lazy vs. rest day

yesterday i didn't do any exercise. i didn't get home until 8:30 because i went to the walmart supercentre. i love you walmart supercentre. you are so big and super. i bought: a new tweezer, some dove intense repairing conditioner, three new cheap sports bras (A cup annies can get away with cheap sports bras), a new big bowl for microwaving oatmeal, 4 new drinking glasses (mine have slowly been breaking and i only have two left), some eye make-up remover (i like the rimmel brand), some dairyland fat free vanilla yogurts, and a pomegranate. oh, and a fancy wrapped wine from the wine rack in the walmart. oh, AND i forgot one to mention one of the best things i got. i mean, maybe the best, i have to try it first. here it is:

jolly time healthy pop caramel apple flavour. it's only 120 calories for 1/2 the bag. my box came with 3 packets, not 12. there were two other yummy flavours, like mallow magic, but that one was 360 calories for 1/2 the bag. outrageous! sometimes the walmart supercentre stocks products like this that i would usually only expect to find in the united states. occasionally it has chex mix which is my snack crack. i didn't buy any snack crack... don't want to OD!

i also went to canadian tire which was the main purpose of my trip because i wanted to buy a little (maybe 2 feet) christmas tree for my apartment. but i wanted one with pre-strung lights that didn't look tacky or cheap and it just wasn't my day. there were some nice bigger ones, but i don't want to go overboard. i bought my mom a nice whisk and spatula for christmas. i also got her a membership to costco. she is going to love it. i am going to love it too because i'm going to beg her to take me there. please mum please!

so i got home late, too pooped to work out. and i should mention that i was suffering from bum pain. dammit! so i took a "rest day." it's funny to me to call days when i plan to work out and don't "rest days" instead of just "lazy" or "can't be bothered" days. but it all worked out. normally i "rest" on friday mornings, but today i had a 40 minute swim. today is also weigh-in day and i am down two pounds and barely back in my maintenance range. hooray! i knew my pants were fitting better. even when i am a mere two pounds heavier i can feel the difference in my thighs.

this weekend is going to be fun fun fun until my daddy takes the t-bird away. tonight after work i am going to my bf's parent's house for his dad's birthday dinner (hence the wine). hence: do you like that word? and then tonight a home movie night with friends. tomorrow the ago is free all day (art gallery of ontario) so it would be fun to stop there, and then my bf is having a "november is boring" party. and THEN, on sunday, we are sitting on his roof (third floor street apartment) to watch the toronto santa claus parade! could it get any better? yes it can - by drinking a peppermint latte :) oh, and THEN on monday... i am going shopping in BUFFALO with my bff - it's her birthday.

my question for readers is: what would you buy in the states!?!?! i expect at least 1,000 comments, ha!

monday - week two begins

monday is my new weigh-in day and i am down 2 pounds from last week. yes, this is good, but definitely not as good as friday's unofficial big drop which means that my weekend wasn't that successful. i have mixed feelings about it all. happy to have lost, but a little disappointed in myself that i let it go a little on the weekend. i am still not back in my desired maintenance range.

i did stay within my points. my problem is that i am used to saving the majority of my flex points for the weekend, so of course at the end of the weekend there is a chance i have gained... makes sense. yesterday i went with my family and some family friends to see dirty dancing (the musical), and then we went out for chinese food after. that was probably the kicker. i didn't stuff myself but i'm not going to be the party pooper in a group of eight people. i avoided the sticky sweet sauces and tried to eat more vegetables... although truthfully i find the vegetables at chinese food restaurants really bland and gross.

anyway, time for week two to begin. i am excited about it. the weather is gloomy today and i kind of like it. although i hope it stops raining in the afternoon so i can walk to the library.

i'm doing it

TODAY. i'm cutting off all my hair. this morning actually, which is why i'm up early. i was so excited/nervous i could hardly sleep. i got up in the middle of the night and had to take some "herbal insomnia" pills. i think they are psychological. anyway, very exciting. my boyfriend tried to convince me to slow it down yesterday... give it some more thought, ask a few people, etc. but i don't want to do that. if i do, there is a possibility that i'll chicken out and continue life with a boring do.

