The Moment of Truth

You probably noticed that I was M.I.A. this past week. It was a long week for work. I put over a thousand miles on my car and passed the 100,000 mile mark. I had a planning fail which involved driving from California to Vegas March 5, then Vegas to California March 7, and then California to Vegas March 8, and then Vegas to Bakersfield March 9, and then Bakersfield to Irvine by way of San Diego March 10. Whooooo...just typing it out makes me tired. Needless to say I did not eat or work out nearly as well or often as I should have. Let's just say there was a Peanut Butter Shake, a Greek Gyro, and Sushi involved during the course of the week....and macaroni salad. I was only able to work out twice last week, mainly cardio, so it was safe to say I was DREADING weighing in on Saturday. Wanna know how I did?

I was up 0.2 lbs. Which is, basically, nothing. In the past that would have told me, oh you can eat whatever you want as long as you work out more, but this time I'm keeping up the eating right and the working out.

I had a lovely day off the diet Saturday:

2 Del Taco breakfast burritos: 12 points
1 small Cherry Coke: 2 points
1/4 of a large bucket of movie popcorn : 4 points
1 Box of Milk Duds: 4 points (they're better for you than Reeses Pieces)
2 1/4 slices of pepperoni pizza: 20 points
2 Coors Lights: 4 points
Hans Homemade Peanut Butter and Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich: I would guess at least 10 points

Workout: 45 minutes at moderate activity: +2 points
Weekly extra points: +35

Grand Total for Saturday: 56 points, 4 points below what I could have eaten. So I guess it's not possible for me to eat my full value of free points. I will try again next week. :)

Sunday was pretty reasonable, I didn't really keep track of points, but I had that French Country Salad from Cheesecake Factory and a 3 point ice cream cone from McDonalds. There was also a cheese and salami plate at the spa and a skinny cow that evening, but really....not too bad for a weekend.

Today:
We're out of milk, so breakfast has been upsetting.

One Slice Sara Lee DeLiteful bread: 1 point (technically only 1/2 a point, but let's not split hairs)
1 tablespoon peanut butter: 3 points
2 Trader Joes Soy Corndogs: 6 points
1 Skinny Cow: 2 points
1 string cheese: 2 points
3 cutie clementines: 2 points
6oz boneless skinless chicken breast: 6 points
Frenched green beans with olive oil: 3 points
Glass of Red Wine: 4 points

Workout:
60 minutes moderate intensity (leg weight lifting): +3
30 minutes high intensity (interval elliptical) + 4

Total Allowable Points: 30
Total Points Eaten: 29

BTW, there are two weeks left in the first quarter for work...I'm DYING! I'm kicking butt right now and I really wish that tomorrow was the last day of the quarter and that my quota stopped where it is right now. I hope everything keeps going the way it is now!

Eat Well Friends....and stay away from the In-N-Out 16 point milk shakes.

Weigh-Ins and Bachelorette Parties

Do you want to know how I did? Do ya, do ya, do ya?! I weighed in Friday morning because I was going to be in Vegas for Thy's bachelorette party on Saturday. I must say I was dreading the scale, because although I worked out every day, I felt the same and I had been eating so many points to make up for the workouts, and the hubs had hidden the scale from me, so I had no idea what to expect. Well, I LOST 3.6 LBS! That's huge! That could possibly be my biggest one week weight loss of all time. So let me just say that I am a believer in working out and eating more.

I will not post what I ate this weekend because, frankly, I just can't remember. But I will tell you, I wasn't excessive. Except today I had a "Bobbie" sandwich from Capriotti's, and they don't believe in small portions. The small was a 9". I asked for easy mayo, but I don't think he heard me, or cared.

Thy's party was a blast. We took a pole dancing class. Let me just tell you, I am not a natural. Even though I've danced most my life, these moves were totally foreign and really hard! I have bruises all over from it. On my arms, on my knee, on my thigh....really super pretty. But I was able to master the "fireman" and the "martini."

