training and weight gain

i don't really weigh myself anymore but i was feeling a little ... what's the word ... oh yes, phat, last weekend while trying on some things in my closet, so i decided on a whim to step on the scale this morning. it wasn't as bad as i was expecting, but i am not in my maintenance range anymore. i thought that i would lose weight with all of this marathon training but i was obviously mistaken.

i really have a love/hate relationship with the scale. i decided not to weigh myself anymore because it was causing too many highs and lows which is unhealthy. going up or down five pounds on any given week means nothing, so long as it's not five pounds up and then five more pounds up, etc. so i wasn't weighing myself. this was a relief in some ways, although in other ways it caused more stress. i think it made me imagine gains and loses that didn't exist and gave me a false perception of what i actually look like and how i feel. it's hard to explain. on one hand it's important to keep your weight in check but on the other hand, becoming obsessed is obviously not the mentality anyone should want or have.

so this brings me back to marathon training and weight gain. i looked online and this weight gain is very common.

here are some reasons why people gain weight while training:

1. you are building muscle, which is denser than fat: this is always a good thing. i love muscle.

2. your body is learning to store carbohydrates as fuel (glycogen) for your long runs. those glycogen stores will add more weight. your body also requires additional water to break down and store the glycogen, so that will also add extra weight: i didn't know that but it's interesting. although - i'm not doing that many long runs, and my long runs aren't THAT long since i'm only doing the 1/2 marathon and not the whole shabang.

3. you are maybe increasing your calorie intake without knowing it: this is possible. i'm pretty damn hungry on running days and especially the day after.

4. you may be drinking too many calories through sports drinks: um, not me. i've only had one gatorade in my whole life and it was "G2" only 30 calories per cup.

so i guess i'm just eating too much. oy vey. i did remark to my boyfriend that although i feel like i've gained weight, i also feel like i am the most "fit" i've ever been. that being said, i'll be happy when it's over and i can get back to my normal life.

what do you do? how often do you weigh yourself to keep your weight in check? every day? once per week? once per month? NEVER?

yikes

i did the weigh-in and it's not good. more than i expected. yikes. it was a bad time to do it (that time of month, after a long weekend where i ate many salty things and drank many types of booze, including wine, wine spritzers, beer, that fruity creme liquor from south africa. amarula or something ... boy is it ever tasty. also mixed drinks, maybe a shot. i was at a wedding, so that explains some of it.

anyway not good. bad news. yikes. the surprising thing it that i was feeling pretty - oh chicago just scored - thin so i thought it would be a good time to do it. wow. obviously my perception of myself is a little off. and i was not even trying on some of my pants. i was wearing skirts and my yoga jeans.

i'm motivated though. i'm not going to count points but i'm going to measure portions and go lighter on the carbohydrates. for some reason protein keeps me really satisfied. not full, but not hungry. not hungry = i'll take it! i'm also going to drink lots of water and try not to overdo the sodium. that's really hard for me because i love love love salt.

today after work i went for a run. a FIVE MILE run! wooooooooohooooooo! that's my longest run since my bum injury last july. i am SO HAPPY that i can run again. SO HAPPY. not being able to do something physical that you actually enjoy because of an injury is devastating. because after you've spent twenty years or however long being a lazy bum all you want to do is move.

face the music

thank you bi0nic - your tip of taking it one day at a time is really speaking to me.

so...

i weighed in yesterday. it wasn't good. it wasn't that bad either. i've got ten pounds to lose. GROAN. i don't know. i'm kind of on the fence with my feelings. on one hand, i can't believe i gained ten pounds. i should slap my own face! on the other hand, i am staying positive about it. and this may seem weird to many of you, but losing weight is sort of fun for me. now don't get me wrong, maintenance is probably more fun, but i get a real thrill from working out and eating right and watching the scale drop knowing i deserve it.

there you have it. yesterday (even though i am posting in advance and it is yesterday still) was a great day. now i really can't mess it up! i stayed within my points and went swimming even though i felt tired. i swam for 35 minutes and then called it a day. i only had 3 points left for dinner but i stuck it out: a slice of rye toast, 2/3 cup of fat free cottage cheese and 3/4 cup of unsweetened frozen blueberries. i noticed that i only had one dairy serving today - that's why i chose da cheeze. yes, i said "da cheeze" ... it's my blog, you can't stop me!

