Fitness Friday

Let's see, let's see, where to start? There isn't a whole lot new this week. Uhm, oh! I decided to give PB2 a try. I've been seeing it all over Instagram. It's powdered peanut butter, made only of peanuts, sugar, and salt. It's only 45 calories per 2 tablespoons versus the usual 190 in regular peanut butter. You can put the powder on or in anything you want or you can mix it with water or any other liquid to turn it into a peanut butter consistency. I've been mixing it with almond milk and eating it with an apple.

I also put some in a jar of overnight oats with half a scoop of triple chocolate protein powder. It was supa-rich and tasty.

So that's been cool. The taste is a leeetle off from regular peanut butter, but that might be because I mix it with almond milk, so I will try it other ways and see if it tastes more normal.

I'm also eating a lot of eggs/liquid egg whites, still. What's new? And while I've done pretty well with keeping my day time eating in check, I cheated a bit in the evenings.

I ordered this lamb shank with double veggies instead of veggies and mashed potatoes. The veggies were likely sauteed in oil or butter, and the lamb shank was super tender and fatty, but overall it probably wasn't that bad. What was bad was the weekend that followed this lamb shank.

I kind of let things get out of hand last weekend. Having breakfast with friends included a not-so-bad eggs... and regular bacon... and fruit! and a cinnamon roll. That was followed by a day of many beers. The day of many beers was followed by a chili dinner, which was delicious and still probably not that bad... but then I had like 800 pounds of corn bread. With butter.

Whatever, I thought, tomorrow's another day!

Yes, yes it was. Sunday was another day of drinking and eating. Another day with friends, eating rice, beans, meat, snacks, and drinking beers and sangria.

Oh, and I made this:

Oh and it was mighty tasty. A major hit. Yikes.

So I did poorly this weekend, and I felt it on Monday. I felt sluggish and had trouble really pushing myself in spin and Zumba.

Yes, I did still burn 574 calories between spin, pilates and Zumba, but I was pretty bummed that I didn't do better. I mean, the week before, I burned 413 calories in Zumba alone! But then today happened. After burning 340ish calories in Zumba on Wednesday and still feeling like I could have done better, the Zumba instructor really amped it up this week.

She knows I have my Polar, so today she said "We're gonna burn 500 calories!" I was a little skeptical at first, but as class went on, it was looking good. The end of class came, and...

Uh yeah, I did it. 510 calories, dudes. I was pretty stoked about that. I spent a lot of the class with my heart rate up in the 150's and 160's and I'm noticing that I don't feel as awful as I used to when I was up in that range, so, yeah, that's cool too.

And with that, let's check out some progress pics!

Left: 1/4/13, Center: 3/1/13, Right: Today

Left: 1/4/13, Center: 3/1/13, Right: Today

March 1st, 2013 (-since 3/22/13, -since 1/4/13)

• Weight - 148.2 (-0, -5.8)
• Calf - 13.75" (-0, -0)
• Knee - 15" (-0, -0.25)
• Thigh - 23.5" (-0, -0.5)
• Hips/Butt - 40.75" (-0, -1)
• Belly - 38.5" (-0, -1)
• Waist - 30" (-0, -1.5)
• Bust - 36" (-0.25, -2)
• Arms - 11.5" (-0.25, -0.75)

Okay, I can't help but be bummed that I didn't lose any weight this week. I'm actually a little annoyed with this because earlier in the week I was 147, but, really, it's not important. I didn't lose as many inches either, but I still lost some off my boobs and my arms.

At first, I didn't think I could see much difference in today's photos compared to the photos from March 1st, but I took a closer look. What I'm seeing is my back fat and love-handles are smoothing out, my butt's getting a little less lumpy and of course my boobs are deflating (it comes with the territory!) Also, outside of the photos, these workout pants are on their way to being too big. While they're a far cry from being loose, I do find myself yanking them up constantly during Zumba or Body Combat.

Let's break it down, so since March 1st I've lost only .6 pounds, but I lost 3.5 inches! Since January 4th I've lost nearly 6 pounds and 7 inches. If you want to go way back, I've lost nearly 15 pounds and 18.25 inches since June 7th. Those numbers might not be impressive when you consider the amount of time, but I am still of the mindset that I'll have an easier time keeping it off by going slowly.

