Getting To Know...

New Sunday Questions from Keely.

The questions..

1. Would you rather bungee jump or sky dive?

2. When using a public restroom to you squat over the seat or sit?

3. Favorite flower?

4. Pedicure or manicure?

5. How many siblings do you have?

6. Do you pee in the shower? (gasp!)

7. Bikini, tankini, or one piece?

8. Where do you hate to shop at, but go there anyway?

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1. Would you rather bungee jump or sky dive?

I agree with Keely, neither. But I guess if I had to choose, sky dive. That view would be amazing.

2. When using a public restroom to you squat over the seat or sit?

I sit, but that's after wiping it off. I've also been known to squirt anti-bacterial hand stuff on the seat to "clean" it off before sitting.

3. Favorite flower?

Peonies (o:


Of course this picture shows them cut (I just like the pic) but I don't like cut flowers. I despise them actually. I can't stand that they die so quickly and then when they do die, the smell of the water in the vase makes me gag.

4. Pedicure or manicure?

I love them both but having your feet massaged is amazing...

5. How many siblings do you have?

Just one older brother.

6. Do you pee in the shower? (gasp!)

This is Keely's answer:
Is this question a little TMI..yeah..I think so too, but I thought it was funny..I hope I'm not offending anyone..sorry if I do..feel free to plead the 5th..
My answer..
Yes!

Hahaha...
Um, well, I have been known to do this...but not recently (o:

7. Bikini, tankini, or one piece?

None of the above....but I do own a tankini.

8. Where do you hate to shop at, but go there anyway?

The Home Depot. The one on our side of town is awful. I won't dwell on all that. It's gotten to the point where I won't even go in that store anymore, I'll sit in the car/truck.

All right, there you have it. Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

Frumpy

I'm feeling frumpy lately. Between my newly baggy clothes and how I spend my nights and weekends I'm not feeling like a million bucks.

I had a meeting/collaboration thing to attend today. I was seeing some people I hadn't seen in quite a while and I was excited at the prospect of looking differently to them. I'm not an overly casual dresser so I had on khakis and a black button up shirt. Normally this is an outfit I feel nice in-I like the color combination, it seems fairly forgiving of any excess bumps and bulges.

But then it happened. I was walking down a hallway from one room to another when I passed a rather long series of glass panes protecting bulletins and posters of some sort and *gasp*. What in the world? What the? Blech! I look like THAT?!

Somehow overnight I had gone from lazy and chubby to someone a size or two smaller-but still walking the chubby girl's life--and wearing the chubby girl's clothes. It's that really uncomfortable point though where I don't want to buy new clothes. My word, it's not pretty but I'm not done changing.

Which brings me to my second point of frumpiness. What are you doing with your Friday or Saturday night? Hot date? Fun plans? Me? Oh, you know...it's just too exciting to talk about. It will probably make you jealous.

Awwwww yeah. Workin' out, doing dog tricks. What more could a girl ask for?

Small Obsession

Okay, so I may have more than one. What's your obsession? Mine is yellow. Although, my favorite color is peach...peach like a Push-Up Pop. Isn't that such a delicious color?

Speaking of food, tonight I made veggie burgers. They were okay but that's entirely my own fault. I added way too much ginger.
"Mmm, I love ginger."
Scrape, scrape, scrape. (That's my microplaner)
Scrape, scrape, scrape.
Scrape, scrape, scrape.
Scrape, scrape, scrape.

Yeah, they're ginger-y.

In retrospect, I think I'd also smooth out the patty mixture more thoroughly next time. These were rather chunky and while I appreciate a good chunk, tonight wasn't the night.

I liked having the english muffin to cushion the burger, baby greens, and my yellow obsession.

These probably would have been much better grilled but well, it's been snowing the ENTIRE day, all day long. I'm not about to stand outside and grill in the snow. I'm fine with my lovely pan for frying.

My obsession? This isn't the half of it.

After a couple of bites, I flipped it over and covered the bottom side with mustard too. I've always loved mustard. Always.


Now onto the non-food talk. I Shredded tonight. I tried doing some of the lunges but very gently...um, bad idea. My poor knees. I will remember this.

Today I had-
Green tea with mixed berry-only a little
Small black coffee
Fat free Greek yogurt with honey and HBoOs (see the rest of the week)

Leftover turkey quinoa burger
Pineapple, mandarin oranges, whipped strawberry yogurt

Veggie burger
English muffin
Baby greens

All right, I'm tired, the pup has already gone to bed, and I have to get up early in the morning. Ciao!

P.S. I think I may have a small crush on Apolo Ohno. It may be that facial hair...or his composure. He's about to race right now...it's hard to concentrate!
But shhh, don't tell my husband.

I'll Be Eatin' Dinner Tonight

In the long and short of it, sometimes things suck. I don't often use that word, suck, but yesterday it was appropriate. Mainly, sometimes what my husband does/says/whatever sucks. And suck it did.

It's over and done with. Moving on.


Tonight I'm making veggie burgers! I'm totally excited. The hubs has a gig so I won't be force-feeding him anything that's not meat. I'm using another one of Shannon's recipes. I still have to work out and I'm starving...but you know, the things we do.

If I can remember to I'll try to post some pictures of my veggie burger extravaganza!

The Shred Part Two-Day 17 & 18

I'm in an awful mood. I'm not blogging about it because I don't want it to come back and haunt me.

I shredded last night and tonight.


I ate some things.

I'm not eating dinner tonight. That's how ticked I am.

I promise to come back more positive later. But tonight, I just can't muster it.

