this week the plan

monday: 3-mile run, stretches, sit-ups

(i had planned a longer run but the back of my thighs is very tight and sore for some reason. i went running on saturday, and biking and swimming on sunday, so maybe that's it?)

tuesday: 40-minute swim, stretches, sit-ups

wednesday: pilates workout video (cardio plus actual pilates), stretches, sit-ups

thursday: 3- to 5-mile run, stretches, sit-ups

friday: 40-minute swim

(i have friday off of work and i am going to a cottage for the weekend, but i can still squeeze in a workout before we leave, and after i go back to the dentist ... i have a chipped tooth that re-chipped.)

saturday: 5-mile run

(i will be away but i'll just bring my garmin and hit the pavement.)

sunday: rest

i'm happy you all liked my post on motivation. those little things really do add up. this week i'm setting a goal for myself. i have this bad habit of having to eat something every time i come back from something. for example, i go to work, eat breakfast at my desk. i take my lunch hour and come back and eat at my desk. i come home from work and immediately open the fridge to snack. i need think about whether i'm actually hungry at these times. obviously at meal times i will be, but usually i don't need a snack after work and before dinner. that's crazy. i've also noticed that now that i work really early in the morning and go to bed by 10:30 or 11, i don't feel the need to snack after dinner. maybe i was just staying up too late before ;)

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.

this week: the plan

i need a plan this week. i am going out for dinner on wednesday to the college street bar for a friend's birthday, and on friday my boyfriend and i are skipping town for a romantic valentine's weekend minibreak to niagara falls. i need a plan.

goals: i want to get in 4 cardio sessions, 2 yoga/pilates videos, lose some stomach bloat, and of course, grab the bull by the balls (as usual).

here is today's meal plan so far:

carnation strawberry instant breakfast (3)
1 cup skim milk (2)

second cup breakfast cookie (4)

homemade salad with spinach, lettuce, carrot shreds, baby tomatoes, 1 TBSP toasted almonds (1), and 3 TBSP newman's own low-fat balsamic viniagrette dressing (1)

pc blue menu spinach and cheese cannelloni microwave dinner (4)

maybe some fish for dinner? yet to be determined.

exercise plan!
monday: 3-5 miles walking on treadmill (later)
tuesday: 40 minute morning swim, 20 minute evening yoga download
wednesday: 40 minute morning swim
thursday: 40 minute morning swim OR 3-5 treadmill walk, 20 minute evening yoga download
friday: not sure yet
saturday & sunday: i think i'll bring my zune to get in some yoga workouts. i love the stretch and am really trying hard to increase my flexibility.

in other news, this weekend i bought a new coat. it is from canadian spirit and is a dream come true. i am just so sick of being cold in my fashion wool coats. wool does not cut it for canadian winters. this one has: "detachable hood with removable faux fur trim, irregular box quilting, invisible zippered pockets, double welt front zipper closure, extended inner fleece cuffs." and it's black.

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!

back on it

ah monday, you kill me every time. actually today i'm feeling alright. i just want to go to bed and read lots of books and drink copious amounts of tea.

my weekend was pretty good. i did some relaxing, some shopping, had a 40-minute swim on saturday, and went to a girls holiday kris kringle exchange party. i got a book that i really wanted to read (three cups of tea), and i also overindulged in holiday treats. but that's ok. i didn't feel stuffed. i just wanted to try everything once. and a few things twice. ;)

i am back on my game this week. i don't really have any evening events this week, so i am going to do the same thing as last week (monday to thursday). small portions, higher protein, only eating when hungry, and walking 2.5-3 miles a day. it was easier than i thought it would be last week and really effective. i forgot how good it felt to be back in the middle of my maintenance range, instead of at the very top. the week after this one is a crazy one for holiday parties.

i feel so sleepy today! z is for zombie.

on a roll

i am really on a roll this week. three perfect days so far and i only have one left which will be easy! surprisingly it hasn't been that difficult. i've been eating small portions, high protein, low carb, every three hours. 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm. i have hardly been hungry at all! each day i've been walking for just over 40 minutes... about 2 1/2 miles.

last night was my final sewing class for the skirt. we had the option of putting in a waistband, and i decided to do it because it looked more polished. it was time consuming though and i didn't finish the skirt. i just have to sew the hem, which i have to do by hand anyway, so i can do it at home later.

today is another busy one. right after work i have a hair appointment. my roots are out of control and i need a trim. and THEN i am going to watch my boyfriend play a show. his band (which had been together for almost ten years) broke up last spring, and he has been working on a new project. this is the first live gig... i'm so excited for him, but nervous too!

