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!

not meeting goals

ack, one week down and already i am not meeting my goals.

1) i am trying to ease up on myself but it's difficult. last night i was suffering through a bought of poor self-esteem. i wanted to go to the gym but was just too tired from all of the weekend festivities, and then time ticked on and on and it was too late. i am going to get my hair "did" this week and then i'll feel better. i noticed that my roots are out of control and that is probably 75% of my issue!

2) since i didn't work out yesterday as planned, i only completed three out of four 40 minute cardio sessions. i did do two yoga/pilates videos, so all is not lost. i was thinking if i did five cardio sessions this week i could call myself even and move forward. sometimes four is a lot, especially during the the first week back from holiday!

that's that. i already feel better. writing things down really does help. and, even though it's january (the most depressing month), i have a lot to look forward to.

a) the prospect of a new job. nothing is happening yet, but positive thinking will work for me. and of course i keep applying for more jobs!

b) getting my hair done. so worth the money!

c) gossip girl tonight. and last night i finally watched that "being erica" show (new on the cbc) and it's pretty cute!

d) my boyfriend booked us a valentine's weekend getaway to niagara falls. &hearts &hearts &hearts, complete with king bed and jacuzzi tub. swoon! this will be our third valentine's weekend in niagara falls.

e) tonight i am going to get physical. swimming, or a video, or maybe just treadmill walking. something and it's gonna be amazing!

f) the tuna/hummus wrap i have for lunch. 1/2 can tuna (1.5 points), 30g sabra classic hummus (2 points - and if you haven't tried this brand you are missing out, it's seriously AMAZING), on a flat out wrap (1 point), with a side of steamed edamame (2.5 points).

in other news:

1) i have decided to avoid running until the weather is warm. not because i hate the cold (i do), or am lazy (i am not... hmmmm), but because i am still experiencing some bum pain from time to time and i think the only way to make it disappear forever is to refrain from doing any activity that aggravates it until it has been gone for a long time. right now sometimes i can run and sometimes i can't, but it's not enjoyable because i'm out of running shape and each run is such an enormous effort. not worth it. i will revisit this topic later!

2) on the weekend a group of my friends and i went to check out (oh, by the way, this is not for the faint of heart or the easily tempted!) a new quebec-style poutine shop that opened recently. smoke's poutinerie uses real cheese curds from quebec and there is a large variety of types and toppings. i got the mama's poutine, which is traditional poutine with slow roasted chicken chunks and green peas. delicious although afterwards my stomach was sending me a few signals suggesting this poutine should be a rare occurrence. the boys got crazy poutines with italian sausages, bacon, sweet onions... too much! a picture of smoke's poutine can be found here.

good morning

what a lovely sunny day it is. although still frigid boo hoo whinge whinge. but that's ok. this morning i got up and hit the gym. i did 35 minutes running on the treadmill, with a 5 minute warm up and cool down walk, and some sit-ups and stretches. i really need to get into the habit of running in the mornings, before work. for some reason i was scared of doing this. maybe i thought i'd be too tired or lazy, but that's just a ridiculous excuse. and i really don't like running at night right now because i do it inside (dreadmill) and the gym is busy after work, and i think about it all day. but now it's done and i feel grrrrreat! and i have my whole evening free which is another huge bonus.

my weekend in niagara was really fun. we walked along the strip, ordered pizza, went swimming in our hotel pool, went on the skywheel (a giant ferris wheel with enclosed pods), went to the ripley's believe it or not museum, the fudge and hershey stores, watched a movie, went out for dinner, went to the casino (where my boyfriend won at slots... he always wins), went to a haunted house, walked along the falls, drove to queenston heights (where general brock was killed in the war of 1812) and that's about it. eating was bad but could have been worse, and we split our portions at each meal that we ate out.

i have decided to rededicate myself to following a stricter eating plan, also known as less snacking and eating more healthful foods. i have gained a bit of weight and need to take of it before five pounds become ten.

today's menu:

pre-work out:
1/4 fibre source bar (0.5)

post work out:
1/4 fibre source bar (0.5)
1/23

breakfast:
berry medley oatmeal made with water (2)
strawberries (0.5)
3.5/23

lunch:
1 cup homemade soup (1)
2 slices sprouted grains bread (2)
2 deli turkey slices (1)
1/2 cup peas (0)
7.5/23

snacks throughout the day:
yogurt (3)
apple (1)
clementine (0.5)
fibre source bar (2)
english toffee tea (0)
14/23

dinner:
chicken breast (2)
mixed vegetables (1)
1 cup rice (4)
21/23

after dinner:
1 glass wine @ book club (2)
english toffee or tazo calming tea (0)
23/23

19 points + 4 AP this morning.

things to do in niagara falls

last night was my valentine's date at the chalet swiss. i had a garden salad with fat free raspberry vinaigrette dressing, a messy chicken sandwich with mashed potatoes, and we split a 1/2 litre of wine. this meal was a lot of weight watchers points but only about 600 calories (not including the wine) which isn't that bad.

sometimes these weight watchers points annoy me. let's say that i was in weight loss mode. i would be eating 19 points per day. not a lot. and if you calculate calories, that could be as low as 950 calories, which puts your body into starvation mode. obviously at 19 points a day you have to find creative ways to eat more food, like 0 point fruits and veggies, and up the fibre... but still. on the other hand...

i see people eating 2,000 calories a day and still losing weight. i think that if i ate 2,000 calories a day, i would gain weight. i know it's true, actually. i mean 2,000 with no exercise at all. i know everyone has different metabolisms but i just don't understand it really. maybe it's best to avoid thinking about it at all.

and as promised, here are some pics from last year's romantic valentine's getaway to niagara falls. there is a lot to do there. including, going through the most terrifying haunted house of all time:

yes, this is my real face and i didn't know they were taking a picture at this time. it was pitch black... i couldn't see those ridiculous gravestones on the wall.

or, you could go to the old tyme saloon:


pretty funny. i think anyway. i just found out that we are going out for lunch today at work... i am still stuffed from breakfast.

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup pumpkin
mixed seeds

lunch:
enchiladas

dinner:
leftover enchiladas i assume

it's only wednesday

it's only wednesday. but that's ok. last night there was ANOTHER major snowstorm. it took me a really long time to get home on the streetcar. it's brutal out there. even though today is cold it is thankfully sunny. i need sunshine in a major way. hurry up summer. i am fantasizing about dragging my new papasan chair out on the balcony and reading in the hot sun, while drinking a calorie-free iced beverage. doesn't that sound nice?

so tonight is my big swiss chalet date. apparently there was a "misunderstanding" and my boyfriend thought we were ordering in, while i thought we were going to the restaurant. don't worry, i cleared it up ;) but seriously, if it's too cold or whatever i'd be happy to order in. although ordering in... i don't know. sometimes it just doesn't do it for me. if i'm going to eat at home in front of the tv (because that's what happens at home) i'd rather have something healthier and cheaper. so we'll see. i like to order in thai food. i used to live near this great thai place but not anymore. boo hoo hoo. they had the best spring rolls and panang chicken. the thai food i like the best uses peanuts and coconut milk which is not the best in terms of health.

i am really looking forward to the weekend. yes, the brock plaza hotel is amazing. marilyn monroe stayed there while filming a movie. and...

"As Niagara’s first luxury hotel it has long been a favourite of Hollywood elite and royalty. Since it’s opening the Brock Plaza has played host to notable guests throughout history including Walt Disney, Shirley Temple, Jimmy Stewart, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth, and perhaps most famously Marilyn Monroe while filming the movie “Niagara”. In recent years the Brock has been graced with appearances from Sylvester Stallone, Matt Dillon, Bruce Willis, Jackie Chan, and has even appeared on film. The ending to “A whole nine yards” starring Matthew Perry was filmed on the balcony terrace on the 11th floor."

we actually went to niagara falls and stayed at the very same hotel last year around v-day, for free because my boyfriend's parents had some sort of points we redeemed. i got a great deal this year though... niagara falls is awesome - there is a lot to do. i will post some pics from last year's trip tomorrow... they are really funny trust me (and not just to me because i'm in them).

in terms of eating, i am not doing that well. did i mention that a printer in hong kong sent my office a huge basket of chocolate and goodies for the chinese new year? hershey's kisses, chocolate pizza, chocolate almonds, chocolate spoons, jujubes, popcorn, lemon butter cookies, shortbread, chocolate mints, peanut brittle. the list goes on and on. thankfully there are no more chocolate almonds as these are my weakness. did i mention there aren't any more because i took them home and ate them all? yeaaahhhhhhh.

today i am focusing on mindful eating. healthy snacks between meals to avoid the crap.

menu:
breakfast:
tea
organic maple nut oatmeal with a few blueberries and 1/3 banana
coffee

snack (only if i'm hungry):
apple
cottage cheese

lunch:
mc frozen dinner
frozen peas, microwaved

dinner:
swiss chalet

r is for romance

so... what's everyone doing for valentine's day? on the actual day (thursday) my boyfriend is taking me.... nowhere! it's not a good day for romance because i have tap class and he has band rehearsal... i think. anyway we are going to swiss chalet tomorrow night instead. 

you may think... swiss chalet for valentine's? isn't that lame? no, it is not because 1) swiss chalet is tops and 2) we are going on a romantic mini-break holiday weekend to niagara falls from saturday until monday! yahoo! and we are staying here at the Brock Plaza which is one of the nicest hotels i've ever been to. did you know it was named after general brock? he's a hero, look it up. and that marilyn monroe stayed in this hotel? 

it's something to look forward to. i am feeling really unmotivated about everything. i don't want to do anything. i am forcing myself to go to the gym but only because i'm hoping this feeling will pass. winter blahs anyone? last night i ran on the treadmill and went on the stationary bike, and this morning i walked on the treadmill. tonight i am going to clean my apartment (for sure) and then "chillax" in a major way. 

there are treats in my office - a big basket of chocolate and candies was delivered from hong kong for the chinese new year. grrrrr. i could not resist the temptation yesterday but today i will. happy tuesday, and here is my menu:

pre-walk:

1/2 pc blue menu cinnamon raisin bagel

post walk:

tea

other half of bagel

breakfast at work:

grapefruit (this was insanely delicious... go out and get one immediately)

berry fiber oatmeal

lunch:

carrots with hummus

ham and swiss on whole wheat

salad 

snack: 

cup of cottage cheese with fruit

apple

dinner:

?