The Shred Part Two-Day 16

Level 2 Shred tonight. I was way not as motivated as normal. Long day...had an after school meeting until 6 which of course wasn't really 6 when I left but 6:30. Got home, spent a bit of time with the hubs and pup and by the time I Shredded it was 7:30. Oh well.

Today I ate:
Green tea with mixed berry
Fat free Greek yogurt with honey and Post Honey Bunches of Oats with Pecan Clusters

Banana

Quinoa burger with mustard
Steamed spinach

3 Strawberries
1 apple

Chili (made by the hubs-so nice!)
2 bites of a brownie
1 bite of a square cookie

Both the sweets were from the Market my students held today. I really wanted to try them so I did. And I took little bites. The brownie was de-lish and the cookie was okay...but I ate that bite after the brownie so it didn't seem so spectacular.

I'm typing in bed because my day was that late. The hubs is waiting for me to stop typing. It surely is noisy when that's the only noise in the room.
Good night!

The Shred Part Two-Day 15

Level 1 tonight. Rocked it. I'm watching the Bachelor right now. I'm distracted.

I ate:
Green Tea with mixed berry
Breakfast burrito-spicy turkey sausage, egg, cheese, Red Hot, avocado

Shredded Wheat with Vanilla and Almond

Turkey and Quinoa burger
Steamed Spinach

Post Honey Bunches of Oats with Pecan Bunches
Fat free vanilla honey Greek yogurt

And that's all she wrote.

Turkey Quinoa Burgers

Okay, thanks again to Shannon for the recipe. Unbelievably, the hubs liked them! They were hearty, had a good texture, and they tasted good.

I felt they were easy to prepare too. And it got us back to quinoa which we had neglected from last summer (I think hubs thought I was trying to make it too often).

This pan is one of the pans I got for Christmas. I love this pan. Love it.

I didn't do a very good job of keeping track of how long I cooked them. That's the one things hubs said about them, maybe slightly overcooked. I thought they were fine though.

Okay, so Shannon recommended the mayo mustard mix on top. And hey, that's something I used to make all the time...especially when I'd make chicken with either a cornflake coating or the French's Fried Onions.

But if you will recall, I'm not eating mayo these days ("It's eeee-veeilll. Like the fru-ittts of the dev-eeeel"- Mike Myers in So I Married An Axe Murderer). Instead I had planned to drown mine in mustard. I ♥ mustard.

But amazingly even though the hubs loves the aioli mix he recognized he should have eaten ketchup or even stuck with the white balsamic vinegar as a sauce. However, there was an incident with the mustard (and the mayo).

I had mixed it on one small bowl and was transferring to a ramekin for hubs' plate. Somewhere along the lines one thing slipped which then propelled the ramekin off the counter and screaming towards the floor. I'm sure I swore, I felt me legs tug back, the crack! Aioli everywhere. On the floor, cupboards, drawers, stove, trash can, my pants, etc etc. Thank goodness for our house cleaner, Codie. She had the whole mess cleaned up in two minutes...then I just went behind her and disinfected. If you don't own a dog, I understand you being grossed out. If you do own a dog, you know why I let it happen.

I was going to take a picture of the mess but she started her clean up so quickly I didn't have a chance. Good girl.

Anyway, make them, they were yummy and good for you!

Beef, it's Not What's for Dinner

Recently I made mini turkey meatloaves for dinner. They turned out okay...I'm not sure if it was because I was hoping for the taste of ground beef or if it was all the other ingredients but they left a little to be desired next time. However, and really I should have made this its own post, the hubs wanted the whole world to know that on first bite, he knew it wasn't meat. He literally told me to tell the ladies at work that he knew. As if enjoying turkey substituted meals is any less manly?

These things make me chuckle about my husband.

On the other hand, he surprises me when he agrees with things like going more organic, or only eating 11 oz. of red meat a week. I have to stop and think, is this my husband? But those concessions make me love him even more.

But then there is that every once in a while where I think, wait, what? You're picking a battle about this? Which brings me to tonight's dinner.

I had planned on making turkey and quinoa burgers. The recipe is courtesy of Shannon, whom I do not know, but love the foods she posts and what she stands for. Her recipe is called Quinoa Turkey Burgers. I've linked to her before when I made her Paprika Chicken.
Anyway, I was really stoked about this recipe. It sounds delicious and lower fat and calorie (no bun to boot). So when the hubs asked what I was making for dinner and I responded confidently with, "Turkey quinoa burgers," I expected a "yum", or "oh okay", but instead got, "Ttk." Moan. Groan.

Really hun? Really?

So now, I'm *still* going to make them. And gol' darn, I hope they're awesome. Wish me luck, I just might need it tonight in the kitchen.

Not Me Monday

Well, this snow day has afforded me the chance to participate in the Not Me Monday, courtesy of MckMama.

Let's see...
This weekend I definitely did not keep the refrigerator opening to a minimum due to a smell that was issuing from inside. I always clean and empty leftover food from the fridge.

I most certainly did not sit on the toilet an extra minute or so to make sure I couldn't squeeze any more urine out as any little bit may affect how the scale would read. That's ridiculous.

And I did not, nor do I ever, strategically walk out of the living room when I see the dog wants in from outside. I'm always the loving puppy mother who is more than happy to wipe her pup's muddy paws when she comes inside.

I'm sure there's more things I "didn't" do but all this snow has scrambled my brain.

Happy Monday!

Monday Monday, So Good To Me

Yes, that's right. I said Monday was good to me. I believe, if my calculations are correct, this is the fourth week in a row of a now four day work week. Hello third snow day, nice to meet your acquaintance.
This one I was not planning on at all. As a matter of fact, I had snoozed the alarm once and on my way back to bed I had noticed the opalescent glow from behind the curtains and thought, it looks snowy, but not snowy enough. Often times the snow will glow orange when it's a snow day kind of day.

