Bad Blogger!

Geeze. I am a horrible blogger! I am going to get back on board now! I realized I need to eat more calories, after consulting with a few sources. I consider my activity level to be moderate, I work out at least 5 times a week, burning on average 350-500 calories per session so, I'm going to try and experiment this week. Eating 1850-1950 calories a day. Wish me luck, I really want to lose at least 2 pounds! I am opening at my work all week, so I plan to hit the gym everyday except Thursday and Friday. On Thursday I have a workout with my friend Elizabeth though. So Friday will be my "off day". I am so excited to have this weekend off! I plan to work out Saturday morning, and then hopefully do something fun like the zoo, aquarium, or go hiking. I really want to hike to the Ice Caves this summer. I know my bestie will be up for it.


Anyways, I need to get some food in my tummy! All I have had today is a strawberry muscle milk. Can I just add it's delicious? Mmm. :)

Bad day.

Well, I think I either gained weight, my scale is broken, or I stayed the same. My scale is one of those old ones where you can adjust the dial. It goes up and down, so I need to buy a new scale. Regardless I am just disappointed. I did well today eating except dinner. I ate waaaayyy to much at dinner, and I had birthday cake. I need to get it back on track tomorrow. I know I can, and I know it's better to go off of how you feel as opposed to what the scale says but, I'm just been mad all day. Do I need to eat more? Do I need to eat less? Next week I am skipping out dessert every night but, Saturday. No more eating after 8 PM either! I really want to do this, I know I can. I worked my ass off last week! It's also a possibility I am dehydrated or I gained muscle weight. I don't know. Next Saturday when I weigh myself my scale better give me some results.

I CAN DO IT!

Spaghetti Squash and other deliciousness...

Oh my, half way through the week eh? Well for some of us.

I have to say this face makes it VERY hard to leave in the morning. :(

Oskar boy is very sad before I have to kennel him. Sorry boy!

He usually is okay though being alone for the work day but, I love to shower him with love before I leave. Although they say not to do that.

Tuesday ended up being a good day off. I made a delicious wrap for lunch, and for the most part enjoyed the F.I.R.E class. Although it was almost a replica of my Wednesday 24 Hour Step class. I am soooo damn sore today! It feels good though!

Whole wheat tortilla with melted pepperjack cheese, chicken, lettuce, cucumbers, salsa and Tapatio. Was amazing!

Added some left over sweet 'tatos and fruit. Delicious lunch!

Hey guess why my best friend is better than youuuurssss :)

She brings me yummy treats!!!!




Cliff kid bars, which are amazing! I ate one today - Honey graham, and it was a sweet treat for my sweet tooth this afternoon.

MUSCLE MILK! I haven't tried it yet but, I will tomorrow for sure.

So after work and my gym class I decided it'd be a good idea to make this little joy nugget. Spaghetti squash! Oh, how easy it was! After baking at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes it came out absolutley perfect and easily went into "spaghetti".


Ready for bakin'

Pullin' all my spaghetti strands out...

KC, the food hound kept hoping I would drop some. I managed to do pretty well though!

It made TONS. I was surprised at how many "strands" I was able to pull out.

A delicious dinner made! I piled brocolli and marinara sauce with some parmasean cheese on top of my spaghetti squash. It defnitley had the same consistency of spaghetti and I thought it was absolutley amazing and delicious. I see this delicious meal in my future soon. I had some salad and a piece of bread on the side. I couldn't stop myself free eating all the avacados out of the salad. :) I might have had some fruit too that I ommitted from the picture...oops ;).

Offically I am burnt out. I feel like I have almost reached my breaking point. My attempts are to finish my political science assignment tonight and get some sleep. I am mentally exhausted. So much has happened this year, and this summer that I would LOVE to pack my bags up right now and just hit the road. Unfortunatley, I have priorities and am broke. My muscles are fatigued from my workouts this week but, in the end it is always worth it to lose weight, and be healthy.

The plan tomorrow is to meet Irene at the gym at 5:15 for an hour workout before work. While I don't need to be at work nearly as early as her, it'll motivate me to get my big butt up if I know someone is waiting for me. I am going to attempt to be in bed by 9:45 tonight, and lights off at 10:15 at the latest. I need to get some sleep in to be prepared for tomorrow. I know it'll be worth it not to have to work out right when I get off of work. I am usually just sooooo tired that I can't even imagine working out.

