Wednesday, May 31, 2006

5/31/06 Workout

345 calories
0.81 miles
60 carbs
25 minutes

And having Cozymel's last night wasn't so good to me in the weight department :(

However, keeping track of my working out on this blog is such a great motivator, so even though there are some little set backs along the way, I must push on through!

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

5/30/06 Workout

618 calories
1.33 miles
109 carbs
42 minutes

Lost 0.4 pounds from yesterday :)

However, we're going to Cozymel's tonight with some friends from out of town...hopefully, it won't affect things too much!

Monday, May 29, 2006

Date Night!

Last night, Richard and I got to go out on a date! Yay! My mom came over and played with Jillian while we went on the first portion of our date. Before we left, Richard took the hard top off of the Jeep and replaced it with the safari top...here we are modeling the new look:




The first portion of our date was at Mi Cocina - YUMMY fajitas!





After dinner, we decided that since it was so nice out (especially with the hard top off), we should explore The Shops at Legacy, since it's so close to where we live. We walked around, checked out the shops, and headed home. Actually, it's funny, because when I suggested Mi Cocina, I was thinking of the one at The Shops at Legacy (pictured on the site), and I just assumed we would go there, but Richard went to a different one a little further...he was kicking himself later for not remembering the one I was thinking of!

Anyway, we got home, played with Jillian a little bit, and I nursed her and put her to bed while Richard picked up some dinner for my mom. Then, we were off to get dessert (and some coffee for me) at Kathleen's Art Cafe - another big YUMMY! We got the Chunky Apple Cake with Butterscotch Sauce Ala Mode and the Double Fudge Cake Ala Mode. Needless to say, we could NOT eat all of this. We basically ended up eating all of the apple stuff, and taking home the chocolate to my mom. She ended up only eating a couple of bites, and we're slowly eating away at it...

Then, we stopped by the house yet one more time! This, of course, was not part of our plan. However, I decided that it would be MORE fun to take the doors off the Jeep - Richard took the safari top off before we left the second time, so this would really complete the experience. So we finally left (again), and headed off to Strikz. We had never been there before, but thought that bowling would be fun - and it was! It was video bowling, which was cool - it seemed like they played a lot of stuff from the early to mid 90's, which I love. :) And it was "Cosmic Bowling," where it's all dark, and the balls glow! Fun stuff. The best part, of course, was the fact that we got to wear cool shoes :)

Anyway, Richard was really kicking my butt, and I finally found out (in our 2nd game) that he took a bowling course in college! NO FAIR! I finally broke 100 in our 4th and last game - thanks to Richard's helpful pointers.



I look like a total dork in this picture. Oh well.




Here's the ol' bowling pro


Strikz was pretty fun - and they also have laser tag, pool tables, and arcade games and prizes! Another neat thing is that it's really new and smoke free - not like the old bowling lanes that we used to go to as kids! We will definitely be going back!

P.S. - We went to run errands today and it rained while we were gone. On and in the topless, doorless Jeep. It's still dripping and airing out. :(

5/29/06 Workout

Well, I didn't workout yesterday. Richard and I had a date planned for last night, and spent the day getting stuff done around the house and playing with Jillian. However, I was the same weight as the previous day, so that's good.

As for today's stats:

495 calories
1.10 miles
86 carbs
35 minutes

And I gained about 0.2 pounds from yesterday...not panicking, though - it could be worse after having gone out to eat last night! It's all good :)

5/27/06 Workout

Okay, I'm a few days behind, but here are the stats:

Nevermind - I can't find where I wrote down that day's info, but I know I burned 615 calories in 40 minutes!

I also lost 1.2 pounds from the previous day...which makes me officially back down to pre-pregnancy weight! YAY!

Friday, May 26, 2006

5/26/06 Workout

290 calories
0.68 miles
52 carbs
21 minutes

Gained 0.4 from yesterday, but no big whoop, b/c I was feeling lighter this afternoon, and was curious to see what I weighed - and it was the same as this morning, which is promising!

Also, I got some bloodwork back, and my bad cholesterol (LDL) has gone down significantly, while my good cholesterol (HDL) has gone up! Awesome for both!!!