But not today, that gleaming glow was good enough. I had just, and I mean just, laid back in bed for those extra ten minutes of sleep when I heard the soft tones of my phone jingling and vibrating its way across the kitchen counter downstairs. With Christmas morning delight I hopped up and ran downstairs just in time to catch that magical phone call. "Enjoy your day off."

It took me a good hour to come down from that high to where I could finally fall back asleep. Why is it that snow days send that much excitement through you?

Well, when I finally dragged myself out of bed I remembered it was Monday-weigh in day. There's something about getting the scale out that just makes me feel heavy. But that was not to be today. I was really hoping for two pounds although any loss would be better than nothing. So when it read 4 pounds lighter than last week I was ecstatic but in slight disbelief. So much so that I got back on the scale to make sure. Same. Yippee.

Now that's a total of 12.8 pounds (12 1/2...) so far! I just have to keep this up and I'll be down below that 200 (awful awful) mark.

Here's to a productive week! Happy Snowy Monday!

The Shred Part Two-Day 14

Again, not the Shred yet the Last Chance Workout and, yes I said and, Leslie Sansone's Fast Walk. I literally felt guilty for how lazy I was this weekend (and how I had eaten) so I talked myself into doing more.

The LCW tonight was good. It was the actual last chance workout, unlike last night's that was upper body sculpt and lower body tone. I used five and three pound weights on some things tonight. I really need to invest in eight pound weights. And then, I got a bug in my bonnet (is that the phrase?) and decided to pick up the five pound weights for the ENTIRE Fast Walk program. Yes, for an entire half hour I carried, pumped, lifted, raised...ten extra pounds. Had I realized in the beginning it was going to be thirty minutes long (I seriously thought it was 20 mins total) I may have only picked up the three pounds-or no weights.

Tomorrow morning I'm hopping on the scale again. Although, hopping might break the darn thing, I'll step on it slowly. Wish me luck. I've been working hard I just hope I've been working hard enough.

Today's meals-
Green tea with ginger and peach (blech)
1 big pancake with Smart Balance and a little syrup. I tried dunking the pancake instead of pouring syrup on and I did not like the taste of that. Strange eh?

Raisin Bran

Cheddar Chex Mix

Strawberry Whipped Yogurt

3 hard shell tacos-ground beef, a little cheese, and avocado

I had all of our meals planned for this week, but in no particular order:
Barbecue chicken salad
Chicken and wild rice soup
Tacos
Bison burgers
Turkey and quinoa burgers
Chicken fajitas

So I went grocery shopping tonight and guess what? They had NO boneless skinless chicken breasts. NONE. Oh, and they only order the Bison every once in a while so last week when they had it but I couldn't afford it was the week.

How many meals can I make then? Oh, tacos and turkey and quinoa burgers. All that planning...

Anyway, have a great week! Our weather service is calling for lots of snowfall again. I am not holding my breath for a snow day as it's 10 pm and it hasn't started yet.

Memories

We went back to our old stomping grounds on Saturday. I won't ramble on today at how much I miss GR. The weather is gray enough. Anyhow, it was a lovely day for a drive and an even more lovely day for Taco Boy.

Sorry about the blurriness, I was inside and this is a zoomed in shot from the table. Here's the original.

Taco Boy is just one of those things...tastes like home. The hubs actually grew up (partially--divorced parents) in Grand Rapids so is more tied to Taco Boy than I am. But when we knew we were coming back to get my computer fixed the hubs called his bestie, Pete, (sounded way too lame for me to say his BFF) to meet us there for lunch. And lunch we did.

I took a picture of the first thing to get to the table. After that the eat was on. No more pictures. Maybe next time. My favorite was the Tex Mex taco...of course piled high with hot sauce.

But it was quite the treat. And the best thing about Taco Boy was unintentional. And like I said before, the hubs and I met in GR...yet I had never before heard the stories he shared yesterday.

So, as I was saying...after Taco Boy we were to go to Pete's girl's house to check out some gutter issues and ice damming (I have mentioned the hubs is in construction, right?) problems. We followed Pete and he took a very back way. Along that path we passed the house hubs lived in with his mom when he lived there. Then passed the junior high he walked to from that house. And his best childhood friend's house just a jaunt further. And finally the cemetery where his mom now rests.

I had no idea. And really, of all the cemeteries in the greater area, we passed that one. It was sweet and special.

Sometimes the things you don't plan make the best trips of all.

Getting To Know...

Hey Hey Hey..It's Sunday!

Time for a little funday..Getting to know YOU action. (Courtesy of Keely)

To play..Grab the questions..copy them..answer them..then come back here and link on up..

It's as easy as easy gets..

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The questions..

1. How often do you wash/change your sheets?

2. When is your birthday?

3. Have you ever met a bloggy friend in real life?

4. Brad Pitt or George Clooney?

5. If you could change one thing about your body what would it be?

6. How often do you wash your hair?

7. Do you have pets?

8. How many social networks do you belong to..if you had to give up one, what would it be?

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1. How often do you wash/change your sheets?

Usually once a week. Although I have been known to forget and I hate that. There's nothing better than clean sheets (and shaved legs. I'm right, aren't I?!)

2. When is your birthday?

The twenty-eighth of August.

3. Have you ever met a bloggy friend in real life?

Nope. I live in no man's land compared to where all the other bloggers are from.

4. Brad Pitt or George Clooney?

George Clooney. He's classic and debonair. Brad Pitt is one step away from Tom Cruise recently.