in other news, my new job is great so far, i'm learning a lot and have a new macbook to work on and bring home every night. i haven't used it at home yet though... my pc is just so convenient! my apartment is an absolute mess ... must do something about that soon. i am still getting adjusted to being up and out of the house so early (by 7:15!) so i'm cutting myself some slack. ah, today at work the secretary brought me a card, sent in the mail. how weird... i mean, who even knows my work address, let alone that i work there. it was a card from my bf telling me how proud he is of me. aw shucks, i know! the outside of the card is really funny. it's got two lady eggs walking down the street. they spot a multicoloured egg and the one egg says, "check out the dye job on her..." and then the other one says, "tramp." hehehe, funny.

moving on, moving up

high tea yesterday was a lot of fun. you choose from a selection of interesting loose leaf teas, and they keep refilling your pot with hot water. and the food! you start with strawberries and a crumpet with honey, then enjoy a selection of sandwiches, and THEN a giant tiered tray full of delicious treats like scones, mince meat pies, and desserts. everything is decadent but very little. i took home a few items... although when i got home they were all smushed in the carton so i just threw them out.

when i got home i was on a serious mission, and worked on job applications. there are some great opportunities out there right now. hopefully i will get some interviews and then jobs and then live a long and prosperous life.

my pants DID arrive yesterday, but not until nearly 7pm. UPS! when i first pulled them out of the bag i thought they were really short, but they are fine. i got a 31" inseam, which is perfect to wear with casual flat shoes, but not with heels. normally i wear skinny jeans, but these are bootcut. i'm trying to mix it up. SO... the pants fit, sort of. they do fit but they are a little snug in the waist. i refuse to wear anything that is remotely uncomfortable so i am putting them on hold for a few days. i suspected that i had gained a bit of weight and now i know it's true. i gain weight in my stomach first, so it makes sense that these jeans are only a bit tight there. i actually almost wore them today, but chose not to for several reasons: 1) i am wearing a white turtleneck sweater and thought maybe i should wash the dark jeans before wearing them with light colours, just in case the dark jean colour rubs off. 2) they are quite low in the rise, and give me a bit of a muffin top (shudder).

i'm sure my gain isn't much. five pounds max, if that, so i am just going to loosely count points, keep up the exercise, and lay off the salty snacking and the wine. not that i drink that much... but tonight is date night.

this morning i went for a nice 40 minute swim. i didn't want to get into that chilly pool but after a few laps it was fine. happy humpday. boy do i hate that term!

my apologies

for not posting on friday. it was a really busy day. i was helping my mom (as usual) at the office and there were way too many closings (real estate law) so i didn't have time to post.

halloween was good and bad. we went to this party that we bought tickets for, but the ticket holders had to stand in this giant line outside for more than an hour, and people who bought their tickets at the door got in right away. the line up was hundreds of people long. just a really poorly organized event. we ended up just going home after waiting for way too long. on saturday night we went to a house halloween party which was much more fun. we won third place in the costume contest. :) pics to come after i upload them.

i did weigh in on friday and was up 2.4 pounds and out of my maintenance range again. i don't even get it and i am not going to try to. today is another day and i'm moving on.

this morning i went for a 40 minute swim which was nice. i didn't exercise all weekend, although i did walk about 3 miles yesterday. today my big plans are 1) reading pride and prejudice 2) walking to the library 3) seeing if i can get a refund for that halloween party 4) going to the bookstore to see if they have any helpful writing books and 5) possibly going to the olympium pool - it is a pool double the length of standard community centre pools (50 metres instead of 25). i want to go there because they have a swim shop and sell a wide variety of polyester swimsuits. polyester is less comfortable to swim in, but doesn't stretch and become see through and flimsy like your regular speedo lycra swimsuit would. i have had the same one since high school (long time!) and it's time for a new one.

cooking rice

it’s a nice gray autumn day today. and it’s friday which is always good news. i went swimming this morning for 30 minutes AND i did 30 minutes on the elliptical yesterday before book club which means that this week i was five for five on weekday exercise. whoo – pee.

