friday funny

it's okay if you are jealous that i have this vanilla non-fat chobani greek yogurt for lunch.


i know the picture is the wrong way - i took it on my laptop haha. andrea told me where to buy this in toronto. NOT CHEAP people, but worth it ... once and a while.

call me a thespian

hi everybody. my acting debut last night was awesome. i remembered all my lines and threw in some funny improvs (i think) and people laughed. great success. people thought i came from an acting background which was the biggest compliment i could have received. i am not a shy person but am VERY quiet. if i don't have anything to say i just won't say it. silences do not make me feel awkward at all - i just sit through them. silence is golden. i even tell my cat "shhhhh, stop meowing, let's be quiet" HA!

fashion update: i got the shoes after all. i went back to the first location and retried on the size i thought was too big and they fit. i don't know why i thought they didn't fit. i am notorious for getting shoes that i think fit perfectly and then they are too small. i just want my feet to look cute and small in trainers - that is the problem. i am quite annoyed at myself for driving all the way to the other mall just to find them when i didn't even have to. anyway, it's in the past. all that matters now is that i have cute shoes. remind me to untie the laces EVERY time i take them off, instead of doing that step-on-the-heel-with-your-other-foot move that causes shoes to ruin.

fitness update: monday was running and tuesday i swam for about 30 minutes. i only did 100 lengths instead of 120 - whoopadeedo. this couple came into the pool and were being all smoochy-boochy and it was making me feel annoyed at them, only because i was hungry. otherwise i don't mind the love. PDAs, bring them on, i don't care. yesterday i did nothing because it was my acting debut. and today ... well, right now i am at the gym in my office running on the treadmill. well, i hopefully am if no one else is on it. there is only one. can you tell i am pre-posting today? i brought my running stuff and my shower stuff. i just want to have my evening tonight to relax. by relax i mean clean the toilet ... GROAN.

food update: not much to say here. i think i need to bring less food to work because it seems if i have it, i will eat it, regardless of whether or not i am even hungry. i can't keep emergency snacks in my desk because i want to eat them all right away. even pb2 can be dangerous. i need to work on eating more filling meals, rather than less filling meals in combination with snacks. today i am tracking points and calories, just for interests sake. by the end of the work day, if i eat everything i brought (which i will) i'll have consumed: 14.5 points and 835 calories. interesting, no?

i have a life update too, but i'll post it tomorrow. now you have to come back!

monday madness

a few things:

1) i bought a garmin forerunner 305! i bought it last night. i can't wait to use it because i live very close to lake ontario and now i can go for runs by the lake without being scared i'll run too far and collapse in heap and die from thirst and tiredness. (i couldn't track the trails correctly on mapmyrun). i don't have it yet though... being shipped.

2) i guess i'll sell my cute cherry ladies polar f4 on ebay ... unless anyone here wants to make me an offer. nudge nudge wink wink.

3) vitalicious.ca is having amazing incentives. if you buy $100 worth of products before April 30, and you live in ontario, shipping is free AND you get a skipping rope with a jump counter and calorie counter (regular $20) thrown in for free. i think the skipping rope is free no matter where you live, but i think the free shipping is limited to ontario and quebec. sorry, rest of cananda. i got a 24 pack of triple chocolate vitatops, a 24 pack of blueberry bran and a 24 pack of multibran. yes the chocolate ones are good, but i prefer to eat the bran-ier ones in before a morning workout, or as a mid-morning snack. they feel really hearty and delicious.

4) i am going swimming in the next ten minutes. i have book club later tonight so i've got to boot it!

5) i am going to cancel my weightwatchers online subscription before May 8 (when my month runs out). i like it but i'm just not using it and i could be using that money for other things. i can count points without the online tracker, it just takes a bit more effort.

