clarification on photo pact

It's a challenge for whatever you want it to be. If you want to get smaller in your after pictures, then it's a fat loss challenge, if you want bigger arms, then it's a muscle building challenge. You decide the measure of success, I'll cheer you on to get there? Make sense?

blah blah and a pact.

So I'm going out for lunch today so I'm posting early. Also, I don't really have much to work on right now and don't mind the break from trying to look busy.

So yesterday I went to Safeway after work to check out the different foods they have there. Apparently it's different stuff from Extra Foods. Now just in case your an idiot who shops at Safeway all the time, you're dumb. It is sooooooooo much more money than Extra Foods. (they did a consumer reports type thing in my city a few years ago and extra foods was cheapest and safeway was most expensive. And there are a lot of grocery stores around here. And they were right based on my personal experience.) Even with the member prices and stuff. Still way more money. Stop wasting money. Especially on produce. Good lord.

However they do have some different stuff. They stock Kashi granola bars which I just found at Walmart anyway. But good to know. They're super expensive though. They also have "mediteranian" yogurt. which I bought and tried and was also super expensive, and I think they meant it was some kind of amazing cream cheese thing and not yogurt but I liked it and am sad because it's high cal and expensive and now i'm stuck. (I'm the sort of person who has never tried lobster because I don't WANT to like it and have to buy it.) I also really like the price tag things that tell you how much it is per 100 g or per bar or whatever. Handy. I ended up buying 3 different kinds of yogurts. Source yogurts were on sale and a good price. However, the price/100 g was higher than these other individual yogurt things that were bigger (so I wouldn't have to eat 2) and also Splendafied. So I got them too. Plus had to try this fancy creamcheese/yogurt stuff. Funny.

I also bought toilet paper, because we were out. How come nobody tells me when we're getting low. Only that we're completely out. And using kleenex. Honestly.

But I bought mega rolls, which are like 4 rolls on one thing so hopefully I'll know when we're on our last roll (which should still last awhile) and then get more. I hate buying toilet paper.

Step class was good last night. I was almost late again because I'm an idiot. aka no reason. I did the class with the step on the higher level (8 inches instead of 5? I was the only one in the whole class who did that). Plus then afterwards I used the 10 lb weights again. It's amazing how fast your body can become stronger. Granted it was only a difference of 2 lbs (per arm) more than it used to be, but I'm finding the 10's no problem now.

I also am pleased to report that i'm finally getting an ass muscle. Yay!

In other news, Jenn is also in on the monthly photo thing. so that's only 3 of us, Jenn, Cara and me. But that's alright. We'll be 3 chicks making big improvements while the rest of you watch and are jealous. Ha. (though it's not too late to join).

This is what I was thinking: first of all, I want to make monthly goals. New Year's resolutions are great, but they're so big scale that you lose track of where you should be. Weeks are sort of short for seeing changes. So I'm gonna make monthly goals. Then i'm going to take a before and after pictures (as in on the 1st and 29th of feb). The main pictures will be a head on and profile, but I think I'll also take a back shot and some flexing pictures. (I think a secret will be to take many many before pictures so you'll be guaranteed to see an improvement in at least one shot.)

If you only want to take pictures of your bicepts, that's fine too. If you want to join but don't want to post before pictures, that sort of ok, I'm sure you'll change your mind at month's end anyway.

And here's a fact of joining this little pact: I will be on your ass and I want you on mine. I'll push you to make your month goals and get on your back when you slack. However I'll also be your best cheerleader and will comment on your every post. I am sick of this thing dragging out and I'm tired of "trying to lose weight". I want to lose the weight and be done. Next challenge please.

metabolism

So the body, mine specifically, is an amazing thing. I ate a fairly decent supper (can of tuna, homemade bun, yogurt, banana with peanut butter). Then went to my step class. Afterwards I made a protein shake with berries (estimating 300 calories). I was full after that and went to bed. I was sort of upset that I ate such a big supper knowing I'd eat that snack when I got home. I thought for sure that would make me not hungry for breakfast but I'd eat anyway. However I work up STARVING! Hardly makes sense huh? Or does it....

Now maybe somebody knows better, if so please let me know. But until you do I'll assume I'm right based on things I've read etc. When you get hungry (in the tummy, not in the eyes or nose or brain) your body is saying that it wants food because you have metabolized the last bit that you ate and in order to keep functioning at peak performance it needs more fuel. That's why sometimes when you wake up you're not hungry at all, because your body has been sleeping and your metabolism is slow, so you don't need any fuel to keep it like that. And that's why I was so hungry this morning even after eating lots of food, because my metabolism was way up there coming off class. Not to mention eating food increases your metabolism.

That's why, even if you aren't hungry first thing in the morning it's important to eat breakfast because it will increase your metabolism from the hybernation speed it's just been on. That's also why it's a good idea to eat every 2 to 3 hours, just like putting more fuel on a fire. Gotta keep it revved up there. Before you know it, your tummy will start telling you you're actually hungry every 2 to 3 hours.

That's why those of you who don't snack between meals (like I used to not do) are dumb.

any questions? Or am I wrong? where's your proof?

Monthly photo updates

Who's in? So far we've got me and Cara.
(trust me, even if you hate the way you look, the comments you get are always so sweet it will totally make your day. Or make you gay if you want a call back to an older post)

progress

So hubby's progress on his "diet" hasn't come up since it started hey? Because basically I don't see him doing anything differently. Just the other day he made me buy a big tub of tiger tiger ice cream which he eats a bowl full of every day. Still drinks his beer. Hasn't done a single exercise thing besides his weekly hockey game (where he's the goalie). he's down 10 lbs. Have I mentioned how I hate him?

I can see it in his face too a little bit. He's still pretty big and has terrible posture sometimes that makes him look pregnant. But honestly, he changed nothing and got a thinner face. He says he's drinking beer less than he was so I guess that's something. Having water instead. But he's still making nachos for a snack at night, or popcorn drenched in butter. but they tell us to expect that right? that men lose weight more easily than women? (I always thought that had to do with muscle mass which is why I'm extra pissed off, but I shouldn't be mad at something good for him. Nothing changed with me and I was happy before. That's a good way to look at everything. Be happy for people when something good happens to them. Don't be mad you didn't get something good.)

I'm not sure if anybody but me's been tracking this, but I've basically only lost like 1 lb since October. I'm holding quite steady at 138. But I'd love to hold steady at 135. Then I can say I've lost 20 lbs. Well I'd love to not hold steady at all, just keep moving down but I'll take what I can get. I think I need to start being a little more strict with myself. Making weekly goals and just thinking "diet" again. (don't give me it's not a diet it's a lifestyle change. My lifestyle is just fine, I already eat completely healthy, I just want to lose 3 lbs!)

So I know it's wednesday already. But I'm going to make just 2 weekly goals for the rest of this week.

Eat a vegetable meal twice this week (as in, not carb dominant, either a salad or stir fry with no rice or noodles. Keeping the protein up still buy low calorie).

Go to the gym on thursday. I don't know if I want to swim or run. thursdays the only day I can swim. But I also want to try my new socks and shoes and tunes on the track. But definately one of the 2.

Also i'm going to try and have a focused weekend. I'll still have a bigger meal saturday night or a treat snack. But I'll limit it to that. breakfasts are not treat time.

So I've decided that i'm going to take monthly progress pictures. As first a little motivation to see change by the next picture as well as to see progress because everyone likes before and afters. So stay tuned for my next pictures at the end of Feb. Anybody else wanna do this with me?

I forgot to tell you how dumb I was

Or am. But the proof was out there on Sunday.

We went to Canadian Tire. Hubby could spend hours in here so I usually hang out for a bit and then wander off to the kitchen section or the fitness stuff or gardening. So this happens. I'm wandering around buying some plant stuff that's on clearance. They've got seeds out already so I put my stuff down to look at them then when I pick it back up I realize I don't have my purse. Oh no. Where did I leave my purse? I quickly ran back to the areas where I was looking and couldn't see it so I asked one of the workers if anyone had brought one in. And he ran around with me looking and asking people if they'd seen a brown purse. I was really freaking out. Not just because I lost my purse, but because this is so like me and hubby was gonna freak. (a lot of our fights are how I'm so dumb with stuff like this, and leaving candles burning and losing my mitts and my wallet and my purse - it's happened before but I always got it back). So I'm almost crying running around the store, I come across hubby and say I lost my purse and we go back over the areas where i'd been and then he decides to run out to the car to make sure I actually brought it in, meanwhile the helper guy has gotten a manager and they're looking at the security tape to see if I had it when I came in and then find where I lost it (genious). Then hubby comes back in. Guess what, I didn't have it to begin with. It was in the car the whole time. Duh. I was so relieved I almost starting crying or laughing from that. But I knew I was still in sorta trouble with hubby so I acted all humble and meek. (just me though? I'm over it as soon as it's over. kwim? moving on).

So that's how dumb I was.

