour you baste it with cola.
All Done! And it was tasty!!
Next I got the potatoes ready to be cooked at a later time. I was trying my hand at a sweet potato souffle. I've never cooked sweet potatoes before but after this amazing recipe I'll be using them more often!
Here it is all finished & it was SO tasty!!!
I had reminder after reminder on my phone of when to do everything so it was timed jsut perfectly....put potatoes on to cook.....put sweet potato souffle in the oven....assemble green bean casserole....get dressed.....put green bean casserole in the oven....touch up makeup...make stuffing....fill water pitchers....seriously it was that detailed. But it paid off cuz everything got done right on time!
The spread
Not to be all whatever but I pretty much ROCKED this dinner!!!!
Really I made like 3 pans of these which was WAY too much but really can you have too many rolls!?
On the day of the dinner party I came home from church with a RANK headache. oh great I don't have time for this. I thought I could lay down for a bit before I had to start cooking but then my ever growing to-do list kept scrolling through my head so that didn't last long. First up I got the ham ready & put in the oven. I found a fabulous recipe from my cooking idol Paula Deen & knew I couldn't go wrong,
Cola basted ham! How festive does it look!? Every 1/2 hour you baste it with cola.
All Done! And it was tasty!!
Next I got the potatoes ready to be cooked at a later time. I was trying my hand at a sweet potato souffle. I've never cooked sweet potatoes before but after this amazing recipe I'll be using them more often!
Here it is all finished & it was SO tasty!!!
I had reminder after reminder on my phone of when to do everything so it was timed jsut perfectly....put potatoes on to cook.....put sweet potato souffle in the oven....assemble green bean casserole....get dressed.....put green bean casserole in the oven....touch up makeup...make stuffing....fill water pitchers....seriously it was that detailed. But it paid off cuz everything got done right on time!
The spread
Not to be all whatever but I pretty much ROCKED this dinner!!!!
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