Well, Wednesday is just about gone. Thursday SHOULD be good...

Terrific Tuesday?

Riiiight. :) I'm going to try at least.

Last nights dinner was delicious! I am starting to enjoy salad's much more than I did before. I'm doing well with my 5 servings of fruits and veggies. :)

Chicken, a little pepperjack light cheese, carrots, cucumbers, Annie's lite dressing and then brocolli slaw and romaine lettuce. I also added a side of grapes for the occassion! ;)





(Yummy!)



I just got back a 2.1 mile run. I am also trying a class at 24 Hour Fitness tonight with my bestie called F.I.R.E. It stands for Fitness, Intervals, Resistance and Endurance.




"Use your own body weight to tone, sculpt and strengthen. The only thing you'll need for this fitness challenge are your barefeet, hands and endurance. Drills, Climbing techniques, cardiovascular & muscular stamina exercises.Train like an althelete in order to get your mind and body ready for life."




I will let everyone know how it is! I like trying new classes to mix up my cardio and weight training. I used to despise step classes but now I LOVE my Wednesday & Saturday morning Step & Sculpt class. I am going to attempt to like spinning but, I never seem to really enjoy stationary cycling. I would love to bike ride outside but, inside I don't get a thrill from it.




Anyways, I am just doing laundry now and waiting for the sun to hit my patio so I can get some sun on my arms.




Oh and I am obsessed with the song "Something Beautiful" by Needtobreathe. Check it out!

Hello, Monday...

I DISLIKE MONDAYS! Who's with me? :) I am not looking forward to work today. I am having the monday depression right now. I think it's mostly because I work today, have tomorrow off and I then work this Saturday. Oh well, not like I have plans for Saturday. My allergies were brutual yesterday, they are kind of better today. At the gym I notice them because of all the dust that collects. I think that place is poorly circulated and I feel sick when I'm in there. Plus it feels like a damn oven in there most days.



Last night was a bit of a failure for me. I ate a whole cornucopia of food including chicken, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, veggies and dip. It wasn't the food that was bad it was me unable to control my dessert side and also had a scoop of nonfat frozen yogurt and some angel cake with strawberries and whip cream! It could have been worse I 'spose.

My plate last night (I didn't eat that pasta in the bottom left hand corner, was not my thing...to mayo-ey):

My chicken and sweet potatoes were induldged with this little joy nugget:

Yesterday at Fred Meyers, I saw the spaghetti squash and new I HAD to try it out. This will be Wednesdays dinner...oh and the pineapple from Costco is just calling my name for me anyday now:

I decided to try this Greek Yogurt out this morning. Fred Meyers brand for $.93 a carton. The ingredients are almost identical to my favorite kind, Chobani, but the taste not even close. I'm not buying it again. Nothing tops my Chobani!

I also bought this yesterday to try with my yogurt. It was sooo yummy and tastes identical to a cinnamon bun. I would recommend this in a heart beat. It's still low in calories, fat, and sugar. The ingredients aren't bad either.

Excersise today was 15 minutes on the elleptical, 5 minutes of the stairs, 16 minutes on the tred mill and 25 minutes of arm weights. I'm feelin' gooood. Although, I feel guilty not doing as much cardio. Is that weird? I know I am burning calories by lifting weights but, I don't know...I think it's because when I lost weight 2 years ago all I did was cardio. I wish I had done more weights though so I appeared more tone.

Well, I better get ready for my day. I work 1-9 tonight and it is BEAUTIFUL outside again. It's a bit depressing working so late but, I can't complain too much. I get a stable paycheck, benefits, and a good job.

