Up & Gym-ing it again :)

Last night I met with my parents for an impromptu dinner at Legal Seafoods… mm!  Don’t you love when parents come into town and treat you to dinner?

We started with their yummy dinner rolls… I had mine and about 1/3 of my dad’s haha. Entree for me was one of their “legal classics”– the “wood grilled assortment” with fries and cole slaw. It had grilled shrimp, scallops, trout, swordfish and tuna! What a great combo! The fries were uber good too 🙂 I know I’m on a  ‘getting to my happy weight plan’ but this dinner was totally worth it! I enjoyed every last bite. For dessert, my parents and I shared the Strawberry shortcake.  Yum! Totally satisfying.

After that dinner, I knew I needed to squeeze in a work out, so.. I woke up this morning to hit the gym again, burned about 600 calories and I’m pretty darn proud of myself. I weighed in at 129 lbs! I guess the indulgent dinner didn’t pile on the weight!

In other news, I did order those muffins I dedicated a whole post to.  My reasoning was the following: I can’t have a 100% clean diet and be completely happy right now.  It would be ideal if I could but I can’t get there right away, so why not have a few things I enjoy that are low calorie and try to keep the rest of my diet healthy? I decided if their resumed consumption shows up on the scale of if I find that I’m not balancing them out with healthy foods, that they aren’t worth it and I will toss them (but hopefully that won’t have to happen!).  I want to be able to indulge and not obsess about something just because I tell myself I can’t have it. That’s no way to live.  That’s torture!

Anyways it’s a lovely day in Boston. What’s more, tomorrow is Friday- and the start of a long weekend!

Practice doesn’t always make perfect but it does make it easier..

Last night, since I got out of work by 4-  Chris and I revisited Vapiano (Sorry, I forgot to take photos-aiyaiyai!!) and ordered a glass of white wine & a bottle of Pellegrino to share before diving head first into some yummy eats.  Eventually, we got the pizza with parmesan, arugula & prosciutto, a spicy orange, fennel & shrimp salad along side their special of the day: hot brie with fruit.  Came out to a total of ~$50 which isn’t bad at all for Boston, and especially for the amount of food!  The pizza was only about 8″ in diameter and not loaded with cheese but I still felt I should work out afterwards, particularly since I hadn’t worked out since the 10K.  When I got home though (around 7), it was a totally different story. I was so exhausted, that I fell asleep in my workout clothes. 2 hours later, I woke up to realize I had just crashed at 7:30pm! I could tell my body was tired from the insufficient sleep during the two prior nights, so I just had a gulp of cold fresca and went back to bed.

This morning I popped up at 4am (!) without my alarm so I decided to hit the gym. I’m lucky enough to live in a building with a gym downstairs so I was on the Elliptical for 45 min, Walked on the Treadmill @8% incline for 15 min, and Jogged on the treadmill for 15 min.  Total burn was about 600 calories (according to the machines). I stretched quickly, hit the showers and headed to work! Feeling good!

Even after taking only a few days off from working out, it had become difficult to motivate myself to get to the gym.  Usually I go to the gym every weekday morning but after the race, I thought I would rest even though it was only 6.2 miles.  (That’s what I mean by ‘practice makes it easier’..’ I guess the saying about habits making or breaking you is what I’m getting at). Quickly I became content with not going to the gym until I saw a print proof of my out of shape tummy when the photos from the race were emailed to me last night.

(Sorry, I took down the photo. You can read my more recent posts to learn why).

I don’t actually think I look all that bad.  At 5’2″ I weighed in this morning (post-workout&shower) at 129.6 lbs. I’m down about 4 lbs in the past month& I’m not overweight but I am over my happy weight. I feel good in my clothes and while running when I’m around 115 lbs but I look fine and quite healthy around 120 lbs.  So I’ve resolved the following:

By my birthday, 7/24 (25 days = ~3 1/2 weeks from today): Lose 5.6 lbs (that’s approx.: 1.5 lb loss/week)

By September, 9/1 (64 days = ~9 weeks from today, and 39 days = ~5 1/2 weeks after my birthday): Lose 9 more lbs, total = 14.6 lbs, result: 115 lbs (that’s approx.: 1.6 lb loss/week)

I don’t think a 1.5-1.6 lb loss/week is unhealthy and it can be done without going overboard. It will require tenacity of course, but it isn’t too extreme. I aim at 115 lbs because I anticipate that once I recalibrate around 115, I will gain back a 2-3 lbs, which brings me to a healthy 118.  That will bring my BMI to 21.6 down from what it is now: 23.7.