However, my mom called (my OB-GYN's nurse) and said that my TSH levels were suppressed, which could mean that I have hyperthyroidism...something that would be no surprise, given that my mom has a hyperthyroid, as well as her dad, and her grandmother. Anyway, I'm making an appt. to get my blood taken for some more tests next Thursday...we'll see what happens!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

5/25/06 Workout

625 calories
1.34 miles
109 carbs
40 minutes

And 0.8 pounds lighter than yesterday!!!

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

5/24/06 Workout

465 calories
1.02 miles
82 carbs
31 minutes

And I was 1.2 pounds lighter this morning!!! Yay!!!

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

5/23/06 Workout

Didn't gain or lose any weight from yesterday...

Here are today's stats:

363 calories
0.85 miles
64 carbs
26 minutes

I know these are boring posts, but they keep me going! :)

Monday, May 22, 2006

5/22/06

After not working out for a few days (we were in Arkansas), here are today's stats:

457 calories
1.12 miles
80 carbs
33 minutes

Still not talking about weight, but it didn't really change all that much after this weekend, which is better than I thought I would fare!

Thursday, May 18, 2006

5/18/06 Workout

Well, I worked out a little later than normal, but it still got done...

617 calories
1.32 miles
108 carbs
41 minutes

I'm taking Friday, Saturday, and possibly Sunday off - will be in Arkansas having fun with Lindsay and Lily! Richard and Steve (Lindsay's husband), and some of their other friends will be camping out for a bachelor party...

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

5/17/06 Workout

Okay, maybe this weighing everyday thing isn't such a good idea...it seemed like a good idea when I was losing everyday! But today it went up again! :( :( :(

Nevertheless, the working out must continue:

312 calories
0.71 miles
55 carbs
22 minutes

Let's keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow's weigh-in...

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Ugh - 5/16/06 Workout

Eventhough the stupid iFIT program was a super hard 40 min. routine (ick), I had extra motivation this morning: I made a bad choice in partaking in a little bit of ice cream last night with the season finale of Grey's Anatomy...my weight went up a little this morning. And I know that to be consistent with the rest of my blogging, I should post how much I gained, but it's my blog, and I don't want to :) Sorry! It's not that much, though...as I told Richard, I just made a bad choice, and I can't give up - just gotta get back on the horse!

Anyway, here are today's workout stats:

605 calories (!)
1.27 miles
106 carbs
40 minutes

We'll keep our fingers crossed that my weight is lower tomorrow...it probably won't help that I'm meeting Richard and Esther for lunch at Gloria's in a couple hours! :(

Monday, May 15, 2006

5/15/06 Workout

As you probably noticed, I did not workout or weigh yesterday...for obvious reasons :)

I was kind of scared to weigh today because we went to Mercado Juarez for lunch with my family yesterday, and Carrabbas for dinner with Richard's family last night. I tried to order healthier things, in hopes that I wouldn't gain too much weight...

And I was surprised to learn that I still lost 0.4 pounds from Saturday! That means that I've lost 2.6 pounds from last Monday - YAY!

Anyway, here are today's workout stats:

540 calories
1.14 miles
95 carbs
36 minutes

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Size 10?

Ohmigosh. I might actually be able to wear size 10's on a more frequent basis. Usually, I loom around the size 12 thing, but there are times in my life when I've been a consistent, comfortable 10, and sometimes an 8. Those of you who know me, know that I'm not a petite girl, so a 10 is good for me. In fact, when I was in a New York bar with some friends my sophomore year of college, a rather large man, of African American descent, was sitting behind us and said to me, "Damn girl! You healthy!" Alright, in my defense, I think I was a consistent size 10 then, too! My good friend, Suzy, told me to take that comment as a compliment from that guy. And anyway, I didn't even really balloon until my senior year after my Senior Recital was over in November and I could drink without worrying what it would do to my singing voice (ignore the fact that I was planning on going to grad school for vocal pedagogy the next fall). In the guy's defense, he was probably drunk.

ANYWAY, I'm a big-boned girl. I'm healthy. I got my Dad's genes. However you want to put it, I've never been petite, but as we all know, I'm working on it. I think that WHEN (not IF) I reach my goal of losing 26 more pounds, I will definitely be in single digits consistently, but for now, post-baby, I'm jumping for joy today! I was excited a couple of weeks ago when I fit into some denim capris at Kohl's that were a size 10. However, I chalked it up to the fact that they have "a little stretch" in them. Nonetheless, I bought them.