for some reason i decided to step on the scale last night. i was feeling pretty skinny and good about myself until i was up about four pounds. i know it’s a night time weigh in but wtf, seriously? i have been on the ball all week long. how frustrating.

i decided that i couldn’t face friday morning weighing in today so i’m going to live in denial and pretend that it doesn’t exist this week. sometimes a girl needs a little denial.

this weekend is going to be great. after “work” today i am going to canadian tire because are selling rice cookers for 50% off ($9.99) and i want one. i am also going to linens and things because i have a gift card i need to use up before they go out of business.

tomorrow i am going on a hunt for halloween costume accessories, and then out for dinner and to a lounge for a friend’s birthday. in little italy too. have a great weekend!

friday weigh in day

friday weigh-in day and this week i gained 0.4 pounds. not significant, but i was hoping for a loss. really, i was perfect all week which can only mean one thing – that last weekend was much MUCH worse than i thought it was. and looking back, i can see where i was fooling myself. my boyfriend and i have this funny but terrible habit of drinking our mixed drinks (at home) through rainbow twizzler straws. it’s just so yummy. really i have the pack of rainbow twizzlers sitting on my counter all week and never feel tempted to eat them... i just love drinking through them on weekends!

so anyway. that’s bad. i won’t do it this weekend. and i can recall an incident of eating too much post-going out last saturday night as well. not bad stuff. actually i have no idea.

in other news, today is friday and i couldn’t be happier. i am working a ½ day with my mom, then running some errands, and then i hope to clean the apartment, especially the bathroom before tonight. maybe i can even get some treadmill (walking) time in.

last night i did week 3 day 2 of the couch to 5k program. it was great – no pain or anything! maybe it’s gone for good... i don’t want to jinx anything. then i had a nice bath and my cat, oliver, jumped up on the side of the tub and sat there for the whole time.... at least 20 minutes. what a weirdo. the side of the tub isn’t wide, either. he kept touching the water with his paws and then jumping back at the ripples. weirdo!

tonight i am going dancing, tomorrow there is a party, sunday thanksgiving at my boyfriend’s parents house, and monday thanksgiving at my parent’s house. fun weekend.

this morning for breakfast i had 2 packs of quaker instant oatmeal with a ½ cup of all bran, 2 equal sweeteners and a splash of vanilla mixed in. it was deliciously carby and filling and i used gingerbread spice tea as water. happy thanksgiving everyone! :)

wasting time

i am in love with frozen raspberries. and this week my local grocery store has them on sale for $4.00 so i am going back today to stock up. i don't know how much they normally cost but yummo! and a giant serving (140g) is 0 points. can't beat the zero!

last night i tried an eating "experiment." when i got home from work i was feeling the hunger, so i ate 1/2 a banana and then went down to the gym to do day 3 week 2 of the couch to 5k program. it's not that intense - a five minute walk, then six sets of 1.5 minutes running and 2 minutes walking, and then at the end a five minute cool down walk. i managed to make it through pain free which is a huge bonus. i think if i want to do any running, i'm going to have to do it at night time. that's ok with me, because it doesn't take up that much time. i'm not going on any long runs or anything.

my eating experiment was to try and keep my dinner really light. i had a scoop of protein powder (2 points), a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond breeze (1 point), 140g frozen raspberries (0 points) and the other half of my banana (1 point). so 4 points which is substantial, but still a very light meal that doesn't sit heavy in the stomach. and then this morning i am more than 2 pounds lighter. i was definitely still feeling the weekend bloat and water retention!

yesterday randi asked when i started to gain weight, and if it was when i stopped working. well, i'd say probably not when i stopped working, but instead when i stopped running. i was really hardcore and probably burned so many calories running. and i was eating a lot to make up for running so much. a lot of my runs, 4 or so times a week, would be an hour or 6 miles. so my portions were bigger and i was used to eating that much and that's the problem. i am still a volume eater but am trying to cut down on portion size. truthfully i haven't gained that much weight, not even ten pounds, but five becomes ten and then more and more and that's when it becomes a problem. and my business skirt didn't fit, let's not forget that.

today for breakfast i am making an egg and cheese sandwich. 2 slices ezekiel bread (2 points, and truthfully i am not that crazy about this bread. it's *too* fibrous, which i never thought i would hear myself say), 1/4 cup egg whites (0.5 points) and 1 slice kraft fat free cheese (0.5 points). maybe ketchup or a tomato slice too. :)

bloaty mcfat feet

i am so pooped today. i have been watching heroes season one on my computer and last night it was too exciting and i stayed up really late watching it. i am paying for it today!

i am so bloated today. number one: my skinny jeans, which fit with lots of room on friday, didn't fit today. they fit in the thighs and waist, but not the calves! isn't that so weird!?!? i am so bloated. i put on sandals to go outside and it's like i was wearing a smaller size of shoe! what could have caused this crazy bloat... i have no idea. today i'm taking it easy and drinking lots of water and hopefully it will be gone by tomorrow.

i finally reached a "happy weight" on saturday, but today i am back up five pounds. there is no way i gained five pounds on the weekend, especially since i didn't drink anything on friday or sunday, and made relatively healthy choices. all of my excess weight must be water that is retaining in my lower legs and feet. seriously, it's so weird!

i got up early today because i thought i was going to help my mom at work (for a little extra cash) but they didn't need me today. i went grocery shopping and bought a lot of fruits and veggies... things i desperately needed! and that's about it. oh right, photos of my hair. i will upload some today and post tomorrow. :) now maybe a nap!

so early

sorry for the lack of post yesterday. i went with my boyfriend to one of his schools to set up a classroom and it was a disaster. it was an empty room used for storage a.k.a. a dumping ground but we were there for hours and now it looks like a million dollars. i had a good swim around 10pm. it was weird to exercise so late but nice. the pool was empty which always makes me happy. although the water was soooo hot. it was like a bath. good for old people... not good for people swimming laps.

this morning i am up so early (i can't believe my eyes are open). i am going to the burbs to help my mom at work. she works for a real estate lawyer and the other clerk is on vacation and my sister usually works there too but is an actress with an audition. it is the end of the month and everyone is buying and selling today so i will write cheques and take them to be certified... stuff like that.

friday is weigh-in and i am 120.8 pounds. i secretly weighed in last week and was 120.6 pounds. so no real change from last week but above my maintenance range which is not cool. i am going to start the points counting again in september. yes, i could start now, but it's the weekend and august and it's not out of control yet or anything. besides, september to me always feels like a rebirth. a start to the new year. more so than january which is funny. it's back to school! :)

this weekend should be fun. tonight (after a giant nap of coursezzzzzzz) some friends of mine are having a party (i think in a pub) and then tomorrow my boyfriend is having a small housewarming party for his close friends. i feel like something is happening on monday too but i can't remember. happy weekend!

you all make me laugh

yes, it's true. you all make me laugh? in a good way of course. but why? all the reasons/excuses why my pants could have felt tight. let's see:

1) maybe i am building muscles in my thighs.

2) perhaps i left my pants in the dryer and they shrunk.

3) swollen legs.

while these could be valid excuses in the land of wishville, i know it's not possible.

1) i have been running for almost a year and can't see muscles just sprouting up this week. and since i have only done two, yes a mere two HIIT sessions, that can't be it either.

2) i would NEVER even put these tighties in the dryer for one second!

3) this actually could be an excuse but i doubt it.

today i weighed in at 121.8. that is a gain of 2.6 pounds from last week. frickity crap mofo! but it's not necessary a bad thing. yes, i am out of my range, but it's good because i need to take a good look at what i'm eating. i am totally in control exercise-wise, but eating-wise... not so much. my portions have been increasing. a packet of oatmeal becomes a packet of oatmeal with flax, with all bran, with pumpkin, with wheat berries, with milk, with a banana. and while these things are all healthy, and adding one or two of these things is a great idea, adding them all and eating a giant beheamoth vat of oatmeal is not.

it's time to trim back the portions people! i can do it. i am not even in a bad mood about gaining. it's all about perspective :o)

in other news, this morning i did a quick 4-miles around my lovely city. and i have to say, even two sessions of HIIT is increasing my regular running speed. instead of a slower jog, i found myself with faster, longer strides this morning... it felt really good. when my alarm went off at 6:45am, i was resetting it for my boyfriend, and he rolled over and mumbled, "you are a real inspiration." hahaha - that is so funny to me.

in more boyfriend news, this sunday is our 1.5 yearaversary. last year for our six-monthaversary, i drew him a picture of a pin-up girl. he invited me to go to vegas with his family. even? i think so! ;o) anyhoo, i decided to carry on the tradition and draw him another pin-up. it's a ballerina because he likes them. i finished it last night and scanned it.

i think you can click on it to make it bigger. i've since signed and framed it. i think he will like it because i spent time on it, and it's from the heart. romance!

today on the menu is:

giant iced coffee

hot coffee
cinnamon oatmeal with flax
source yogurt

ezekiel english muffin
3 slices fake spicy meat
spinach and mustard
source yogurt
1/2 cup blackberries

banana
source yogurt
1 cup popcorn

dinner - ?

quick one - and...

quick post today, because i am heading out of the office for a bit in a few minutes. yesterday (day two) was another success. except that i couldn't move all day. the pain/lack of movement was worse than ever. my bum pain turned into a groin pull or something. it was a nightmare. but anyway... i took a bath and used a heating pad and went to bed early and it already feels much better today. i am not gimpy mcgoo anymore which is a bonus.

this morning i went down to the gym, but running was not an option. i tried a bit of walking first, but even that started to aggravate my groin pain so i stopped. instead i did a bit of stationary biking, a bit of arm weights, and the elliptical. i hate the elliptical but a girls gotta do what she has to do - desperate times people, desperate times.

for the record i am only being so hardcore this week because i am trying to slim down before friday. it is my boyfriend's bimonthly pop and art event and i will be wearing a dress and don't want my pooch to be pooching out. and i know i gained a bit last week (and on the weekend) and i want to nip it in the bud as fast as possible, thus the extreme exercise (although not extreme today) and counting of calories, which i don't normally do.

when i gain weight, i gain it first in my stomach. stomach and upper thigh area. this is how i know i've gained. i don't have a naturally thin stomach. it will never be flat like some women's stomach. i am an apple. skinny arms and legs mean nothing to me... it's all about the stomach. where do you gain weight first?

today on the menu is:

a navel orange
1 packet weight control cinnamon oatmeal
1/2 cup all bran
1 T flax
1 source yogurt
2 T pumpkin

1/2 cup plain 2% yogurt
2 vanilla fat free yogurts
1/2 cup raspberries
14 carrots
1/4 cup salsa
1 high fibre tortilla

and for dinner not sure - maybe heaps of edamame. yummy! one more day until the weekend... and my dreaded weigh-in... yikes!

weekend is OVER

the weekend is finally over and not a moment too soon. i need to get my bumhoolio into gear. my jeans felt so tight all weekend... they are tight anyway but it's getting obscene. i really feel like a fatty mcbutterpants today. so... no sense whining about it... time to get moving. here is my plan.

1) exercise it up.

2) count calories.

3) no drinking booze.

4) no nighttime snacking.

5) water... a lot of it.

the situation isn't *that* out of control so i'm hoping that even a few days will make a big diff.

this morning i went down to the treadmill to run. normally i hate the dreadmill, but i was excited about it today because i found this 45-minute treadmill plan online. so i did that this morning, but instead of stopping at 45-min, i continued running until 55 minutes so i could reach 5-miles. it was a really good workout, especially with some of the crazy inclines.

that being said, my bum pain is out of control. it was fine all weekend and then this morning it hurt soooooo much. just at the beginning for walking, and cool down at the end of the workout. i guess during the run my endorphins are pumping through the pain. now i am gimping like gimpy magoo. i don't like it! i will sit in a bath tonight to make it feel better.

here is a picture of the dress:



it looks like i have three arms, don't you think? but such a great dress... i love it :o)

today on the menu is:

cinnamon weight control oatmeal
1/2 cup all bran
1 T flax
coffee
source yogurt

1 cup plain 2% yogurt
1/2 cup raspberries
2 T pumpkin
28 baby carrots
2 slices sprouted grains toast

breaded chicken breast
whole wheat pita
with lettuce, onions, tomato, mustard
side of greeny beanies

and hopefully i can stop there.

updatey

i know i say this every friday, but thank the good lord above. there is something about a warm, sunny friday, with the promise of a weekend with nice weather, that is so FANTASTIC.

in other news, last night i was riding my bike home from work. for the first tiniest little bit, i am going the opposite way on a one way street, so i ride on the sidewalk. it is not a skinny sidewalk, it is a big one with lots of room or i wouldn't do it. anyhoo, this man is walking right at me looking all around, up in the sky, over there, everywhere but at me, so i give him a little *ding* with my bicycle bell, and he says, "get off the fuckin' sidewalk, dyke!" profanity, fine, whatever... but dyke!? excuse me? what a homophobe! and from a business man, too. a business man! i said, "dykes have feelings too, meany" and pedaled away.

last night i had a pretty good night. i went down to the gym to do some strength-training. i started reading the black book of hollywood secrets while using the stationary bike... 30 minutes later! it's a pretty interesting book... none of the celebrity and trainer tips are silly or unsafe. it focuses on living a healthy lifestyle. i also made those illusive kale chips (yum) and had a GIANT smoothie made of 1/2 banana, peanut butter powder, flax, ice, frozen berries, and frozen tropical fruits. it was sooooooo good. and big. i didn't need to drink the whole thing. i put 1/2 away but kept going back for more throughout the evening. other than that i cleaned my apartment, did all my laundry including washing my sheets, and feel very satisfied about it all. that's the end of that report.

friday is weigh-in and i am up again - to 120.0 which is a 1.6 gain. what in the world? even though this is the top of my range, i'm not really too bothered this week. why? because i did strength training last night, so my muscles are probably retaining water. and i didn't eat dinner until around 9pm or so, which means food is probably hanging out in my stomach. are these valid excuses? i think so. i have exercised EVERY DAY from last saturday, and didn't really overeat. i exercised every day because a) i wanted to and b) i was bored, not because i felt i had to. i really enjoy exercise and when i have nothing to do, i'd rather do something active than turn on the boob tube and watch some lame show that i don't even care about anyway.

tonight i am going dancing with my honey bunny (to this 50s and 60s rock n roll night), tomorrow we have a swing dancing class and sunday i will probably visit my parents in the burbs. today i'm eating:

small bowl of grapes, unsweetened almond joy, and fiber one (1)
1 piece sprouted grains bread (1)

berry oatmeal (3)
coffee (0)
(5)

2 source yogurts (1)
clementine (0.5)

pb blue menu sczechuan meal (4)

source yogurt (1)
grapes (1)
(12.5)

dinner: ?

big fat gain

friday is weigh in day and i've gained... i feel crappy just writing this but i've gained 3.4 pounds. how is that even possible in one week? i can't say that i'm not bummed about it. i know that this journey is about health and not about numbers on the scale - i'm just bummed that now i'm going to have to be more diligent about points and counting everything for the next little while. i like maintenance because it cuts a little more slack than losing. but seriously, did i really overeat by 10,500 calories this week? doesn't that seem like a lot to you? the body works in mysterious ways people, mysterious ways!

that being said - i had a really active day yesterday, i counted points, and i felt really good about myself. i still do. for dinner i made a big fat omlet with egg beaters, egg whites, spinach, onion, leftover turkey meatballs, sundried tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, and 40g of light old cheddar. yum. it was SO big. it filled up my entire pan and i couldn't flip it, so i decided to broil the top in the oven. i took it out with an oven mit, and then when i went to put in on my plate i just grabbed the handle like a super-moron and burned my hand. i always do this!!! i never learn. i always carefully take something out of the oven, and then let my mind wander a bit, and then grab onto something ultra hot.

last night when i got home from work i had a little nap. i needed to because one of my girlfriends was coming over. i went to tap class, then came home and we went swimming in the pool. see? active! i even went running in the morning so it was a day of fitness! we also watched biggest loser and i was really sad to see who went home. remember last week when it was between brittany and maggie, but they pushed the elimination until the next week? well, my friend said they were showing commercials that gave away who got sent home, because the other person was getting a makeover and it was obvious. come on tv people, get with the program!

for breakfast this morning i made myself a big smoothie. i used 1 cup of frozen berries (1), ice, a vanilla activia yogurt (1.5), 1/2 a banana (1), a cup of unsweetened almond joy (1), and 2 tablespoons of PB2 peanut butter (1). yum yum. i had half and am saving the other half for later. i also cleaned behind the fridge and stove, and vacuumed, which i have been meaning to do for awhile. now i am going to paint the tv unit (i primed it last weekend) and then go for a walk on the treadmill. i have to lock my cat up in the bathroom but really, it's for his own good. no more paint paw marks. lately he has taken to sitting on the fridge, and taking swipes at all the photos and magnets on the fridge. he's a naughty boy but what can i do about it? i spray him with water when he jumps on the kitchen counter. now when he sees the spray bottle he runs away, but that doesn't stop him from going there when i'm not looking. in one of my old houses, one of my roommates kept a water cooler in the kitchen, and my cat used to push the lever for fun and spill the water all over the floor. see? naughty! what can i say... "don't do that!" he's a cat!

happy friday everyone - tonight is my boyfriend's rock show and tomorrow i am going to an all girls sleepover. sunday is easter at my boyfriend's parents and monday back to work. :o)

freitag (that's german for friday)

i have a lot to talk about today, so i'm going to do it in a list format.

1) friday weigh-in day: gained 1.6 and now am 120 pounds. note to self: stop mindless snacking immediately.

2) yesterday i bought this online. it is a starfrit electronic digital kitchen scale. it was only $19.99 with free shipping, and it has a tare function. my current kitchen scale is not electronic, not digital, has no tare function, and is so tiny. so can't go wrong.


3) last night i had an excellent run: 5 minutes walking, 35 running at a 6.2 mph pace, then 5 minutes walking cool down. and then i went to tap class for an hour.

4) after tap last night, i hit up shoppers drug mart and the grocery store. i noticed that the dominion has lean cuisine paninis now, but i didn't buy any because my freezer is full. i did buy diet chocolate cherry dr. pepper though. i don't drink pop on a regular basis, just when mixing drinks and stuff.

5) at shoppers drug mart, i bought this clearance oil of olay in-shower body lotion. you put it on in the shower and rinse it off. i've only used it once (this morning) but seriously people it's wonderful.


6) this morning i did A LOT. i woke up at 6:13 am, walked on the treadmill with interval inclines for 80 (yes 80!) minutes, made a giant pot of homemade soup, made oatmeal (the kind that takes 15 minutes), showered, got ready for work, and here i am.

7) i made a modified version of a hungry girl 0-point soup. i made this soup to have with meals, in a hope that it will deter me from stuffing my face unnecessarily.

ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 can plum tomatoes, diced
1 can sliced carrots
3-4 cups cabbage (i used bagged)
leftover adzuki beans
4 cups (i used 900mL) fat free vegetable broth
salt
pepper
mrs. dash original
many shakes of frank's chili lime red hot sauce

directions:
in a large pot sprayed with non-stick spray, cook onion for 2-3 minutes, chop the tomatoes from the can, add everything including tomato juice. cook for 2-3 minutes on medium. add carrots, cabbage, beans, broth. bring to a boil, season accordingly, reduce heat and cover for 5 minutes, and voila! the original recipe made five 0 point one cup servings. mine made a lot more than that and probably 1 point per cup, or something because i added the carrots and a few beans... maybe. does it matter? no, it does not. the hot sauce made it really good.

8) tonight i am going to see 27 dresses with my main gal pal. am looking forward to it!

9) my mom wants me to take her car (instead of mine) to niagara falls this weekend. hers has automatic doors and windows, an automatic starter (from a remote), and heated seats. mine has none of these things and makes funny sounds.

10) what does everyone think about these?

11) today's menu:
1/2 cup oats with milk and pumpkin
orange
homemade soup
turkey and swiss sandwich on rye
caramel yogurt
more soup
grapes
popcorn
something chocolately

Back and Ready for Action

Well, I'm back from Vegas and ready for action. I stepped on the scale this morning and it showed a 2.2 gain which isn't very much considering I ate and drank a lot. AND my real weigh-in isn't until Friday so I'm eating well today and going to the gym tonight which may show an improvement before tomorrow. I had a GREAT time and I'm in serious vacation withdrawl. Back at work today though... here is today's menu:

Breakfast:
1/2 chocobran (.5)
oatmeal with milk (2.5)
3/19

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine (6)
9/19

Snack:
2 rye crackers with PB (2)
11/19

Dinner: I haven't decided but either a chicken spinach salad or a veggie burger.