no post yesterday

yesterday was sort of productive. it was my three month workaversary so i now i have benefits - good ones too! at lunch i went to "no frills" to purchase food for my birthday party on saturday ... $105 later! what did i get?

pop bottles (diet coke, club soda, diet grapefruit, diet ginger ale)
water bottles (for drunkards)
chips (regular ruffles, ketchup, roasted chicken, smoky bbq, honey mustard party mix)
crackers (three different kinds)
cheese (cheddar and marble)
hummus dip
roasted red pepper dip
asiago cheese and artichoke dip
carrots
celery (bleh)
baby tomatoes
cucumber
cauliflower
white bread for sandwiches
summer sausage meat
lean deli chicken
marble cheese sandwich slices
miracle whip light
eggs
green onions (for egg salad sandwiches)
pc memories of kobe meatballs
reisen chocolate caramels

that is a lot of party food, considering i already have a lot of candy at home. i also bought:

strawberries for me
blueberries for me
chipotle chicken burgers (only 120 calories - pc blue menu) for me
toilet paper (i guess that's for everyone)

it certainly adds up! when i got home from work i brought all that food upstairs and set out on a run. i was feeling kind of porky and i had lots of energy so i ran for 6 miles, all around the town. it's so easy to run downtown because there are so many people and stores to look at. the first part of my run is a little ghetto, then it's all good. i ran past the citytv building where workers were busy setting up the stages for the muchmusic awards this sunday. i'm glad i don't live in that area - it would be a madhouse of screaming jonas brothers fans.

after my run, i boiled fifteen eggs and eighteen mini potatoes. the potatoes and nine of the eggs are for the potato salad i'm bringing to my boyfriend's staff party tonight (i am remaking the clean eating potato salad from the upcoming cookbook that i made a few weeks ago for the work potluck) and the rest of the eggs are for egg salad sandwiches for the party. last year they were the first sandwiches to get eaten which surprised me. i put a bit of curry in the mix so they are special. actually my sister has mentioned them to me about fifty times over the last year so i think she ate them all. this year i am making more so there is enough for all.

after cooking, i cleaned my den. it's kind of a den/storage room, but that doesn't work for party time. i have giant items from costco in there just hanging around - like twenty rolls of bounty paper towels and a value pack of feminine products. yah ... let's hide those items!

today is also busy. at lunch i am going to my mom's office to pick up her famous chocolate chip cookies for the party. isn't she nice to make them for me. she thinks i tell everyone i made them and take all the credit but i swear i don't. i don't want people begging me to make cookies! that happens to my mom ... the neighbours come over and ask. really people! i also have to hit up the LCBO - i don't want to look at that receipt! i'll just read the brail on the interac pinpad and shut my eyes.

after work i have to rush home, quickly put together the potato salad, and jump on the bus to my bf's house. the party starts "right after school." tomorrow will be a day of baking cake, mad cleaning, chopping, assembling, distributing, blowing (balloons people!) decorating, etc. my actual birthday was pretty awesome. my boyfriend gave me roses, wine, made me pad thai (my favorite), gave me ice cream cone cake that his mom made, and gave me a beautiful shirt and an awesome necklace. (see photo below.) he also got me one more awesome gift but i'll tell you about it next week because it deserves it's own post. suspense! anyway, time for work. i am writing this post in advance and the clock is tick tocking! thanks for your birthday wishes everyone. the birthday week continues bwa ha ha.

motivation

the first day of my new job is over. it went well and i had a good time. everyone seems nice and the office is new and nice with excellent facilities, including a big gym, which is perfect for me. my condo gym has good cardio equipment and dumbbells but a terrible weight machine system. you know the kind that has every device in one... a lot of people keep them in their garages. bleh. so now i will be able to shape my muscles and get RIPPED. but not this week. everything is still new.

yesterday i went grocery shopping and bought so many fresh fruits and veggies, including an avocado. these fruits are so wonderful for keeping me full - a little goes a long way. i can eat lunch including 1/4 avocado and not be hungry again until 4pm. amazing.

tonight is date night and i still have some time before my boyfriend comes over. the responsible side of me says, "go for a swim" and the other lazy side says, "catch up on your blog reading!" what should i do? maybe a bit of both? neither? scrub the toilet instead?