And here's how dumb I am:

I didn't go to the gym. I know I know. I'm sorry. BUT I did still workout at home. I knew the workout wouldn't have been great at the gym since I wouldn't have run on the track without the tunes and the ellipticals etc bore me too much. So it would have been 30 minutes (if I'm lucky) of lame cardio. Plus I'm not sure just how safe it would be to stay in the city with my car unplugged for much longer. I went home and ate and hung out. Then hubby went to play poker at a friend's, SIL and her bf went into the city. So I cranked the tunes and danced with Daisy. Yes I looked like a complete fool. and YES it was a good workout! I mostly jumped around a whole bunch. Some kicks. I threw in some burpees and pushups and mountain climbers and squats and lunges now and then. I jumped around so much (in my barefeet) I gave myself blisters. It was a solid 45 minutes of cardio. Got a good sweat on, and entertained the dog. I didn't really feel out of breath or anything by the end (like after a run) but I was having a hard time doing the "moves" I had done at the beginning so I knew I'd tired myself out. It was fun and silly. And effective.

So I listened to an interview with the authors of my women's new rules of lifting book. It was good. Made me think though. I have got to figure out how I can reduce my carbs. Not go low carb. But not be high carb. Be more medium carb. Right now I eat almost exclusively carbs for snacks and breakfast and lunch. I get a bit of protein and fat when I have yogurt and cheese and milk on cereal. But not much. Supper time I'll have my meat but also a ton of carbs. So I'm trying to eat more proteiny breakfasts (smoothies or eggs) but lunches are tough without leftovers (I'm a big sandwich girl). I think I gotta make up a batch of chili again this weekend. Maybe chili and soup so I don't get sick of either. Basically the nutrition author said that the book isn't low carb because that doesn't work for everyone but what she recommends will (which is basically equal everything). But if you carry your fat around your belly, if you've got cholesterol or blood sugar issues then low carb can really work and is healthier for you. Since that is me I think I need to try it a little better. Anybody have good snack or lunch ideas that are high protein?

Things are a little slow at work. I finished an awesome genius thing this morning so I feel like just revelling in that for awhile. But it's also lunch time so sandwich here I come! (it's actually a homemade bun with turkey slices and mustard. i'm trying)

here I am back at work

So my snow day yesterday ended up alright. I helped hubby in the basement (who couldn't have picked a better week to take off. He works outside and this week is supposed to be less than -30C all week! right now it's -35 but -49 with the wind chill. When I left for work it was -50. For those of you who don't get cold temps like this (and who does really, unless you're maybe in winnipeg). After it's -30, there's not much that feels different if it's -40 or -50. You don't go out much and when you do you're bundled to the 9s. I guess the time until exposed skin freezes is shorter but really, who'd leave exposed skin?)

Right so made it to work with my cinnamon buns. Thank god they're out of my house now. I just have to resist the rest of today while I'm at work. Everyone here loves them and I'm sure they'll be gone soon.

I'm having a nice skinny day. I'm wearing my only flattering jeans (the only ones that fit properly) and a white zip up exercise coat thing, I've got a black, green, blue and white one, from Costco. Tuff athletic is the brand name. They also make pants and tops that are very similar to lululemon (I heard that the designer used to be the lulu guy but quit to start his own or something). Best thing, they're only like $18 each. The pants same thing. The tops like $15. I buy a new outfit every time I see a new design at costco. I'm obsessed. But for like $50 you can get a 3 piece exercise outfit that's super good quality? Or you could buy one pair of lulu pants for $80.

I had class yesterday. It was good. I was late (for no reason, just dumb) and ran the whole way there (it was also freezing) and then the door to the school was locked (it's in an elementary school gym) so I banged for like 3 minutes until somebody heard me and opened the door. I made it all the way down there I wasn't turning around. Luckily I was already warmed up from running there. Slightly embarrassed though because I had to hurry and put my shoes on and the only place open was front and center (which I usually go near anyway but I'm not usually late). I couldn't get the 10 lb weigts, only 8s left but that's alright. My back is hurt (don't know why, it's chronic, I thought losing weight and getting in shape would fix it but it still happens sometimes). and I didn't want to hurt it more.

so today I'm planning on going to the gym. But I'm not sure if that's smart. What if my car won't start since I can't plug it in there? Plus I'm pissed off that I forgot my MP3 player. I brought my new shoes and was excited to run the track but I can't do that without tunes. Boo me.

Oh guess what. Sunday I went to walmart and bought myself a new sports bra (I've always had a hard time with these because my boobs were so big, but when I lost weight, I lost most of it in the boobs, so just normal sports bras work for me. yay!) and new running socks. The chick at the shoe store told me a lot of blisters were caused by the socks not the shoes, cotton was bad as it held the moisture next to your foot, so the wicking polyester types really are worth it. I was excited to try that out.

Anyway, if you all have nothing better to do would you mind commenting and persuading me to go to the gym. I have a feeling I'm just looking for excuses here, (though it is minus a million). A little ass kicking please?

Snow Day!

One plus of living in a bedroom community outside of where you work is you are restricted by road conditions. So today there is a blizzard and our highway has travel not recommended. So I'm stuck at home. SNOW DAY! Woo hoo!

In reality I probably could get to work, we've got our new 4x4. But the road conditions are bad. And the dept of highways said "travel not recommended" so I'm just following their guidelines. I feel guilty about it, but then I don't, then I do. It's been a rough morning. Haven't been able to enjoy it yet. It's supposed to clear up this afternoon so if it does, then I'll go in. What should I call this on my time sheet? Sick? I don't want to use vacation for it.

Anyway. I'll try to enjoy it until 1:00 and then check again.

So I totally love that I'm getting new readers! or at least new commentors. Way back when I started this blog I would love to have anybody read this and checked my counter every day. Well my self esteem must have improved because I haven't checked that in ages, then the other day got a glimpse of it, wowsa there's a lot of you out there! Not all of you have commented yet so feel free, particularly if you have a blog, I love getting to know you! And feel free to ask me questions if you want to know more about what I'm doing or eating or whatever (though really I'm not an expert at all)

Speaking of eating. Rough weekend. I was kind of bi-polar. One second eating mini chocolate bars (I hate you hubby for buying these) the next working out. Planning for bathing suit wearing in 2 weeks while eating cinnamon buns. Dumb. I hate not being busy on weekends. I just eat. From now on I need to make very concrete plans or activities for weekends.

This morning has been a bit of a struggle as well. Trying to not eat the cinnamon buns I made for work (well not all of course, but trying not to eat any). I made some green tea so we'll see how that holds me over. (ps- the lipton green tea mix, like crystal light singles, is AWESOME!)

ok not much to say. Gonna check the highways and then do something fun, start enjoying my snow day!

Muscles!!!

The long awaited muscle pictures have arrived! Woohoo! I even set up a tripod for you folks!

I was bored this afternoon and just doing nothing when I realized that Feb 9th I'm going swimming with another couple (we're making a trip to Edmonton) so I better get moving if I wanna attempt the bikini thing by then (not offical bikini season you know). So I start doing some squats and my dog comes along with her leash and drops it at my feet. It was so adorable I indulged her. We just went for a short jog, 20 minutes. Sorta cold out still (-12C?). But then I cam home and did my first workout from my new rules book. Not bad. A bunch of squats and step ups and pushups.

Also note that this white shirt is not a regular for me. It's a tiny bit small for wearing to my class (it might ride up) but it's what was clean. I don't think it's looking too bad any more. Might work it in to rotation.


Just look at the sillhouette of the top of my elbow to my neck. up down up down up. Pretty cool I must admit.

I have always thought I looked the strongest from the back. No exeption. Not sure why my arm is bright red. Need to exfoliate.

A profile picture for the record. Boobs look squished and I should have flexed the arm, but butt looks good.

And the whole package! Yeah baby!

oh woe is me

I don't have a lot to say today. Well that's what I think so far. Watch me rattle on and on.

WI. Bah humbug. gained 0.8. I had a big supper last night and skipped the gym. Plus I used heavier weights in my workout classes this week. Basically I'm saying I don't think I'm fatter. Especially with my lovely compliments earlier this week (I checked it out, my butt is looking good). I was gonna do muscle pics last night but I thought they'd look better if it was post workout, so either tonight or tomorrow I'll hit the gym and take pictures after that for you all. I'm not going to tan though, and that's what makes them look the best, but I don't believe in tanning and frankly you're not worth a bottle of self tanner. ;)

So work yesterday was kinda stressful. I had a conference call. My first important job thingy like that. I basically listened the whole time as my boss was on the line too but still. I was scrambling notes down like crazy. Then after the call I had to write a memo but I also had to leave at 4:00 so we could plate our new truck (my insurance is cheaper than hubby's so it's in my name).

So I took an afternoon off and left early this week so I feel sorta bad. And my parents are in town today so I might leave early again today. Oh well. I think I'm staying on top of my work at least.

Weekend. Not much. Groceries and Costco and maybe some scrapbooking and exercise. I sorta feel like I should be doing something more productive. Maybe I'll do some kind of big organizing/cleaning thing. Maybe go through my clothes and take a bunch to value village or something. Hubby wants to buy a pool table (I just got over the car thing!) but our basement isn't finished yet but is completely full of junk. so maybe I'll go through some of that junk. Maybe do something like bake bread or something. Open to suggestions.