Sunday FUNDAY

What another gorgeous day in Seattle! It is beautiful outside, and I am so thankful and love the gorgeous day that we have all been blessed with. This morning I did 30 minutes of weights and 25-30 minutes of cardio at the gym with my bff, Irene. My arms are a little sore today so tomorrow I'll go easy on the weights again and focus more on cardio. I have offically lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks! I am super stoked about it. Now if I could stop beating myself up and also stop snacking then I can lose another 3-4 pounds in the next week :) Or so I hope. I pigged out at a BBQ yesterday, unfortunatley. I could not stop eating! I ate salmon, a bite of a rib, fruit, veggies, dip, chips and guacamole with pico de gao, and of course dessert. Angel food cake with whip cream and strawberries! Mm, my Mom always makes such good food but, it's seriously so EVIL! Haha. Surprisingly I didn't gain weight, so I just need to relax once in awhile. I did fairly well today. For breakfast I indulged in my usual Vanilla Chobani Greek Yogurt and Granola. For lunch I knew I needed to stop on track so I made myself this delicious salad:







Romaine lettuce, brocolli slaw, red and yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, and some cubes of pepper jack cheese with a raspeberry vinagerette...mmm. I devoured that piece of heaven :)



These are my new favorite chips in the world. I could eat the whole bag. Surprisingly I did fairly well and enjoyed the chips, leftover guacamole & salsa with my salad.


This afternoon I was on a mission to get stuff done! I went to Sears and got my oil changed, and it only cost $22! Nice deal, and I was so happy with that. Plus they were very friendly, so I appreciate that a lot. While I was getting my oil changed I went to Old Navy and Macys. I got a new sports bra at Old Navy and a pair of capris at Macys. I was pretty proud of how little I spent. I am soo stingy with money but, when I find a good deal I jump on it. After I got my oil changed, I headed over to Fred Meyers and got some goodies like Kettle Peanut Butter (Yum!), Some cinnamon Raisin granola (never had it so I'm excited to try it), some sweet potatoes, and Greek Yogurt. I am good with food for this week so I have NO excuse not to eat healthy. I WILL stay on track this week no matter what! Oh, and I forgot to mention...I was craving something sweet so I got myself a carmel frappucino light at Starbucks. It was delicious!



Right now I'm snacking on pita chips and some more pepper jack cheese - I can't keep this in the house. I'll just keep eating it and eating it! Tonight for dinner is some grilled chicken, sweet potatos, fresh fruit and salad.



In all reality when I think about it there is NO excuse not to eat healthy 95% of the time. There are so many natural good foods, and so many alternatives that why would I need to go pig out at fast food restaurants? Or settle for a bag of chips, or a cheeseburger? It's easier, and of course delicious but, it's worth it. I need to keep thinking this way so I continue to stay motivated and on track. I have the tools and now I need to use them! I also have my best friend to stick it out with me! So wish me luck for the week. I'll of course keep everyone posted. :)

Sleepy Saturday.

Now if only I could sleep a little longer haha. I am drinking my morning coffee and watchung the news right now. I just saw that the weather said it was supposed to be 86 tomorrow. YEAH! I think I need to go to Greenlake, or something. "Get my tan on". GTL, baby!

I was super sleepy yesterday so I didn't get to post my eats. For lunch I had a thinwich with ham & cheese, topped with mustad and Tapito (told you I love it). I added a cup of blueberries, I'm a dork and like to measure things out.

I gave myself an afternoon treat for Friday! Mm, Starbucks Unsweetned Green Tea is my favorite tea from Starbucks by far.

For dinner I made a delicious salad with half romaine lettuce, half broccoli slaw, cucumbers, nonfat cheese, avacados, and Annie's dressing. It was SO good. I surprise myself sometimes! ;)

For desert I went to this local frozen yogurt place called "The Inside Scoop" and got a small chocolate with heath sprinkled on top. It was delicious! I forgot to snap a picture, but this is by far my favorite.

So I'm just drinking my coffee, and headed to get ready for work. It's beautiful outside today! Wish I could enjoy it, but like I said, I am so thankful to have a job!

Running & Friends.

I woke up this AM with the sun shining in and immediatley it brought a nice smile to my face! I love sunny Fridays, although it's not my Friday unfortunatley. I work 10-6 tomorrow but, I am off Sunday. Which I LOVE having Sundays off. Gym & Church are in my future. I like to eat about 45 minutes to an hour before I go to the gym so I decided to eat some Greek Yogurt this morning. My best friend turned my on to Greek Yogurt, and she has been my source for a lot of good and smart healthy choices. She is wonderful! So I decided to have my strawberry Chobani Greek Yogurt. MMMM! I love the natural sweetness but 19 g of sugar is a bit high!

Ignore the Honey Maid Graham crackers in the background, I finished them off haha. The High Frutose Corn Syrup turned me off to them for s'mores.