Anyways: breakfast a cappucinno with almond milk (20 cal)  pre-workout and then post-workout:

Fiber One English Muffin (100 cal) + Venti Iced coffee with milk (30 cal)

Muffin debate

My local Stop & Shop sells sugar free corn & double chocolate chip muffins that are 150 calories each.  They are sooo yummy but I know they are pretty much just chemicals. Otherwise, with that kind of taste, they would be well over 300 calories with lots of sugar and fat.  I love that they are so yummy and low calorie!  While I crave them all the time, I’ve kept myself from going to that Stop & Shop because I know they can’t be good for me and I want to be consuming more whole, natural, and nutritious foods.  It’s so tempting though… I’ve been thinking about them for 2 weeks non stop! (What is wrong with me?!)

I tried to replace this craving with my own version of a lower calorie, low fat banana muffin.. came out pretty bland and totally unsatisfying despite adding splenda.  My problem is not only that I love my sweets (even if they are artificial) but also I enjoy large quantities! Some people say it’s just a little taste they crave, and as long as they get a taste, they’re satisfied. Not me. It may be that I have a large appetite and also that I’m craving an ‘artificial’ food in the first place. 

I don’t want to be a person obsessed with a darn muffin that’s made of chemicals. I want to be someone who enjoys whole, natural, real foods in moderation and doesn’t need to eat massive quantities to feel satisfied… I know it’s a combination of bad eating habits and some kind of absence/hole in my life that has to be filled.

Anyways, for now.. I curse that muffin.

Just want my bed…

Last night was a late for Chris & Me.. We stayed up very late, talking about our future, etc.. well past 1am.  Afterwards I was so caught up with all the thoughts in my head, I had trouble sleeping and before I knew it.. it was wake up time! Oy.. .ouch.  I shuffled my butt into the shower, packed my breakfast, dropped off my dry cleaning, caught my bus and picked up a venti iced coffee (I don’t usually).. still, I feel like a zombi this morning. 

On an entirely different note, I’ve been thinking of some blog post topics.. Here’s what I got so far:

• Money in relationships
• Calories- not just quantity, but quality
• New England Journ. of Medicine article addressing fattening foods
• Babies & Career
• Bethenny Frankel ‘lifestyle’ approach review
• Best of Boston, food wise
• Binges- what do they mean? how to talk about them, how to recover
• Chanel Vitalumier foundation review
• Shellac manicure review

I need to work out!

Can you spell S-O-R-E?!!!

Yikes.. waking up this morning with soreness throughout my quads and abs was a big wake up call (pun intended?).  I need to get in better shape! I’d been squeezing in (what I thought were sufficient) quick workouts each morning but that’s been proven wrong!  I’ve got the Lawyers have Heart 5K on Thursday evening so I’m not gonna push myself like crazy between now and then but I’m gonna have to limber myself back to non-super-sore comfort.. Jeez, I’m frankly shocked that the 10K had such an impact on me physically.

I’m gonna brainstorm a new exercise plan and be posting that later! For now.. Happy Monday! (?)

Post Race Fun

Ran the 10K in about 55 minutes.. the exact time will be posted later.

The run was a good chance to see where my fitness is.  Let me tell you… it feels like I need to be doing more. I had a small cramp at mile 2 (!!!), slowed down halfway through, and was exhausted by the end, and…it was only 6.2 miles!! I felt like I had run at least 15.. gotta get on upping that mileage… Yay for finishing though! Chris & I were only a few minutes apart at the finish line .. that’s a first! Poor guy.. he was slowed down by his bad achilles tendonitis 😦

We ran into my parents right outside the fenced off area… who we were so happy to see, especially since they invited us out to a post-race brunch at Sam’s.

After stretching, we picked up our tshirts and headed home to hit the showers. Don’t post-race showers feel so glorious?