So today, I went through some of my clothes from when we got married in 2003, and found these khacki Gap capris. Size 10. I showed them to Richard, reminded him that he always loved them (he agreed, of course), and then proceeded to try them on.

THEY FIT! GAP 10'S FIT! This is not to say that every Gap 10 fits (or that I couldn't be a little bit more comfortable while sitting in these capris), but they are pretty comfy, and I am very optimistic!. I also know it's not just a fluke - I tried on a size 10 skirt there the other day, and it fit too! I chalked that incident up to the fact that the skirt goes around the smaller portion of the waist. But now I'm starting to feel really good!

Now if only we could do something about those stretch marks...

5/13/06 Workout

610 calories
1.2 miles
107 carbs
41 minutes

As for this morning's weight, Richard was so sweet and got me a Chocolate Chip Einstein's Brothers Bagel...I ate it and THEN remembered that I hadn't weighed myself yet. :(

Yes, I know that bagel goes against my wanting to not eat that kind of stuff. Over the past week, we've cut out A LOT of calories and bad stuff, changed to eating more "whole," natural foods, I've realized that I can't always be perfect. I have to have little splurges of "normal" food, otherwise I might go totally overboard one day and just pig out! All in all, though, we've really changed our palates and our eating habits, so I think we're off to a great start!

Friday, May 12, 2006

5/12/06 Workout

I was shocked and thrilled this morning to see that I lost 0.8 more pounds! That makes 2.2 pounds since Monday - YAY!!!! Hopefully, I can keep it up...I'm scared I'll plateau or something, but after talking to our family cardiologist yesterday, I still have 26.8 more pounds to go, so there's really no option!

All I can do is my best, and I have a lot of incentive - my Dad's side of the family has a history of heart disease and small, dense cholesterol particles (research shows that's bad). Ideally, you want big, fluffy cholesterol particles. In August 2004, I had a blood workup done to see how I was doing, and my cholesterol count is pretty good: Doctors like the total to be under 200 and mine was 215. I know what you're thinking..."But 215 is above 200..." The thing is, my HDL (good cholesterol is very high), and my LDL is actually in a healthy range, though it can always be healthier, so after talking to the family cardiologist yesterday, I just need to shoot for lowering the LDL (bad cholesterol) by about 20. He said it's totally in my hands - I just need to workout everyday and lose the weight to help fight off those bad family genes.

I had bloodwork done yesterday to see what it's at now. Who knows where it's at after pregnancy and during this time while I'm breastfeeding! I just want to see where I'm at, so I that I can work toward my new cholesterol goals.

Okay, today's workout:

300 calories
0.72 miles
53 carbs
22 minutes

Until tomorrow...

Thursday, May 11, 2006

5/11/06 Workout

Today's workout was pretty difficult:





However, I got a little break about 10 minutes into the routine when Jillian woke up from her nap. Unfortunately, I didn't write down all my stats up to that point, so my total is a calculated estimate based on my stats from the rest of the workout:

630 calories
1.2 miles
110 carbs
40 minutes

Same weight as yesterday...Hey, at least it's not goin' up! :)

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

5/10/06 Workout

Got the inhaler, so I did the iFIT routine, but it was shorter...

345 calories
0.85 miles
60 carbs
26 minutes

Lost 0.2 pounds from yesterday...

5/9/06 Workout

Today, I didn't use the iFIT routine - took it a little easier, while I wait to get my inhaler...

350 calories
1.2 miles
65.3 carbs
30 minutes

Oh, and I may start adding weight loss (not my actual weight, but just how much I've lost or - EEK! - gained)

Today, I lost 1.2 pounds from yesterday...