My struggles this weekend will be alcohol and Easter, then my struggles next week will be not working out on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday while my family is here as well as fooood and more alcohol with them. BUT. I'm giving myself a pass to not stress about it. I will make an effort not to go overboard and to make good food choices, but the family time will be most important.

If I still fit into these jeans after they leave, I'll mark it as a success!

Fitness Friday

Okay, so I went a little gung-ho this week my workout schedule. I even added a second workout yesterday and did Body Combat after Body Pump/Cycle. This leaves me feeling like today's one workout wasn't enough, but that's just my brain getting all weird on me. Of course it's enough. But then again, I'm all "But I had to cancel my Saturday morning class!" and them I'm all "You're not going to gain 8 pounds if you skip it!" but then I'm all "But I'm prolly just gonna draaaaaaaank all day." and then I'm like "Well, okay, but... you'll survive, and it will be fun and worth it, yo."

That got a little out of hand; I apologize.

As for food? I did really well this week, I think, if you don't count St. Patrick's Day. Corned beef tacos whaaaaaaaaaaaat?

These were accompanied by kind of a lot of beer and a couple shots. D'oh. I've mentioned probably one thousand times how that's my biggest struggle. I like beer. I like wine. It's so hard for me to say no to. Sweets used to be really difficult, but those are super easy now. With sweets, I have the discipline to have one bite. I can't really just have one sip of wine. And some times when we're out, I tell myself that I will allow myself one drink. But then I order a second. You get the idea. So that's still my main hurdle... still.

But food? I (mostly) have that down.

At home, it's really easy for me to eat low-cal and mostly clean. The only carbs I eat at home are from fruits, veggies, and whole grains like quinoa and various types of brown rice. No white rice, no white potatoes, and I rarely eat bread. My problem lately, though, is that I eat then I am satisfied and no longer hungry. Then, an hour or two later, I'm not just kind of hungry, I'm hungry to the point that I'm about to get a headache. I feel like I am eating constantly. Even on days like Wednesday when I burned 800 calories, which upped my calorie budget to 2000, I was still HUN-graaay. So needless to say, I'm still trying to figure out how to keep myself satiated for longer.

So, last week I was really stoked about getting my new Polar heart rate monitor. I finally received it on Monday evening (at 7:20. What the crap, UPS?) I've used it every day and really like having all of the information it provides. Being able to keep an eye on my heart rate can be really motivating. When I see that it's in the 140's and I realize that I feel pretty good, it amps me up to work harder. 150's? Let's see if I can hit 160! Then, of course, being able to see the calories that I've burned makes this thing worth every single penny.

I didn't post my numbers last week. My measurements were the same aside from going back up .25" on my calves as well as my weight bouncing back up to 149.4, which was 1.8 pounds higher than the week before. I was feeling awesome that week when I was down to 147.6.

I had some killer results that really pumped me up, so while I was still feeling good about my fitness and going to classes at both Studio 5 and CUT, I was really annoyed with my weight for spiking like it had. Now, I'll be the first person to tell you that overall, the scale really doesn't matter. It's how you feel, how your body changes, and if you really need numbers, the measurements. Despite having 3 people this week notice the change in my body, I still let the scale have an affect on me.

When I weighed and measured myself this morning, I realized that I was being silly and that the advice I give others about the scale is advice that I need to remember to take myself.


March 22nd, 2013 (-since 3/15/13, -since 1/4/13)

• Weight - 148.2 (-1.2, -5.8)
• Calf - 13.75" (-0, -0)
• Knee - 15" (-0, -0.25)
• Thigh - 23.5" (-0.25, -0.5)
• Hips/Butt - 40.75" (-0.25, -1)
• Belly - 38.5" (-0.25, -1)
• Waist - 30" (-0.25, -1.5)
• Bust - 36.25" (-0.5, -1.75)
• Arms - 11.75" (-0.25, -0.5)

This is exactly why I need to relax about the scale. Today, I weigh more than I did on March 8th, but I've still lost inches. I'm hoping for another good week as I'll be doing my April progress pictures next Friday!

Fitness Friday

Zzzzz...

That about sums up how I feel about this week, though I'm sure you could have figured that out on your own if you had noticed since I kinda left the blog hanging after Monday's super emo post.