Sam’s was good….(forgot to take photos, sorry!) I had a hickory smoked salmon with beans &cucumbers covered in a fresh dill &mint yogurt sauce (delish!), Chris had a lobster &grits dish (very southern for a Deutschmann!), Mom had a juicy burger, Dad had a dutch baby with a berry compote.. it was a lot of food!!

We’re back home now.. digesting.. Chris is watching the women’s soccer championship, while I catch up with my blogroll and blogging.  The day is still young though! This afternoon I’m headed out for a little mani/pedi time with a girlfriend before heading to Happy hour at Clio where a friend will be tending bar.. yay (again!) for girlfriends! Gotta remember to take more photos!

Finally Back home

Finally got back to Boston at 8:45, treated myself to Tasti D-lite (brownie batter & french vanilla- yum!!!), and now I’m back in my apartment- cosy in my PJs 🙂

Gonna catch up on the blogroll and then call it a relatively early night since tomorrow we’ve gotta be up early for the BAA 10K!

Tired but so far, so good

After a very long 7 hour bus ride to NYC, I quickly checked into my hotel and five minutes later my fabulous friends were in the hotel lobby ready to help me decompress after the crazy bus ride. Thank goodness for girlfriends!! We went to a casual little diner around the corner from the hotel where we quickly started with coffee (well decaf for me!). I wound up with a surprisingly delicious chicken and feta salad.. Yum!! After a few hrs of girl talk and a surprising sighting of our old high school principal, we called it a night. I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep after all the sleep I got on the bus… But that was before I lied down haha..
This morning I let go of the plan to go for a run and indulged in a little extra sleep.. Boy I’m tired these days !! After a lovely morning shower I headed out to le pain quotidien on 7th&58th.. Yay for yummy steel cut oats:) good brain food..

After breakfast I was back at my hotel room to pack up my stuff before heading out to work (which is why I came to NYC in the 1st place!)
.. Four hours later I hopped in a cab to meet a childhood friend who happens to be in town for research on her thesis at le pain quotidien again! Hehe I could go there all the time 🙂
Before we knew it was time for me to catch my bus back to Boston!

 

I feel fat

Like anyone else, I have my days where I just feel fat. My pants are much snugger than I’d like, and I just feel like I’m about to pop out of my shirt like  a poptart. Not a fun feeling. Today is one of those days. I’m NOT going to let it ruin my day though. Going to NYC today!

At 12:30pm, I leave work early to hop on a bus down to NYC. I will see a few friends for dinner, after which I’ve got to prep for Work Stuff tomorrow. Tomorrow- hopefully I squeeze in a quick run around central park before heading to my Mtg.. and then, it’s back on the bus to Boston.. Intense!! As if that weren’t enough for a weekend, I have my 10K on Sunday morning at 8am.. trying to get myself psyched for that! Lol

So here’s to you Fat Day- you ain’t gonna take time away from me.. it’s my life to choose, it’s my mood to choose, it’s my experience to choose!

Scale, Meeting, Workouts and Weekend Plans

I squeezed out a pretty strong 5K this morning, after a very restless night of half-sleep.  I’ve got a very important meeting today at noon, EDT (please think of me!) and I guess its imminence kept me from relaxing into  my usual slumber.  Weighed in at 133.8 lbs this morning on my brand-sparklin’-new scale.  Not bad! I was expecting more so I’m pretty pleased.  Granted, it is mostly water weight lost through running. Maybe on Thursday of next week, I’ll look down at a pretty little 131.8?

I can’t wait to be done with this meeting.. but afterwards, I’ve got to ask my boss for a letter of recommendation.. aiyiayia.. stress. Tomorrow, I’ll be leaving work at lunch to take a bus to NYC for an important appointment on Saturday morning.  However.. in the middle of all that, I’ll get to see a few of my very good, highschool girlfriends tomorrow night for dindin- yay!!

Once I’m back in Boston Saturday evening, I’ll have a little time to wind down with Chris.. then we’ve got the BAA 10K on Sunday morning. Yikes.. intense weekend! Haha.. I suppose it means I will feel very productive! Perhaps I took on too much?