6) i bought tempeh to try today. should i make a tempeh and pb sandwich a la kath?

pre-scheduled post

i love pre-scheduled posts. this week has turned from sour to sweeeeeeet! i think it was my crazy woman hormones making me looney tunes. it's tough being a woman - men just don't understand.

work is busy - on wednesday (and until today) i was sent to help with a food photo shoot for an upcoming cookbook. (if you didn't know i work in publishing). food styling and food photography is SUCH an interesting process, and i feel SO LUCKY that i get to experience it. there is a photographer, her assistants, graphic designers and a food stylist, who does all of the cooking and prepping. there are so many decisions to make - how to make the food look appealing, what bowl or plate to use, utensils, linens, tabletops, background glasses, etc. so much goes into making the shot PERFECT. so interesting. and being around food all day is awesome as well. unfortunately most of the time you can't eat the finished product - because it's been touched and prodded and moved around. but sometimes you can (or so i've heard).

anyway. weight is stable, down a little. my happy weight is about 3-5 pounds lighter. feeling happy and relaxed though. sun is shining (at least that is the forecast!) and today is friday WAHOO! no big plans for the weekend except a party at my bf's on saturday. i bought him new patio lights - rope lights like this to wind around the fence on his deck:

they look like they can withstand weather, right? oh boy. i am planning on a morning swim today (friday) and a saturday 5k run. sunday hopefully another swim? i have book club and we read the cellist of sarajevo. it was okay but i probably wouldn't recommend it because i found the plot to be a little repetitive. i kind of feel like a jerk because the subject matter of the book is quite intense. sorry - that's my opinion and i'm sticking to it.

have a great weekend :)

short friday list

1) weigh in - down 2.8 pounds woohoo! now just 7.2 to go :)

2) i am LOVING my new job. the days go by so fast... i can't believe it

3) for once i didn't eat all the food i brought to work. i couldn't believe it. i just wasn't hungry for everything. i think it's my morning (noon) cottage cheese and berries snack. so filling with carbs and protein.

4) that's it!

day two thank you

day two was another food and exercise success. i ate breakfast at home, had lunch plus two snacks at work, went swimming and had a delicious dinner. on monday night i did have a vitatop brownie, but it's all good. now that i am back to tracking on ww online, i realize how different the site is. i know they changed the plan to the "momentum" plan, but since my points never changed and i already ate the more "healthy" filling foods anyway i didn't really look at it too much.

the new plan gives you a daily points allotment, 35 weekly points, and activity points. BUT you must use all of your daily points AND weekly points before any of your activity points are deducted. AND you can only use your activity points on the same day you earn them. so basically, you don't really get them except for the last day unless you eat all of your weekly points early on in the week, which heaven forbid, i would never do. i think that is how it works. i'm sure somebody will correct me if i'm not. i did a google search on this and apparently people are inconvenienced and outraged by this. i don't care because it's not the end of the world, is it? what is a point anyway but a figment of my imagination? a meaningless obstacle on this road we call weight loss. i'm deep.

my dinner last night was an egg white omelet. i wanted an egg, but i didn't have one. i did have lots of leftover veggies though. i chopped and heated up some red onion, zucchini, red pepper, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, avocado, and sun-dried tomato. then i poured 3/4 cup egg whites onto another pan and let it cook into a circle. transfer to a plate, pour the veggies on half, fold it over, sprinkle with chili lime sauce, add 2 slices of ezekiel toast, and you have a delicious, nutritious, filling 5.5 point meal.

in other news, my skin is really breaking out. what is with this mid-life acne! grrrr. i use pro-activ but it's not working. i think it's from stress and womanly business. who can be sure though? taking ground flax has eliminated most of my PMS symptoms (except the extreme snappiness and sensitivity) WHO SAID THAT!@@?@?@!! i'm sorry, come back, i love you.



mmm look at that candy. tonight is date night and i am going to see the musical "spring awakening" with my beau. i am very excited. first we are going to sears so i can buy more nylons for work, second we are going to harveys for dinner (6 point veggie burger OR grilled chicken salad) and third to the really big shoe. i am not swimming tomorrow but may do yoga in the morning. that's a big "may" since i already get up at 6:15 as it is! happy wednesday. one day at a time, right?

going places

good morning. monday again... back at it. my weekend was good. i went to a few parties, did a little shopping, some sleeping, same old same old. on saturday night i was the designated driver - it was weird not to be partying along with my friends but i really didn't mind it at all. and i learned a few things about myself: a) as a sober person, i don't have too much patience for drunkies, or rather, i notice the silly/stupid things they say and do and b) i didn't have that sad, weekend is over, withdrawal feeling that i usually have on sundays. very interesting. monday was still a jolt but not so bad.