this week has been crazy. getting out of bed this morning was difficult to say the least. i can't wait for tomorrow at about... oh, let's say 5pm. i need more coffee.

oh, and my interview yesterday went really well. i like the company and the people who interviewed me, so i hope i get it.

i wonder if i can get a walk in between my hair appointment and the show...

my tree is a cat toy

so i put up my tree last night. i think it looks smaller than 3 feet but it's still cute. it's decorated all in gold. i decided to forgo the red bows because they looked kind of tacky and even though they are small were dwarfing the tree. i also wrapped presents while i watched biggest loser.

i also put up this wall decal i ordered a while ago. i have been scared to put it up for weeks, and with good reason. it was a nightmare. first i had to cut it up the way i wanted, then tape it to the wall to make it look alright, and of course the tape kept unsticking. then i had to take it off the wall, press any bubbles out with a credit card, remove the backing, and then try to apply this clear sticky paper to the wall exactly where i had it the last time. it kept sticking everywhere and generally annoying me. it ended up not looking perfectly straight but still beautiful in my opinion. here is a picture of the wall decal i bought. this isn't my house, but i will post a picture of my wall (and baby tree) soon. it's called "birds on a wire" and i set mine up to look exactly like this:


my cat, oliver, won't stop playing with the balls on the tree. i have spritzed water at him about 500 times thus far but it doesn't seem to be deterring him for longer than a few minutes at a time. he even runs away when he sees the spray bottle, but i think it just revs him up for some excitement that i'm not really providing. does anyone have any tips?

this morning i am at my mom's office, and i have another job interview this afternoon. yes, another one! and then my final "a-line" skirt sewing class tonight. it already is looking pretty awesome. maybe i will wear it tomorrow and impress my mother. it's so long though, i look like a farmer. hopefully we are shortening them tonight.

yesterday was another completely on plan day. marvelous! i am feeling very on top of the ball and accomplished. i just need to make it until friday and then i can slack off a little.

tis the season!

hello friends. tis the season to be busy which i why i forgot to post today. until now! and i've been lacking in the commenting department as well, but i plan on catching up today and tomorrow. all of your blogs are waiting in my google reader!

yesterday i stuck 100% to my eating plan, even with my boyfriend tempting me at night. i didn't put one bite in my mouth that wasn't planned and it felt so good. except when he was eating in front of me. that's old news (yesterday) and i don't care about it anymore. having one great day under my belt makes it so easy to do well today.

today i bought my very own (and first) christmas tree and decorations. canadian tire had a great sale. i got a pre-lit 3-foot tree for $9.99, 60% off regular price. and a package of mixed gold decorations for $9.99, 50% off regular price. and some small red bows to jazz it up a little.

my big plans tonight include setting up my tree, and watching biggest loser. last week evil vicki actually showed some emotion - can you believe it?

hmmmm, what else? i am having a love affair with tea. it's so wonderful and warm. and it's perfect for tasting whatever you want to taste with no calories. peppermint, pumpkin spice, sugar cookie, vanilla, gingerbread... etc. i even have a flavour called "chocolately chai" which is heavenly and really chocolately.

good times

i didn't get back from the burbs until 7pm last night, and as soon as i got home i changed into my gym outfit and jumped on the treadmill (down in the condo gym). i was going to walk, but THEN the guy next to me was running, and i could see our reflections in the window, and thought, wouldn't it be funny (in my mind) to pretend we were running together. and so i ran for 20 minutes without stopping.

20 minutes!!! without stopping! i could hardly believe it. i thought about going for 30, but i was pretty pooped and it was getting to the point where i felt that if i pushed it more, i would be encroaching on bum pain territory. still, it felt great to run again. i am going to poo-poo doing the couch to 5k again when obviously i don't need to. i am just going to run when i feel confident and pain-free.

i'm tired today because i stayed up until 1:30am finishing the fourth twilight book. the fourth one is definitely the worst. still good, but by the end i could take it or leave it. but what do you expect? the magic to continue forever? it's like this with any good series... take the outlander series, by diana gabaldan. same thing.

this morning i went for a 30 minute swim. i'm feeling pretty good because i am on top of job applications, have been exercising and eating within my points, and my apartment is clean. also i hung up some new pictures. i got the frames from ikea and then bought a cheap marilyn monroe calendar from chapters, and used some of the photos from that as art. see for yourself. the middle is colour and her lips match the couch, and the two on the outside are black and white. ooh la la.