Last Friday was a good day, motivationally. (I don't think "motivationally" is a word.) It was my off day at the Pilates studio. Monetarily, I max out at 4 days per week instead of the 5 or 6 days that I am used to and on Friday I was feeling motivated to get some activity in, so I leashed up the dog and went for a walk.

It was one of those random summer teaser days; it was 80 degrees and just plain gorgeous outside. Chuck and I hit the trail that bisects our community. It's very hilly and great for exercise. It was also a great test to see how far I've come, physically. Before I worked out, I dreaded these hills. Jamie always wanted to go hike the trail and I hated it because he'd just crank his way to the top and wait for me to drag my ass up each hill. I felt awful physically and mentally during those walks. This time, however, I never lost steam and that felt great.

Chuck made it about 3 miles before he finally stopped pulling. (He's pretty terrible on the leash; he just wants to GO.) It used to be that at about 3 miles, or sooner, I'd be done. I'd be ready to BE home, not head back. I'd be exhausted and my low back would be so, so angry at me. This time, however, I had a choice. I could take the direct route back home or walk up the looooong hill then zig zag through neighborhoods, up and down more hills to get home. I chose the latter!

This time, my back didn't start bothering me until around 4 miles, which was good because I was close to home. My total walk was 4.14 miles and I wasn't completely dead when I walked in the door. I felt so good and motivated that I wanted to take this walk on every off day during the week.

So my next off day was Monday and... I didn't do it. Then my next off day was yesterday and... I didn't do it. I'm pretty disappointed in myself. I could have made the time, I just didn't, and it has affected my DietBet results this week. While I was ahead of schedule on the weight loss, it's crept back up. I blame water weight. (sure.) Fortunately, I'm still right on schedule, so I still feel safe. I'm not behind, so as long as I can keep up with my eating habits and slip in some more cardio, I should probably be good.

Speaking of eating well?

Jamie grilled up some Cornell Chicken last weekend and when I say "some" I mean "a lot", so we had a bunch of leftovers. When Jamie decided he was tired of having it for lunch, I made a soup with it. Cornell Chicken, if you don't know, is marinaded in eggs, oil and vinegar and some seasonings. The vinegar gives it a really amazing flavor, which lent itself nicely to the soup. Along with that, the smokiness from the grill stuck around and tasted fantastic in the soup. My soup (how many times can I say soup? Soup.) had onions, carrots, celery, kale, and a blend of quinoa and brown rice and it turned out really great. It's probably pretty fatty due to the chicken being skin-on with a lot of dark meat, but the veggies and grains are definitely beneficial so... so there.

Soup.

Fitness Friday

Or, not-so Fitness Friday is probably what it should be called. This week has been a difficult one for activity and healthy eating. I flew into Cleveland on Saturday afternoon. Aside from the beers I had with my family, I made some pretty good food choices. On Sunday, I made almost no food choices. I woke up in the middle of the night with severe chills, nausea, and body aches. It was miserable. I ended up sleeping all day until about 2:30pm, at which time I had to pack up and head to Cleveland with my family.

My mom had to be at the Cleveland Clinic at 5am Monday morning for her surgery, so we planned to go to dinner and stay at a hotel Sunday evening. I forced down just enough food at dinner, but it really wasn't much at all. I was not looking forward to sitting in a waiting room all day if I was going to have these body aches and nausea, and to top that all off, now I was having stomach cramps.

My apetite had still not returned the next morning when we scoured the food choices at the hospital. Even the usually appealing smell of Starbucks coffee was making me want to stick my head in a garbage can. I ended up with a sub-par breakfast sandwich from Au Bon Pain that I picked apart and choked down out of necessity. Luckily, about mid-morning while looking for something else to hopefully eat, I found something that actually appealed to me. Unfortunately for my diet, it was a pudding parfait. D'oh. But it was something and it didn't make me sick and, well, so there. After that I was feeling better. No aches or chills and the nausea had subsided. I was left with the stomach cramps, still, but those had become manageable.

The choices I've made with my food have not been entirely smart since feeling better. While I found myself trying to make better choices at the hospital during my mom's stay, I can honestly say I wasn't making the best choices. Then, when it came time for my respective dinner dates on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, I made the best choices... but best for my taste buds.

Tuesday night was Melt with Erin for a massive grilled cheese sandwich with pierogi and sauerkraut; one half equalling approximately 8 million calories.

