Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

DateChangeTotalWork Outs in Week
2/24/2010-1-12
3/3/20100-14
3/10/2010-3.6-4.65
3/17/2010-1.8-6.44
3/24/20101.4-55
3/31/2010-1.8-6.85
4/7/20100.2-6.63
4/14/2010-0.2-6.86
4/21/2010-1.4-8.24
4/28/2010-1-9.24


I know it's late for my weigh in but today has been crazy busy. This week I lost 1 lb and worked out 4 times.  My workouts were 3 Couch 2 5k runs and 1 Zumba class.  This week my goal is to work out at least 5 times.  The plan so far is that I'll do 3 Couch 2 5k workouts (already did 1 of them tonight), 1 Zumba Class, and 1 Cardio Dance class.  I also want to fit in some core exercises.  This is going to be a short post because I'm pooped!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Monday Morning Check In

Happy 90th Birthday Granny!  On Saturday I spent the day in the 'Boro for my Granny's 90th birthday party. I really can't believe she is 90.  She gets around great, still lives on her own, and is very healthy.  If I live to 90 I want to be just like Granny.  At the party there were a lot of finger foods and snacky type stuff. They had a fruit plate, veggie plate, chips, pigs in a blanket, cheese and crackers, mini eclairs, and so on. I had lunch right before the party so that made it easy to stay away from the food table.  If I had gone to the party hungry it could have been very dangerous.

I did have a skinny piece of birthday cake. I like Weight Watchers because you are able to fit in things like birthday cake and not feel guilty about it.  When I have gone to a nutritionist in the past I have felt like if I ate one bad for me thing then I had thrown in the towel. 

Sunday I slept in and Matt made us Fiber One pancake's for breakfast. Yummy! I also made JMJE's Eazy Peazy BBQ Chicken in my crock pot.  It was super easy to make (hence the name) and it was delicious.  One serving is 6 WW points and I ate it on a Sara Lee Light Wheat Bun which is 1 WW pt.  Add some veggies as a side and you have a delicious easy meal.  I will now be looking for more good Crock Pot recipes. Anyone have any?  Also yesterday I did my first workout of Week 7 of the Couch to 5k program.  I ran for 25 minutes without stopping! It was really hard but really good to be able to do it.  It's hard to believe that running for intervals of 90 seconds was hard 8 weeks ago. 

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

DateChangeTotalWork Outs in Week
2/24/2010-1-12
3/3/20100-14
3/10/2010-3.6-4.65
3/17/2010-1.8-6.44
3/24/20101.4-55
3/31/2010-1.8-6.85
4/7/20100.2-6.63
4/14/2010-0.2-6.86
4/21/2010-1.4-8.24


I am excited that I lost 1.4 lbs this week!  I feel like I am getting back on track. I worked out 4 times this week. I did 3 Couch to 5k workouts and 1 Zumba class.  I am repeating Week 6 again this week of the Couch to 5k program before starting Week 7 on Saturday.  On Monday I did a 20 minute run and it was the first time I was able to do it without stopping at all in the middle.  I am excited to see progress in my running.  I also am glad that I did not schedule to run a 5k the week after the program ended.  I like that I have time to  repeat weeks if I need to.


****Update******

This weekend I also went to a fabulous bridal shower for the bride to be that was hosted by my friend JMJE and MoYoung.  JMJE even made mini cupcakes . I had 1 mini cupcake it was great that they weren't regular size and that many more calories.  They also had a fruit and veggie tray that was a nice option for people that did want to eat tons of calories.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Update to Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

So I went home yesterday to take my measurements and was glad I did.  I lost a total of 3.5 inches since I last took my measurements which was 3 weeks ago.  I lost 2 inches in my abdomen, 1/2 inch in my thighs, 1/2 inch in my arm, and 1/2 inch in my calves. I am a little weary that I'm taking the measurements in different places than I did last time but feel good that in the areas I did not loose inches I came up with the same measurement as last time. 

Also this morning when I weighed myself I was down 0.8 lbs from yesterday. So if my weigh in had been today I would have lost 1 lb for the week.  I try not to take my daily weights seriously though since your weight can fluctuate so much from day to day.  For now I am just going to keep working hard and hope that the hard work shows on the scale next week.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

DateChangeTotalWork Outs in Week
2/24/2010-1-12
3/3/20100-14
3/10/2010-3.6-4.65
3/17/2010-1.8-6.44
3/24/20101.4-55
3/31/2010-1.8-6.85
4/7/20100.2-6.63
4/14/2010-0.2-6.86


So this week I lost 0.2 lbs...very disappointing!  I not exactly sure why I did not loose more.  I stayed on track point wise, counted everything I ate, and I worked out 6 days.  The last time I did Weight Watchers for the first months I consistently lost 1-2 lbs a week.  The only thing I am doing differently now is working out more and doing the Couch 2 5k program.  So maybe I am gaining muscle and my muscles are sore so they are retaining fluids? I did read on a Couch 2 5k program that a few people lost weight slower while they did it.  I am of course not going to stop working out as much or doing the C25k workouts.  I am going to take my measurements again tonight to see if maybe I have lost inches.  Very frustrating but all I can do is continue doing what I'm doing and hopefully the scale will reflect my hard work soon!

My workouts this week were 3 Couch 2 5k workouts, 1 3 mile brisk walk, 1 Zumba class, and 1 Abs/ Stretching/ Yoga recorded class from Fit TV.  My abs are killing me today with the combination of the Abs workout and then doing Zumba yesterday.  I must say though being sore from working out is always a good sore. 

So yesterday was my first ever Zumba class.  I have heard people rave about it and I wanted to find out what this new craze was about.  I found a place called Infuzion that has music classes, dance classes, a fitness center, and Zumba classes.  The best part is you can pay per class.  The class was not just latin music and dance moves it was also hip hop, something I would call more African music and dancing, and then just plain silliness.  And by silliness I mean skipping, throwing your arms around, and shaking your butt. At times I felt a little ridiculous but then I looked around and realized we all looked ridiculous.  The last 15 minutes of the class were mat exercises and stretches.  I overall enjoyed the class because it was up beat, kept me moving for 45 minutes, and had me sweating like crazy.  I will definitely be back to take another one of her classes. 

This coming week my goal is workout 6 days again.  This weekend Matt's friend's and his dad are coming to town for reunion weekend at Duke.  Matt has his 10 year reunion from Duke undergrad and his dad has his 40th reunion.  I also am going to my friend's bridal shower on Saturday and hanging out with my best friends from High School.  My goal is to eat healthy regardless of being at reunion events and bridal showers and like always in these situation make good decisions and portion control.  Wish me luck!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Trader Joe Crab Cakes

So yesterday after work I came home and did a Core workout and a stretching/ Yoga workout both of which were recorded on the DVR from Fit TV.  For anyone that has a DVR and cable I highly recommend recording workout classes.  It's great because you get to try  new workouts from the comfort of your house and you can fast forward through the commercials. I try to keep a few on the DVR for when I need a workout and get outside or to the gym.

After working out I was tired and hungry and needed something easy and quick for dinner.  Okay who am I kidding that is how I feel every day after work and working out.  Luckily I had put some Trader Joe Crab Cakes to thaw in the refrigerator.  Their frozen Maryland Crab Cakes is one of my must buys from TJs. They are so easy to make.  All you do is let them thaw in the fridge the night before and then cook them for about 5 minutes on the stove top with some vegetable oil.  I added Alexia Olive Oil, Parmesan, and Roasted Garlic Potato Wedges and Trader Joe's mixed frozen organic vegatables for a yummy dinner.  The WW points are as follows: 1 crabcake 5 pts, 1 tsp of vegetable oil (used when cooking crab cake) 1 pt, 1 serving of potato wedges (about 8 pieces) 2 pts, frozen veggies 0 pts; for a total of 8 points.  Not bad at all to be able to eat a deliciou crab cake!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Monday Night Check In

I had a fabulous weekend! It was so nice not to have my whole weekend planned out before it began.  As fun as going out of town and going to basketball games is it was good to be home.  Friday night Matt and I went to Jason's Deli for dinner, I had their Turkey Wrap (7 WW pts). The best part is you get free low fat frozen yogurt. Also they use natural foods and they list all their nutritional information online.  After dinner Matt and I watched The Hangover, which was pretty funny in a ridiculous way.

Saturday morning I was able to sleep in and Matt made me pancakes for breakfast from a Fiber One mix. They were delicious but a little thicker than the pancakes he usually makes from Bisquick.  3 Fiber One pacakes are 3 WW points while 3 Bisquick pancakes are 4.5 WW point.  I had skim milk and Aunt Jemina's butter light syrump with the pacakes (7 WW points total). Saturday I went to Duke's East Campus to do my first workout of Week 7 of the Couch to 5k workout.  All 3 workouts for Week 7 are to run 25 minutes straight with no stopping.  I ran and ran but I just couldn't finish without walking for about 2 minutes in the middle.  Since the 5k I'm running isn't until June I am going to repeat Week 6's workouts before finishing Week 7.  I want to be abe to do the 25 minutes without walking to continue.  If I can continue Week 7 I am scared I will never catch up and stay behind.  I overall feel fine about repeating Week 6. Week 1's workouts were hard for me and that was running 1 minute intervals.  I feel great that Saturday I was able to run 12 minutes without stopping.
Sunday my friend Amanda (the bride to be) and I did a brisk walk on one of the Duke Forest trails.  It's about 3 miles and very hilly.  It's a great workout and the weather could not have been more beautiful.  The trail is all gravel and by the end of it walking on the gravel was making my poor feet sore.  Going to Costco and walking all over the warehouse afterwards probably did not help the situation.  I ended the weekend by going on a double date to see Date Night.  I recommend Date Night to anyone who enjoys a good comedy and likes Tia Fey and Steve Carrell.  And I found out from our friend's after we pulled out of the parking lot that Brian Zoubeck was in the same theater as us (they saw him walking out to his car). If only I had known I could have put my hands in a Zoubeck Z and said "Zooo" to him.   For that reason alone Matt is probably glad we did not see him.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Indianapolis and National Champions!

So you have probably heard the amazing news that Duke is the 2010 National Champions but what you might not know is that I was there in person to witness it!  At least this is good news to me, to others not so much.  It's just amazing how many Duke haters there are out there.  I do not blame non Duke fans for pulling for Butler. I always pick the underdog if I'm not a fan of either team, but at the same time I don't hate.  What about UNC you might say? They are not my favorite but I don't hate them.  Ninety five percent of the time if a game does not effect the outcome of Duke's season then I'll pull for the ACC team.  The other 5% I pull against the ACC because fans have annoyed me by being obnoxious about hating Duke (Maryland fans is the perfect example).

Matt and I left on Saturday morning to head to Indianapolis for the weekend.  Matt's dad was offered the oppurtunity to buy tickets to the Final Four since he has Duke season tickets.  Matt, his dad, and I all could not pass up the opportunity to go.  This is nothing new for Matt, he has been to 7 Final Fours! We went to the semi final games on Saturday night.  Both games couldn't have gone better the first game was Michigan State vs. Butler.  I was pulling for Butler and it ended up to be a close game that obviously Butler won.  Then Duke played WVU and it was a blow out.  It was fun to see a close game that I did not have a big stake in.

Sunday Matt, his dad, his dad's basketball friends, and I went to a Duke Presidential Brunch at an alums house.  Well it was more of an estate then it was a house.   The actually brunch was in what looks like a barn from the outside but is actually a basketball court with an amazing loft bar, beautiful deck, and a theater room.  Oh and did I mention that Friday's game was playing the whole time on the 10 feet projection screen? The barn overlooked their private pond and on the other side of the pond was another big house.  I figured the house was probably a relatives, but no it was their 7 bedroom guest house.  They had really good food catered too. Probably the food was part of the reason I gained 0.2 lbs this week.  I did make some better choices than I would have made a few months ago.  The biggest thing I did differently was portion control.

Monday we ate breakfast at the Embassy Suites where we were staying. I had pancakes but practiced self restraint and had two small ones with a little bit of syrup.  I also had a tiny bit of scrambled eggs and a big serving of cantalope.  After letting my breakfast settle I set out to do a Couch 2 5k workout.  I ran arond the parking lot of an industrial park area behind the hotel.  There were some pretty birds and geese to look at in a man made area of water but that just meant there was a lot of goose poop to avoid. Goose poop and ugly scenery did not stop me from finishing my workout though.
We spent the rest of the day walking around downtown Indy and at Bracket Town and trying to kill time before the big game.  For dinner before the game we met up with his dad's basketball friends for dinner at Oceanaire.  I had a crab stuffed white fish, corn, and wine. I hate that wine uses WW points but calories are calories I guess.  After dinner we headed to the game. I was so nervous before the game even started. I had no idea that my pre game jitters were going to be nothing compared to what was to come.   The game left my stomach in knots.  In the last second when Butler's Hayward throw up the half court shot and it hit the rim I could barely stand to watch to see if it would go in.  Finally when I saw it did not go in I was able to celebrate that we were the Champions!

After we were done celebrating in the stadium we headed to the hotel where the team was staying.  After a crowded, hectic, and hot 45 minutes we were able to greet the team and congratulate them.  I was right up front and high fived Singler, Nolan, and Coach K's wife. I'm never going to wash that hand! Okay kidding I already have washed it many times since then.  The whole weekend was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.  For that I thank you Matt for taking me! You are the best!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

DateChangeTotalWork Outs in Week
2/24/2010-1-12
3/3/20100-14
3/10/2010-3.6-4.65
3/17/2010-1.8-6.44
3/24/20101.4-55
3/31/2010-1.8-6.85
4/7/20100.2-6.63

I'm so slack that I did not have a post in between my Weekly Weigh Ins but life has been crazy! Crazy exciting that is.  I was out of town from Saturday until yesterday at the NCAA Final Four. And my Blue Devils are the 2010 Champions...but more about that in a later post.

Since I was out of town for half of the week I expected not to loose this week. It's so hard to stay on track when every meal is out.  There was also less time to work out so I got in 3 workouts this week; 2 Couch to 5k workouts (I will have to do 4 this week now) and 1 Cardio Dance class.  I gained 0.2 lbs which is really close to maintaining so I guess that is not too terrible giving the crazy week I had.  I need to learn how to travel and stay on track, especially because in May I'm going to Boston and to Las Vegas! Does anyone have any tips to share?