exercise this weekend was good. on saturday i went for a 40-minute swim, and sunday a three mile walk on the treadmill, playing with the incline. three miles is the perfect amount for treadmill walking. it takes quite a while (anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, depending on speed), it feels like a workout, but it's not boring. i love reading books and magazines while walking on the treadmill.

on sunday i traded in my telus nokia phone (clunker) for a blackberry pearl. ooh la la. my boyfriend is with bell and his contract was up so we went to the bell store. he got a blackberry and then the sales guy offered me a deal i just couldn't refuse. way cheaper than my telus plan, and they are paying for me to cancel out of my telus contract. did you know you can use any song as your blackberry ringtone? at first i had "this boy" by franz ferdinand, but it's loud at the beginning and i was scared every time my phone rang, so i switched it to "will you still love me tomorrow?" by the shirelles. i love oldies and this one is so pleasant.

this morning i put on my bathing suit for a swim and then changed my mind at the last minute because i was really pushing the clock. perhaps i will go tonight, or maybe another walk on the treadmill. or the elliptical. oh, the possibilities are endless. i had a luna sunrise bar for breakfast - the strawberry crumble flavour. it was delicious, very sweet though, and contained a good amount of protein and fibre. i bought it in the united states a few weeks ago and maybe i should have gotten more. has anyone seen these in canada?

sunny day

today is bright and sunny and i'm loving it. it's still frigid BUT if you notice on the side of my page, on the exercise sidebar, that the end of this week is no longer february. it's MARCH - yippee! february was pretty quick and painless. i love spring and summer. i used to like autumn the best but not anymore... more on that another time.

today is also my sister's 23rd birthday. isn't that nice? oh, to be young and carefree and jubilant again. actually i am still young and jubilant, so there. i bought her some books yesterday at chapters, and i also picked up this awesome gaiam wisdom aluminum water bottle. all of the gaiam products were 20% off. i still have some of those deadly nalgenes and i have been using them much less but it's time to cut them out completely. and the new bottle is fun to drink out of. and blue... like the ocean.

last night i went for a nice 40-minute swim. at the end of it i was feeling a little shaky. i am getting over a cold so that's probably why. i feel fine today. anyway, i was feeling a bit shaky so i decided to sit in the steam room after my swim. i really prefer saunas to steam rooms but there isn't a sauna in my building... woe is me. i like being in the hot steam because it feels like i've just stepped off a plane and into a tropical jungle. the heat is overpowering and it feels good to just sit there and surrender to it. the only thing that really bothers me about steam rooms is the giant water drops that fall off the ceiling and hit you everywhere. giant steam drops = ick.

i had an amazing sleep last night - eight hours and ten minutes, including two ten minute snoozes. i love sleeping but always put it off. being awake isn't so great. i should repeat that mantra every evening.

i was going to work out this morning, but decided not to because my bum muscles are aching from yesterday's "yoga for runners" session. i will wait until after work when i'm more loosey goosey and then hit the gym. i downloaded three new 20-25 minute free yoga sessions from yogadownload.com and i am excited to try them. i am not against paying for longer classes, but i don't want to bite off more than i can chew. right now i don't want to do yoga for longer than 25 minutes at a time.

today for lunch i have a tuna sandwich. i really like eating tuna, but i don't like eating the whole can at one time unless i am just dumping it on a salad. so i have to eat it two days in a row. yesterday i had a tuna and hummus wrap and today, finishing the can, a tuna sandwich. a whole can of tuna in one sandwich is overboard. instead of mixing my tuna with mayo, i used non-fat greek yogurt and it worked just as well with health benefits too. i wrote to stoneyfield farms and asked them to please start selling their organic oikos non-fat greek yogurts in canada, and they said they would pass on the message to their sales team. i like the fage brand too but have actually seen the stoneyfield brand in canada so i figure it's a better shot. i also have a cup of healthy valley lentil soup. yum yum.

a monday list

1) first of all, check out this awesome shout out i got on friday from shirls. you rock too and together, we will grab all the bulls balls.

2) this morning, i did a 20 minute yoga podcast: intermediate yoga for runners. this one is tough. i can already feel the muscles in my bum asking me why i did this to them. the podcast is actually 26 minutes. the poses are difficult, especially the half moon pose. my hamstrings are so tight and my legs are a lot longer than my arms, and i can't touch the ground with my legs straight. i'm working on it! it was good to try something more difficult - lately i've just been doing the gentle hatha which is very gentle and restorative.