Friday night we went to the Hofbrauhaus Beer Garden in Vegas. The seven of us march in wearing our best club dresses. This beer garden is super casual. So that was fun. Also, if you order a shot, the waitress paddles you. Five of us ended of getting paddled. I was one of them and I think girlfriend had some aggression issues that she decided to take out on me, because "ow."

After that lovely experience, we went to Pure. It was my first time there, I liked it, it was big and had an outdoor area, which is always nice to escpape to.

Saturday was pole dancing class and then we went to Moon and Rain at the Palms. Had a blast, danced like a crazy person, and nobody spilled a drink on me. It was quite the success.

I was so happy to see the hubs when I got home. I missed him! We hardly got to talk at all this weekend because he started fire training and was gone all day Saturday, and then by the time he got home from training, the girls were out and about and I didn't bring my phone.

Ready to get the week started and hit the gym. I'm in a hotel a few nights this week, so it will probably be mainly cardio, but that's ok! Have a fabulous Monday!

Cheesecake Facotry...I hate you

Last night I was super excited to go to The Cheesecake Factory. I had been there in the past while on Weight Watchers and had the Boston Ranch Salad for 578 calories. I've been craving that salad for awhile, because it's a little salty and just delicious overall. So yesterday morning I found Cheesecake Factory's nutrition guide online, and it said the salad was 438 calories. I thought, "huh", maybe it was without the dressing. I planned my whole day around this dinner, making sure I worked out enough for the two extra points I would need, which included a gym round working on back and biceps (by the way, with chest exercises, I can lift the bar now, and do push-ups!)

So the ladies and I head to the Factory and I grab the nutrition guide just to double check the calories and all that fun stuff. Ummm, yeah...the Boston Ranch Salad has 1074 calories. I couldn't believe it...the internet was WRONG! LOL, ugh. So I ended up getting the French Country Salad. Not nearly as entertaining as the Boston, but only 475 calories. I didn't have any cheesecake, but I think if the girls had said let's split a piece I would have been all about it.

Oh and while we were at the Cheesecake Factory, the hubs was with the guys eating a Cowboy Ribeye from Ruth's Chris.

Yesterday's Menu

Multigrain Cheerios - 2 points
1/2 cup Skim Milk - 1 point
Del Taco Chicken Soft Taco - 5 points
Del Taco 1/2 pound bean and cheese burrito - 6 points *I ate a little more than half*
carrots - 0
hummus - 1
Cheesecake Facotry French Country Salad - 9 points with dressing
Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich - 2 points

Total Points: 26 points
Workout: 1 hour moderate impact at the gym +3 points *no cardio, boo*

I'm interested in seeing how much I weigh tomorrow (obviously). I feel skinnier, but since the scale has been hidden from me, I have no idea.

Also, my dresses came for this weekend. Their size 8's. Both are slightly tight, like maybe an additional 3lbs would make them fit perfect, but they don't look like I'm squeezed into them, so I'm still going to wear them. Pictures to follow!

I passed on Yogurtland

Frozen yogurt is one of my favorite things. Or perhaps I should re-phrase. Frozen yogurt with lots of delicious, yummy, bad for you toppings is one of my favorite things. You will be proud of me, I abstained except for one bite of the hubby's. I'll allow myself Golden Spoon every once in awhile, because it's portion controlled. But Yogurtland...it's self-serve and they weigh it to find the price. That's not so good for me as I will inevitably leave with a pound of frozen yogurt.

I did thirty minutes on the elliptical, and twenty minutes on the treadmill, at the complex gym. There was an older dude there who did at least an hour on the elliptical, because he was on it when I got there and still on it when I left...so, good for him. He's more of a cardioholic than I. In addition, I did about an hour of weight lifting, although it wasn't super intense weight lifting, I felt a little off today. I think it's from the spin class.

Oh I remember I promised you measurements today....ugh, here goes:

Chest: 37" (that's over the boobs, not under)
Waist: 32:
Hips: 40"

Ideally, I would like to be a 27 or 28" waist, and a 34 or 35" bust and a 37" hip. We shall see. I will update you next month on any progress.

I'm still slightly irritated that with all the working out I do I haven't seen any changes. But I'm trying to think positive.

Here was the menu today:

1 cup Multigrain Cheerios - 2 points
1/2 cup skim milk - 1 point
Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt - 0 points
Progresso Beef and Potato Soup - 5 points (for the whole can)
2 TBSP Hummus - 2 points
Carrots - 0 points
Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich - 2 points
Protein Shake with a banana - 4 points (It would have been six, but I didn't drink the whole thing)
Shrimp and Avocado with Rice and Edamame - 10 points
White Wine - 4 points

Total Points: 30 points

Extra points from the treadmill: +1 point
Extra points from the elliptical: + 4 points
Extra points from weight lifting: + 2points

23 + 7 points= 30...right on the edge

I also made sure to drink my daily value of water, take a multi-vitamin and take my borage oil.

Tomorrow I'm going to the Cheesecake Factory with the girls. Of course we're going to the gym first, so I can gain back some points, but I'm really looking forward to a Boston Ranch Salad and depending on how the gym goes...sharing some reese's peanut butter cup cheesecake. I'm just sayin'

PS the Hubby is dancing around in his boxer briefs...it's quite a sight. This is why I love him.

Oh Spin Class...you kick my butt!

Jerry is an evil demon. He's also my spin instructor.



Thy and I went to the gym tonight and were going to do cardio, legs and back, but decided to see if there were any classes starting soon. Just our luck! A spin class was starting. Thy had taken several spin classes in the past. I, on the other hand, tried taking a spin class back in, oh...2003, and left after ten minutes. That's right, I LEFT AFTER 10 MINUTES. This time I was going to make it all the way through, and I did! The hubs and Thy's fiancee came and watched us through the viewing glass several times...and laughed at us. Asked if I would go again, I would! It was a fast hour, the music was bumping, and after learning from my previous spin experience that I could actually adjust the resistance levels during the workout, it wasn't too bad. Needless to say, we didn't do any weight lifting after the class. The way my arms, legs and back feel, I don't think we're missing out. The best part was, I gained 9 food points back, which you'll notice that I need once you see what I had for lunch:



3/1/10

Multigrain Cheerios - 2 points

1/2 cup skim milk - 1 point

string cheese - 2 points

2 slices of Woodstock Pepperoni Pizza - 18 points *don't judge*

Fiber One Yogurt - 0 points

Insane Spin Workout - +9 points

Grilled Flank Steak and Caramelized Onions - 9 points



Total points: 23 points



Dinner was delicious and super easy. Grill up some salt and peppered flank steak, saute some red onions, add the red peppers to the onion mix after the onions are soft. Throw some sage and oregano over the onions and heat up some black beans. Serve the veggies and steak on a tortilla and beans on the side. Simple...delicious.



Also, the hubs hid the scale from me today. Which is a good thing. I was weighing myself every morning and it totally killed my day if I hadn't lost weight from the night before. Tomorrow I'm going to measure myself and then each month I'll update you. That will be fun, don't you think?

Back On Track!

The hubs is home! Which of course makes me smile. I got to hear all about his time in Vegas, and can't wait for my trip there this weekend!

Tonight I made a delicious dinner of Salmon with Greek Yogurt Dill Sauce and mushrooms. The recipe was from Fitness magazine and was super easy to make. My one recommendation is that you find low fat plain yogurt. I opted for Greek yogurt because my Ralphs only carried plain yogurt in a monstrous container and I only needed six ounces. The Greek yogurt had 20 grams of fat! But split between the four of us it came out to two points each.

Here's the recipe if you are interested:

Cold-Fighting Recipe: Salmon with Yogurt-Dill Sauce and Spinach
Ingredients:
4 ounces salmon
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup sliced white button mushrooms
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon dried dill
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, shelled

DirectionsPreheat broiler. Broil salmon until flaky and opaque, about 9 minutes. Saute garlic and mushrooms in olive oil. Add spinach; remove from heat when spinach is wilted. Mix yogurt, dill, salt ,and pepper. Place salmon on spinach; top with sauce and sunflower seeds.

That recipe makes one serving. I quadrupled it. If you quadruple it, only double or triple the dill, it's pretty overpowering.

I also did cardio for an hour today: 40 minutes of interval training on the elliptical and twenty minutes walking on the treadmill. I earned 6 more food points for my hard work!

Points for the day:

Low Fat Greek Vanilla Yogurt - 3 points
Multigrain Cheerios - 2 points
1/2 cup milk - 1 point
String Cheese - 2 points
2 TBS Hummus - 2 points
7 Baby Carrots - 0 points
Salmon Dinner - 12 points (because of the high fat plain yogurt and salmon is 9 points)
One glass white wine - 4 points (yum)
Skinny Cow desert - 2 points (double yum)

Grand Total: 28 (I didn't use all of my exercise points, but I used most)

Also, I'm going to make the hubs hide my scale. I'm getting a little crazy over it. It's completely uneccessary for me to weigh myself each morning, but I do anyway, and then I get frustrated.

Up to 2.8lbs...REALLY?!

Boo! I weigh in every Saturday at the Weight Watchers in Irvine. I've been struggling, as I've previously mentioned, and had only lost a total of .4 lbs in four weeks, and not from lack of following program. The weight just doesn't want to come off. I was hoping that my scale at home was wrong and I would be down a couple of pounds because the amount of working out I do should finally start kicking in. Well, I was wrong. I GAINED 2.8 LBS!?! What a crock! My leader Jan and I talked it out. She told me for the amount of working out I'm doing she doesn't think I'm eating enough. She told me to add 2 points a day regardless of if I exercise and to be sure that I eat at least half of my exercise points (points you gain back for the level of intensity of your workout). I checked the exercise point scale and for my hip-hop class alone I should be eating 8 more points a day. So maybe I'm not eating enough each day....

Yesterday was my free day so I didn't count points. And I will tell you, in detail, how I spent my freedom :)

Multigrain Cheerios (1 cup) - 2 points
Non-fat Milk (1/2 cup) - 1 point
Regal Movie Theater Popcorn (1/4 of a large tub) - 9 points *that's depressing*
Reeses Pieces (3/4 of a box) - 4 points
Golden Spoon (1 mini serving) - 1 point
Cheesecake Bites Topping (mini serving) - 3 points
Three Miller Lights (spread out over 5 hours) - 6 points
Chicken Taquito (1 serving) - 4 points
Chicken Chimichanga (1/2 a chimichanga) - 3 points
In-N-Out Cheeseburger - 11 points
In-N-Out Fries (1/4 of a box) - 4 points
In-N-Out Chocolate Shake (1/2 a shake) - 8 points *I didn't even like it*

Total of 56 points yesterday.

Now before you get all upset with me for eating so poorly, let's see if I even used all my free 35 points. 23 points is my daily points allowance. That means I ate 33 extra points. Technically, that means I can have two more points extra during the week. So back off. And, from those handy dandy calculations above, I've learned that I will never, ever, ever be tempted to have an In-N-Out Chocolate Shake again. Because, let's be real, that thing is not very good and definitely not worth 16 points if I drank the whole thing. And I've learned that if I get movie theater popcorn to get it un-buttered. I didn't add butter to it yesterday, but it still tasted a little buttery.

Yesterday I didn't have a chance to work out (and I don't feel guilty about it), but I did go bowling with Michelle, Cam and Liz, so maybe I burned off that Golden Spoon.

Also, if any of you like scary movies, "The Crazies" is fantastic. I see one scary movie a year, my choice, and I always try to pick a movie that looks like there is more to it than just gore. "The Crazies" had a storyline to it and was more implied violence than actually showing anything...aside from maybe one scene.

Back to the grind tomorrow. I'll be in San Diego for work, and will be bringing lunch into an account. What should I bring? I'll make a decision tonight, and will make a healthy choice for myself. Looking forward to the hubby getting home tonight, he's been in Vegas for a bachelor party all weekend and I miss his face. Everyone wish him luck as he starts his Fire Academy this week for the San Diego County Fire Authority. Yay!