Add some granola and coffee and I'm a happy girl:

This is my FAVORITE kind of granola ever. Light on the sugar and it's soo delicious:

This is my best friend's blog :http://wwwmyredkitchencom.blogspot.com/

She is my workout buddy, healthy eating and overall the best friend I could ever ask for. We have known each other for over 11 years now, and is the greatest person ever. We have been together through all of our weight loss adventures and only she understands my struggles with food in the past.

Us at the Love 'Em or Leave 'Em 5k Run at Green Lake Feb. 2010:

Excersise today was running 4 miles on the tred mill and some abs. I am trying to get up to fully running 3.11 (5k) without stopping and so I am working on it everytime I run. Last Valentine's Day I ran a 5 k with my best friend, and ran it in 34 minutes. For my first time running a 5k and NOT stopping, not too shabby. However I am challenging myself to keep going and get a better time. Today I ran the 5k in 33:30. Already better!

Anyways, I am off to work. I am almost done with my homework as well. Yay! I am so excited for summer school to be over :)

Sleepy-ness, ahh.

Oh what a day. I am SIMPLY exhausted for some reason this week. Not sure why. :( Work wasn't stressful or anything...so I have no idea what it could be? I feel like I could sleep for days. Haha. Maybe it's the sleep schedule but, whatever it is needs to STOP now! So I did pretty well with food today, I'm not sure how many calories I need to be eating, I'm guessing anywhere from 1500-1750 on the days I workout, but on the days I don't work out I'm trying for anywhere between 1200-1450. I believe I ate around 1250 today so not too bad. I think I'll skip out on a snack tonight. I had 2 dumdums at work today so I got plenty of sugar. :) Tomorrow, I'll probably only do cardio and abs at the gym. My arms are super sore from yesterdays weight class.

Lunch:

Tuna wrap. I make my tuna with a little light mayo, and tapito. I LOVE Tapito more than anything! I could seriously eat it on just about everything...except cereal perhaps. My wrap was topped with lettuce, cucumbers and celery. No tomatoes at the house. :(



I decide to eat some light string cheese and a handful of pistachos with my wrap.



Here's my enjoying my wrap:




Yummers!

For dinner, I opted out of the salad. I had one last night so I "spiced" it up a bit. I had a thinwich sandwich with ham and american cheese, a handful of blueberries and sweet potato chips. It was delicious.





I prefer to eat on smaller plates, that way I "trick" myself into thinking I'm eating more than I am.

Anyways, I am super sleepy and heading off to bed now. Good night all...sweet dreams.

Rainy mornin'

So since this my first post to my new blog I thought I'd first tell you a bit about myself...I am 23 years old and currently residing outside of Seattle, WA. I am going to school currently to get my Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and then go on to Law School. I have always been ambitious and even though I took a few years off of school I am finally getting settled into my routine. I also work for a great finance company, and am so thankful to have a job right now! I have a 4 year old dachshund who is currently the love of my life. I have struggled most of my life with body issues. I have never really felt completely "happy" with my looks. I know now that I need to love myself before I can expect others to do the same. This year has been about ME and I am on a journey to happiness. I am religious and believe in my one and only Jesus Christ. I love Him! I hope that through my spiritual side I can learn to enjoy life more. I was raised Catholic but, while I don't go to Church enough I just think if you have a good relationship with God and Jesus that's all that matters as far as religion goes.

This is Me:

So today has been a morning full of homework although, I can not concentrate! Definitley my own fault. I have been distracted with facebook chatting with my bff. :) I finished part #1 of my political science homework. Tonight I need to finish my political science reflection post and my history post. Tomorrow I can finish the rest of my history homework, respond to questions, and by Sunday finish the rest! I think my biggest problem is procrastination. Argh, I hate homework! I am doing online classes currently for summer quarter. I definitley am not a fan of them. It's so much reading and not having the active participation in class is hard for me since I am a visual learner.

This morning I started out with some Greek Yogurt and Granola for breakfast and of course my usual coffee! For lunch I'll probably have a whole wheat tortilla tuna wrap with lettuce, cucumbers and tomatos and dinner is undecided. I think I might do another yummy salad. I bought this delicious Annie's brand dressing. Anyways I work late today so I should probably get a move on it. I need to stop getting so distracted ;).