Sweet

So I had a pretty good day yesterday. I learned things about myself that weren't exactly pretty and it was humbling to realize I really wasn't the perfect human being (I know! I couldn't believe it either! Just keep it between us, I don't wanna ruin my rep)

We went car shopping yesterday. Here's a fault of mine, I am crazy cautious and get stressed when spending money. Usually not a fault, saves us a lot of money. But we do need a vehicle so this was gonna happen. And I was making up excuses and dragging my feel and dragging the process out (not on purpose, I just felt like we weren't done all our research yet or whatever, even though we'd done a lot of research). So we talked to the bank, got a rate. I wanted to go to a couple dealerships before we went to the one hubby thought was the best (had the car we wanted at the best price listed). I felt like we couldn't just walk on the first lot and buy it. But I didn't know what I'd find on other lots. We knew from the net (where we'd done our research) what type of vehicle we wanted (trailblazer or envoy), where there were vehicles in our price range, which place had listed the cheapest etc. And it was this place hubby wanted to go. So I drove onto some other lots and was just driving around, looking at fords and other things we knew we either didn't want or couldn't afford or whatever. I felt like I had to redo all our internet research. Hubby wanted to know what I was looking for and I started crying and hyperventilating and told him it just felt like we had to do that but I knew it was a waste of time.

Anyway, we didn't buy it yesterday but we did pick it out, we just had to compare interest rates at the bank again. So by the end of the day I'm expecting us to be owners of an '05 fully loaded Envoy. Sweet.

I got my blood taken by my SIL (it's her job) yesterday for the cholesterol etc. Should have results next week.

Bought a red tank for $4 from a closing out sale, size small.

Had step class last night. This girl who I see all the time at it and we talk a little but I didn't know her name came up to me and told me that she really noticed in Monday's class that I was looking really good, and must have lost weight and just was looking great. She says she's behind me in class (since I'm a keener up at the front) and basically stares at my butt all class doing squats etc and that's how she noticed. I told her she made my day (my SIL overheard but thought I said she made me gay, which is funny because it also could make sense, as in, I do totally love her now, plus she made me happy).

Then I was talking to SIL after class and was saying how I hadn't lost weight in months, and hadn't really shrunk any, but I had noticed that my arms were a lot more ripped than before. And she said she totally noticed when I was stirring something at the stove or something that my arms were looking fierce. Be prepared for muscle progress pics coming shortly.

Overall, good day.

Tres cool

I read Alwyn Cosgrove's blog today (like I do all the time) and I really really liked it today. Anybody else read this? I didn't make any real goals that I can measure like that though. Maybe I should have. I liked his idea about setting a number or workouts for the year. I suppose I could do that starting now. And perhaps I will. Starting today, until December 31st, I want to get in (mental math....ok paper math, I suck at mental math...) 170 workouts. That seems like such a cop out considering his goal is 270 but hey, it's an average of 3.5 workouts a week for the next 49 weeks. I'll be happy if I do more than 3/week, that's a bit of a stretch. However in the summer I know I can do a million workouts no problem, but at the same time, I'll take holidays off. I think it will balance out. So that's my goal. I'm gonna get a ticker or something.

5% of 2008 is gone already? I'm barely getting over the holidays, time to get cracking!

I'll just throw my regular post on this one as well. Why not?

So yesterday I had an issue with almonds. I probably ate 1 cup. 3 times as much as I was supposed to have. But at the same time, they're very good for you. But at the other same time, they're high in calories. At the same time I don't think they'll get stored as fat. But at the same time my body will consume those before they consume other fat.

a lot going on at once there. at least I didn't use on the other hand, I'd have 6 hands!

So I went to class yesterday. It was great. For some reason it was super full, ran out of weights. I used 10 lb weights instead of 8 lb weights. I always grab, 2x8lbs, 2x5 lbs and 2x3 lbs. There's only 1 shoulder exercise I need the 3s for, unless I fatigue too much in the other stuff. But I usually use the 8's the whole time except maybe the last set of an exercise where I use 5s. Most people don't use the 8s already so I was already awesome. But this time I grabbed the 10s. I was super nervous about it because my forearms were getting tired just holding those things. (I have bad grip strength). But it was awesome. I actually got tired in the exercises! Particularly felt it in the rows and the bicept curls. Feeling pretty tough today. (though not too sore...)

Guess what's for lunch today? Soup again. It was the last container left in the freezer and since hubby took the leftovers already that's what I grabbed. At least I had a weekend to get un-sick of it.

I was going to go to the clinic this morning to get some blood work done (cholesterol ya know) but you have to fast and I had a post workout shake and didn't finish it until 10:30, so that means I couldn't go until 8:30 and I'd be late for work and starving then. So tomorrow. Good thing not today, I was late for work anyway because it's storming out. Lots of snow.

tomorrow is going to be pretty cool. i'll go in early to get my bloodwork done, and then maybe grab a treat for breakfast like at Tim Hortons. (I like doing this, and it's a once a year thing that makes up for the fasting which sucks.) Then I'm taking the afternoon off to go SUV shopping with hubby. Then we're going out for supper at a friend of mine's restaurant (chinese food) and he's buying as a thank you for helping him with some construction stuff (hubby that is). Sort of like a holiday right in the middle of the week. Sweet. But then I've got step class afterwards. So I can't eat crazy or that would suck.

Ok well, I think I'm out of topics for now. Have a good one!

I don't want this to get boring

But I found another contest and it's something super cool so I want to enter it too. I swear this is my last one. (unless something awesome comes up)

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

There.

weekend

So I had a pretty good weekend. Why the heck my inlaws haven't gotten rid of their Christmas baking yet is beyond me but I did my best to help them. I ate probably 8 treats over the weekend but really for a weekend and for me, it's not terrible. I was right, supper was healthy-ish on friday, though I had a croissant I didn't need. Curling was good on saturday. SIL played with a sprained ankle, but even so we ended up losing the A side final so we did pretty good. I was of course a super star. I had perfect draw weight first throw and I kept it all day. If you don't curl you won't get this part: the ice was nice and keen, but it was full of runs and falls. Just about every take-out we played needed negative ice. Sort of funny.

I did a rockstar amount of sweeping. My upper back and triceps were sore from it on Sunday, love bonus exercise! I actually felt really lean yesterday. Sometimes when you do an activity you're not used to I think it helps work fat out quicker. Or maybe it was just TOM was over. the scale didn't say anything different. I just felt good. Sunday was just a bit of visiting and hanging out. We got back home in time that I managed to clean my room and put all the stuff away from the weekend already. I hate when it just sticks around forever (bags or curling brooms out etc).

I'm reading The Glass Castle and it's sorta creeping me out. I couldn't fall asleep very well last night (hubby was at hockey). It's not a scary book, it just scares me, the way that the movie Tommy scared me (drugs scare me too). It's a true story of this girl growing up and her parents are all drifter like and irresponsible, the mom has a baby and they run out of the hospital so they don't have to pay bills, and the mom gives the new born to the 4 year old girl to take care of, while the kids ride in the back of a U-haul for 14 hours. The mom's an "artist" which also scares me. My cousin is an artist and she's got schizophrenia and my other artist great aunt is bi-polar. I know some people think I've got it wrong and I do know that I'm biased, but I just don't like "art" or "artists". Get a real job and some responsibilities. (I have another aunt who is an artist who is kinda normal, farm wife, raises kids etc, but her house is completely disguisting all the time. She never does dishes, or cooks full meals, and never cleans up at all, I dont' even know if she's got a vaccuum. Salamanders get in the basement all the time and their dog eats them. so another "artist" who's kinda creepy) The book is pretty good, and I just can't put it down, but it's bothering me on some kind of level that doesn't really make sense.

This morning I packed a great lunch, lettuce salad with tomatoes and tuna and light italian dressing, a couple mini yogurts, apple and cheese string. Also restocking the almonds. I'm eating less at work than I used to be. snacks now are an apple and cheese string or yogurt and almonds. Lunch itself is just the "meal" thing and maybe a yogurt. The "dessert" part is much reduced. which is good. suppers are still kinda big but I'm working on it. I'm trying to spread my food out more evenly between snacks and meals etc. 5 snacks/meals at 300-500 calories is the goal. of course I don't actually believe in counting...

Anyway, it's a busy week here at work so I might be skimpy with the comments. however I obviously expect you all to do twice the commenting to me to make up for it. ;)

Free contest!

So I missed out on the last contest Roni had and somebody I actually knew wom! (hello Carolyn!) So this probably means the odds are worse now and it will be somebody I never heard of and definately not me. However I'll still enter so...

Check out Roni’s new contest! I can win a Nutrition Smart Scale from Eat Smart and so can you! Click here for details!

I am sick of soup

But I am greatful for what is does for me. Today was the 4th lunch this week of my yummy soup from Sunday. This is also the last day I want to eat it. (yesterday at lunch I had left over moo shoo chicken from the Clean Eating magazine which was really good and easy. And of course healthy!). But I just finished eating it. And I can't just have soup for lunch so I followed with a 35 calorie Source yogurt. I am stuffed. I don't really feel satisfied yet as everything was liquid and sometimes I just like to chew, but I know that in a few minutes that will pass and I'll be just be nice and full.