5. If you could change one thing about your body what would it be?

I'd love to have sexy legs. Never have...but certainly welcome them.

6. How often do you wash your hair?

Every day. It used to be every other but with working out every day I have to wash my hair.

7. Do you have pets?

Yup, Codie the little pupster. (o: She's about a year and a half old.

8. How many social networks do you belong to..if you had to give up one, what would it be?

Twitter, Facebook and the Blog world. And I used to have a Myspace but I hated that. I'd gladly give up Facebook now.

Okay, it's your turn. Happy Sunday Funday!

The Shred Part Two-Day 13

Except, I didn't Shred today.

I did the Last Chance Workout instead. And it was good. I'm completely weaned from my knees in planks (sounds weird huh?). My core is strengthening and it feels good. Where I do still use my knees is in push-ups. Will I ever be able to do big girl push-ups?

The hubs and I went to Grand Rapids today. Every stinkin' time we go I get nostalgic about it. It's where I went to college, where I lived for 5 years, and it's where the hubs and I met. Besides all of that, it's a much more charming place than where I live now. I miss it terribly. When we first moved where we are now I cried for weeks. Hubs and I had just met-were only dating (but it didn't matter because we just knew) but he got a job over on this side of the state. And that was that. I think I've just gotten over it all and now just get on with life because I'm sure we'll never move back. However, it's not that far away so I can get my fix when I want.

And that's one thing we did today, got our fix for lunch. I'll blog about that after dinner tonight.

Speaking of dinner, what did I eat today?

Green tea with mixed berry

Tex Mex taco
1/2 a Green All-Meat (more explanation to come later)

Bowl of Corn Flakes with Honey
Dark Chocolate Chex
I was starving this afternoon--I totally caved. Although, it could have been worse.

One piece of sesame chicken rolled in rice
One bite of a crab rangoon
This was hubs' dinner and I just wanted a taste

I'm having homemade french bread pizza
French baguette, marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella

Til later!

Sleepless Nights

This is one department where I am very lucky. I don't often have sleepless nights but the hubs, he's just the opposite. More often than not he'll wake during the night and once he's up, that's it. He'll toss and turn until he's frustrated. When this happens he tends to take solace in our couch.

Really, this couch should have a name because we seriously spent months couch shopping before we finally committed to this one. Can I lay on it stretched completely out? Can we both fit on it laying down? Does it have good back support? Is the fabric what we like? And on and on it went.

So, needless to say, we love our couch. When we first got our puppy she wasn't allowed on this couch. It drove her mad. But we've since relented because we're suckers and love to snuggle with her.

Which brings me to last night's sleepless night for the hubs. I heard him get up once but I could have sworn he came back to bed. It wasn't until the puppy was nosing at my face this morning did I realize he wasn't there. Insert sad face.

When I finally rolled out of bed, oh it was around 8, I came downstairs to find this.

I think she may even be mimicking his body language. Aren't they sweet? Happy Saturday.

The Shred Part Two-Day 11 & 12

Days eleven and twelve done! Last night got so late-and frankly I got so tired-I could barely even get into the shower let alone blog.

Last night was level 2 while tonight was level 3. And gosh darn, what do I have to do to yearn for working out? Every night it's the same thing.

"C'mon Holly, it's only 20 minutes."
"Do it now and then eat."
"If you keep procrastinating it just means it's going to be later when you're done."
"Put the computer down, you can blog/FB/tweet (or is it twit?) later."

And then of course when I'm done I'm so glad I did it. It's just the getting to it part.

Anyhow, today I consumed:
Green tea with mixed berry
Fat free Greek yogurt with honey and granola

6 Multigrain Wheat Thins with 6 cubes of cheese-small cubes (I love cheese)

Turkey lasagna--but not the whole thing this time. The Wheat Thins put me over the edge

Banana

I scoped out MckMama's post today about lunch and decided to make it for dinner. I've been craving pizza like mad but couldn't bring myself to eat it--way too much of a splurge. But this I can handle. Smaller size and I'm controlling what all's going into it. Thanks MckMama!
So mini pizza pockets and a salad with mixed baby greens, spinach, egg, toasted cashews, and uber light ranch. (o:

Oh, and I totally ate one slice of the fresh mozzarella while I was making the salad. I couldn't help it and it was delicious!

Happy Friday night. The hubs and I have an appointment at the Apple store tomorrow. New trackpad for the MacBook. Poor little MacBook. But before then we're having lunch with the hubs' best friend (best man in our wedding) at their favorite--and I mean favorite spot. I'll give more details tomorrow.

The Shred Part Two-Day 10

Had hubby not come home so quickly I was going to bust out the LCW. Since he showed up (it's all dinner pending) I put in the Shred. I never thought I'd see the day when I thought the Shred was 'easy'. I say that very lightly, especially since it was Level 1, but what I really mean is I can do the entire thing and I'm looking for ways to make it tougher. I need to get myself some 8 lb weights. I'm still adding the pelvic thrust at the end (with a glut squeeze!). Next, heavier weights. And I'm now all Natalie-with the exception of the lunges. No way. After I started taking it easier on myself with the lunges my knees felt infinitely better.

But on to the most important thing today, dinner. YUM. It was a salad, but not just any salad.
Baby greens, romaine, spinach with grilled chicken with barbecue sauce, toasted cashews, sliced hard boiled egg, topped with ranch dressing. Hrm...is that really healthy? YES! The chicken was light on sauce, I used less than one serving of cashews on each salad. Only one hard boiled egg. Then there's the dressing-how can that be good for you?

So, have you seen those yogurt dressings? It got me to thinking...yogurt, like my Greek yogurt...100 calories and no fat....hrm....What if I mixed one of those ranch packets into the yogurt? Holy shamoley, it was great. I told hubs I could eat the entire thing of dressing and not feel guilty. But I wouldn't do that, because that's disgusting.

I'm no longer a dressing ON the salad kind of gal. Instead, it's on the side and I use it to dip in. I'm using waaaay less. So, anyway, try the dressing, even the hubs liked it!

What else did I eat?

Green tea with mixed berry
Fat free Greek yogurt with honey and granola (next week--err this weekend--I might try to find a lower cal replacement for this granola)

Leftover skirt steak sandwich (3 strips of steak) packed with spinach and topped with mustard.
Green grapes and mandarin oranges

Banana

Tomorrow I've packed the salad for lunch!

Happy Shredding!

The Shred Part Two-Day 9

First day of the work week and it's Tuesday. Very nice. I met Jillian for level three tonight. Amazingly I did (or should I say "did"?) the rockstars at the end. The planks on the weights with the leg lift are still very hard for me. So I did some Natalie and the rest Anita. Some day soon I'll rock only Natalie.

So, the amazing thing to me today was Aunt Flo's arrival. How's that amazing? Well, I still lost weight yesterday....that's unheard of when she's in town. Back in my Weight Watchers days (when I was very fastidious about my food journaling and working out) it was a guarantee that I would add on 4 pounds of water weight during that visit. Every. Single. Time. So frustrating. So me actually losing weight this week makes me feel great. I hope I can do the same next week.

I'm already trying to plan Thursday's workout this week. I'm helping out at an after school function that won't get me home until almost 9. This means I will have to eat an early dinner (5ish), to drink lots and lots of water during the night, possibly snag an apple or banana on the way home, then workout in the moonlight.

This weekend when my parents were here I gave my mom some of the turkey lasagna and today she ate it. The review? She loved it and said if I didn't tell her it was turkey she wouldn't have known. (o:

So, what did I eat today?
Green tea with mixed bery
Fat free Greek yogurt, honey, and granola

Leftover chicken, potato, asparagus
Apple

Banana

Grilled pork chop
Steamed spinach
Leftover potato

One bite of hub's cheesecake--and it was a little bite.

Tomorrow's Wednesday-middle of the week without even trying.

The Shred Part Two-Day 8

It's Monday and I'm feeling much better. My nose may disagree with that statement but at least I've been cushioning the blow with lotion tissues.

I even felt up to Level 2 today and did quite well. I can remember when the plank push-ups and plank jacks scared the crud out of me. Not any more. Anyone who's doing level 2 for the first time, my advice on the push-ups is don't bend your legs and really push through and it will get easier. The first couple of times I did them I let my legs bend and that was that...I couldn't do them. But now I love doing them.

So, today was supposed to be weights and measures. With my dad visiting, jockeying bathroom time was tricky so I only got to weigh myself. Speaking of measures...I may only keep measuring my waist, chest, and add in hips. The calves, thighs, and biceps aren't really that exciting to me anyway.

And I forgot to mention last night with my menu...I ate cheesecake. And it was good. And completely worth having to watch what I ate the rest of the day. My dad's cheesecake is amazing-truly.

What did I eat today?

Green chai tea (ehh, not my favorite)
2 egg tacos-low fat flour tortilla, egg, cheese, leftover steak (one slice each), Red Hot

Bowl of Corn Flakes with Honey

Roasted chicken
Boiled potatoes
Steamed asparagus
A couple tears of bread
I made a recipe from March's issue of Martha-the roasted chicken. It was good but could have used a bit more flavor.
I added no butter to my foods and they were still good (I think I'm in withdrawals and I'm trying to compensate). I used the white balsamic vinegar again tonight. Originally it was for the asparagus but it ended up being quite nice on the chicken too.

I picked up some QD Butter Pecan ice cream last night for the boys and they'd like to have it tonight. I may very well steal one bite.

So, how did the scale treat me this week? 215.0 And that means I lost 5 pounds last week! That's incredible to me. I'm so excited.

Here's to a four day week!

The Shred Part Two-Day 7

Hello Sunday. Today I'm not so anxious you're here. Why? Because I get to sleep in tomorrow. Yes, I'll be celebrating the greatness of Presidents Washington and Lincoln...behind my lids.

Another rough start to the day. You know when you have a cold how in the mornings you feel like you're not going to make it through the day? Yes, day two of that. Once I'm up and moving it's not so bad. I got up, made breakfast, and did some more shopping (all of which was window shopping for me) with my mom. The weather was gorgeous! Sunshine, little wind, some fluffy snowfall.

When we got home we started an early dinner--or a late lunch?--but I could have taken a nap. My eyes burned. When you're sick, are you supposed to give into that? Anyway, finished dinner, played on the computer while my dad and hubby slept (mom had left and puppy slept too!) and of course when the hubs awoke..."What's for dinner?" So I had to run to the store for a couple of additions to their meal and then I finally--FINALLY--convinced myself to work out.

I did Level 1 again and I'm okay with that. I'm kind of on the edge of wondering if I'm pushing it too much right now. I have no idea...I guess if I were getting worse I might back off on things but I seem to have plateaued.

I did add a little bit to Level 1 today. In circuit three strength I added a pelvic thrust when my arms brought the weights up. Hey, I'm sure it had to be working something!

Today's meals-
Green tea with mixed berry
3/4 of a waffle-with Smart Balance and no syrup (and no sausage--but why can't my body see what willpower I have and award me with a few pound loss?!)
Mixed fruit-pineapple, mandarin oranges, apples, kiwi, green grapes


Steamed edamame with Mediterranean sea salt

Marinated and grilled flank steak, steamed spinach with white balsamic vinegar (this is my new replacement for butter), and one slice of sourdough baguette (no butter--and it was good)

Bowl of Raisin bran (this was my dinner)

Tomorrow MacBook is going to the Apple Doctor. And while I'm there I have to take our iPod Touch because the headphone jack doesn't work. (FYI, if you are interested in purchasing a Mac, wait until the summer months. We did this last year and scored a free iPod Touch and Canon printer!)

Tonight, we're watching the Olympics. These people amaze me. Oh, and I'm so sure they eat all the McDonald's that the commercials say they're eating. Really? You're at the Olympics and shooting for gold. What are you going to eat to fuel your body? Chicken Nuggets? I don't think so.

The Shred Part Two-Day 6

Last night was a rough sleeping night. Between wiping my nose and wiping my drool I spent more time searching for tissues than sleeping.
But I did get up and Shred. Again, I did level 1. I was going to do level 2 but I was in a time crunch--which sounds funny but level 2 is like 7 minutes longer and I didn't have that time to spare. As a matter of fact, I was doing the last cardio when my parents arrived.

My mom and I did some shopping today, so lots of walking. When we finally got back home I had to take a nap. I didn't get any actual sleep but just laying down and relaxing felt good.

I didn't make the best choice when I get up though, I wanted something salty. So I grabbed my Sour Cream and Onion Baked Lays. Yes, it could have been worse, but I'm quite sure I ate two or even three servings )o: Being sick is no good.

Oh, and I will be indulging tomorrow. My dad is famous for his cheesecake. I mean, the stuff is unreal. It's what we all request on birthdays. Well, since it was just hubs' birthday, my dad brought up a cheesecake. That stuff is worth the extra fat and calories to work off.

What else did I eat today (so far)?

Green Tea with mixed berry
Breakfast burrito-eggs, sausage, cheese, Red Hot

Kids Deli Turkey sandwich from Panera
Organic blueberry yogurt

Dark Chocolate Chex-sweet fix

We're headed out tonight to watch hubby play. They're playing at an Irish restaurant so we're having dinner there.

The Shred Part Two-Day 5

I started this post about two hours ago...I got the title at least.

Anyway, I started feeling more sluggish yesterday and then last night it hit me. One sinus started to burn and then I knew I was done for. I was hoping it was only a cold and not a sinus infection and I think that's what it is (a cold). Regardless, I'm tired, I have no energy, and my sinus cavity now has a mind of its own.

However, I did the Shred tonight. Now that I think this whole thing through I feel like a dork. I actually felt guilty tonight for doing Level 1 again, as opposed to Level 2 as originally scheduled. Really Holly, self-guilt now for working out? What happened to that month ago when I stuck with one level for ten days? Yeesh, apparently in February that doesn't fly in this house.

I was a lot slower and less coordinated tonight during the Shred. And really, me being less coordinated (how can it get any less?!) should have been my first sign. That either means Aunt Flo is on her way or I'm getting sick. Strange? You betcha.

So now, I'm slumped on the couch thinking fondly of my bed upstairs. My hubby called my dad today to ask him to come work with him next week (construction) and it turns out both mom and dad are headed up tomorrow for the weekend too. Super fun I just hope I don't super suck the life out of everyone. I was really looking forward to sleeping in and now I'll have to get up a bit earlier to get the Shred in. 48 days until spring break.

Oh, and get this. My beloved MacBook suffered an injury tonight. I sat down to check my email while making dinner earlier, got up and put the lasagna in the oven, came back and noticed something was awry. The trackpad on my computer is busted! This Mac isn't even a year old (thank you warranties!) so I had to make an appointment with the Mac store--not until Monday (thank you President's Day/Winter Break weekend). I love my MacBook and I'm so sad it's not feeling well.

Okay, on with the menu:

Green tea with mixed berry
Fat free Greek yogurt with honey and granola. Did anyone else notice the switch to fat free? Yoplait just introduced (at least in our market) their version of the fat free Greek yogurt with double protein! That's right, 14 grams of protein in ONE container of yogurt (6 oz?). It's fantastic.

Spicy chicken soup with Great Northern Beans-It gets better as it melds in the fridge.
Lowfat whipped yogurt, key lime

Turkey lasagna! This turned out really well. I didn't realize I was supposed to have two jars of sauce so I really spread the one jar thinly. But it worked out! I only did two layers of noodles also. A friend of mine uses cottage cheese instead of ricotta so I substituted reduced fat cottage cheese tonight, yum. The best part? I used oven ready lasagna noodles (which, by the way, I always thought they all were-I've never precooked the noodles before!) and because of the low amount of sauce the noodles were al dente. Very delish.

Okay ladies and gents. I'm off to bed. Wish me well! Happy Shredding and happy long weekend!

The Shred Part Two-Day 4

The Shred Level 1 today. And I worked it! I didn't stop once and I finally got my breath right and it definitely helped keep me in rhythm and moving. I wish levels 2 and 3 would be the same...we'll see tomorrow!

I will say, talking about those other two levels, I'm definitely noticing a difference in my abilities, flexibility, and strength. I'm so glad to finally being seeing some progress.

In talking with some of the ladies in Jackie's Community, I might look into the whole Weight Watchers online thing. I'm already doing all the other aspects of it-I might as well benefit by losing (more) weight.

I looked at the calendar tonight and there are only 49 days until Spring Break! That's not a lot of time to lose weight and get into shape. I'm so glad I started in January.

Today's menu-
Green tea with mixed berry
Fat free Greek yogurt with honey and granola

Spicy chicken and Great Northern bean soup-this time NO avocado, NO cheese, No sour cream. Healthy healthy!
Whipped key low fat yogurt

Ribs
Steamed spinach
Mashed potatoes

Happy Thursday!

The Shred Part Two-Day 3

Level 3 of the Shred today. I'm pushing myself to do mostly Natalie style things. This does, however, end up in my doing less--maybe two or three reps less--so is it worth it?

Anyway, did I mention...SNOW DAY! We got the call last night even! It was great. Oh, I mean, it IS great.

So, I didn't do the LCW today because hubs has asked that I come with him to work and help him paint. I had planned on heading outside to shovel our driveway while the hubs was shoveling at a customer's house but he made it home to do ours' before I got done with my workout and such.

The video doesn't really do justice to how much snow we have. When I let Codie out this morning it was hilarious. She was just pushing her way through the drifts. But I think she's cute!

Today I made some puff pastries with dark and milk chocolate stuffed in the middle-like a pan au chocolat. One for me and one for hubs. Hubs at his when he got in from the cold and really liked it. I took one bite, looked at the fat content and about flipped. 13 grams of fat in the pastry alone! I had to make a big decision. So sad. I took one more bite and gave the rest to hubby. I'm guessing it had about 5 grams of fat in the amount I ate. Oy.

Hubby got a breakfast burrito today and I made myself a scramble-eggs, potatoes (leftover from last night), mushrooms, shallots, spicy turkey sausage, and cheese.

I already put dinner in the crockpot-white chicken chili. Although, the hubs says I'm not allowed to call it that--because it's not chili like enough. So, spicy chicken soup with white beans it is.

I ate breakfast rather late so I might try to forgo lunch.

Anyway, enjoy your day everyone. Have a great workout!

The Shred Part Two-Day 2

Today was the warm up and lower body sculpt of the LCW and Level 2 of the Shred . I could have ripped the Shred dvd out of the player today though. I just wanted to move swiftly into the Shred from the LCW but no. You have to watch the entire stinkin' introduction before you can get to the menu. You can't select menu. You can't select forward. You can't select skip. Ah-noying.

Anyway, I had a good workout today. I was very sweaty and my heart was a poundin'.

I have to get back in the kitchen though because it's the hubs' birthday today and I'm making him his special meal. Beef Wellington, sauteed new potatoes, and green beans. Although, it was supposed to be steamed spinach but the spinach had turned. So sad.

Anyway, my menu-

Green tea with mixed berry
Fat free Greek yogurt with honey and granola

Leftover enchilada. I DID NOT eat all the pizza and desserts that were in the lounge today, woohoo!
Mixed fruit

Happy Shredding Gals!

The Shred Part Two-Day 1

I'm getting back on track. I did a whole lot of nothing this weekend-literally. We laid around the whole time with the exception of me working out, cooking/eating, and showering. And guess how that turned out? I gained weight. Holy shamoley that's disappointing.

Anyway, I did the Shred Level 1 and LCW strength. I was going to do the cardio as well but figured I'd take the dog for a walk.

Level 1 is much easier than Levels 2 and 3 and it felt like a nice 'break' even though I was working hard. Originally I was going to alternate what I was doing-Monday Shred, Tuesday LCW, Wednesday Shred, etc. But I think instead I might do Monday Level 1 + part of LCW, Tuesday Level 2 + part of LCW, Wednesday Level 3 + part LCW, etc. I need an extra boost.

Other changes I'm making: less avocado. As much as I have grown to love it (ha, nice pun-not originally intended) I think it's doing me more harm than good-at least at the rate I'm eating it. So, we have one left and that's that for the week. Also, this means less tortilla chips.

Today's menu?

Green tea with mixed berry
Fat free Greek yogurt with honey and granola

Banana

Leftover enchilada
Mixed fruit-pineapple, mandarin orange, apple, red pear, green grapes

Leftover enchilada
Avocado with tortilla chips
Mixed fruit-pineapple, mandarin orange, apple, red pear, green grapes, and banana

Yes, I ate the SAME thing for lunch and dinner with the exception of the avocado.

Now, it is Monday...

Chest-

Starting- 43"
Week 6- 41
(-2)

Waist-

Starting- 41 1/2"

Week 6- 36 1/2"

(-5)

Thighs-

Starting- Right-30 1/2" Left-30 1/2"

Week 6- Right-29" Left-29"

(-3)

Calves-

Starting- Right- 18 1/4" Left- 18 1/4"

Week 6- Right 17 3/4" Left 17 3/4"

(-3/4")

Biceps-

Starting- Right- 14 1/2" Left- 14 1/4"

Week 6- Right- 14" Left- 13 3/4"

( -1")

Weight 220.2 (ARRRRRRRGH!!!)
but -3.6 lbs.

Happy Shredding Ladies!

Last Chance Workout-Day 5

You know that level of frustration? The one where you feel so low you're ready to quit? I cannot figure out what's going on. I felt like an elephant tromping around the living room today. Everything was louder-my jumping and landing on the wood floors. Everything was more jiggly. When I was lifting weights I could see cellulite in my arms. It was not my day.

I struggled through the workout which, by the way, was the SAME as yesterday because I clicked the wrong one! So that added to my bad mood. I didn't have any more gum so my mouth dried out really fast. I ran out of water...Are you seeing the trend?!

Right after the workout I grabbed some more water and went upstairs to shower. It wasn't until I was disrobing that I noticed that maybe it's not that bad. And then when I was shaving my legs--I have to lift my leg up to the shelf, about hip height, the humongo pooch from my belly that squished against my thigh....well, it wasn't really there. Where had it gone? Oh yeah, AWAY!

I have to remember, it's only been just over a month, I'm making progress but it's baby steps. I can't change what I've done to myself over night. It's a process and I'm on the right track.

Tomorrow is weights and measures and I'm a little worried. Yes, my clothes fit better--actually they fit worse. They're too big! Oh, and that's one weird uncomfortable thing. My pants are too big now and are hanging lower, so now my upper thighs rub together and hurt! How's that for a visual?
But other than that I'm not sure I'm losing the weight. Lots of muscles are popping through though. I just have to keep moving.

Food today-
Water (no tea or coffee)
Breakfast burrito-egg, spicy turkey sausage, cheese, hot sauce

Avocado and tortilla chips

I might try to make chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight. I need more ideas. Anyone? Anyone? Beuller?

**Post edit**
Okay, so I think I may have figured out why I was having such a hard time today. The other day I noticed one of my glands was swollen (hubs is now battling a cold). A day after that I was more phlegmy than normal. This afternoon I laid down on the couch, my head perched on the hub's lap, and the puppy cuddled on top of me--and I thought I would just snuggle for a minute. An hour later I woke up. I'm definitely fighting something off. But if it weren't for my exercise and daily vitamin I might be feeling even worse.

Getting To Know...

Now for a little Getting to know YOU action...Courtesy of Keely!

To play..Grab the questions..copy them onto your blog..answer them..come back here..put your link in and let the Sunday Fun begin!

Let's rock and roll!

The questions..

1. How many piercings do you have?

2. I love the sound of.....?

3. Favorite city?

4. Colts, Saints, or could care less?

5. Frozen yogurt or ice cream?

6. Favorite appetizer?

7. What item in your closet currently makes you the happiest?

8.Favorite facial moisturizer?

----------------------------------------------------------------------


1. How many piercing's do you have?

Currently, 2. Over my lifetime I've had 6. I had my ears double pierced but they were done too close to my original piercings so I let them grow back in.
In college I pierced (brace yourself) the skin between my pointer finger and thumb on my left hand. Yep, while all the other Spring Breakers pierced their belly buttons, I pierced my hand.
Then not much later I pierced my lower left lip. I liked this one. The job I got didn't. So bye bye piercing. I still have the scar--and scar tissue.
I've always wanted to pierce my nose. Not sure if I'll ever get around to it.


2. I love the sound of.....?

I love thunderstorms. I love music. Music can do wonders. I love hearing my hubby play the trumpet.


3. Favorite city?


New York! However, coming in a close second--and only a close second because it's harder for me to get there--would be London. I adore both places. Mass transportation, daily life, markets, architecture...


4. Colts, Saints, or could care less?

Um, who? Just kidding. I really don't care but I tend to root for the underdog.


5. Frozen yogurt or ice cream?


Mmmm, ice cream.


6. Favorite appetizer?


Goat cheese, feta cheese, and cream cheese mixed together with fresh basil on warm baguette slices.


7. What item in your closet currently makes you the happiest?

Ooh, currently nothing! I'm in the process of getting healthier so most things don't fit right. I might have to say my black comfy pants. They're very forgiving.


8.Favorite facial moisturizer?


Aveeno Positively Radiant

All right, your turn!

Last Chance Workout-Day 4

Today I had no motivation. I can't do this video while the hubby sleeps in the morning-there is way too much bouncing around. And no matter how hard I try, I can't/jumping jack/butt kick/jog/knee lift...quietly. So, by the time the hubs got up, he was hungry. You'll never guess what he suggested for breakfast. *waffles* Ugh, I did manage to talk him out of that though, we had our spicy turkey sausage breakfast burritos instead.

So, I didn't work out until 7:00. I had a rough go of it at first, hard to get going, but once I did it was okay. I sucked tonight at mountain climbers and so did the modified version. I did not modify on the other two planks though.

I think what I really like about this video (um, I still loath the lunges) is that it's familiar. The majority of the moves are things I've done before. You box it out, side kicks, planks (thanks Shred), etc. It's comforting to know I don't look like a total idiot the whole video (o:

Today's menu:
Green tea with cranberry and pomegranate
Breakfast burrito-spicy turkey sausage, cheese (very little), scrambled eggs, avocado, hot sauce

Leftover turkey meatloaf, steamed corn, mashed potatoes (low fat/low cal and they were disgusting)

Pot roast, potatoes, and carrots. Not as good as the other day. I think because I chose a leaner cut of meat-it wasn't anywhere near as tender.

I have Rice Krispie Treats forming as we speak. I think they're a good dessert alternative. Low cal and low fat. Now, if I can have some self-control when I go to get one...

So, Michelle asked about some specifics of this video. I hope others also find this helpful.

Really I can only talk to the first segment. It's initially broken into Weeks 1-2, Weeks 3-4, and Weeks 5-6 (if I'm remembering correctly). Once you're within your selected week you then choose a day of the week. It begins on Monday, but I began on a Wednesday. Every other day is the same workout. For example, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are all the same while Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are different from MWF yet the same as each other.

The days are each 30-35 minutes long including a warm up and cool down. I believe Jillian goes through 5 or 6 circuits, unlike the Shred where there are only 3. I couldn't tell you how long each circuit is but I will say that each activity is only 30 seconds long.

Also, Jillian has you alternate during these circuits-strength with weights and then cardio or whatever. She says she builds the abs into each move, but I feel like I need more ab work.

Okay, I think I covered it all. If I think of anything else, I'll edit post. Also, if you have questions please ask!

Happy Saturday!

**Post Edit. Thought of something else. I am icing my knees tonight. They're way overworked. I've contemplated taking a day off, but I don't want to...so I'll ice instead.