today is friday, weigh-in day, and today i am... 119.2 which is a 2.4 loss and puts me back in the maintenance range. hooray! that wasn't too hard at all.

and i have a fun weekend planned. tonight is the fake prom which is always more fun than your lame high school prom. it's "robot" themed but my boyfriend and i are going "nautical." don't ask me why... i think it's because his parent's just got him a captain's hat while they were on a cruise and he wants an opportunity to wear it. fine by me... fun :)

and then tomorrow we are going to my parent's house, hopping in the family car (oh boy) and driving to hamilton for one of my cousin's weddings. i love weddings. yesterday at the mall i bought a new strapless dress from le chateau. it's really cute but after re-trying it on at home i confirmed it's the wrong size. it's a S and i need an XS. it pretty much fits everywhere, until i relax and it almost falls off of my small chest. there are a few other le chateaus near my house so i might ride around this afternoon (on my bike) looking for the right size. i could call, but there are a million dresses in that store and it's usually teenagers working there, how are they going to know which dress i am even talking about? i hope i can find one, anyway, otherwise i'll just have to return it.

my plan worked

yes that's a pogo stick a.k.a. corn dog. it has been a very long week and it's almost over... hallelujah! last night i got a lot of stuff done. it's true, i am very organized. but i have to be because i know myself and i tend to get really flapped out about not having enough time to get everything i want done. i used to have a problem with anxiety and i think the main reason that i'm cool as a cucumber all the time now is because i burn off all my energy at the gym. seriously, like my dad says, if i were any calmer, i'd be dead!

i almost freaked out last night. i got home from work, and decided to clean the inside of the fridge before i went shopping for any party foods. so i cleaned it, and then was taking a coffee break on my balcony, when i realized how much i had left to do. too bad i wasn't wearing my heart rate monitor, because i'm sure my bpm was going up and up. it ended up alright though. i went to the dollar store and the cheap ass no frills for party supplies. then i came home and cleaned until 2am!

the only things i didn't do are a) wash the floors b) sew/fix this tiny hole in my couch and c) windex the balcony doors - there are doors in the living room and the bedroom. i figure why bother washing the floors now when i can do it on saturday, and my boyfriend can windex the doors. "is there anything i can do to help?" why yes, yes there is!

so. all clean, laundry is done, speakers set up and songs uploaded, food and decorations bought. now i need booze. BOOZE.

obviously i didn't work out this morning because i was up so late. but my internal alarm woke me up at 6:45. stupid internal alarm. i tossed and turned for a while and then got up. friday is weigh-in day. last friday i was 121.8, on saturday 123, on monday 122.8 and today.... 117.8! yes people, that's a 5-pound drop from monday to today. i really stopped the madness.

today on the menu is:

coffee
more coffee

cherries

protein oatmeal:
1 scoop protein powder (vanilla)
1 packet pc blue menu multigrain oatmeal
1 T flax
cinnamon
splenda
1/2 banana

carrots with hummus
peanut butter and 1/2 banana sandwich on whole wheat
source yogurt and grapes

granny smith apple (why is called "granny smith" anyway?)

dinner ?
have a great weekend everybody :o)

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: ?

happy days are here again

almost the weekend! i feel like i really need a weekend. last night i was go go go until bedtime. on the way home from work i had to return a movie and pick up my white winter jacket from the dry cleaners. also stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things. then i came home, clean clean cleaned, made peanut butter banana pecan muffins (see recipe below), made dinner, went to the post office to pick up a package, went to my tap class for an hour, went back to the grocery store to use that coin machine (i had a lot of coins) and then home for zzzzs. so very busy.

friday is weigh-in and today i weigh 118 pounds, which is down 0.2 from last friday, which is great maintenance, considering i ate two of the homemade muffins last night. i didn't exercise this morning because i needed a break, and i do not want to feel tired tonight as i am going to the hawksley workman concert.

so i ordered more PB2 peanut butter. for those of you who don't know it's powdered peanut butter that has 75% less calories and fat than regular peanut butter. and you can choose the consistency of the peanut butter by adding as much water as you want. for example, there are times when you would want a thick peanut butter (like in a sandwich) and there are times went you would want a runny peanut butter (using it as a delicious dip). so in the box was this recipe for PB2 and banana pecan muffins, but it called for things like white flour, sugar, vegetable shortening, eggs, etc. i thought, how can i make this healthier... and here is the recipe. they are very delicious and surprisingly pretty fluffy.

