Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

5/5/2010	-2.6	-11.8	6
5/12/2010	0.4	-11.4	4
5/19/2010	0	-11.4	4
5/26/2010	-1.2	-12.6	4

So this week I lost 1.2 lbs. I am happy with this but probably even more happy with the measurements I took last night. I hadn't measured myself in about 5 weeks so I decided it was time. I also have noticed that my clothes (especially my jeans) are fitting looser. Since I did the last measurements I have lost 4.5 inches which brings me to a total of 8 inches! I am really excited that I have lost 8 inches in 8.5 weeks! 3 of those inches have been in my abdomen which is great because that's where most of my weight is, it also explains why I can take my jeans off without unbuttoning them.

I did 4 workouts this week which was weak as my goal was to do at least 5.  I did 3 Couch to 5k workouts and 1 power walk. I was running late to Zumba last night.  When I got there I learned that the instructor had gotten sick during her kiddie ballet class that she teaches. Boo! Zumba was canceled.  I was planning on going home and going running since I have found a route that I can run from my house.  I live right off a busy road and my street is just a small loop. I got nervous about all the traffic since it was rush hour and did not end up going.  I could have and should have just gotten in my car and driven somewhere else to run. Bugger! Next time I need some more motivation and if that doesn't work then a kick in the arse should do the trick.

I am leaving for Boston on Friday early morning and will be there until Monday. Yay! I get to see my old friends, go to my old work, and celebrate my birthday at Fenway Park with my Boston besties and the boyfriend. What more could a girl ask for? I wonder how may WW points a Fenway Frank is? Hmm...

Unsurprise Birthday Party!

On Saturday two of my besties Beezus5 and JMJE threw me a surprise birthday party! Well it really ended up being an unsurprise birthday party.  My birthday is May 30th but I'll be in Boston then. Yay! That meant that I had to celebrate my birthday with my local friends early. Birthdays really should be a week long celebration anyway.  I had a babysitting gig for Friday and Saturday night so I planned on meeting my friend's for brunch on Sunday. When my Friday night gig was canceled I was ready to throw myself a party.

I was at lunch giving the plan to my roommate/ boyfriend and he was gettnig all flustered.  I didn't think anything was going on as it isn't unusual for him to get flustered when trying to get the right words out. I was ready to send an email to all my friends to invite them to my Friday night birthday bash when he was like "fine okay I guess I have to tell you..". He spilt the beans about the Surprise Mexican Lunch Birthday party that my friend's were planning. I was so touched! I have never had a surprised birthday party before (and I guess technically still have not).  Even though my boyfriend felt bad for letting it out I was the one that got the blame. I was just trying to throw a party and have fun. I'm innocent I say innocent!

Regardless of surprise or no surprise the party was great. I ate a delicious Mexican lunch with 18 of my friends and I even had a piece of chocolate cake. It was my birthday party after all! Has anyone else had a surprise party that didn't happen as planned? Or maybe been the one throwing the party? Do other people eat cake at their parties when on other days they won't?

Thanks Beezus5 and JMJE for a great birthday party!

Q&A with JMJE

So I was trying to figure out what my next blog should be about when my friend JMJE from Making Stuff is Fun (she's my real life friend, not just in blog life). She suggested I make up a list of questions and answer them. I did not think that would be very entertaining I always talk about what I want to talk to. So I told her she should come up with some questions for me that she just can't live with not knowing. So here they are....

Since you started this blog what has been your hardest workout?

Definitely the most recent Couch to 5k 28 minute run workouts. They kick my butt! Tomorrow I go up to 30 minutes so as of tomorrow that will be my answer.

What has been your favorite workout?

The Tuesday night Zumba class I take at Infuzion. It's very upbeat, keeps me moving, lets me shake my butt, and the instructor is really good.

What was the hardest thing you have gone through so far on this weightloss journey?

Being patient! I want big results and I want them yesterday.  I have had to accept that's it's a journey and it is okay if I don't lose 2 lbs a week.

What kind of music do you listen to when you workout?

I have a mix on my ipod that is a wide range of upbeat songs.  Some of the artist/ groups I listen to are G Love and The Special Sauce, Fergie, Justin Timberlake (lame I know but I like that Carry Out song), and Ozomatli (if you aren't familiar than you should check this out).

Do you hate running?  Running is stupid.

I have a love - hate relationship with running.  On the 28 minute runs when I get to about the 10 minute mark I really hate it.  Once I only have a minute left then I feel like I'm pretty much in charge and I love it again. It's a vicious tricky cycle. 

Have you had any moments where you felt like just quitting?  If so what made you decide to stick with it?

I have moments where I feel like quitting probably at least once a week. It's a constant struggle to continue to eat healthy and work out. I think the working out part comes a lot easier for me than the working out. This blog a lot of the times has kept me from quitting. I feel accountable because I know that I have to post my progress (or lack of progress on Wednesday).   Also the support from my boyfriend, family, and friends has kept me from quitting.

Do you like me?

Um no way! Just kidding of course I like you. You are the other J in BAJJM. Also your blog inspired me to start this blog and that's what has helped me lose 11.4 lbs so far. :)

What is your favorite low-cal meal that you have eaten/made since starting this?

Whole wheat ziti with turkey meatballs because it's super easy to make, very yummy, and probably most importantly it's the meal that Matt always makes.  There is something about being cooked for that makes a meal taste even better.

 

What is your favorite healthy dessert?

Skinny Cow Truffle Chocolate bars....they are so delicious.

What is your favorite non-reality tv show?

Hands down The Office it's hilarious. Also working in an office I can relate to a lot of crazy stuff that happens. The kind of things that if I did not work in an office I would think could never be true.

Who is your weightloss hero?

There isn't one person that comes to mind. There are a lot of people that I admire and have been impressed with.  Really anyone that has managed to lose a lot of weight in a healthy way and maintain it.

Are you scared of Jillian from the Biggest Loser?

Yes scared but I would still sign up in a heart beat to be trained by her. I do well with the scare tactics. Well not necessarily having to be scared but more the tactics that push me really hard. I enjoy being pushed and knowing I got in a really good workout that I wouldn't have done otherwise.  And usually when I am pushed that hard it ends up being scary.

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In and Vegas

Date	Change	Total	Work Outs in Week
4/21/2010	-1.4	-8.2	4
4/28/2010	-1	-9.2	4
5/5/2010	-2.6	-11.8	6
5/12/2010	0.4	-11.4	4
5/19/2010	0	-11.4	4

So this weekend I'm content with maintaining and not losing or gaining.  The only reason that I am satsified with that is because for half of the week I was on vacation in Vegas. And I did not eat fabulous in Vegas and I also had a night of a copious liquid calories.  So with that I feel like maintaining was good.  I think what saved me from gaining is that I ran 2 of days while I was in Vegas.  My workouts this week was 3 Couch to 5k workouts and 1 Zumba class. Oh yeah and my table was getting way too big so I decided to just the last month from now on. Okay now on to the fun stuff Vegas.....

My Favorite Things about BAJJM in Vegas

• Scoring 5 prime lounge chairs at the Bellagio - this was no small feat, it involved me harassing some guys as they were leaving the pool, and throwing my body across the chairs as I called my friends to come join me
• Being picked up from the airport in this car and then understanding why MoYoung said don't worry you will recognize us 
  
  
  
  
  
• The amazing rooms, copious dinner, and late night food that MoYoung's baller Vegas husband got for us for free at the Bellagio. The rooms had an great view of the Bellagio fountains and the strip.
• Saturday night...that's really all I can say...mainly because if I told you the funny parts of the evening if would involve some pretty embarrassing stories about yours truly 
• The Acorn t-shirts that JMJE made us 
• Seeing the Kardashians in the airport in Chicago (Okay I don't really watch that show and was not nearly as excited as the bride, also I think my lack of excitement was a bummer to the bride, mental note next time fake more enthusiasm)
• Having my first experience of In and Out Burger
• Whistle blowing by Beezus5 with us then all yelling "Shuck It" (this would make more sense if you knew the bride's future last name)
• Hanging out at MoYoung's pool and hot tub
• Winning it big at roulette in Old Vegas at the Golden Nugget (okay not big but I still won), JMJE winning much bigger the night before at Paris playing roulette
• Watching the bride's face light up when she realized her brunch included Raspberry Entemann's (which I did not eat, I can pretend this was because I was being healthy but really I just don't care for them) and a tower of Dr Pepper   

My Least Favorite Things about BAJJM in Vegas

• The evil airline employee who told me I would miss my flight and she pretty much didn't care (even though my flight hadn't even started boarding yet!), there were tears, and then she made me beg everyone in line if I could go in front of them (my complaint has already been written to the airline)
• Ridiculously wasted girls on our 2nd flight that sit right in front of the bride and I
• JMJE's and Beezus5's own flight troubles
• My flight on the way home being delayed over an hour and thus not getting home until well after midnight (do you see a pattern with flights?!)
• Losing money at Casino War, but I did have some great conversations with the people I was playing with (they might not agree but we'll pretend like they do)
• In and Out burger - even though it was delicious I did not need the grease, fat, and calories 
• Having a camera taken away from me because I was twirling it too much and asking too many random people to take our picture, but we wouldn't have these great shots if not, and JMJE your camera is just fine

Stolen Blog from JMJE

Unfortunately I do not have time or the energy today to give updates on my fabulous trip to Vegas that I just got back from last night. I blame work and my flight being delayed (I didn't get back until midnight). Also I shouldn't have just mentioned my flight because now I'm thinking evil thoughts about my plane experiences that happened this weekend but more on that tomorrow.  I promise an amazing blog tomorrow that also includes my Weekly Weigh In (I'm scared but will pull through). In the mean time you can get a sneak peak by visiting one of my besties blog that has some Vegas pictures by going here. Enjoy!

Vacation!

Soon I'll be headed to....

soon like today after work soon! Whoa man I just had a mini panic attack. I just got an email that said your flight has been canceled and we are working on rebooking you. What? Seriously? You are going to tell me my flight is canceled and that's it? I called the airline and found out that the flight was canceled because of flooding in Dallas.  And now the bride to be and I are leaving an hour earlier for Vegas! Yea! Oh but we get to Vegas 10 minutes later than originally planned. Boo!

Now I just have my fingers crossed that Beezus5 and JMJE will make it through Dallas okay. They are going earlier so hopefully there won't be problems.  Tomorrow after MoYoung (our good friend and hostess for the weekend) and I go running we will be spending the day lounging at the pool drinking some amazing drink (that is low in calories I ensure you).  We'll see what stays in Vegas and what gets blogged about from Vegas on Tuesday...

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

Date	Change	Total	Work Outs in Week
2/24/2010	-1	-1	2
3/3/2010	0	-1	4
3/10/2010	-3.6	-4.6	5
3/17/2010	-1.8	-6.4	4
3/24/2010	1.4	-5	5
3/31/2010	-1.8	-6.8	5
4/7/2010	0.2	-6.6	3
4/14/2010	-0.2	-6.8	6
4/21/2010	-1.4	-8.2	4
4/28/2010	-1	-9.2	4
5/5/2010	-2.6	-11.8	6
5/12/2010	0.4	-11.4	4

Boo I gained .4 lbs. This morning I got on the scale looked down, got off, and got back on. I did this about 4 times.  I guess I was hoping if I wished hard enough the number would change? No such luck.  If only scales worked that way. I did put the scale on my bathmat just to see what would happen and I lost 50 lbs! Okay so that isn't real of course but wouldn't that be nice if so. I could get rich fast from marketing and selling my magic bathmat.

So this week's gain isn't a huge surprise. I had a weekend that could have been better eating wise and I only worked out 4 times this week.  All my workouts were Couch to 5k ones.  The running has gotten harder for some reason even though I'm still doing 28 minute runs. I do not know if it's because of the heat or if it's all mental.  I'm repeating Week 8 so I can mentally feel like I have the 28 minutes down before I move on to 30 minutes. This week I have had multiple things come up after work. I have been babysitting a lot and celebrating birthdays. I need to learn to get my butt out of bed early before work and get exercise in then when I have something going on after work.

On Friday I leave with my 3 besties including the bride to be for her bachelorette party in Vegas! Thanks to my other bestie MoYoung that will be hosting us in Sin City.  What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas (except for what I decide to blog about).

Happy Mother's Day!

My mom is pretty amazing so I decided I definitely needed to dedicate a blog to her.  What better day then Mother's Day to do so? My mom is amazing for a lot of reasons but one of the biggest reason's is because she was a single mom who juggled 3 kids, working full time, and running a household. 

One of the things that I am most proud of my mom for other than being a single mom is her weight loss journey.  After I started doing Weight Watchers in the Fall of 2009 I urged her to do the same.  She had been successful with Weight Watchers in the past and after she started to see that I was having great results she decided to join too.  Even though I was living in Boston at the time and she was in NC we supported each other through the program.  We would call each other after our weekly weigh ins to report in and we swapped tips and recipes.  When I moved to NC and feel off the wagon she kept going strong.  My mom did fabulous she lost more than 60 lbs! We had a healthy weight loss competition going until she sailed past me. At times I do not think I could have continued with my own journey if it was not for the support I have had from my mom.

So today mom I want you to know how much I love and how proud I am of you! I am so lucky to have you as my mom!

Just Say No to Peer Pressure

So lately the peer pressure to eat unhealthy things have been coming my way.  Most of the peer pressure comes from when I'm at work.  Yesterday we spent the day at a Durham Bulls game as a team building activity.  Usually I would be pumped to get out of the office and be outside but yesterday it was 92 degrees out! Luckily we were in the shade and there was a breeze going. 

My coworkers that were next to me at the game kept offering some of their funnel cake, candy, and french fries.  They know I'm on a mission to eat healthy and get in shape.  Even when I would say "no thanks" they would be like "oh what about just a little bit?".  Then today we got an email saying we were having a mandatory staff meeting in the afternoon.  Turns out the mandatory staff meeting was a send off for a coworker with cake.  Not just any cake either it was a delicious looking chocolate and vanilla 3 layer cake.  Everyone was like come on "just have one small piece".  I think I figured out why people like to peer pressure you to eat sweets and other unhealthy foods.  I have come to the conclusion that they feel guilty eating it and feel better when they eat in company. 

I politely decline and tell my cowokers "that I'm trying to be good".  When they reply asking if I just want a small piece or bite I respond with "if I have one bite I will want all of it".  I am not the type of person that can eat one bite of cake and walk away.  Once I have a bite and it's delicious it's really hard to not eat a whole piece.  For me I rather be ignorant about how delicious something is if it's really unhealthy. 

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

2/24/2010	-1	-1	2
3/3/2010	0	-1	4
3/10/2010	-3.6	-4.6	5
3/17/2010	-1.8	-6.4	4
3/24/2010	1.4	-5	5
3/31/2010	-1.8	-6.8	5
4/7/2010	0.2	-6.6	3
4/14/2010	-0.2	-6.8	6
4/21/2010	-1.4	-8.2	4
4/28/2010	-1	-9.2	4
5/5/2010	-2.6	-11.8	6

I am very excited that I lost 2.6 lbs this week! That puts me down 11.8 lbs in 11 weeks.  It is really started to show that staying on track and working out pays off.  I worked out 6 days this week.  My workouts included 3 Couch 2 5k workouts, 1 Cardio Dance class, 1 upper body Wii Active Sports workout, and 1 Zumba class.

On another note Happy Birthday to my bestie Beezus5!  Also Happy Cinco de Mayo! To celebrate Beezus5's birthday we are going to eat at Cuban Revolution tonight and going to go and see Wicked. It should be a great time.  I am planning on studying Cuban Revolution's menu today to come up with a plan of what to eat tonight.  I find that planning ahead when eating out helps a lot. Does anyone have any tricks or tips that they use when eating out?

Monday Afternoon Check In

I had a fabulous weekend of spending time with family and friends.  Friday after work I went with the bride to be to get her wedding dress altered.  Her dress is so beautiful. I can't wait for the wedding in June.

Did I mention I got the bridesmaid dress I'm wearing for the wedding? This is the dress but it's in Cornflower Blue. The dress right now is super big on me in the bust area. If this dress doesn't fit my bust I don't know whose it's made to fit then.  Luckily my mom is a seamstress pro so she can alter it for me.   I am undecided if I should wear it strapless or with the little spaghetti straps. I'll have to wait and see what it looks like once it's altered.  If I wear the straps I'm pretty sure I'm the only bridesmaid that will be, but I don't really care about that too much. I just want to do whatever will be the most flattering on me.

The count down is also on for the bride to be's Bachelorette party in Vegas. Our friend Mo Young (the matron of honor) lives in Vegas.  In less than two weeks we will be invading the Young household, well really 10 days, 260 hours, 15623 minutes, and 937421 seconds, but who is counting? Anyone have suggestions of low calorie drinks? I usually stick to light beer but I'm thinking there should be a better choice than that. Also in Vegas there will be lots of pool lounging. Swimsuit season is upon us...very scary!

I actually went to a friend's pool yesterday since it was 92 degrees out and a good opportunity to work on my tan. Older sister if you are reading this do not worry I wore sunscreen! Lounging at the pool with friends and Matt was a great end to my weekend.