Oh and guess what. there are cookies outside my office. But i'm not going to eat any. They were there since yesterday morning and I didn't have any. I think it's easier if I don't look at them. So when I go to the bathroom etc I just avert my eyes. Only today did I actually see what they look like (by accident). And when I heard other people eating them, I ate a cheese string. awesome.

Which is super good because I'm not sure how my eating will be this weekend. This event is called the Chicken and Wine (because it's a curling bonspiel so that makes sense?). So they serve Chicken (which basically is KFC and I don't like breaded chicken, or boned chicken, just chicken breast, so I don't eat a lot, salads here I come!) and wine. I don't like wine at all (lucky me!) plus I don't drink booze any more. (feels weird saying. I sorta like it. I might tell people other than hubby and not make up a weird excuse for it.) So I think Sat supper will be ok. Just some salads and potatoes.

But the whole thing is at a rink (duh) and so they serve fries and burgers. If you've ever had rink fries or a rink burger you'll know these are not gourmet by any means. But something about the rink makes them taste kinda good. But then you feel super gross after. So I think I'm going to pack snacks. If that's the only choice for food besides candy of course I'll get a cheese burger. But I think I'd much rather have some tuna and an apple. (how freakin' weird is that).

I love that I thought of that and didn't just take for granted that's what I have to eat since it's all that's available. I rock! Any good suggestions for snacks to bring. So far I'm thinking almonds, apples, cheese strings, some of those tuna and cracker things. I'd like more "treat" healthy food. Maybe some Craisins or dried apricots, but I don't have any. I'll buy 'em though! any other yummy ideas?

Supper tonight is at SILs (Martha one for those paying attention). She's joined curves so is on a big weight loss thing. She makes unhealthy treats and says none for her. Which I guess if it works fine, but I think it's better to not have the temptation. I sorta feel terrible, and I swear I'm not trying to sabatoge, but I made a crab dip to bring home. She always feeds us and brings food when she visits us so I thought I should bring something home and hubby just bought a bunch of crab at Costco. I don't like crab so I made it knowing that I wouldn't be tempted. But I didn't even stop and think that maybe she doesn't want to be tempted. Oops.

Here's some honesty: i'm fine with her losing weight, she really needed to and I'm sure she'll feel better (healthy and confidence). I just don't want her getting skinnier than me. I won't start the sabatoge yet...mwahaha!

(I should have said, won't start it ever because I'll be losing weight too and will be my skinny awesome self soon, oops)

anyway, my point originally was that SIL will probably be making a mediocre healthy supper tonight. so I think I have a good plan for the weekend. And in the bar it's free unlimited diet coke so that always is a treat. ;)

Hope all your weekends are great!

138.0

what can I say. That's the same as 2 weeks ago, so the TOM bloat has passed. Not losing any weight here. I need to realize that's what to expect when you eat more as I am (post workout shake anyone?) but I also know that my workouts are not difficult enough or often enough to really change my body composition (fat vs muscle.) I need to start gyming on tues and thurs again regularly. This weekend hopefully will be a little boost as well.

I did gym yesterday and if you want to see what I did, just read Angie's post. Oddly enough the both of us had the exact same experience, gym to busy this time of year so we tried the track. I had done 15 minutes on the treadmill before getting kicked off so I went upstairs to the track and did another 20 minutes. No walking. Yay me! Sometimes I think I've totally lost my running endurance and then I have a day like that. New shoes I tell ya. Oh yeah, and maybe some good tunes. I think the secret really lies in the tunes. I put songs I really like and pump me up and I never get to hear on there. And if I put just 20 minutes worth of good songs, I only workout 20 minutes. So the key is to put on just 1 more song than you think you want to work out for (35 minutes, not just 30). Bet you'll do it!

And this weekend is the curling bonspeil. I think we're only guaranteed 3 games at about 1 hr each (just 4 ends). If anybody doesn't know what curling is, it's a slightly more physical sport than golf. The throwing requires some leg strength and flexibility and the sweeping is quite a bit of cardio, but I generally skip so it's just standing and not falling and yelling at the others to sweep. At least in this bonspiel everyone takes turns at each position. So I'll get some sweeping in. A little nervous about the flexibility thing. I did start stretching a bit more this week, but 1 week is not going to give you the flexibility you had in high school when you were a curling rock star (haha, rock). DON'T LET ME HURT MYSELF! make sure I do a warm up and stretch, no matter how dorky that is.

Plus it's supposed to be -1000 this weekend. Currently it's -24 but with the windchill it's -35. Pretty much the same for the weekend. Big deal? Well the rink we're playing in is not a heated building with artificial ice. We're playing on natural ice. Which means that while it's not as cold as outside by any means, it gets colder when it's colder out. So there goes the plan to wear my ass hugging yoga pants. I will be layering significantly.

Oh yeah, and sorry for no post yesterday. I went to the doctor in the am, just a physical, but had to wait an hour to get in, then I snuck a quick grocery trip in before coming back to work. So I was gone 10:30 'til 2:30. But I don't feel bad for slacking, so don't get on my back. I'm not going to say I was working those hours, they'll be sick time or whatever you're supposed to do for doctor appt's.

Hubby and I are probably buying an Envoy in the next couple weeks. If anybody has one, tell us the pros and cons please. I managed to talk him out of a truck and into an SUV (thinking ahead people) so I know the Envoy is pretty big but that was a compromise on my part. I feel so bad for getting a big gas guzzler, but I have to remember that SUVs are really bad when it's just a commuter vehicle, driving alone. I know hubby will definately make use of it. Driving people to hockey, he hauls crap to and from work (lumber yard) all the time, plus we're probably gonna have kids with this vehicle.

Speaking of which, very bizzare, but I talked with my doc about having kids. Basically that maybe before my next physical we might be getting pregnant! WHAT!!?!? Seems so weird. But getting pregnant a year from now, and then having a baby almost 2 years from now was sort of the plan. So I'm still like 2 years away from being a mom, but having to plan for it now just freaked me out.

Also having to get more bloodwork done to check the old cholesterol. Let's see what ~20 lbs and regular exercise can to do that puppy.

all or nothing?

So I may have fallen into a bit of "all or nothing" thinking. I am usually never like this so it's a bit concerning. However having noticed it, I believe I can rectify the situation.

It comes with my gyming, or lack thereof. I haven't been going to the gym like my good little self. I think i'm protesting for warmer summer weather. Not working so far. I'm just finding excuses to not go. Disappointing since I'm even remembering my mp3 player! It just seems like every single day after work (I leave 4:30-5:00) I have to stop somewhere and do something. For example it might be groceries, it might be Walmart or Costco (doing returns lately, but sometimes it's kleenex etc or whatever.) Yesterday it was because I wanted to buy my new shoes (I'll take pics later, so cool). Today is groceries, I also want to get home and make supper sometimes! So all of this makes me not want to go to the gym. I just want to be at home when I'm done work! In the summer I could do this and then run from home. Even when it's nicer out here I can do that, but it's dark out by 5:00 so I'd be running in the dark which I'd rather not do, on top of the cold.

Why is that all or nothing? Because I feel like i'm doing nothing because i'm not doing it all. I'm not exercising 4 days a week which used to be my minimum, I'm still doing 2 or 3 but not giving myself credit for that. My classes are 1.5 hours so that's a MINIMUM of 3 hours of fairly intense workout per week so that's not really bad at all is it? My gym only adds maybe another 1 or 1.5 hours of cardio. So i'm not at nothing. I'm only at 75% or so. That's alright.

I need my eating to reflect that however. My eating needs to be more on target to make up for it. And it is during the day and all my meals. My problem lately has been supper. Either before or after. I'm having a hard time keeping supper to a defined meal. I either eat before hand while making it (need to up the afternoon snack!) or eat too much "dessert" afterward. Last night was terrible. I had a big bowl of brownie triffle thing (brownie and whipped cream concoction from SIL) and then a banana with PB. WTH? I was also gonna make a smoothie afterward but stuck to some green tea instead. I think tonight I gotta go straight for the green tea. That's a good enough yummy dessert. I also need to remember that if I workout I can eat more. Like after my class I'll be having a smoothie so I don't need to eat like it's my last meal for 13 hours. But yesterday, where I did not workout, I shouldn't have had any dessert. I need to tie my food in with my activity level more closely.

But like I said, now that I've identified it, hopefully I can fix it!

Yeah so I bought shoes yesterday. They're Brooks I think. I'll take a picture I swear. (I never get around to this do I?) Regular $150 but because of the sale (-30%) I got them for $110 tax included. Super expensive but I haven't bought shoes outside walmart for like 5 years (I'm talking dress shoes, running shoes, every day shoes. If they're more than $40 there's no way I'll get them. The shoes I wear every day for the past 2 years cost me $5, I think I had some shoe money left in the budget)

Anyway. Gotta go warm up my soup! Getting good mileage out of that pot!

yummy liquid diet

So the past couple days I realized I've been living on a liquid diet. don't get worried, it's not all liquid, and it's not at all bad. I've been drinking lots of smoothies. With cottage cheese and frozen mixed berries, or with my protein powder and berries and bananas. Plus I made up an awesome soup on the weekend and have been eating it for lunches. it's probably the healthiest soup I could ever think of:
chicken stock base (ok so there's the sodium, but I'm not concerned about that)
a pile of mashed up tomatoes
carrots, celery, onion
can of 6 bean mix
can of peas
chicken breast
barley (instead of noodles or crackers, yummier, and healthier)
flax seed (can't taste or anything, just secretly makes you eat healthy things)
and snuck in some benefibre on top of it all.

Shazam!

So I didn't know what it would taste like, but I packed a bunch of containers for hubby and SIL and my lunches. And hubby comes home and tells me he LOVES IT! Haha! He likes healthy food! Normally he doesn't like when I put beans in stuff or whatever, but he didn't even comment on it, and he said the best part was the barley! Woohoo!

Unfortunately that means it won't last me all week for lunch, only about 3 lunches each. But you don't need much more than that. Because it's liquid it fills you up so much. I usually try and eat lots of salads but I just don't crave them in the winter. However I know I always want soup in the summer but think it doesn't go since it's hot. Duh! soup in the winter! Plus I love having a big pot of something cooked on sunday night ready for lunches all week. So easy!

Sorry if I offended anybody with my muscle posts.

Had a good class last night. Killed the shoulders. Gonna hit the gym today. Even though it's blizzarding here and I forgot my phone. oops. I guess if it looks too bad I'll head straight home after work. if that happens, I'll shovel snow as a workout.

This weekend I'm curling with hubby and in-laws. Just a fun event where there's no prizes and it's all about the party. I'm fine with driving and not drinking. However I think i'm gonna be sore from curling! Been a long time since I've done that - however I used to be super pro (any suprise there? what am I not super pro at?) Maybe I'll post pictures after. I'm pleased that I'm 20 lbs lighter this year than I was last year. I don't really like the pictures from last time. Plus I wore big baggy ugly sweats and curled with my skinny beautiful sister, plus in curling, your ass sort of takes center stage so anybody watching was definately looking at my fat behind. But this year, while it's not necessarily where I want it to be for public viewing, it's much much much improved and I sorta like my butt now. Maybe enough to wear my tight yoga pants instead of sweats. Just depends how cold it is.

Anyway, back to work time. Being super productive and a great employee. Yay me!

Comments on "bulking"

So many of you in your comments have said "but I don't want to bulk" or "I just want to tone, not build my muscles." or other variations. Basically there is no such thing (learned this in my book).

You're not going to get bulky if you're a woman. You might at first, if your muscles build faster than the fat on top shrinks. But it's the fat, not the muscles that are making you look bad. Think of this: Picture the buffest, hottest woman ever. Look at her abs, flat, lean. Not bulky. Look at your abs... Yeah, her arms might be bigger than yours but they look nice still anyway. Besides, try it this way for awhile, if you don't like what you see, then quit.

You can't have nice looking muscles if you don't strength train. I've said this before, they can only get bigger or smaller. It's your fat on top that gets bigger or smaller that makes them look "sculpted".

You don't have to be scared you'll look like some body building woman. I think she'd be insulted if you did think that. She works freakin hard to look that way and for you to think you'd "accidentally" put on that much muscle is ridiculous.

This isn't a personal attack on any commentor individually. I'm just sick of all sorts of women talking about muscles like they're a bad thing. Forget about asthetics even, I'd sooner be able to carry my own sh*t and not get help from a "big strong man".

Come on ladies, let's toughen up and grunt a little!

Book review Part 1 (of many I'm sure)

So I finished reading my New Rules for Women. Hot damn. I wanna start right now. HOWEVER, i'm signed up and paid in advance for 3 months of classes (mon and wed). I was thinking I could still do the plan on the days I don't have class. HOWEVER, the book talks about doing strength training back to back and it's a no no. In fact, some of the rules are specifically about that. Like if you're going to jog or whatever, you have to do intervals first, wait 5 minutes, then do a normal jog. And if you want to do a spin class or kickboxing as well, it should have a rest day before and after since it's fairly intense and can be like a strength day. And you have to do the workouts either 2 or 3 times a week. So that just doesn't leave me enough days for everything. So here's what I think i'm gonna do. Just do my class now until this session is up. End or March or early april or something. Then start the book's program.

But do you think that my current class could be hurting more than it's helping? This is my 4th session taking this class. One last Jan-mar, one last April-june, one Sept-dec and now jan-mar. Well this past year I lost 15-20 lbs. All of that was in june to sept. I lose more weight doing my own thing, as opposed to during this class. Weird huh? I don't think I'm actually building up my muscle as fast as I do on my own with the class. Because we do a million reps with super low weight. (from my book) I've learned that this will increase your muscle endurance but that's all. It won't make your muscles stronger (lift heavier) so it won't make them bigger, and if it doesn't make them bigger, then their metabolic demand doesn't increase, then you don't lose weight.

It was fun yesterday because I was explaining how to lose weight to my husband and I felt like a total pro and he said I could be his personal trainer. (but he meant only when he asks me questions, not when he's just laying on the couch eating chips). But basically I can summarize the book a la this:

Food - try and split up your food macronutrients evently, 30%ish for carbs, fats and proteins. So that's like twice as much protein as the average american. Muscles are made of protein so you need lots to build them. Also, eat 5 meals a day, 6 when you work out. It also has numbers on calories to eat and you'll all be shocked by them so I'm debating putting them up there. But of course I love to shock you so here: 2000-ish calories a day. (more when you workout, less when you don't, but average here). They references some studies that say limiting your calories puts you in starvation, we all know the number 1200 or below is starvation right and it's super bad. But I guess that 500 calories less than maintenance is also starvation! And that's what all the magazines and everything tells you to do! So they're wrong. (they have studies and references and stuff but I can't remember that stuff).

You have to remember the idea is to build muscle (gain muscle weight) and the side effect will be lose fat. You're not trying to "lose weight" because most of the time you lose a lot of muscle, meaning that you'll never be able to go back to "normal" you'll have to eat less all the time.

Workouts: of course these are the real "program". So there's 6 or so sets of workouts that last a month or 2 each (depending on how often you do them). No one workout will ever be identical to another. The exercises may be, but you'll do more or less reps or different variations or weights. It starts out beginner with no intervals for the first couple months, then you add 15 minute interval training which is basically all out sprints and recovery alternating. But only 15 minutes so don't worry. It sort of eases you in to that part. Talks about, don't right out go as hard as you can for the first little while, leave some in the can. Next time do a little more etc etc. I wish they didn't do that. It makes it seem like it should be easy. But they said a lot of time people go all out at first and it sucks and they get burned out and then don't want to do it any more. So I guess they had to say something.

Anyway, it's lots of pushups, deadlifts, squats and lunges. A whole month to get you to do a chin-up unassisted (totally can do - well before Christmas, probably not so much any more). So I'm asking for a barbell set for my birthday in March. Actually this weekend we're going home for curling and FIL mentioned he had some weights we could have. Don't know what they'll be like but check em out. Otherwise I can do the workouts at the gym. but that would mean going to the squat rack where the big guys are and even though i'm totally tough, I don't know what I'm doing yet so I'd still be scared. Plus if hubby ever gets serious he could use them at home. (it's the school gym so I'll be out of there soon anyway).

I'm sure I'll talk much more about the book later too. I really liked it. If anyone has any questions about it ask em for sure and I'll post about that.

I feel stalled right now. My eating has been alright. But I've been skipping the gym (I don't like it so busy!) I was inspired by katieo to maybe jog outside this week. We'll see. (oh yeah, it has no cardio component. Of course you can do cardio as it has benefits for your heart and stuff, but they say you don't need it with this program for reshaping your body. It says really specific stuff about cardio that I'll comment on later, I just can't remember now). While I'm not goign to start the workouts yet, I am trying to up my protein significantly (mostly in breakfasts so far) and still do more strength training in my regular workouts. this may all change in a second but that's how it's going now.

Highs and lows

I'm on a roller coaster here at work. Yesterday I left feeling really good about getting this memo out, then this morning I felt bad because the guy who reviewed it said it was a little "loose" for a final draft. Then I got a high again because talking to the big boss and he gave me a couple compliments and a bit of responsibility and a task that is a bit of a challenge but I can do. I'm sure something bad is coming right away. Sheesh.

Highs and lows on the weight front to. Mostly lows (in the high way...). I showed a gain of 0.2 or 0.4 this week. Boo me. The high comes in the part where i'm totally optimistic and excited. I got my book in the mail! woohoo! I gotta say so far it is really funny. It's written by Lou Schuler with workouts by Alwyn Cosgrove and nutrition by Cassandra Forsythe. So far I'm about 3 chapters in. And so far the "rules" are just about how women should lift heavy weights because there's not as much difference between men and women as we think. Best "rule" :
you lift weights to build muscle. Not to tone, sculpt or shape.

the tone, sculpt and shape business is crap. You can't get longer muscles, or change the shape of your muscles. Only the size. Take that ladies.