Source: dlayphoto.com via seriouseats.com

Wednesday night was at Luxe with Hannah. We shared the Belgian fries (which come smothered in brie fondue with bacon jam and jalapenos.) My meal was the garlicky baby clam pizza with lemon, olive oil, ricotta, Italian parsley, and red pepper flakes. We may also have gorged ourselves on dessert. Oops.

Thursday morning brought all of this to a halt, thankfully (but only kinda thankfully) when my mom called to say she was being discharged from the hospital. I hopped back on the healthy train by making my favorite spinach & feta turkey burgers with caprese salad. I doubled the recipe so we'll have leftovers for days and no reason to eat junk.

So far, I'm not making time for activity. With my mom home, I'm her full time caretaker. She can't get up from sitting or laying down without help, and needs someone to get her pretty much everything, so leaving her alone while I go find somewhere to work out isn't an option, and I don't really mind. I'll get back into it when I get home, so for now, I'll just do my best to eat as healthfully as I can.

Fitness Friday

This week I've made a concerted effort to eat healthy. In addition to eating healthy, I'm eating often. I've noticed that eating many small meals throughout the day must really be jump-starting my metabolism because I am hungry all the damn time, but that's what I want. If I'm eating often and getting hungry, it means my body is using this food efficiently.

While the things I've been eating were healthy, I really wasn't sure how my calorie intake was looking. I hate counting calories. It works, yes, but it's so tedious and I get sick of doing it and then I stop and start eating crap again. My goal is to make eating healthily and smartly a habit and get it to the point where it doesn't take so much thought. With that said, I did think it was probably a good idea to look back on a couple days and figure out how many calories I consumed just to check that I was on the right track. I ended up at around 1400 calories a day, which is a great number for me to see results with.

Since Friday I've put in 2.5 hours of Spin and 2 hours of Pilates. (I have yet to go to today's hour-long Pilates class, which would make it a total of 3 hours for the week.) Unfortunately, due to my needing to wait and see when my mom's surgery will be scheduled, I can't renew my contract with the Pilates studio which happens to end tomorrow. Because of this, I will probably grab a guest pass to LA Fitness where Jamie has a membership and see how I like their Spin classes. I'll update you on that next week.


Here's my progress this week:

January 4th, 2013

• Weight - 154 (+2.5)
• Calf - 13.75" (+0.25)
• Knee - 15.25" (+0.25)
• Thigh - 24.25" (+0.5)
• Hips/Butt - 41.75" (+0.75)
• Belly - 39.5" (+0.5)
• Waist - 31.5" (+.5)
• Bust - 38" (+0.25)
• Arms - 12.25" (+0.25)

January 11th, 2013

• Weight - 152 (-2)
• Calf - 13.75" (0)
• Knee - 15.25" (0)
• Thigh - 24" (-0.25)
• Hips/Butt - 41.5" (-0.5)
• Belly - 39.5" (0)
• Waist - 31" (-0.5)
• Bust - 37.5" (-0.5)
• Arms - 12" (-0.25)

Hey, look, eating healthy really works, man! I haven't done any more exercise this week than I have during the past two months, the only change was my diet and I saw a loss of 2 pounds and 2 inches. I am really happy with that and am motivated to do just as well next week.

Treats, Yo

Then let me tell you about this fantastic treat that I've been making for years. It includes all of the above. My mom started making this when I was a kid, but hers only included popcorn and chocolate. I've decided to get crazy and hit up the pretzels and Craisins. (Look out!)

This is pretty much the easiest treat you could ever make. It's fail-proof (unless you struggle with melting chocolate.)

Gather your ingredients: popcorn, chocolate, pretzels and dried cranberries then foil up a couple cookie sheets. Pop yo pop corn and spread a single layer out on the cookie sheet. Then, melt your chocolate. This can be tricky. Follow the directions on the package! I almost always use those candy coating discs from the craft store, or almond bark from the grocery store, but this time I decided to try melting down some Ghirardelli chips. Luckily, they lent themselves to melting nicely.

Sorry Ocean Spray, I didn't mean to name those store brand cranberries Craisins. Don't hurt me!

Now it's time to drizzle that shiz. If your chocolate doesn't want to drizzle nicely, you can add a little Crisco to thin it out. I use Crisco in my chocolate every time. It prevents lumpiness and chunkiness and, I think, helps it look nicer. My favorite drizzling tool is a spork, but you can use whatever you prefer. A spoon will generally do the trick, but hey, whatever you want.

Once you've drizzled to your little hearts content, it's time to add the pretzels and cranberries (and really, anything else you'd like!)

Then, to make sure all those li'l goodies stay in place, drizzle more chocolate!

Now that your first batch is appropriately drizzled to your satisfaction, it's time to put it in the freezer to set.

Don't disturb your alcohol if you don't have to. 

After a few minutes, it's set! Once the chocolate has hardened, it can be broken up into smaller pieces and put in whatever container you prefer. This batch was for a hostess gift, so I crammed it in a pretty jar that I found at Homegoods for six dollars.

It can also be done in layers in a deeper container. When I'm just making a large batch to break up and share in a bowl, I'll make this in a cake pan and layer it all the way to the top: popcorn, chocolate, fun stuff, chocolate, popcorn, chocolate, fun stuff, chocolate, etc., etc.

Like I've already mentioned, this treat is super easy to customize.The glass above is filled with chocolate drizzled peanuts and cashews. If you want more chocolate on your nuts (hehe nuts), instead of drizzling, you can just dump your nuts (hehe nuts) into the chocolate then spread it out on your foil. After it's set, it can be broken up like peanut brittle.

Have you made anything like this? What's your favorite holiday treat to make and share?

Turkey Burgers, Yo

Healthy and delicious, son.

Have I ever told you guys about how terrible of a cook I am? Okay, yes, I think I have told you that before. Anyway, I have one dish that I just about knock out of the park every time. Well, "knock out of the park" is relative, but you get what I mean; it's my best dish.

I don't really remember where I got the recipe; I checked my recipe board on Pinterest and it is not there, but I will share it with you here!

Spinach & Feta Turkey Burgers

• 1.25-1.5lb ground turkey
• 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and strained
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 6 oz feta crumbles (I prefer to use Athenos seasoned feta!) 
• salt & pepper to taste, or whatever else you want

Combine everything, split it into patties (I choose to make four big ones), then grill 'em up! If you're not a griller like me, stick 'em on a greased broiler pan (or a makeshift one made of a cookie rack on top of a cookie sheet, like I use) and bake at 375° for 20 minutes, then broil on high for 5 minutes. 

There you have it! Those are my delicious turkey burgers. I like to serve it with a caprese salad, which I've started adding avocado to which makes it a California Caprese salad. Aw yeah.

Try it sometime!

 Wanna make this too? It's easy, and I don't really measure anything out for it, but here goes:

California Caprese Salad

• Roma tomatoes
• avocado
• mozzarella fresca
• basil
• S&P
• balsamic vinegar

Put in as much as you want of all those, then drizzle it with some balsamic, yo! 

The END.

Two Month Progress Report!

It's been two months, you guys! Well, it's been two months and one week... but two months since I first took that photo of myself in my skivvies. I don't have much time, so this might end up a pretty quick post. So here goes.

I was fully expecting to be a fat fatty while spending last weekend away in Seattle with Jamie. He had been up there for work since the Tuesday before, and I flew up on Friday to meet him. It was great. I wasn't worrying about my food or drink intake. When we're going out to nice bars and restaurants I'm going to get all Foodie and eat and enjoy. And when we're going out to a local dive bar, I'm going to sample up local brews. No, calories don't exist when I travel to new places!

Looks like poo. Not poo. Sausage. 

Deep fried peanut butter on piles of jelly with a shot of milk? Uh, yes. Please. Thank you.

Anyway, long story short, I ate some great food and drank some delicious draaaanks, but each day I started feeling progressively worse. I woke up Sunday feeling beyond miserable. I don't think I consumed more than 500 calories the whole day, and probably slept six hours between going back to bed after breakfast, sleeping at the airport and sleeping on the plane. The sleeping probably saved me, though. As I felt progressively better starting that evening by bedtime.

BUT- I had canceled my Monday morning class in anticipation of going to the doctor and Tuesday's class just for more recovery time... but I think I could have survived it had I went. So yesterday was my first day back to Pilates since Friday. Now, I'm thankful that I squeezed in that class on Friday. I almost didn't schedule it because I thought I'd be too busy getting ready to leave, but I made time and it worked out. And I worked out.