3) i might need a new car. can i afford a new car? of course not but i wouldn't buy a new new car, just a newer old car. and i could pay it in monthly installments. my old car is feeling more and more beat down every day. what do you think of the yaris? isn't it cute?

4) check out this amazing link. it's got side-by-side comparison photos of fast food products - how they look in advertisements (yummy) and how they actually look when you buy them in the restaurant (yucky). definite food for thought.

good news and bad news

the bad news is that i didn't go swimming last night.

the good news is that i went to ikea, bought a new desk (more like a computer workstation), set it up while speeding through last week's biggest loser, set up my computer on the new desk (sort of difficult... many wires and plugs) and organized my office space. i also took my old GIANT metal desk that was the size of half my den (not joking) and brought it down to the main floor of my building to the recycling room. all by myself. yes, i am very strong. i rolled it... on the side, on the back, on the side... etc.

the bad news is that i didn't have the best sleep last night. the wheels in my brain were really turning.

the good news is that i went swimming this morning and it was glorious. and now that i'm reminded of how much i love exercising in every way (during and after), i'll be much more motivated to do it. before this morning, i didn't do any workouts since thursday which is very unlike me. i did a lot of walking, but i don't consider that to be anything above the norm.

the bad news is that this morning, after making a giant thermos of boston creme pie coffee, i knocked it over while making breakfast and it went everywhere - all over my stove, counter, down the cabinets, into the cabinets, on the floor, all over everything on the counter.

the good news is that me in the past decided to shell out for the expensive bounty paper towels instead of the cheap crappy brand i normally buy and it was easy to clean.

i can't think of any more bad news, unless you count the weather, but that's boring and a stretch. this morning before my swim i tried a *new* fiber one granola bar - oats and caramel (US product) for 2 ww points. it was yumtastic. after my swim i made an egg white scramble with 200g egg whites (2 ww points), chopped onion, red pepper, zucchini, cremini mushrooms, and mrs. dash sun-dried tomato seasoning (0 points) on a flat-out wrap (1 points). i could only fit 1/2 of the scramble inside the wrap and the rest had to be eaten al fresco. i know what al fresco means!

last night late into the evening i was feeling hungry. too hungry to just go to bed, so i made a smoothie. i used frozen raspberries, a splash of unsweetened vanilla almond breeze, a splash of low-cal cranberry juice (pc blue menu), and a splash of diet sour apple soda (US product... and so delicious). then i got the bright idea to add some spinach leaves. i think i added too many because then it tasted like spinach and i was a little grossed out. i added more frozen raspberries and it was fine. PHEWF. what a thrilling story.

squishy

the title of this post is how i'm feeling today... wow! i had a great long weekend but there were far too many indulgences. i pretty much did (and ate... and drank) whatever i wanted and now all i want to do is detox, de-bloat, de-booze, re-hydrate, re-exercise and catch up on my zzz's. this morning my cat, oliver, woke me up with wet-nosed headbutts because he was out of food. obviously it's not rocket science, but i still think it's so cute how little animals associate their owners with the food, instead of going straight to the source.

my weekend away to niagara falls was really nice. we played glow in the dark mini-golf, went to the tropical bird museum giant aviary, walked by the falls, went on a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride by the falls, went out to eat, sat in the giant jacuzzi tub... definitely an amazing time. here is a picture of me with "duke," the horse who led our carriage around the falls.


he was a nice guy. on sunday, after checking out of the hotel, we drove across the border for my favourite united states activity, grocery shopping! first we stopped at dunkin donuts because i wanted to try the coffee there. it was pretty good - sort of like a tim horton's, but better and with more non-coffee/donut options.

i really went to town in the grocery store and came home with TONS of stuff: luna sunrise and clif kid z bars, cheddar turkey sausages, turkey breakfast sausages, turkey burgers (do you sense a theme?), light hamburger buns, light english muffins, flat out wraps, pureed sweet potato in a can, different kinds of oatmeal, fiber one bars (in new flavours), yoplait yogurts, fat free greek yogurts (fage and oikos), 40-spice hummus, 100-calorie quaker granola bars, swiss miss 25-calorie hot chocolate packets.... heaven.