Haven't gotten to the workouts or the food stuff yet. But that's why I'm so stinking excited! Optimistic I guess. This is all "before" but once I start that, then I can expect some results. Meanwhile, WI didn't mean anything this morning.

I dunno what it is, but looking at some of the pictures of all the uber fit chicks (in magazines, this book, online, whatever. Picture the cover of Oxygen magazine) makes me realize just how freaking in shape I used to be. I used to have rippling back muscles and my leg still is very muscular. Some of the pictures I see and think "I used to look just like that" which is ridiculous because even when I was that strong, I didn't think it looked good. All I saw was the fat on top of it or in other key areas.

Anyway, weekend plans: read my book! also read some of the magazines I've bought lately. i'm a bit behind. A little minor house cleaning. And SLEEP! I tried to go to bed early last night, but with my new book, and Grey's being on it didn't work out that great. It was only regular time. Oh I forgot to tell you. I skipped the gym yesterday. I couldn't find a parking spot and I had to do a couple returns at walmart, plus I was starving already and sleepy, so I just said screw it and went home. To make up for it I took the dog for a walk at home. Plus I'm gonna try and go today after work. Sort of a bad attitude in this sense but until I read this book I feel like this is just "before" and it doesn't really matter. I know it's still good for me to just do SOMETHING however. That's why i'll go today. But I also know that my brain just needed a day off from it. I was tired of hurrying everywhere and having a giant to do list. Thank goodness it's the weekend now!

Oh and I think I might try and buy some new shoes this weekend from Brainsport. they're doing a sale that has to do with the temperature or something, -10 degrees, save 10% or something. Too bad we're above seasonal temperatures. This time last year could have easily been -30!

Step was good

It wasn't as hard as last time. But I think that will come as I get the routines, I'll be able to do the advanced bouncy options. My SIL came as well. Now she's thinking about doing both classes all the time. Which is good, but I sort of liked just having it be me time. I feel a little more embarrassed when she's there (and my sister too sometimes). I think it was part of the TOM stuff and normally I'm a rockstar and just kick it. Plus (here's the hater in me) I don't want her to get more in shape than me. She's already super skinny, even when she was "fat" and had this pudge and muffin top and double chin, she was still just a size 4. Just one of those tiny boned people ya know? She's only like 5'1 or something too. Even if I was completely anorexic I'd still never be smaller than a 4 probably (big boned, honestly, there was a link I had one time involving measuring your wrist and whatever and it told you "frame size" or something. I'm big boned.) She's just the kind of person who can make me feel fat even on my best days. We'd never be able to share clothes, hard to shop with, hard to relate to about food and exercise etc. I always felt good that she was just a "skinny" girl, not really in shape and couldn't lift more than 10 lbs or whatever. At least I was "tough". But now if she takes this class too, "what will I have". I know that's lame and stupid and I don't really feel this way. There's just something about inlaws isn't there? Gotta one-up them.

Right. Well anyway, class was awesome. Don't feel too sore about it yet. It'll come though I think.

Food's been alright. I think my book is showing up today (woohoo!) and it's got a big nutrition section. Anyway hopefully it'll help a bit. Plus I'm obsessed with buying magazines about fat loss or nutrition lately. Supper today is something with ground beef. I don't know how healthy that could be I guess to begin with. (even though it's lean, everything in magazines or whatever is ground chicken). At least yesterday before class, even though I had lasagna, I only had half a piece and that's all. Even though I would have eaten a lot more regularly. I just decided that I'd split supper up and eat something after class (like you're supposed to, post workout nutrition is a big deal I guess, I'll tell you more after I read my book). But then after class I was looking for something protein-ish. I had a little chunk of cheese and a banana with peanut butter. Yay! I felt really good about that too. I'm really trying to limit my peanut butter because I was getting a little crazy there.

The other awesome thing is my breakfast. I try and keep it to 1 piece of toast not 2. then I'll still be hungry for morning snack. Today and monday I had an egg white omelet with feta and spinach. SOO good! and quick and easy. Love it. Plus does it get healthier? I suppose low fat feta but you can't buy a giant tub of that at costco. Anyway. Where it's been bad has been work! Normally I have the 1 bad-ish thing monday at work for our meeting. I usually bring muffins on my turn, but this time we had croissants or whatever bakery things with apple filling stuff. Giant too. So that was bad. But then yesterday was somebody's birthday and we had this giant chocolate cake with tons of icing and a filling. Ridiculous. Not good for the ole calorie count. If it wasn't the big push to get back on the wagon I wouldn't care, I think I want to be able to do things like that. they're not every day things. Anyway.

Oh, and I'm eating cinnamon hearts like crazy. I thought they'd be ok because they're small and hot so you can't eat too many. But it turns out I like to chew them. And then when it gets too hot in the mouth, having another one makes it feel better. So I'm really going through them. I was gonna bring gum to work but I forgot. Tomorrow.

Right so that's my boring little life right now. Not much to say. WI tomorrow, I'm gonna try and get hubby to do so as well. I bet he gained. He needs to realize he's in gaining mode so has to make some bigger changes. (he had great ambitions or exercise and stuff but he's done nothing).

back to the crappy crap part of work

So I'm back to doing things I don't know how to do and nobody else does either but they just say "well just keep messing around with it". Boo. It's worth this summer student did that we now don't know how he did it to reproduce it. He didn't take good notes, isn't responding to email but probably doesn't remember anyway. Plus I'm pretty sure I've already tried everything and there's just a small problem with this macro but when I try and debug it it's in some weird stuff I can't figure out. So I want to email the guy who made it, but I don't know just how cool that is. whether we pay him, he just did us a favour, whether he's a nice guy or a crabby guy who doesn't want to tell us a million times etc. Because why else wouldn't the boss have just recommended asking the programmer? And all this disaster made me work (unproductively) through lunch and forget to post. boo.

Well the potluck was pretty fun. Nice to visit with the cousins. Since my grandma died we haven't all gotten together at Christmas anymore so this was good. We joked about how much our family must like carbs. We had: pasta salad, scalloped potatoes, lasagna, buns, plus caesar salad, my appetizers, spring rolls, and a truffle dessert. Of course I was stuffed, even just taking small portions of everything my plate was packed. Also I was starving after the gym (note to self: increase afternoon snacks) so I ate some of my appetizers before going (just a spanokopita but still, they're filling). Didn't get out of there and home until 11:00. Too late for this broad.

The gym was alright. So packed with resolutioners but that's alright. I think I started that way years ago. So I only got a stepper for 15 minutes and treadmill for 20. Killed myself on the treadmill. Sad how quick you can lose your conditioning. Oh well. I'll get it back. I'm gonna blame part of it on my legs getting progressively sorer from class monday. today my hamstrings are so tight I can barely stand straight! I hope they're ready for another beating tonight! (step class starts!)

I've got to do some returns at Walmart and make supper and get ready for class. But after today I'm hoping I can just rest! I'm sooo tired still from the previous weekend! I haven't done the slept-in-to-compensate-for-5-hours-of-sleep-2-nights-in-a-row yet. In fact i've been getting less sleep than normal all week! Yuck!

That nasty (delicious) big meal yesterday, combined with obvious fluid retention from both my class and sore mucles as well as TOM combined to give me a big fat nasty WI this morning. Let's hope that a couple days on plan will make that go away.

Anyway, work time, unproductive as it might be, it's can be billed so that's the main thing I guess...

catch up

So since I guess I never explained it and I've been asked a couple times so here goes:
I'm getting the book free because I'm freakin' awesome and rule the world. YES!

Also, because the producer lady found my blog (just cause I wrote the whole name of the book out and it showed up in her updates) and read how I wanted it but Amazon was annoying and so she offered to send me one. AKA I'm freakin' awesome! Sweet!

I'm having an impossible time working this afternoon. I'm just waiting on this stupid model and I'm so sick of my thesis (doing edits for weeks, so close to being done now though). Plus I'm listening to Never Not Funny (podcast) and it makes me not want to use my brain, just listen. Hmmm...

Oh, my muscles are starting to feel a little sore. Nothing like can't walk, but just a nice sore when I stretch or whatever. particularly hamstrings. Weird one (my legs were just shaking through the whole deadlift track. Though I couldn't feel any muscles being tired or anything.)

Somebody post on their blog so I have something to do this afternoon?

breaking the rules

So I'm breaking my resolution about blogging during work time. But to be fair, I'm actually working at the same time. I'm running a model so I'll occasionally reach over and adjust something. I've got no other work to do really, except my thesis of course. Which is what I'm working on when I'm not blogging. So I think this is not really cheating.

Plus I've got to go get an oil change at noon so I won't be here.

Class yesterday wasn't too bad. I was debating back and forth like while I was writing the check just what I would sign up for. Full time mondays? Full time Wed? Punch card for just one day? for both days? screw this, just do my new exciting book when it comes? I ended up signing up for both full time because it was cheaper than punch cards. I'm glad I did because of my last post, being TOM and my crazy mind doing crazy things right now. Keep the status quo when in doubt.

Anyway, class was alright. It was a bit slow for the new people and the new choreography. But I have a feeling that the kickboxing part will be pretty intense eventually. The weights as well of course. I liked the new squat track, it's a bunch of mini squats either low, medium or high. I took it easy and used light weights or no weights for it. The rest of it wasn't that hard, again, it was slower because of the newbies. (welcome resolutioners...)

Anyway, it was good. A bit of sweating, get me back on track. Already this morning, I didn't weigh, but I noticed that my love handles that showed up over Christmas (something I never really had before...) seemed way smaller, almost back to normal. We'll see at WI on friday I guess right?

Food wasn't the greatest however. Lasagna. Not that it's bad. But just large. Also ate a pile of nuts and chocolate covered nuts while cooking supper. Boo that.

Today food is great though. I started with an egg white, feta and spinach omlete. So fast and yummy. Lunch of roast beef sandwich, yogurt, honeydew melon, carrots. Supper will be a disaster perhaps as it's cousin's potluck. Lots of food. Thankfully I'm getting rid of my leftovers from the party. I also made a spinach artichoke hot dip. But I'm getting rid of my spanokopita, surpise spread and veggie pizzas. (i was in charge of appetizers, convenient for me. But who the heck needs that much appetizers for a potluck?)

Right anyway. Not a lot to say. Back to work and oil change now I think.

so ya know

Just so we're all aware. I am a week before TOM so this is when I go crazy and want bad food and don't care if I get fat I'll lose it later. It's also when dumb ideas pop in my head and I try and talk myself into or out of dumb things. So if anybody notices any dumb (uncharacteristically so, obviously) moves on my part, gimme a slap and tell me wait a week alright?

My weekend was a dis-to the-aster

I've been splitting up all my words today and sticking to the in them. I know it doesn't make me cool. I can't help it.

Anyway, my weekend was sort of disastrous. On so many levels. It was hubby's b-day friday (thank you for the wishes) so I went and watched his hockey game. The girl I usually hang out with came but she brought her cousin who got on my nerves way to much. She was such a big city girl and a bad girl and an all about me girl. Boo. Very fake. Let's sum it up like this, she has smoked since she was 11 with her mom and in the 3 hours we were at the game I heard all about her growing up and how her dad killed himself and how that made her rebel and then now she's calming down and she had joined a cult but now she's back and about her first time getting drunk was with my friend and I heard every detail of that. Um. Ok. Nice to meet you. Every 3rd word was "man". I think she pissed me off so much because when I was in my rebel years (at 16) I hung out with kids who talked like her and basically were her. But I've just grown up so much from back then and if she's like how I was then she's a total fake and I want nothing to do with her. Except to slap her upside the head.

Eh hem.

So after that we went to the bar. I was already bored and tired and annoyed but it was hubby's day so I stayed. Didn't get home until 2:30. Then up at 8:30 to go to nephew's hockey game. Cute. Little 5 year olds skating using their hockey stick as a tripod. One kid just skated laps the whole time. It was 1.5 hour drive so I packed a healthy little breakfast for hubby and I on the road. had some low cal orange juice with benefibre. A couple source yogurts, a couple protein/fibre bars, and fruit-to-go bars. Very healthy. I had a protein bar and a yogurt and the juice. Hubby had a fruit-to-go. That's all. At least he ate a breakfast I guess. Baby steps. He's got a long way to go on this health thing.

Anyway after that great planned breakfast, the family decides to go out for Chinese for lunch. ok. I was gonna get a noodle bowl or some veggie dish or soup. But no, they decide to get the meal for 6 and a couple other dishes and we'll share. Boo. I started so good. I loaded up on the veggies and a bit of rice. Passing just about everything else. I did have some ginger pork and an egg roll. So as far as Chinese not terrible, however it was way more food than I should have eaten. probably 3 times as much as I wanted. oops. Then the drive home and getting ready for the party!

We were having a sledding party for hubby's b-day. He said if I did the cooking he'd do the cleaning. So alright. I was making a billion appetizer things - cool veggie pita pizzas, suprise spread, cream puffs, angel food birthday cake, bacon wrapped weiners (hubby's request, ew), spanokopita. Plus just meat and cheese and pickles to cut up. It was a huge spread. I had 3 hours. I do all this, while hubby goes to work to pick up his phone he forgot. And to drop off a thank you gift to the bar for staying open on his birthday (we got there at last call). And he doesn't come back for 2.5 hours, in the bar. Thanks. I was cooking the whole time, it would have been nice if he'd have helped a few times (hands dirty grab that, or take that out of the oven, I need to do this right now.) I get done all the cooking (for his party) and then get started on the cleaning, 3 loads of dishes, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing. I hadn't showered yet. Oh yeah, and I was keeping the dog out of everything the whole time by myself too. Jerk. I was litterally running around the house. Finally get showered and dressed just as people start showing up.

The party was really fun. I love sledding. We'd done this last year for Jerk's birthday so people already had sleds and stuff. Though there were a couple new people who thought we were joking about it. No we really were going toboganning for a 27th birthday party. got a bit of exercise there. Our neighbour's little kid came too and wanted carried up the hill each time so that was a double workout. Everyone else had an awesome time too I think. Then back to the house for more food and visiting. I mostly stuck to the pitas with veggies. A few chips. It was supper as well I guess. And I had some punch which I shouldn't have and wasn't planning on but I forgot and it was right there. oops. Anyway, people didn't leave until 4:00 am. So I was completely exhausted, hubby had already passed out/fallen asleep so it was just me and his friends in the end. Thanks again jerk. I slept in until 11. but it still wasn't half enough sleep. I'm so tired today still. (sunday was cleaning up and a costco trip and movies on the couch, hangover day but without any booze)

Speaking of hangover days. I had a one on new year's day. (i decided to drink on new year's eve, just felt like it). I hated it! I wasn't even really hungover, I didn't really get drunk. But I just hated the way I felt, the tired, sluggish way I was moving, the way I just wanted to stuff my face and sit on the couch and turn my head off. It has renewed my vow (?) to not drink any more. I just don't see any upside any more. Well one upside I guess, you feel comfortable on the dance floor. but I don't really go dancing ever so big deal. I do just as crazy silly things as the drunk people and they never really know I'm sober cause I don't act like it. But I like the way I feel without it, just my every day feel good feeling. Drinking basically makes me feel like a "fat" person.

Anyway, busy week ahead. First class tonight. Then tomorrow I'm going to the gym with sister and then a potluck with my cousin's after (I'm bringing leftover appetizers, is that horrible or what? Also have to get an oil change tomorrow (coupon only on tuesday, what's with that?) Wed is class again, thursday maybe swimming again and then it's the weekend already!

Ok well I gotta get back to work and everything. I've been doing really well on that resolution, (just as long as I find stuff to do still).

how cool am i?

I'm getting free stuff! Na nana nana na! I'm totally getting that book from the publisher! Woo hoo! I'm so pumped about that I can't wait! But it's sort of making me feel like not doing anything until it gets here. Boo that. I've got class starting up again tonight. Prices went up and after I got screwed a bit last time (It worked out more expensive to sign up for the class than to just drop in because of cancelled classes) it makes me just want to get a punch card or drop in and stuff. But then I'll feel like I can skip classes since I didn't pay in advance. Hmm...My cheap side and my exercise side are fighting right now. If I want to do both classes it's $80 for just 3 months. If I did the punch card it would be $100 for 24 classes. The thing with that is, if classes are cancelled (long weekends, her kids are sick whatever) I'm not out. Plus my sister can use a punch on my card when she comes occassionally and I wouldn't be out any. Plus plus, if I really want to do this new book thing then these classes aren't really part of it (though I'm sure they don't hurt).

Here's a bad news thing. Though I only gained like 3 lbs, i also gained an inch in my waist. I bought new exercise clothes yesterday (hello costco!). Same brand as what I've got before. But when I tried them on, they sorta looked crappy on the belly. Oh well, it should go away quick right? You know how they say "well you didn't gain it in a day, it won't go away in a day." Well how about if you did gain it in 2 weeks? Will it go away in 2 weeks? I sort think so. we'll see I guess. Once I start strength training again I'll feel better about it at least.

Anyway, I post later about my weekend. Just wanted to do a little happy dance about my free book! yay!

swimming = sore in weird places

Like my elbows and forearms are quite sore, as is my hip. I did quite good I must say. I feel all pro at swimming. It's weird what getting my heart and lungs in shape will do for all your sports etc. Normally I only liked back crawl because I felt like I couldn't breathe enough in front crawl. But I was a super pro doing every 4 strokes at first, then every 3 as I got tired. I did stop after ever lap, sometimes for about 2 minutes, sometimes for just 10 seconds. I gotta learn the ettiquite for passing people or whatever. Maybe I should have gone in the fast lane but I went in medium. Anyway, I swam for about 45 minutes. I didn't really time it, can't remember when I got in. but most of it was swimming, not a lot of resting. so yay me. Next time I go I'm going to keep track of my distance. I don't really know how far you're supposed to go in a sprint triathalon so I don't know what I'm aiming for. I think even once I can do the distance I have to work on doing it relaxed as that's only the first thing.

anyway, supper last night not so great. SIL had made smokies and perogies. so that's what I ate since I didn't get home until 7:00. Too much. Dessert was yogurt so that's alright. No veggies. bad form. Lunch today thankfully is spinach salad with 2 hard boiled eggs. pretty tasty.