Here are the numbers.


June 7, 2012

• Weight - 163 (+20)
• Bust - 40"
• Waist - 34" (+4)
• Belly - 40.5" 
• Hips/Butt - 43.5" (+3.25)
• Thigh - 25.5" (+2)
• Knee - 16.5"
• Calf - 14.25"
• Arm - 13" (+1.75)

July 26, 2012

• Weight - 158 (-1, -5)
• Bust - 38.5" (0, -1.5)
• Waist - 32" (0, -2)
• Belly - 40" (0, -0.5) 
• Hips/Butt - 42" (-0.25, -1.5)
• Thigh - 24.25" (-0.25, -1.25)
• Knee - 15.25" (-0.25, -1.25)
• Calf - 13.75" (-0.25, -0.5)
• Arm - 12.5" (0, -0.5)

August 2, 2012

• Weight - 156 (-2, -7)
• Bust - 38" (-0.5, -2)
• Waist - 32" (0, -2)
• Belly - 40" (0, -0.5) 
• Hips/Butt - 41.75" (-0.25, -1.75)
• Thigh - 24" (-0.25, -1.5)
• Knee - 15.25" (-0.25, -1.25)
• Calf - 13.75" (-0.25, -0.5)
• Arm - 12.5" (0, -0.5)

Well, I still managed to lose another inch this week. I probably owe a big thanks to my surprise Seattle sickness for losing TWO pounds this week! I'll take it. Total inches lost? 10! I'm still having an issue with my belly. I measure it when relaxed and at it's poochiest, so while it can hold in tighter when I'm using my good posture, it still really isn't decreasing. It probably requires more cardio. Yuck. I guess more Spin is in my future.

So! Guess what. It's picture time.

Left: 6/7/12 - Center: Today, relaxed - Right: Today, with my core engaged slightly like it is most of the time when standing, which I think is what I was doing in the before pictures. 

Same as above, but obviously a side view. Duh. 

I had trouble really seeing any difference in the photos last month, but I am definitely able to see it in these pictures. I think it's mostly in my thighs and hips, which makes sense when I look at the numbers.

Hooray!

F is for Farts (oh, and Fitness)

Have I ever expressed to you how much I love avocado? The first time I tried it was 12 years ago, in France. Growing up in Ohio with my fantastically frugal mother doing the grocery shopping, avocados weren't a part of my life. I'm not even sure that they were even all that easy to find at the time and if they were available to us, they were probably pretty expensive.

So, my first avocado was in France and I hated it. Of all the strange food I ate in France (think pizza with tuna fish and a fried egg on it), it was the avocado that I just couldn't stomach. Two years later when I moved to California, I was surrounded by avocados. Out here, if the dish doesn't already come with avocado or guacamole, you could add it for an extra charge. Not me, though. Yuck. Nowayman.

Over time and befriending some people who make a mean guacamole, I began befriending the avocado. Now, ten years later, give me avocado on everything. They can be pretty inexpensive here, and compared to the Midwest, they're inexpensive here even when we're complaining that they're not on sale, 2/$1. (I grabbed 4/$5 the other day and was all "aw, man.")

So I, now that I've been making an effort to eat healthier, have been putting together salads. My new favorite: tomato, cucumber, avocado, red pepper, a heavy dose of black pepper, a sprinkling of delicious cheese and maybe some chicken if I have some. Maybe a drizzle of vinaigrette if I'm feeling it, but I don't need it.

Lettuce is a flavorless waste of space. Yeah, I said it!

Let me tell you, these salads are filling. If I throw a small one together to have with dinner, then it will definitely help fill me up so I don't eat eight pounds of lasagna. We love pasta here, so this salad keeps my noodly portions in check.

That photo isn't from today. Today I squeezed a whole avocado into my lunch salad! Yikes. It was delicious and I don't regret any of it. I am so full, though. Well, not crazy full, but full. And happy.

I'm also happy because it's Thursday and it's fitness check-in day! Aw, yeah. Are you ready for some numbers?