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!

shshshshopping

last night i went to homesense to do a little shopping. i am going to a girlfriend's birthday dinner tonight and don't want to show up empty handed. everyone always says "no gifts, no gifts" when no one is going to refuse (and not love) a little something. i like homesense because it is the same company as winners. i can go in, find the perfect gift, and not be distracted by the clothes!

i ended up buying more for myself than for my friend... of course. i absolutely LOVE flavoured coffees and i found two amazing ones from a company called "pie in the sky" and distributed by figueroa brothers, inc. although i can't find anything about the coffee on the website. the coffee flavours i got... are you ready for this?... coconut creme pie and boston creme pie. mmmmmmm. of course i haven't tried them yet but am confident they will be sinlessly delicious.

i also bought two bottle koozies. what is a koozie? yeah... that was my question too. it's a little zip up jacket for your bottle. i bought them with the intention of using them for alcoholic drinks. for example, if a person wanted to enjoy a pomtini on toronto island without arising suspicion. but then it occurred to me that they are probably for water bottles. one is bright orange with white polka dots and the other is bright green with white polka dots. each one has a cute little mitten zipper tag. i'm assuming they are being marketed towards women, which is why i never thought they were for beer. but they could be for beer. if you like beer. in a bottle. like a corona... alright i feel better now. they were on super discount for $0.70 each. in these hard economic times i can justify this goofy purchase.

i bought my friend a pretty amazing present, if i do say so myself. it is a Liquid Solutions Tea-zer Tea Brewing Tumbler with Infuser Basket in blue. basically a loose leaf tea thermos. what a great idea not to mention adorable. not everyone likes coffee (did i just say that?) but most people like tea. AND loose leaf teas are becoming more of a mainstream rage. or maybe, when you get to a certain age more people can afford and drink loose leaf teas.

afterward, i went to loblaws to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies. i love loblaws AND their organic section is pretty similar to whole foods market. last night i spotted almost everything i buy at whole foods for cheaper prices. i bought grapefruits, blood oranges, bananas, and this. i know it's overpriced for oats but i have to try it! review to come later.

i didn't do any yoga last night but i did do some this morning. i tried the 20-minute lunar flow. i loved the spine twists but some of the weird backward bending moves made my lower back ache and i'm sure i'll be in yoga pain tomorrow. i am heading down for a swim around noon, and tonight am walking a) to my boyfriend's apartment 2.5 miles away and b) to the restaurant, maybe another mile or so.

boring bob

i feel like a bit of a boring bob lately... you know, not much to say, not much going on. of course that will all change next week when my life turns into a crazy madhouse with events almost every night. not that i'm complaining. it's better than being a social hermit.

yesterday i was on plan all day, and managed to get in a 3-mile walk on the treadmill at night. my boyfriend is a teacher, and through his school board i got a discount on magazine subscriptions to "shape" and "fitness" and my first shape issue came in the mail yesterday. love it! i like reading the success stories, as well as the recipes and health tips. i am not that into the exercise routines... they always look so complicated even though they probably aren't. that wouldn't make sense.

when i got home from work last night the fire alarm in my building was going off. it is so loud everywhere: in the underground parking lot, in the stairwells, in the hallways, and in each individual unit. it was so annoying. i decided to escape and go grocery shopping. it was still blaring when i returned. luckily i bought ear plugs at the grocery store which muffled the sound slightly. there is a new "phase 2" condo that went up beside mine and people have just started moving in. i guess one of the units started to flood (water pouring in through the heating vents) and that's why the alarms were going off. i had to walk up 10 flights of stairs to get to my unit, and then down 10 to go to the gym. good exercise? thankfully the elevators were working again when i left the gym.

did anyone watch gossip girl last night? chuck bass was looking really good in his angry state. normally i'm a nate type of girl, but this episode was all about chuck.

i'm listening to a new audiobook: "drop dead beautiful" by jackie collins. i have never read (or listened to) anything by jackie collins before and i am very surprised by how sexually explicit it is. shocked, actually! it's a pretty good story though. lots of juice and drama. last week i finished listening to "little earthquakes" by jennifer weiner. that was my first book by her, as well, and it was alright but nothing special. it was read by the author who was speaking too slowly for me.

i think that is about it. oh, apparently tomorrow there is a 40% sale at banana republic. on everything except one specific line. i am definitely going. normally i don't shop there because of the prices. whee!

star studded

today is all about film and television. not really, but i was trying to think of a theme. i say that because i won two free tickets to see ferris bueller's day off at a small cinema tonight. i didn't even enter a contest. i just belong to some random facebook group or something. it's one of those "membership" theatres where you pay $3 for 6 months and then each movie only costs $6. i am not a member yet but i guess i'm becoming one tonight.