Today is hubby's birthday! I remembered last night asking him what he wanted for supper etc. but I forgot this morning getting ready. He asked me to grab him a coffee cup at the door on his way out so I do and he's like "no happy birthday kiss?" You know it's bad when the b-day person has to bring it up first. oops. So I'll probably go to his hockey game tonight and then we're having a sledding party tomorrow. so fun. Plus it's supposed to be plus 2 out tomorrow! woohoo!

Oh weird, forgot to mention WI! hehe. It was 138.0 this morning. So I can't really remember what it was before Christmas and don't want to look it up but I know I saw 135 something over the break. So it's about 2 to 3 lbs gain. Only I think I lost muscle pounds so it's more like a 3 or 4 lb fat gain. boo. Oh well, it should be easy to get back there. added swimming to the schedule and I'm starting classes again already next week. yay! (might also add in the occassional strippercise class which is now being offered! cool!)

I'm also thinking of buying The New Rules of Lifting for Women. by a bunch of people but it includes my hero Alwyn Cosgrove. it's only $20 on Amazon but something's screwed up and I can't see what shipping will be. But I'm really serious about it. It's a solid serious plan for like 6 months or something. 6 months will take me into bikini season!

Anyway, busy at work with planning meetings so that's sorta nice. I think I'm also caught up on blog reading. I'm sorry if I haven't commented but Google Reader told me I had 500 some to catch up on! So I haven't commented much. But I should be back to normal soon. I'm doing good with not spending my entire day blogging and actually working. (today I was a little easier on myself as it's friday so I took a bit of time this morning.) Anyway, please don't give up on me and if you really want more comments from this superstar then please leave me comments. It makes me love you more.

money money money

So I got a step towards my financial resolution done last night. I met with my Aunt who is our Investor's Group chick. wow do we have a plan...

First I gotta say, hubby and I are making oodles of money. Our combined income is like $100,000 a year. Every month after bills and everything we have about $2000 that just disappears. Poof. It's all spending where we don't need to, in the bar, on clothes, I really don't know where it all goes. Hubby admits it's mostly him. (I really can't fathom that we just blow that much money each month, I always sooo cheap!) Anyway, in the next little while we want to finish the basement ($12000?) buy an SUV, pay off the little bit of debt we have ($3000) and then think about kids. So she suggested we rework our mortgage. We bought our house 2 years ago, just a month before the market exploded here. So in 2 years our house has doubled in value. So it's like we got it on sale! ;)

Anyway, she suggested we increase our mortgage by like $50,000 (or whatever number we come up with). Use it to finish the basement and pay of the debt maybe. Then take the rest ($35,000) and invest it. It will increase our mortgage payment by a couple hundred bucks so it'll be the same as just investing that much every month, only we'll already have a large amount invested so the interest will work out much higher all the time. Get it? Seems so scary though. It makes sense as long as we're earning interest at a higher rate than our mortgage is charging us. The SUV (and maybe the little debt as well) will just be a regular bank loan since you don't want to pay for your car for 25 years. but the basement is part of the house so it makes sense to be on the mortgage. Any financial people out there want to weigh in?

So if we do that and buy our SUV, we're looking at increasing our bills by $1000 each month. If we've really got $2000 that we just blow all the time, then it should be no problem. However, we blow it so fast, it feels like we don't even have it. (I have got to check up on hubby's spending a little more, I swear I only "burn" like $100 max each month on make up or clothes or whatever). Anyway, we're supposed to think it over, figure out just what we can afford our monthly payments to be and decide if we want to do this. It's exciting.

In other news. I'm going swimming today. I didn't say that as a resolution, but I'm sort of leaning towards that triathalon thing, just a sprint distance or something. But that means getting back into swimming! I used to be a lifeguard, so the training for that involved a lot of swimming (duh) so I used to be quite pro at it. But not for ages. So my sister and I are going today after work. While I love swimming, I can't stand getting out of the pool all stinky and my eyes are so sensitive they're purple, and my skin is just itchy and yucky. Plus then you're half wet trying to put your clothes back on and go home. Just gross. So hopefully I'll enjoy the swimming part enough to counter that yucky stuff.

Also, I returned a present from my MIL (didn't tell her, shh) to Costco and got a cookbook. The Jerry Seinfeld's wife one. About hiding vegetable puree in your food. Pretty good. I like the idea. It's not to hard, just a little preplanning. So last night I made a spaghetti sauce from scratch (first that was pretty cool, only took like 1/2 an hour) with all these veggies and ground chicken and then added sweet potato puree. You can't even tell, it just made it more like regular pasta sauce (thicker). Even hubby liked it. He wasn't a big fan to begin with because it was mostly veggies plus he likes plain pasta. But it didn't gross him out at least! That's my lunch today too. Pretty good.

Hubby is not doing that great on his whole "diet". I think it might just start with me telling him every time he's eating something bad. I told him it was important to eat breakfast, so he went and bought poptarts. I just laughed. I explained to him at McDonalds how the muffins had the most fat of anythign there and that shocked him. and how his salad with ranch dressing had just as much fat as a big mac. So he sorta feels like he's screwed now, the things he thought he should eat aren't right. Oh well. He'll get it. It's going to be a tough turnaround though. I think he was still gaining, so if he decreases a little bit, he'll just maintain, so he'll have to decrease even more to lose. It's just going to take a bit of time for him I think. He is doing some small things and seems really gung ho about it. Like he decided to wrestle with the dog for 10 minutes every day. and he wants to get on the elliptical more often. we'll see.

Anyway, I'm still not caught up on all of your blogs and lunch is almost over!

back to business

So I'm back at work after my lovely holidays. Boo work. yay holidays. Didn't even get 1 thing I wanted to done on my time off but that's how it always goes right? Never enough time in the holidays. At least it's a short week.

There's been some changes at work here now. Basically the whole company had gotten complacent and everyone was just putting in their time (definately me) and slacking on the job and doing the bare minimum. So the bosses have put some new incentives and stuff in place, not sure what it all is about yet. But after a speech at the prof dev day they've sort of put a new attitude in this place. So i'm coming to work earlier, leaving a little later (just to get my 8 hour work day in, I was like 7 before) and I'm working while at work (at least while I have something to do). I can tell you for sure that blogging is going to suffer. I've cleaned out my Reader and now I'm only reading my favorite blogs (don't worry, the only ones deleated are folks who've never commented on here before, plus they're boring or depressing, not like you darlings.) I'll probably only be posting at noon or maybe at home but I never feel like it there. And unless I've got a rant on, they'll probably be shorter and to the point. So sorry. ;)

But that's good in a way. I feel better when i'm productive and useful at work. Which brings me to #1 of new year's resolutions! yay!

1. Be a good employee. Work hard, you're smart, act like it.

2. Same line, stop procrastinating. Get the damn thesis done! Seriously with in weeks here. Just do it!

3. Take better care of my house. Weekly cleanings need to be reinstated.

the next two are couple ones for hubby and I

4. monthly dates with hubby. Don't have to be big deals, just 2 hours of just the 2 of us. movies, shopping, eating, skating, anything. But a connection time.

5. Rein in the spending. I want to stop using our line of credit and have at least $1000 in the bank. (as I told hubby, if 2008 is the year of saving, 2009 can be the year of spending. Hubby wants a tv and stuff. He can wait a year)

Finally the body stuff

6. Get a body that you're comfortable with in a bikini. I hate that it's vague like that. But I think it means weighing like 125. Of course along with this goes, wear a bikini all summer!

7. Do a race. Maybe a 5 or 10K or maybe a triathalon. I want to be fit not just skinny.

8. Keep up the strength stuff. I like what I'm doing here and don't have any specific goals (since I already got the chin-ups!)

Now are just a couple good person type things

9. Be a better friend. Don't wait for somebody to call me to do something. Go out of my way to think of them.

10. Do a minimum of 3 charitable/volunteery things by the year end. MS Bike Tour, maybe my race will be charity, and volunteer with something. I could do Big Sisters or soup kitchen stuff but I want to find something that's important to me. (open for suggestions) I will also encourage others to give blood as I faint every time I do it I just don't want to any more.

So there's 10 New Year's Resolutions. I'm going to print them out and hang them up where I'll see them occasionally. (not every day because you won't SEE them after a little while then)

Oh yeah, and I should mention, while I lost almost a pound over Christmas. I seemed to have gained 4 lbs in the last 5 days. I'll be back with an official weight this friday for regular weigh in. Also, hubby has said he's on the wagon and really wants to lose 20 lbs this year. So we had salads at McDonalds while we were shopping yesterday. But then last night he had popsicles and chips even though I made a comment. Baby steps I guess.