the best part is that my boyfriend had an amazing time too. i love a man that loves to grocery shop. i bought him some fiber one pop tarts, ha! he also got a packet of slim jims (no comment!). we also went to target, naturally.

we were home on sunday night, and then yesterday (monday) was the family day holiday. hoorah! i took care of some personal business at home (that sounds shady but it's not) and got ready for the week. i wanted to watch the biggest loser from LAST WEEK that i taped, but i didn't have time. and now it's on again tonight. having four hours of taped biggest loser to watch is kind of obscene. i can do it... i won't let you down, biggest loser!

i have some goals for this week - i'd like to try to avoid junk and de-bloat. cut down on the salt, up the water intake, get in some activity every day. tonight after work i will probably go for a swim, or walk/slow-jog on the treadmill. i can't wait to catch up on all the posts i missed this weekend!

whole foods

yesterday afternoon i went to the whole foods market here in toronto. i really like it there, but it's ridiculously expensive and i always think it's going to be better than it is and have wonder products. i did get a couple of larabars, lunabars, and clif bars, but not too many.

i did get greek yogurt though! it's full fat which is pretty high calorie but extra delicious. i also, on a whim, got goat's milk yogurt. WARNING WARNING do not get this product. bleh! i love goat's cheese, but i don't want my yogurt to taste like goat's cheese! there was a also sample of some kind of spreadable milk cheese. holy moly, it was sweet and so delicious! i made a point not to check the brand because if i knew what it was there is a large chance i'd become obsessed with the cheese until purchasing it. maybe if i was hosting a fancy party or something.

i bought one portabella mushroom so i could try making a portabella mushroom burger for the first time. i also bought ezekiel hamburger buns. the mushroom burger was pretty good. i melted a babybel light cheese on top. when i'm alone i usually eat my burger bun separately from the burger so it feels like i am eating more, so that kind of defeats the purpose of the mushroom burger. i would try it again, but my one mushroom cost $1.32 and that's a little pricey for a mushroom.

exercise has been going really well. i am following my hunger cues and eating when hungry. last night i walked for three miles on the treadmill (while reading), and then did some sit ups and bum exercises on the floor mat. this morning i went for a 40-minute swim. all this exercise is making me hungry!

what a coincidence

after posting my piece on weight maintenance last week, i came across this article on yahoo canada which sums things up very nicely. worth reading for sure. i love these yahoo and msn.ca health and fitness articles. many are very redundant, but a few have new and interesting things to say. and it's all free. oh, internet, how i do love you.

i would have to say i went a little overboard on the eating this weekend. especially last night at my girlfriend's house watching gone with the wind. a lot of veggies, some whole wheat pasta with chicken, nachos with taco cream cheese dip (!!!)... that kind of stuff. so some healthier choices but some... not so much. my downfall were these macaroon madness bars from m & m's meat shop. they tasted like butterscotch blondies with coconut on top. heaven!

so now i'm back in healthy living mode. i didn't swim on saturday, but i did go yesterday and this morning. i might go for a treadmill walk tonight as well. i have finished reading thin is the new happy and now i've moved on to chasing harry winston, the latest book from the author that wrote the devil wears prada. exciting! i have to have it finished by the 5th (back to library), so reading while walking on the treadmill is a perfect way to kill two birds with one stone. not that i want to kill birds of course.

my goals for this week are: 4 x cardio sessions, 2 x yoga/pilates sessions, at LEAST 7 hours of sleep per night, following hunger cues, and grabbing the bull by the balls. happy monday.

the FOREVER diet

the other day, i was thinking about weight maintenance. i've lost 40 pounds on weight watchers, and kept it off for about a year and a half, maybe two years. i'm sure people (friends, family, readers?) think i'm pretty good at maintaining my weight because i usually can stay within a five-pound range. however, i don't think i've mastered the maintenance secret yet because i continue to gain and lose the same five (or six or seven) pounds over and over again. i've read that gaining and losing the same amount of weight (even ten little pounds) can be very bad for your overall long term health. so what's my point?

to me, weight maintenance has always been this far off ideal. to be able to eat whatever you want (but sensibly), and not have to worry about gaining weight because you have control over eating. you eat to live, not to eat. my problem is, i still live to eat. every time i go through the grocery store checkout line and see those stacks of chocolate bars, my mind thinks, "gimme gimme gimme." i don't give in, but i don't consider depriving myself the same as having control.