Monday, May 08, 2006

Today's Workout

Okay, I've decided that to keep myself honest, as far as working out goes, I will do my best to post my daily stats on this blog. For example, today on the elliptical, I burned 449 calories and 78 carbs in a 31 minute mile. I know it doesn't really interest the general public, but I'm hoping it'll keep me motivated, since I seem to be addicted to blogging! Another motivator is that last night, I noticed my arms are getting more toned, and I just feel more energized in general. My body feels more tight, too - in the good way, ya know? Like when you walk around and your butt, abs, arms, and legs just feel tight and toned? Anyway, I think this elliptical was a great investment. :)

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Oprah and Dr. Oz

Last Monday, Oprah did another great show with Dr. Oz. I knew it was about health, and living and eating better, so I made Richard watch it with me. As a side note, I actually make him watch a lot of Oprah with me...he's not always thrilled about it, but we both seemed to get a lot out of this particular show. Anyway, the biggest thing I learned from this "90 Day Live Longer, Feel Younger" show was that we needed to try to cut out (or at least cut back on) certain types of foods. Well, duh. We all know that certain foods and ingredients are less than healthy, but sometimes you just need a reminder. And the pictures of partially hydrogenated anything were just gross. Here are all the bad foods at the "Food Hall of Shame."

Basically, he says that there are 5 ingredients that you should avoid eating - particularly if any of them are in the first 5 ingredients listed on a product. Seeing and learning all of this inspired me to pull all the crap out of our pantry. There are some things we decided to just finish off and not buy again - like Quaker Oatmeal Cereal Bars (we bought them in bulk at Sam's...kinda difficult to just pitch that). Anyway, I think those had every one of those bad things in the first 5 ingredients! EEK! One of the things that really made me want to do this was learning how sugars, for example, eat away at your arteries. Partially hydrogenated stuff clogs them. Enriched flours are not enriched so much. Dr. Oz says "The reason they enrich it is because they already stripped out anything that was worth a darn in it, and they add a little bit back so it doesn't look so bad."

I won't try to repeat back everything he says about the bad foods - just go the the "Hall of Shame" to learn what I learned. Of course, there are "Hall of Fame" foods he lists, too - and Richard and I already do a pretty good job with those. And actually, most of the foods that we pitched were foods that had just been sitting in the pantry for a long time, and that we probably would never eat. Needless to say, I'm already pretty selective in the foods I buy. I already knew about partially hydrogenated crap, but like I said earlier, seeing it and knowing that it makes great furniture polish is just gross.

I've also been inspired to try yoga. No, I haven't tried it yet. So far, I'm just working on their suggestion to walk 30 minutes everyday. I've been doing the elliptical a lot, so that's good. As far as yoga, I'll probably purchase a video, mat, and stuff like that soon - whenever I can get the toys cleared out of the space that I would be doing the yoga. :)

Richard has been amazingly supportive of my wanting to take on this new, healthier lifestyle. It is no doubt difficult. There are so many "normal" foods that have one or many of those bad items listed in the first five ingredients. However, it turned out that I had been wanting to go to Sprouts Farmers Market, since it's just around the corner, and this was the perfect reason! I had been told by my good friend, Tara, that Sprouts is much like a Whole Foods or Central Market, but cheaper - sounds good to me! The cool/serendipitous thing is that there are only THREE Sprouts in Texas - the one around the corner, one in Flower Mound (we used to live in that area too, actually), and one in Dallas. The only other states Sprouts is in is California and Arizona. So I feel like we kinda lucked out!

Anyway, we got to Sprouts and the first thing I noticed was that it was smaller than I expected. Still a very open layout, though. It was really nice. Our goal was to take a look around, see what all they had, and we actually ended up getting several things. We got Sprouts Cheese Puffs that don't have any hydrogenated stuff or enriched stuff, all natural tortilla chips sans aforementioned stuff, organic chocolate chip cookies (with DARK chocolate - YUM!) - also no hydrogenated stuff, etc., all natural Sprouts Salsa, and then some oranges and a container of mixed fruit (at an amazing price!!!).

The trip was good - lots and lots of organic stuff - produce and many other things; a vitamin counter and consultant; a section with books for healthy living and cooking; yoga and pilates gear; and there's a bakery section, too - Richard and I forgot to see if that stuff was organic and good for you, but I'm thinking it's not. :) All in all, a very fun trip and definitely not as chaotic as any other grocery store! Yay for healthy living!

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Whew!

Our elliptical just kicked my butt! Actually, it was our elliptical in combination with this program called "iFIT." You connect the elliptical to the computer, and it gives you a different workout program everyday!!! Today's was super hard...although ALL of them are hard, especially because our elliptical not only has resistance, but also an incline. And man, when both of those are really high, it has me praying to get through that section! Anyway, even though it kills while I'm doing it, this new, little working out thing is really helping!
Here was today's workout: