Was supposed to...

I was really looking forward to walking with the gitrls tonight...unfortunately hubby and I were passing in the night...as soon as I got home, he had to head back to school for a meeting. No walk :(  I was disappointed but am just chillin out maxin and relaxin all cool :)  LOL

I am completely exhausted, I'll probably had to bed in a few

Food??  WOW...I lost some pictures but here is lunch and snack :)

Hope everyone has a great night!

TTFN

Restraint

Restraint for me isn't about restricting myself it is about making good choices and making sure that I REALLY want to enjoy something and am willing to deal with the consequences if I do indulge....SO this week has been a challenge.  Yesterday in a meeting they had cookies as a snack and I passed.  Mostly because they weren't chocolate (and if it isn't chocolate what's the point, right??).  Then today during a meeting there was froyo AND chocolate cake!  Let's just say I'm really glad I passed on the butter cookies yesterday :)  I enjoyed a few bites (I swear) of froyo and about an eighth of a peice of chocolate cake.  This is the way to do it...just enough to taste it!!!  And for game purposes...I'm sure it fit within my 100 calories, WOOT!

I'm sure it helps that EVERYONE who works at UA is a size ZERO :)...OK that is an exaggeration, LOL

Sometimes it is tough being a woman...specifically when the first day of your "visitor" forces you to sit out on exercise.  Let's just say, I'm not up to it...  Note to self, make an appointment with Dr. Aziz :)

Alright food today???

Time to sleep...

TTFN

Sorry Sorry Sorry

I've been SO BUSY LATELY!  I don't even have an excuse for why my blog is boring except that I don't even have time to think (well I guess that is an excuse) :)

I'm good here though...I'm in a good place (emotionally), making good choices, moving as much as possible and loving Spring...Does anyone else feel like you've "survived" when you see the trees start to bloom?  It isn't like this winter was so bad it is just that winter is so gloomy and brownish/gray.  I'm really ready for some serious color (specifically green) :)  My allergies may be driving me nuts but it is SO WORTH IT!

Sorry Jesus...I had ham on my egg white sandwich today.  It was delicious though!

 Isn't this bread gorgeous?!?!  I got it down stairs at the cafe and it is whole grain with seeds and oatmeal...TO DIE FOR!  I used it to make my tuna today (brought with me) instead of my english muffin :)  I also thieved some lettuce and tomato

I met my TESSCO girls for dinner (minus Amy :() and we went to Bahama Breeze where I got a curry shrimp dish and it was OUTSTANDING!  Mmmmmmmmmmm

I love my TESSCO girls and I miss them SO MUCH!

I know I had another meal in there somewhere...to make my 5, I just forgot to take a picture :)

That's it for now

TTFN

Room Temperature

Holy Moly the weather sure did change.  I don't even think it broke 60 degrees today.  That's ok...it feels more like spring anyway :)

The best part of the "Game" this time is my bad habit.  I'm trying to break the habit of negative self talk.  I had gotten so good at being nice to myself but in the last few weeks something has gone south.  I'm not sure what exactly except that my weight is stalled.  I will tell you that this issue is genetic :)  I say that b/c my mom has always been self critical!  I think she has also gotten better in the last few months but all in all...it will always be there, we just have to learn how to redirect it.  For example today...I felt really good about my body (most of the day) and realized that I am happy in my size.  I wish it were smaller but it will be (some day).  I just need to relax and keep on keepin on :)

Onto today...GREAT DAY!  Work is still nuts but I really love it!  Food??

My Veggie Sausage

 I have come to the very clear decision that I only like my chobani at room temperature.  That may sound weird to others who love the consistency when it is cold but I DO NOT!  I had a cold chobani yesterday and I didn't enjoy it at all (and it was pineapple, my fav)...then today I had the cherry with kashi and it ROCKED!  Mmmmmmmm  I heart Chobani!

Egg Salad...I made dinner for the kids but didn't feel like cooking veggie for myself so I ended up with an egg salad sandwich...it was OK :)

I'm obsessed with the Voice and the app/game Draw Something...so I'm going to do that now :)
TTFN

Positive Thought for today:  Even if I'm this size for the rest of my life..I think I can be happy with it :)

Great Weekend too...

From time with the kiddos to girls night out...to a baby shower...this weekend rocked!

I took the day off from the "Game" yesterday...but mostly it included not worrying about my water consumption and alcohol.  I barely ate anything :)  (I did steal some fries at GNO).  Then today I had a busted meal via the shower...I didn't eat a whole lot but there were chips and cake :)

All in all this was a great weekend!!!

Saturday only consisted on Subway...

 and my Mango Tuna wrap at the Lodge with a side salad.

 Today was better...

 Lunch was chick peas with an indian jar sauce, brown rice and broccoli

 and dinner was a chobani with kashi.  I will say that I don't like my chobani cold.  I much prefer it at room temperature. 

Now I'm just chillin...

sorry for the boring post

I'll have more tomorrow

TTFN

Fantastic Friday...best one this year :)

Today was the best Friday so far year to date!  I can't begin to explain what happened...Hmmmmmm; ok I'll just start at the beginning.

I left exactly at 6:30 this morning and took a new way to work which avoided alot of 95 and mountain road (which is a pain in the butt).  I went this way b/c I knew I would pass a Dunkin Donuts and you all know that April Runs on Dunkin.  I decided to treat myself to my old standby the flatbread and a coffee.

BTW...I made it to work in just 31 minutes...THIS IS HUGE!!!  It has been taking me nearly 45 minutes to get to work in the morning.  The weather today was outstanding!  Sunny all day and over 80 degrees...YOWZA!  That is my kind of day.  Around 10am I got hungry

Then I was looking outside and feeling the need for some vitamin D, so what did I do???  I went outside and worked at one of the tables that are set up on the patio of my building (near the cafe).  Alot of people had this same idea and they opened the "garage style" doors to the cafe so everyone was working downstairs to be as close to the nice weather as possible.

Backtrack...earlier this morning I emailed a friend I've made at work and asked if she wanted to have an adventure and take the water taxi over to Fells Point to have lunch...unfortunately she was swamped but promised next time she'd join me.  I sucked it up and tried to make the most of my afternoon.  I worked outside until 11:30 then I went up to my office to get my debit card to get something for lunch... (working in the sun makes you hungry) LOL  I decided on the salmon again and ate outside...Mmmmmmmmm

After lunch I decided to take a little walk down to the promenade on our campus which is right on the water.  It was so gorgeous I couldn't possibly go in just yet.  As I was walking down to the pier, I saw the water taxi.  I had a choice to make...do my little loop and go back to my office??  Or hop on the water taxi and take a walk through fells point???  I decided on the 2nd option and hoped on the free boat.  OH YEAH...  For some reason I felt a huge sense of freedom and happiness duirng the quick 3 minute boat ride to Fells.  When I got off the boat I went into shops I'd forgotten about...and just loved EVERY minute!  

I headed back to the dock and caught the watertaxi back to work (the whole trip from pick up to drop off took 50 minutes).  It was such an amazing way to spend this sunny day.  The only thing that would have made it better is if I'd had someone else to adventure with...no worries that will come :)

The rest of my day was in my office on calls and in meetings (dang it) :)  but the morning and early afternoon sure did ROCK.  Oh and a monster kept me company :)

We couldn't possibly waste this amazing evening inside so after some traffic getting to Bel Air, we went to The Mallet for dinner (this is a newer restaurant in Fallston) and we really loved it!  We had outstanding service and the food was really good.  I got a crabcake with asparagus instead of fries.

I was really impressed and sitting outside was a nice treat!  Even the kids had a great time (well minus Dom, he is with Mom Mom). 

Now I'm sitting here drinking a beer and watching Taken (I'm obsessed with this movie)...

Time to chill!!

Positive thought for the day??  This day rocked!!!  DO IT AGAIN as often as possible! 

TTFN

My new accent...

Yesterday I woke up with a sore on the side of my tongue.  It hurts SO MUCH!!!  It hurts to talk, eat and even drink...we all know what a baby I am too :(  I'm hoping I wake up tomorrow and it is all better.  Anybody know how I can get rid of it??  I've been talking like a weirdo too...people look at me weird so I find myself explaining it all day...Oh well :)

My meals today were delicious but painful...OUCH!

This sandwich wasn't as good as it was yesterday so I only ate half

 I'm seriously addicted to these Pluots...I'll wait until my tongue feels better but I will be buying these bad boys :)

 Lunch as Salmon with asian dressing, fresh veggies, and whole grains

 Dinner was the last of the zucchini lasagna with some pasta to change it up...delicious but so painful I could only eat half.  UGG

I needed one more meal so I threw together a whole wheat english muffin, some milk for protein and a smear of peanut butter. 

That's it for food...exercise involved alot of raking the back yard and chasing after Livie :) 

Nothing formal though...

The Game was GOOD today:  Water?  Check! 5 sanctioned meals? Check! Veggies? Check! Exercise?  Check!  Moisturized? Check! Positive April Day? Check!

 

Positive Self Reflection?  I'm a really good at problem solving.

 

Time for me to go to sleep, my allergies are kicking my butt!

TTFN

Same Ole Same Ole...but what is a Pluot?

April?!?!  How can you eat the same thing everyday?  I recently read an article validating my boring diet :)

1. It Makes Shopping Easier and More Cost Predictable: Eating the same foods every week allows you to budget properly for groceries and in the end, makes shopping faster and easier. 
2. It Makes Weight Loss or Maintenance a Lot Easier: Whether you want to maintain weight or lose weight, eating consistently the same things can make reaching your goals a lot easier.  This gives you a successful eating ‘formula’, which means you will never have to count calories or nutritional recommended daily allowances again.  You know what works and repeating the formula most days will help you to reach your goal without a lot of time and thought.
3. Knowing Your Body: Eating the same foods helps you understand your body and how it reacts to foods.  When you eat new or atypical foods, you will be able to hone in on what foods make you feel too full, gassy, not full enough, etc. 
4. Greater Appreciation for Off-Days: Having a routine for meals makes dining out or those times you do get creative in the kitchen all the more meaningful.  New dishes and flavors have much more significance and tend to taste extra scrumptious.
5. Healthy Behavior on Off-Days: If you find the optimal ‘formula’ from #2 above, you will have a good baseline for when you don’t eat the same foods.  You will become very accustomed to how much of what kinds of foods you need and will be able to use that as a guide for the days you digress.

See?!?!  There is a method to my madness

What did I eat today??

Breakfast was different :)  I had a whole wheat bagel with some avocado, low fat cheese and egg whites.

 A monster...

even if I don't get creative with my menu the least I can do is take interesting pictures?!?  right?  This is the wall in my office (I LOVE that everything at Under Armour is branded)

 Lunch was a big veggie salad and shrimp salad sandwich on whole wheat bun.

 Then Meal #4...boring but delicious was my chobani and kashi

 Dinner was Shrimp and Broccoli with brown rice...Dominic ate most of my shrimp so I had mostly broccoli :)

Ever heard of a Pluot???  It is a cross between an apricot and a plum.  AND BTW...it is DELICIOUS! 

 Mason and I enjoyed one today...I will need to search for them b/c it is AMAZING...I am not a huge fan of plums but this was sweeter and so delicious!  If you find them, try one :)

 It almost looks like an apple on the outside but it is soft like a nectarine and the sweetest plum you've ever eaten!!! 

Mmmmmmmmmm...how much fun is it to try new fruits?!?!  I'm a dork, I know :)

Game was GREAT today...

Water?  Check! 5 sanctioned meals? Check! Veggies? Check! Exercise?  Check!  Moisturized? Check! Positive April Day? Check!  GO ME! 

Positive thought??  I married a really wonderful man!

That's it for tonight

TTFN

I'm back...GAME ON!

After my downer post from yesterday...I got an email from a very dear friend who gave me just what I needed.  Solutions!  She suggested I jump into Game On (which was already underway with another group) and suggested a new form of exercise which sounds kinda exciting, hiking.  Yes this non hippy prissy chick is going to try her hand at hiking :)  Most importantly I started Game On today!!!

Goal: Weight Loss (I need to lose 1% of my body weight each week) - starting weight 194

Good Habit: I will moisturize my face every day. 

Bad Habit: No more negative self talk. 

Today was outstanding!!!  I got to go with Dominic on his field trip to the Science Center. 

what is up with this pose?!? :)

Food was a challenge but I managed to fit in all 5 of my sanctioned meals!!!  AND DRINK MY WATER:)

Meal 1:  Veggie Sausage with whole wheat english muffin

Meal #2: Unpictured string cheese and an apple

Meal #3: Tuna on whole wheat bun and a Clementine

Meal #4 Chobani and Kashi 

 Meal #5: zucchini lasagna with a side salad :) 

This Zucchini Lasagna is SO EASY...and I made it in the crock pot.

Ingredients: 4 Zucchini, 1 small container fat free ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 1 bag pre shredded reduced fat motz cheese, a jar of sauce.

How?  slice zucchini and cover in salt to strain some fluid out of them.  While they're releasing some water, in a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, motz and egg.  The rest is really simple!  rinse and strain the zucchini, then layer sauce, zucchini and cheese mixture in the crock pot.  Then another layer of sauce, zucchini and cheese mixture,  Keep going until everything is in the pot and cook on low 6-10 hours.  ENJOY!

I think it would be done in 6 hours but we are gone for 10 and the cheese takes on a very hearty consistency... I LOVE IT! 

As if walking all day wasn't enough...I walked 2 miles with the girls tonight and it felt GREAT!

That's it for now

TTFN

Positive thought for today?  I love spending time with my kids :)