another problem i have is the idea of "normal eating" vs "diet eating." i still think that if i am where i want to be weight-wise, then i can eat whatever i want, as long as it's a sensible portion. this is not true. why? i don't know. maybe it's true for you and not for me. i think to myself, wouldn't it be great to have a morning snack of tea and two cookies? le sigh. le cookies. don't normal women who have control of their eating eat this way? maybe, maybe not. i'll never know because everyone is different. everyone has different metabolisms, different tastes, different body and food issues. when i'm not trying to lose weight, i gain weight. up and down, up and down. it's annoying but maybe i'm just programmed that way.

i've finished reading gone with the wind (tragic), and started a new book, thin is the new happy by valerie frankel. i'm only about a quarter into it, and what she is writing about really hits home for me. i started gaining weight when i hit puberty, and my mother did a lot of things to "help" me lose weight. i remember eating dry toast and clementines at lunch when everyone else had delicious looking french fries from the school cafeteria. yes, i did lose weight. yes, i instantly felt better about myself. but why? acceptance obviously. not only did my mother praise me, but friends did, teachers, even women who worked in clothing stores would compliment my mother on the shape of my legs. and hearing this i felt like a bazillion dollars. i don't blame my mother, because we are all just part of this womanly cycle of self-loathing. we can try to step out of the mold, but it's going to be very difficult. i can tell myself that i'm never going to mention anything to do with weight/food issues to my children, but if they see me dieting or complaining about my looks, it won't matter. monkey see monkey do. valerie frankel talks about how she has been on a diet for thirty years, since she was 11 years old. me too... me too...

the only thing i can say is that i've learned A LOT about weight maintenance over the last couple of years. for example, having an exercise routine that is part of your lifestyle makes all the difference. changing the staples of your diet does too. things i used to indulge in all time are a once-in-a-while occurrence, and i'm fine with that. one of my favourite techniques is telling myself that tomorrow is a new day. i want the pastry at starbucks, but it will be there tomorrow if i want it that badly and can't get it out of my mind. i'm not really depriving myself because i probably didn't want it anyway. the same can be said about those supermarket chocolate bars! has anyone noticed they aren't really as good as you remember them being? i guess i'm fine with losing and gaining the same five pounds over and over again as well, if it means i can enjoy myself when it really matters (holidays, celebrations, random fun times).

what do you think? are you on a forever diet too?

crazy week coming up!

good morning. this week is going to be crazy. let's start at the very beginning.

monday: today is my two year anniversary (with my boyfriend). exciting! we are going somewhere or doing something but it is a surprise. i love surprises! i made him a scrapbook with photos from our year together and love quotes on fancy paper. the "glitter stack" of cardstock. i am fairly certain he doesn't read this blog so the surprise won't be ruined. ALSO, today i am definitely (i think) going to hear about one of the jobs. for some reason, instead of being excited about it, it has turned me into a nervous wreck. all weekend the hamster wheel in my brain was whizzing around at a thousand times a second. as soon as i woke up in the morning, no matter how early or how late i went to bed the night before, i was up because i couldn't stop worrying. i need to calm down.

moving on. tuesday: actually this day is nice and chill. i have to clean my apartment, bake the festive meringues, and watch the season finale of the biggest loser. nice!

wednesday: i am hosting my book club's holiday potluck party. so far i have made the chocolate clusters (amazing!), the no-bake holly cookies (interesting but a bit weird... they look good anyway), and this morning i made the teddy graham marshmellow chocolate bark. it is cooling in the fridge right now. i am planning ahead. so that's going to be really fun. i'm "bringing" a shrimp ring to the potluck. "thaw" - it doesn't get any easier than that. it even came with the sauce.

thursday: my boyfriend's work party. it's also a potluck, and a kris kringle gift exchange. luckily we already got our gifts. funny how everything can be stress free with a little planning and organization. except waiting to hear about jobs! gah!

friday: i am going to a bachelorette party. then finally i can relax. in a heap, on the floor.

my weekend was pretty good in terms of exercise, but not that great in terms of eating. i saw the sound of music (the musical), and had another sewing class where i learned to make a men's tie. it is so adorable and the best thing i've made so far. on saturday i went for a 40 minute swim and on sunday i did 2.5 miles on the treadmill, 20 minutes of which were running. so far... no bum pain.

my goals this week are a) try to eat sensibly while still enjoying myself. it's fun time and i'm going to try things don't get to try everyday. other things like store bought cookies and chocolates... i don't need. b) try to get some exercise in everyday. today i am going to walk to and from the library, and hopefully get a swim in. that would be the ultimate. c) drink and be merry, but don't drink too much. maybe i will pace my alcoholic beverages with water. 1 booze 1 water. or is it 1 booze 2 waters? d) get enough sleep. this is probably the key for keeping the other goals. when you are tired it's hard to think sensibly.

and finally, here is a picture of my coolio wall decal, and one of my little weenie christmas tree. the lights aren't on in this picture, so it isn't looking that festive.

what is up with this?

what is going on? don't tease me. tell me NOW dammit!

in other news, last night i had the french onion soup (5 points), a small house salad (2 points) with balsamic dressing (1 point). during the movie i had a tea because it was freezing, and when i came home i had a curves bar (1 point) because i was a bit hungry. success!

today i have a job interview. wish me luck! =D

my loot

i am back from the united states, and it was everything i dreamed it would be. first of all, your comments about what to buy made me laugh. i was more thinking specific products, although it was really interesting to learn about what other parts of canada don't have. for example, toronto has a whole foods, and a sephora, and a bath and body works too.

unfortunately there is no trader joe's in buffalo, but i did go to big lots, wegman's grocery store, the fashion outlet mall, and target. here is some of my loot :)

1) oatmeal: country choice organic fit kids (1/2 cinnamon toast and 1/2 chocolate chip), quaker weight control banana bread, and kashi creamy all natural truly vanilla. i have died and gone to oatmeal heaven. by the way, i think you can click on the pics to make them bigger.


2. granola bars: quaker "true delights" granola bars, in toasted coconut banana macadamia nut, and dark chocolate raspberry almond.


3. fiber one complete pancake mix. wowee wowee!


4. clif kid z bars! i got a whole box of honey graham, and individual ones of chocolate chip, peanut butter, spooky smores, blueberry, and chocolate brownie (which was still hiding in the bags when i took this photo).



5. delicious hot beverages: swiss miss 25 calorie hot chocolate and sugar cookie sleigh ride holiday tea.


6. popcorn! jolly time sea salt and cracked pepper, and jolly time sassy salsa. i wonder what sassy tastes like?


7. the wonder food - greek yogurt!!! it was expensive but i didn't care. i just wanted to try it once. i mean twice. i bought 2 of the big 0% tubs, and three little ones: vanilla, blueberry, and honey. the last photo is a size comparison.




8. more delicious yogurt in flavours that blew my mind: orange creme, strawberry shortcake, banana creme pie, boston creme pie, raspberry cheesecake, and weight watchers amaretto cheesecake.



9. delicious "flat out" wraps in three varieties! multigrain, light italian, and light original.


THE END. i also got a few other things non-food related. a new hairdryer (mine had glowing embers... can't be safe), some beauty products for my man, a sweater and lounge pants from the GAP, this stuff, and a baby spoon because i like eating with little bites. to bed!

pizza pizza

today is rainy and gray. typical november. it's also that time of year when all media from the united states is bombarding us about thanksgiving. well... been there, done that in october! i don't need to know how to make healthy cranberry sauce and stuffing NOW! not that i make that stuff for canadian thankgiving either ;)

i am feeling pretty great this week. my pants are fitting way better. PHEWF! the feeling of having your pants fit is so much better than the two minute enjoyment i'd get from eating a donut. mmmm donuts. i mean, yay pants! someone actually brought donuts to the office on tuesday. i didn't eat one but i brought one home and put it in my freezer. for as long as i have existed with teeth on this planet, i have loved walnut crunch donuts from tim hortons. i have memories of being a child and going there with my grandparents and getting that. always that one. every other donut was a disappointment in comparison. even kid-friendly ones with sprinkles. of course i have to choose the one with the most fat and calories! isn't that always the way! maybe i'll stop talking about donuts now, sorry! so the donut is in my freezer but i'm not worried. i will split it with my boyfriend on the weekend or something. 1/2 a donut = good times.

last night was wednesday date night, and so we ordered pizza. i didn't really want to but he was starving and said i could order "that gross multigrain crust" if i wanted. ha! we got a thin crust pizza (not multigrain) with mushrooms, red onion, green pepper, pepperoni, and spicy italian sausage. i had three small pieces... and i mean small. it was like 1.5 of the bigger ones total. i really was so impressed with myself for stopping when i was satisfied and not too full. it helped that i was using a knife and fork to slow me down. my boyfriend finished three pieces in the time it took me to consume one. do you like that word: consume?


i didn't exercise today (yet!!!) but hopefully i can do something tonight. not running because my inner thighs are a bit ouchy, but either a long walk (i have some new magazines) or a swim. probably a walk.

ouch

last night i was loading my dishwasher and slipped (i am very clumsy) and fell into the cutlery area. a sharp cutting knife poked into me, right between my little and fourth fingers. there was/is a deep hole but it didn't bleed that much and isn't wide so i think i'm going to make it without amputating and fingers... phewf. still annoying though.

i used that as an excuse not to swim this morning. that, and i really didn't feel like it too much. i didn't walk last night either. what is going on? i am trying to stay consistent with the exercise but it's hard. obviously life gets in the way and most people can't work out every day. really, three or four times a week is enough to reap the benefits. i am just going to try and adjust my diet on the days that i am inactive.

but i will probably walk tonight, if i can get down to the gym before biggest loser starts. i missed last week (not last week because it wasn't on, but the week before), but i read about it online. do you want to know what player drives me insane? vicky... she seems so heartless and evil. laughing at other people's misfortunes... and remember when she said she didn't care enough about the prize of a video from home to put her effort into the challenge... because she saw her kids just last week? i mean, come on. i am not a parent but one would assume that you would want to see your kids every chance you got. anyhoo.

yesterday i took care of business in the job application department. i applied for four jobs and wrote personal cover letters for each one. and some of them wanted writing and art samples so i did some scanning and it turned out pretty swell. yep, swell.

that's about all i have to say today. i have a yummy sandwich for lunch. i actually bought a regular loaf of bread (still whole wheat and full of goodness) instead of weight watchers or ezekiel or sprouted grains bread and i am excited to eat it. with fat free turkey and spicy mootard. i mean mustard. :) also, i'm doing the activia 14-day challenge... by that i mean eating one activia fat free yogurt per day, starting yesterday. i need to do some research because i'm not sure (yet) what the point of the challenge, except to turn into a belly dancer or something!

some thoughts

since the new year is only 8 weeks away, i think it's time to set some goals that i want to accomplish. i don't want to go into the holiday season feeling unfit or frumpy, and there is still time to change things. i don't want to start 2009 with any regrets. without further ado:

1) it's time to get back into my maintenance range and stay there. no hovering around the top and going over at the end of the weekend.

2) i would like to strengthen my core considerably. abs and lower back. i heard that people with strong core muscles have better posture. do you think this is true? i am slouching right now, while i type this.

3) i would like to eat to live, not live to eat. will this ever be possible? do any of you eat to live?

4) i would like to have my closet organized - i have too many clothes that i don't wear. maybe i can sell some and donate the rest. or donate them all.

5) i NEED to get a job. in my career. i could get any job, true, but i am on a career path and don't want to stray off of it with an admin job or something that i dislike. i've had mundane jobs before and they really suck the life out of you.

6) i would like to evaluate my hobbies and have a plan to do more with them. for example, book writing, or sewing. i just can't find the time but i know it's there. it's not like i'm watching a lot of tv so i need to figure that out.

today there was a major crash on the route i would normally take to my mom's office in the suburbs. (i took a different one.) the big trailer of a truck fell off an overpass and crushed five cars below. people are in critical condition. very scary. i hope they are alright.

this morning i swam another 40 minutes, and last night i walked four miles on the treadmill while reading "eclipse," the third book in the twilight series. i am almost done and then on to the fourth. these books are like crack. i need to get them out of the way so i can get on with my regular life and pay attention to real people and not just edward cullen the vampire. ;)

tonight is date night and we are eating at tim horton's. only because we won a gift card at the halloween party last weekend. what is low point and not chili? a sandwich or something? i never eat there so i need some tips. i will walk to my boyfriend's house which is about 2 1/2 miles. i am kicking up the exercise this week if you didn't notice.

have a great wednesday, and congratulations to obama. i wanted him to win :)