and last week i was in the dominion grocery store, now called "metro" and i saw this man in the produce section. i thought i recognized him but couldn't place him. it was only after i got home that i thought... is that that guy from catwalk? for some reason no one i talk to in real life remembers catwalk, but i used to watch it all the time. neve campbell was on it! anyway, i have verified it and the guy i saw is paul popowich. you should google image him to see if you recognize him. and just think, he must live in my neighbourhood wow wa wee wa.

yesterday was a good day food and exercise wise. i went for a 30 minute swim, rode my bike to the library and kensington market (where they have unsweetened almond breeze 5 for $10 and larabars 2 for $3), and did day 1 of week 3 of the couch to 5k program. lots of activity. it must have pooped me out because i fell back asleep after my alarm this morning and didn't have time to go swimming before leaving for suburbia.

here is today's menu:

maple high fibre oatmeal (3)
1/2 cup pumpkin (0)
1/4 cup all bran (0)
coffee (0)

1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese (1.5)
140g frozen raspberries (0)

1 can amy's pea soup (2.5)
3 light wasa crackers (1)
1 wedge laughing cow (1)

baby carrots (0)
light hummus (0.5)

apple pie larabar (3)

and then tonight my bf is making "lean italian meatballs" and whole wheat spaghetti. yum yum. :) hopefully i can avoid movie temptations.

hair time! (again)

so here is the big reveal of my blondness. it's fun being a blond, so far. it's not as light as i wanted it but since i had dyed my short hair dark brown (from a box, too) it was chemically processed and harder to bleach. did i already share this story? i feel like i did. anyway, without further ado:

i think if you click on it, it gets bigger. i was going for sort of a madonna/80s look, with the short socks and lace faux gloves. fun!

yesterday i didn't do any exercise, but i had a completely on plan day. i felt like crap for the morning, and then went to the chiropractor and grocery store where i replenished my fruit and vegetable stash. they were out of canned pumpkin which was quite annoying. what kind of huge grocery store has no pumpkin? it's not like it's thanksgiving... then i could understand. i bought a frozen loaf of ezekiel bread (the low sodium kind) which i am excited to try. also these high-fibre pitas which are 1 point for 1/2 and 3 points for the whole thing - a decent size as well.

anyhoo, i made some chocobrans, and had a much needed nap. after that i felt great, applied for jobs, carried on with the day, yabba dabba do.

today i am off to the burbs to do some "work" in my mom's office. it can be very boring but beggars can't be choosers! ps my feet and legs are still bloated but less so. yesterday i drank my weight in water to try and flush whatever it is out, and i'm going to do the same today.

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!

first day, not so great

well, day one back on plan wasn't so hot. i managed to stay on track all day, eating within my points, exercising, feeling great about myself, then hit the cupboards at 12am. i could have gone to bed too. i made the choice. boo on me!

but today is a new day. it's not like i "failed" yesterday because that would mean giving up and i'm not doing that. but still... the idea that i can't even stay on the plan for one day is pretty disheartening.

in other news, i went rollerblading yesterday and really REALLY shouldn't have because afterward my bum pain (sciatica) which was pretty much gone, was back with a vengeance. it's not feeling as bad today so i think it was just a scare telling me not to go rollerblading just yet.

my mom gave me a package of mccain oven roasted sweet potatoes and they were SO GOOD. and pretty good points wise as well. i think for 3/4 cup or 85g it was only 100 calories. and so yummy. did i mention yummy?

i need some excitement today so i am going to 1) whole foods (yes, there is one in toronto but i hardly ever go and 2) canadian tire to get some sort of beach chair. i want to make the most of the summer we've got left by reading on the beach. with sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat of course. i just really want to be leaving the house. so i'm doing those two things, then i will come back and go for a swim, and then maybe hit up the beach. by beach i mean lake ontario.

today i will stay on plan. i will i will i will. and my allergies are out of control today. is anyone else experiencing this?

believe it or not

so yesterday mid-afternoon, my bf and i are shopping on queen street. we come across this store that sells vintage dresses and new dresses - i like some that are hanging outside on sale, so we go in. there is a saleswoman there who starts helping me. she is between 50 and 60 years old, tall, average weight, stringy grey hair. for the record i find salespeople who push things on you kind of annoying... shopping is annoying.

so this woman refuses to bring me any dress that is not a size medium. she said, "you look like a medium," like she's been around the block a few times. okay. the dresses are too big, but she doesn't think so. she keeps bringing me dresses that aren't my style, which is fine, but at this point i kind of want to be left alone.

i picked out this cute vintage summer dress and tried it on. the straps attached at the back with buttons, and one was missing. and it zipped up at the back. it was very fitted, but i thought really cute. i couldn't zip it up all the way at the back because i couldn't reach. i don't have gumby arms!

anyhoo, so i come out of the changeroom and my bf says, "cute" and i say, "i like it too." then the saleslady says, "it is too small. you are too big for that dress. look at you. you are popping out of it. you can't even zip it up at the back." i get my bf to finish zipping it up —it's fine. i say, "i like it. i think it looks good," and she says, "well, i think it's too small. i mean, you can buy it if you want, i'm not going to stop you, but it doesn't look good and it doesn't fit." WHAT KIND OF SALESLADY IS THIS? the worst one ever?

so the button is missing and i ask for a discount, but as it turns out the owner of the store found the button on the floor earlier in the day and sewed it on for me, which is great. then as the rude saleslady is ringing up my purchase she says, "oh, so you decided to get this dress, hmmmm? well, i guess you'll have to skip a few lunches!"

skip a few lunches? believe it or not people, believe it or not.

today's menu:

quaker weight control maple oatmeal (2)
1 T flax (0)
clementine (0.5)
(2.5)

coffee (0)
water (0)

source yogurt (1)
strawberries (0.5)
(4)

sandwich:
bread (4)
meat (1)
cheese (1)
lettuce (0)
(10)

clementine (0.5)
strawberries (0.5)
source yogurt (1)
(12)

cinnamon raisin bagel (3)
(15)

veggie burger (4)
salad (1)
(20)

and then something else, ytbd.

not a monster anymore

last night i went to bed early. for me, that means getting into bed about 10pm and reading until 10:30... then lights out. and i feel great today, too. it's beautiful and sunny outside... my favourite kind of day. :o)

yesterday after work i went down to the gym and did some biking and strength training. i finished reading the black book of hollywood diet secrets. i would recommend it, if you get it from the library. it's cute and there are some good tips, but it's not really worth owning. (it's very light and will probably be outdated in a few years.)

for dinner i made a spinach salad with spinach, a chopped tomato, 5 chopped almonds, a sprinkle of dried blueberries, about a 1/4 cup of fiber one, honey mustard dressing, and spicy thai shrimps. yummo! i really have no problem combining weird flavours and textures, obviously. i also had a baked sweet potato with fat free sour cream.

my big news is that i bought a heart rate monitor. i couldn't help myself. i was going to buy it on ebay, but then i found a real company in BC that sold them for a reasonable price, with free shipping, so i bought it from there. it's called "fact canada." i like buying canadian because a) i like to support my home "peeps" and b) the main reason: the shipping is always less hassle. usually things that ship from the US are ok, but sometimes they take too long and once in awhile there will be a duty issue and i'll have to pay more. i hate paying more... cash on delivery is the pits. i got the polar f4 - in cherry red. ooh la la. now i have to wait for it to come in the mail. that's ok. i love getting mail.

this morning i got up and went down to the gym. i walked for four miles at four miles per hour at an incline of four. four four four (i just realized that now... good thing that isn't unlucky). i also did a quick mile on the bike and some situps. i made a giant caramel iced coffee and it was so delicious and refreshing. i made a giant cup of coffee before going to the gym and then put it in the fridge. it was still warm when i took it out over an hour later (weird!) so i put in some ice and some sugar free caramel syrup. yummo.

tonight is my book club and we are discussing suite francaise. fun! today i'm eating:

fat free apple crumble yogurt with fiber one mixed in (pre work out) (1)

10-15 almonds post work out (i really need to not eat these from the bag... very dangerous) (2)
2 dried apricots post work out (0.5)

giant caramel iced coffee (0)

hot coffee (0)
(3.5)

1/2 banana (1)
oatmeal (2)
(6.5)

yogurt (1)
clementine (0.5)
(8)

soup to go (2)
1/2 banana (1)
mini bagel (2)
(13)

grapes (1)
yogurt (1)
puffed kamut cereal (1)
(16)

dinner: maybe a veggie burger. i know i say this every day but i really love veggie burgers and usually don't end up eating one anyway.

big winner

hi everybody. another monday! i'm trying to sound really upbeat and enthusiastic here, even though i would prefer to go back to bed. i really have nothing to complain about today... i just went to bed too late and now i'm suffering the consequences. :) i will go to bed early tonight for sure.

the wedding shower on friday night was fun. there were 160 women. yes, that's a lot of wedding women. everything was very nice. a big donation was made to the breast cancer society, and pink (and the pink ribbon) was the theme of the evening. i won a prize - a pink ribbon workout towel. how fitting!

on saturday i went for a four mile run (in the rain, yes i am hardcore) and then my boyfriend and i went to no frills. for those of you who don't know what no frills is, it is a "discount" grocery store, where costs are cut at every angle and you have to buy your own bags at the cash. the good thing about no frills is that the food is cheaper. the bad thing(s) about no frills is that a) it's so crowded b) people are pushing (esp. pushing their carts into me!) c) everybody shopping there feels the need to shop with their five screaming kids. maybe i am a grocery store snob but i want shopping to be a relaxing experience. it was seriously stressful and if i ever go there again, it will be alone (in and out... fast.) i like shopping with other adults, in a relaxed manner, where people say things like "oh, excuse me" or "you go ahead" and "please" and "thank you" etc.

anyway. yesterday i visited my parents in the burbs and went for another four mile run. my goal for this week is to eat a ton of fruit. why? because i really have so much fruit. where did i get it all? very mysterious. this morning i walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill. i decided to do a short workout this morning and then finish it later, after work. why? because i'm very tired today.

today i'm eating:

homemade muffin (2)
(2)

regular oatmeal (3)
strawberries (0.5)
1/2 banana (1)
coffee (0)
(6.5)

grapes(1)
source yogurt (1)
(8.5)

sandwich
whole wheat bread (2)
1 oz. swiss cheese (2)
tomato and lettuce (0)
chicken (1)
(13.5)

strawberries (0.5)
source yogurt (1)
(15)

sweet potato (2)
? something else

crazy man, crazy

i should not be allowed near shopping malls. i hate shopping because i dislike crowds and people who walk too slow and get in my way (it's my german efficiency haha) but i'm really good at it. i can walk into a store and glance around and immediately know what i like/dislike in seconds. no browsing like a chump for me. i can be trying stuff on in the change room of any store just a few minutes after setting foot in the store. but anyway...i digress. i shouldn't be allowed near shopping malls because i buy too much.

i got a really cute pencil skirt at jacob. it is this skirt, but black:


i also got a red t-shirt sweater, but i might return it. so then... i went to h & m and got new skinny jeans and two (yes two) pairs of supercute retro heels. they both have cute t-straps and a little bit of a platform. one pair is white and one pair is red. i was going to return one pair because they were kind of expensive but when i brought them home i knew that was never going to happen! they are made of really soft leather and really comfortable and perfect for summer.

i have a confession to make about the jeans. i got them in the kids section! apparently i have the body of a 13/14 year old girl (this is not surprising to me by the way) :o) i really like skinny jeans because i have no hips and straight legs and they fit me really well. but i've noticed that adult stores (like smart set) are going back to the boot cut. i don't want boot cut! skinny jeans look cute with flats, heels, and fit well under boots. it's a win win win. did you know that jeans from the kids section are only $22.50? it's crazy man, crazy!

last night i asked my boyfriend, "what do you want for dinner?" and he replied, "well, i'm sure you've got something healthy all planned, so why are you even bothering to ask me?" and i say, "well, because i thought for sure you'd be pushing for poutine..." his response was just a drool, haha, so we had poutine and it was yumtastic. i had one too many alcoholic bevs and woke up in the middle of the night so hot with a thirst that couldn't be quenched. and then i couldn't get back to sleep. my mind was racing about cleaning my closet of all things! i had visions of myself sorting everything into piles, and trying on all of my pants, etc. i kept telling myself this was not the time to be thinking about this but my mind wouldn't listen. i guess i know what i'm doing tonight.

when my alarm went off at 6:45 i jumped right out of bed and went for a 5 mile run. i'm sure i'll be tired tonight so i'm happy it's out of the way. here is today's menu:

1/2 granola bar
handful of leftover popcorn from last night (this is why doing dishes before bed is a good idea...)

regular oatmeal with added ground flax and fibre one cereal
frozen mixed berries

pc blue menu shrimp whole wheat pasta frozen microwave meal
red, yellow, orange pepper strips

yogurt and grapes

whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter

dinner ?