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup PB2
1 T baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup splenda
4 egg whites
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)

preheat the oven to 375 degrees. blend (with a spoon) the flour, PB2, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl. mix in the chopped nuts. in a second bowl, cream (with a mixer) the applesauce and splenda together until light and fluffy. add the egg whites 2 at a time and beat well. mash the bananas (with a potato masher) and then blend them into the liquid mix. add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring just enough to moisten; about 20 seconds. spoon the batter into a greased (spray like pam) muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. makes 12 muffins.

per muffin: 152 calories, 5g fat, 4g fibre

muffins with 1/2 cup chocolate chips instead of pecans:
144 calories, 3g fat, 3.5g fibre

muffins plain (no pecans or chips):
120 calories, 2g fat, 3.5g fibre

i calculated these calorie amounts myself by just adding up all the ingredients and dividing by 12.

happy weekend everyone. apparently it's going to snow starting at noon another 20-25cm. that's a lot... :o( boo hoo hoo.

where does the time go?

happy day it's friday! yesterday was the science fair and it was fun. except the gym was FREEZING and for some reason my body (especially my extremities) can't stand any temperature but warm. seriously walking outside my feet are always ice blocks. do other people have this problem? 

some of the science projects were awesome! there were these two super cute girls who tested different types of wool for "feltability" which means they knitted squares of sheep wool and felted (washed in the machine on specific settings) so that the fabric binds together and turns into felt. oh they were sooooo cute. "we are both avid knitters" they said. i hope i have daughters just like them (one day!) another girl tested the effects of chlorine on hair, and another girl looked at different fast food fries to see which ones had the most preservatives (burger king haha). very fun. 

and it was also fun to see my boyfriend in his element. his students asked, "is that your girlfriend?" and he said, "no just a science fair judge" and then they saw us walking together at lunch and accused him of cheating on his girlfriend. :o) hahaha. 

friday is weigh-in day and i gained again even though i was really good this week. i only gained 0.4 but still, now i am above my maintenance range which sucks the big nut. i am not upset about it really, i just want to stay in control. 

i woke up early this morning to exercise but changed my mind. i could have done it but i did work out on tuesday, wednesday, and thursday and my body really needs a break. last night at tap i was the worst tapper ever. i could have fallen asleep standing up. sometimes i think i push it too hard. i hate being idle so i'm always doing something or going somewhere. it's important to relax too!

this weekend is going to be really fun. tonight i am going to challenge my boyfriend to a friendly game of scrabble for a prize ;) and we are going to make chicken soft tacos for dinner (he doesn't know this yet). then we are going to watch kenny vs. spenny episodes that one of his students leant him on dvd. kenny vs. spenny is sooooooo funny. it's these two friends in toronto who just compete with each other doing ridiculous things... like seeing who can not talk for the longest. ha! tomorrow we are going to the leafs game! YAHOO! we are going with his parents. my boyfriend's sister is this awesome young broadcasting talent and she is the in-house host for all of the home games. she is on the ice, on the jumbo-tron, you can even hear her voice (at home on tv) every time the whistle blows. anyway that's going to be really rad. 

on sunday my family is having a double party for my dad and sister - he is 60 and she is 22. and then i am coming back into the city for an oscar watching party! busy but fun. 

and finally, here is today's menu:

breakfast:

clementine (0.5)

berry medley oatmeal with flax (2.5)

(3)

lunch:

coleslaw with ff caesar dressing (1)

1 cup mushroom barley soup (1)

turkey on sprouted grains sandwich (3)

(8)

snacks:

2 clementines (1)

all bran bar (2)

yogurt or cottage cheese (2)

dinner:

chicken soft tacos 

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

snow day

today i am working from home because it's a snow day! yippee! thank you mother nature. by working from home i mean i went back to bed until 9:30, changed some light bulbs, enjoyed a delicious coffee, made a pumpkin oatmeal pancake from kath eats and here i am. the pancake was MUCH bigger than i thought it would be. and very tasty. i will actually do some work today, since i brought some home yesterday (my boss told me to), but since technically i have all weekend, i can be a little slack. i wasn't going to go to the gym today, but since i have all of this time, i might as well. i'll do a walking incline interval workout. i thought about going swimming as well (yes, my condo has a pool... pretty sweet) but i really can't be bothered. i used to be a lifeguard and now hate getting wet. seriously. i like swimming but can't stand being wet for longer than i have to. i NEVER let my hair air dry or go to bed with it wet... *shudder*

anyway, speaking of exercise, it is now feb (yes!) and i put 21 stickers on my calendar in the month of january. i will post a photo on monday. friday is also weigh in day and i am 118.2 today, down 1.4 from last week. i hate being thisclose to my upper number (115-120), some breathing room is nice. i avoided snacking at night this week and i think that's what really helped.

i can finally post those pictures from my "not a model" shoot - for that CD cover. see here and here if you don't know what i'm talking about. the images are NOT going to be on the cd cover... too bad. the band was signed to a new label that didn't like the concept, even though the band did... i don't know. not a big deal. here are my two favourites:





high five! ok, off to the gym. have a great weekend everyone! :o)

fabulous friday

between last night and this morning i really tcb. (takin' care of business.) after work i couldn't go home because my landlord was showing the apartment (again!) so i went to the mall to try on my new coat in a size smaller. the smallest size was really too small so i'm happy with the one i have. i also got new winter boots. they are great. they come almost to the knee and have a small heel, so they are comfortable and stylish. and they zip up over my skinny jeans and make me look like a somebody. my winter outerwear wardrobe is complete!

after the mall i returned some library books and hit up the gym, where i used the elliptical, did weights, and did day two week six of the running podcasts. hardcore! then i went home, started taping grey's anatomy, put some brussel sprouts in the oven, and walked to shoppers drug mart to buy some hair dye. then i came home, ate dinner (with leftover shepherd's pie) while watching the biggest loser i had taped previously, did two loads of laundry, sprayed my leather (fall) coat with protective spray, and crashed. then this morning i did another load of laundry and dyed my hair. (my hair is medium brown and i dye it dark brown.)

guess what i found in dominion yesterday...

this:


and this:


Hungry Girl is always talking about them. you can find nutritional info here. i love making lattes at home with soymilk because it gives them a nutty flavour - i can't wait to try it with these.

friday is weigh in day and this week i lost two pounds, so am still in my comfort zone.

today's menu:
breakfast:
chocolate chip banana bran muffin (1)
1/19

snack:
1/2 cup oatmeal (3)
1/3 cup pumpkin (0)
1 T slivered almonds (1)
5/19

lunch:
lean cuisine (5)
10/19

snack:
raisins (2)
12/19

dinner: who knows.

happy friday

hello everyone. i am in the best mood today! why? because it's friday! and because my office is going out for lunch today (and paying) to this place called "the sultan's tent." i have never been there but always wanted to try it out.

last night after work i rode my bike to kensington market and bought courtney love and kurt cobain wigs from exile. then i went home, made eggs and toast for dinner, did laundry including my stinky new value village purchases, went to the gym, came home and baked those delicious chocolate chip banana bran muffins, sewed a collar onto my costume, watched the biggest loser that i taped from tuesday, and went to bed. i love halloween!

here are some of my costumes from previous years:

last year, i was raggedy anne:


the year before that, i was this scary corpse bride:


and the year before that, this enchanted princess:


this morning was weigh-in and i gained 1.2 this week, which is fine by me, because 122.8 is a very comfortable number between 120-125 (my comfort zone.) this morning i also did day one of week five of the couch to 5k running podcasts. alright!