June 7, 2012

• Weight - 163 (+20)
• Bust - 40"
• Waist - 34" (+4)
• Belly - 40.5" 
• Hips/Butt - 43.5" (+3.25)
• Thigh - 25.5" (+2)
• Knee - 16.5"
• Calf - 14.25"
• Arm - 13" (+1.75)

July 5, 2012

• Weight - 160 (+1, -3)
• Bust - 39.5" (0, -0.5)
• Waist - 32.25" (0, -1.75)
• Belly - 40.25" (0, -0.25) 
• Hips/Butt - 42.5" (0, -1)
• Thigh - 24.75" (0, -0.75)
• Knee - 15.5" (-0.25, -1)
• Calf - 14" (+1, -0.25)
• Arm - 12.5" (-0.5, -0.5)

July 12, 2012

• Weight - 159 (-1, -4)
• Bust - 39" (-0.5, -1)
• Waist - 32" (-0.25, -2)
• Belly - 40" (-0.25, -0.5) 
• Hips/Butt - 42.25" (-0.25, -1.25)
• Thigh - 24.5" (-0.25, -1)
• Knee - 15.5" (0, -1)
• Calf - 14" (0, -0.25)
• Arm - 12.5" (0, -0.5)

This week, it looks like I lost inches on everything that stayed the same last week and vice versa. I lost an inch and a half this week making it 7.5 inches in five weeks! If that isn't proof that you should count inches instead of pounds, then I don't know what is.

I'm seeing some really great results and you know what, people? It hasn't been very hard for me. The hardest part before was getting motivated, but once I hit that 20th pound gained, it was like the straw that broke the camel's back... except heavier... because it was a whole pound. But I'm certain that the camel with the broken back had way more than twenty pieces of straw on his back, otherwise, that guy should really work on his core.

Anyway, I was feeling gross. I was hating how I felt in my clothes and how they were fitting. I was still squeezing into my size 10 corduroys that were pretty flattering when I first bought them. They were my favorite pair of pants, but it wasn't until I saw this photo that I realized those pants don't really fit me anymore and I should stop wearing them in public.

Just because you can button them, doesn't always mean you should wear 'em!

I haven't tried them on recently. I might do that just to see how they fit now... but anyway. My point is that I may have only lost 4 pounds, but the 7.5 I've lost are making a big difference with how I feel in my clothes and that goes way farther for me than the number on the scale.

This post had nothing to do with farts, by the way.

Hey Look, I Can (Kinda) Cook

I am, to say the least, a not-so-fantastic cook. Jamie can throw together just about anything without a recipe and it's at worst maybe a little too salty. I have a few dishes in my repertoire that are good, but most of my dinners are described, on average, as "tolerable" or "edible"... maybe even "not poison".

I'm trying, though probably not as often as I should. But the other night when I knew Jamie wasn't going to be home for dinner, I decided to attempt something new that I had seen on the internet. (Surprisingly, not on Pinterest.) It was pretty much pasta-less pasta. Wait, what? The noodles were made of zucchini! I love zucchini! So I ran to the store and came home with this:

I was too lazy to cook my own chicken, and these were BOGO freeeeee!

So! So. So, I spent less than $10 on all of this, and I only used one of each item so my dinner cost about $4. Nice.

What I needed to do first was use my vegetable peeler to slice the zucchini and squash into long, wide, flat "noodles". This required a choice between the two vegetable peelers that I own: the frustratingly dull peeler, or the peeler with the sharp blade piece that falls out every two slices. (Note to self: dip into savings and buy a better peeler.)

After noodling up my zucchini and squash, I sautéed them in some olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. After a few minutes I added a chopped tomato, the pre-cooked, packaged chicken and some of that basil stuffs. Sauté, sauté, sauté... and I ended up with this:

What you see is my dinner as well as which peeler I chose.

My result wasn't perfect, but I think I can work it out and make it super delicious. Next time I will season the "noodles" more while they are cooking; they were a little plain. I will also cook them a few minutes longer. You can see that super clear zucchini noodle on top was fully cooked, but the majority of my "noodles" still had a little snap to them. I will also use less basil. (The tube was brand new and it squirted out way faster than I had expected.) (That's what she said.) I think it may also require some grated cheese of some sort. 


So my dinner had potential! I think I'll make it again, but this time for Jamie to eat as well. If I can't perfect it, he probably can, so it might just make it into our non-existent regular rotation. We should probably cook more often.