wednesday

why do things that are bad for you taste so good with coffee? for example: croissants, muffins, chocolate, anything with butter, pastries, etc. i am enjoying a chocolate right now, with coffee. (reheated in the office kitchen coffee but that's besides the point.) did i mention this chocolate is from italy? yes, it's true. it's sort of good but in that "icey square" chocolate kind of way, and i usually prefer harder chocolate. hopefully one square will be enough to satisfy my craving and move on.

this morning i swam for 30 minutes. when i got home from work last night i did 30 minutes on the bike downstairs and really pushed it at the end and now my legs hurt. swimming is a nice break from legs for me because most of my movement in swimming comes from my upper body. i wanted to ride my bike again to work today but it was raining. nooooooooooo! it's supposed to clear up so maybe, if i'm lucky, i can walk home.

it's funny how priorities change, isn't it? now i'm "lucky" if i can walk home, where as my mindset used to think that was one unlucky break. like if i was walking home from somewhere, and someone i knew came by in a car, and drove me the rest of the way, i'd be thrilled. now i would say, "no thanks - keep it movin' buddy!" and keep walking.

so tonight is date night, which means dinner at my bachelorette pad and watching of ANTM, good enough for me. but if my boyfriend suggests making poutine for dinner one more time, i'm gonna lose it. seriously, that is all he EVER wants to eat. and if i give in and we eat it on wednesday, he still wants it on the weekend. don't get me wrong, i love poutine. we even make a healthy (somewhat...) version, so it's not that terrible. but variety is the spice of life people, let's try something new. for those who don't know, poutine is a wonderful dish from Quebec. traditionally it's fries, topped with cheese curds and covered in gravy. mmmm. we use mccain oven fries (the lowfat variety), with part skim shredded mozzarella cheese, and a packet of powdered swiss chalet gravy (which is only about 20 calories for 1/2 cup or something). so really not bad. now that i'm going on and on about it i kind of want it too. if he wants to make dinner then i will indulge his love of poutine tonight ;)

enough blabbing. i am going shopping at lunch because on friday night i am going to a wedding shower and i have nothing to wear. nothing "classy" anyway. nothing that fits! why did i watch biggest loser last night instead of going through my closet?! if i can get a nice high-waisted pencil skirt or something then i'm set. wish me luck.

today i'm eating:

1/2 granola bar

1/2 banana
a few handfuls of honey nut all bran
steel cut oats with some added all bran

chocolate square (from italy!)

grapes and yogurt

oatmeal with added bran (maybe)

red, orange, yellow peppers with spicy hummus dip

dinner - probably poutine

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

friday good and bad

good: it's friday.

bad: weigh-in, gained one pound.

good: i couldn't give a hooping funt because i'm still in my goal range.

bad: i bought a box of melba rounds at the beginning of the week and kept it at my desk and have been mindlessly snacking on them all week.

good: i had the best run ever last night! 4 miles: 5 minutes walking, 33 minutes running at 6.2 mph, 5 minutes walking. it was so easy!

bad: my muscles are KILLING me from that carmen electra video. seriously! especially my arms and abs.

good: tap dancing last night.

bad: there was a different teacher who whizzed through the steps too fast and i was a bit confused.

good: getting up this morning and walking 80 minutes interval inclines, burning more than 450 cals - that's a lot!

bad: i have exercised every day this week... healthy or gymorexic? healthy or gymorexic?

good: pop with brains tonight at the rivoli (my boyfriend's event).

bad: my red shoes which were supposed to be ready today, won't be ready until wednesday because they have to order new heels and they aren't in yet.

good: i love watching my boyfriend's band. so cute. and rockin' too.

bad: now what am i going to wear? i had a whole outfit planned around the shoes.

good: i guess i'll have to go shopping at lunch.

bad: spending money whilst shopping at lunch.

good: it's sunny today! and i'm featured on back in skinny jeans! (see below)

bad: it's also freezing.

good: today's menu:

1/2 granola bar before workout
1/2 granola bar & tea after workout

coffee and handful (big) of cinnamon shredded wheat squares

yogurt
all bran bar

apple
leftover turkey noodle casserole and veggies

dinner?