this week the plan

monday: 40 minutes swimming

tuesday: 30 minutes elliptical, sit-ups, lunges

wednesday: 30 minutes swimming

thursday: 30 minutes elliptical, sit-ups, lunges

friday: 30 minutes swimming

saturday: 30 minutes elliptical, sit-ups, lunges

sunday: rest day.

i am going swimming in a few minutes, and then i finally get to try out my new rice cooker. i am probably more excited than i should be :)

fun thursday!

today i am not doing anything resembling a) driving and b) work.

for breakfast i had a cup of caramelo coffee, an english muffin with chocolate peanut butter (yum), and a cup of frozen mango, thawed.

my plan for today is to hit the gym (for either treadmill walking or elliptical), then i am meeting my old boss for lunch, and then i am getting my hair done (a cut and lighter blond). i'm not sure where we are going for lunch, but hopefully there will be healthy options. if not, i'll just eat half and save the rest for later.

that's all i really have to say today. tomorrow is weigh in and i'm hoping it will better than the last few weeks... after thanksgiving weekend though, so i'm not counting any chickens before they hatch!

UPDATE: i just got back from the gym. i wore my HRM this time because it's been collecting dust. i did 20 minutes on the elliptical, then some stretching and situps, then 10 more minutes on the elliptical. then, when i was leaving, the elevators in my condo were out of order and i had to walk up 10 flights of stairs. 350 calories burned... not bad for an hour! and i feel great now! woopee - although clearly i am not as in shape as i was when running. there were times on the elliptical (near the end when i was pushing it) when my heart rate was over 170... apparently it's not safe (for me) to go over 166.

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.

i did it

i have a lot to talk about today... list time!

1) i actually stayed on plan yesterday. i can hardly believe it, but now that i've done one day i feel like i can really do it.

2) surprisingly i wasn't that hungry yesterday. i was a little hungry before bed, but that's not atypical. maybe my stomach will shrink a little when it's used to eating regular-sized portions again.

3) it's 8am, and i am already up. and i slept for 8 hours last night. this makes me feel great... i don't want to be one of those slobs that sleeps in too late and stays up all night. it's not a good time.

4) i watched 90210 last night. i liked it although i think it's very different than the first one. and did brenda always have a gap between her teeth that large?

5) yesterday at whole foods i bought ezekiel wraps and ezekiel hamburger buns, as well as a greek yogurt, some other liberte yogurt (that i've actually seen in the regular supermarket), some frozen okra, amy's texas veggie burgers, and some milk. i was hoping they would have the greek yogurt i've seen on all of the food blogs lately - either fage or chobani, but they didn't. it must not be available in canada due to some sort of health regulation.

6) for dinner i had a veggie burger on a hamburger bun, with a small side salad and 1/2 a really small spaghetti squash. those hamburger buns are HUGE and so filling. and only 3 ww points. i had to go back and check the bag again just in case the calorie info was for only 1/2 the bun... it wasn't!

7) yesterday i tried to go swimming. i did half my normal swimming workout, which is 60 lengths of the pool. normally i do 120 or so. the pool is about 15 meters, so 120 lengths is roughly 1.8 km or 1.1 miles. so far for swimming... but not that far. i had to stop because the pool water in my condo is too hot. how hot you ask? well i noticed there was a thermometer in the "deep end" and it read 95 degrees farenheit. yes, 95 degrees... just like the boy band... that's hot! (the temp, not the band!) a regular pool is kept between 78 and 82 degrees (and 82 is for the old people who complain about a chilly pool) so you know 95 is killer. it's like a digusting giant bath, and not good for swimming. every 20 lengths i was hopping out of the pool to cool down... that's weird and probably dangerous. i wrote an email to the building manager but who knows how long it's going to take before something happens.

8) yesterday i also went to canadian tire. i wanted a beach chair but they were out even though the website showed them in stock. and the sales people were rude to me as well. as in, i saw one on the phone but not talking, went up to say "hi, can i ask you a question?" he looks at me, then just turns his back to me without saying anything. RUDE! i did buy a new mop and bucket though, as well as some new cleaning supplies. it is this mop here as well as the matching bucket. i had been using the wet swiffers but they just weren't cutting it. and always drying up so fast that i'd have to use two or three. and what a waste for the environment as well. i cleaned my bathroom, kitchen and dining room floor yesterday and it looks (and smells) amazing.

9) i am going to start today by drinking two big glasses of water, eating a fruit of some sort, then heading out for a walk. i found some new jobs to apply to as well.