200th post, blue monday

today is blue monday, according to the news. the associated press reads, "Bad weather, post-Christmas debts and failed New Year's resolutions are all thought to help make Monday the most depressing of 2008, with the highest number of suicides." yikes! but the article also says that by thinking negatively, your day will just get worse and worse, which of course is true. bad vibes.

so on the weekend i got an absolutely wicked pair of shoes at my favourite vintage dress store, which is called "i miss you."


i wore them one time, and look what happened!



it's ok, don't be sad for me. i'll go to the shoe repair man at lunch and see what he can do. i really like them and it would be a shame if they committed suicide on the day before the most depressing day of the year. i had a bit of an accident. i slipped down some stairs while wearing them, fell, while falling took out my boyfriend who fell on top of me, and the rest is history. i have a huge bruise and a swollen ankle. once again, don't cry for me because i'm fine, i just hope that this bruise won't affect my determination to do four yes four midweek workouts this week. one of the treadmills in my gym is out of order. this really is not cool because a) there are only three treadmills and b) there are no time limits which means that some people like to hog the treadmills during peak times. and not to mention c) i pay condo fees for this stuff... not cheap!

today's menu:
slice of sprouted grains toast
tea
blackberries
weight control oatmeal
coffee
yogurt
1/2 sandwich (leftover)
garden tomato soup to go
apple
clementine
spicy bean burger salad

tuesday

i am feeling much better today, thanks everybody. =D

but for the record, yesterday's post wasn't about sharing a problem or making some sort of giant confession. i just can link eating too much cookie dough to feeling upset about something. and the truth is, the cookie dough did help. it was pretty delicious. it's weird. when i feel upset in an outraged sort of way i can eat through the problem, but if i was upset about a personal problem and felt sad or guilty, my appetite would be non-existent.

but today is a new day. i went to the gym last night and did 4 miles on the treadmill. it was hard because i felt so exhausted in an emo way but i pushed through it. i had to walk a few times but got in 30 minutes total of running which is my goal. i also did some weights and 4 miles on the stationary bike. and today i brought 75% of the cookies to work for my coworkers to eat. evil? maybe.

i made another big salad (this tends to be a monday trend) which consisted of spinach, roasted cauliflower and onion, carrots, almonds, raisins, dried apricots, baby tomatoes, and two chicken wieners cut up. now that i list all the ingredients it sounds pretty gross but it was good. i also went grocery shopping and stocked up on lean cuisines - they are on sale for $1.99. a little bird was saying "cheap cheap" in my ear.

today's menu is:

breakfast:
quaker weight control oatmeal (2)
strawberries (0.5)

snack:
clementine (0.5)
yogurt (1)

lunch:
2 slices ww toast (1)
campbell's chunky beef soup (5)

snack:
yogurt (1)
all bran mixed in (0.5)

dinner:
maybe another spinach salad with a sol cuisine veggie burger chopped into it. (?)

friday i'm in love

today i'm feeling good about life and i'm being productive at work. it's nice to be organized. yesterday i brought home some old magazines and books that were littering my desk. i have hardly any space so i have to keep it very neat to stay focused. keep in mind "very neat" to me would be "moderately messy" to some.

last night i took care of some errands. i went to the library, to return my old television remote, and to the grocery store. i got lots of delicious items including clementines, granny smith apples, dried apricots, chicken bacon, eggs, egg whites in a carton, a cauliflower, peppermint chocolate soy, hollynog soy (before they run out...), light silk soy, whole wheat bread, cat food, cat litter, tomato paste, and three mccain international pizzas. i love them - they are all thin crust and under 300 calories for 1/4 pizza. rad! and delicious. i got sicilian, canadian, and texas chicken. after looking on the website i see they have multigrain which i didn't see in the store. ripoff!

exercising is going well. last night i did 4 miles on the treadmill and it was TOUGH. i had to stop and walk a bunch of times but so it goes.

today is friday weigh in and it's all fine and good. tonight my boyfriend is coming over and we are a) staying in and playing wii (it's not mine, i am not that lucky) or b) going to the movies because i got a gift card from his brother for christmas. tomorrow night we are GOIN' STEADY. sunday i am going to see whistle down the wind with my mom and sister. i have never ever heard of it but who doesn't love a musical? don't answer that, haters!

today's menu (at work) is:

some dried apricots, i only like them chilled
reduced sugar quaker instant cinnamon apple oatmeal
a clementine
fat free mixed berries cottage cheese
another clementine
2 slices of whole wheat toast with PB2 peanut butter
another clementine
and
a fibresource bar if i'm still hungry.