I've finally had enough...

...of my pants feeling tight
...of seeing a horrid number on the scale
...of realizing that I was in fact 10 lbs lighter last June than I am now
...of feeling like I'm not giving it my all
...of totally pigging out on the weekends
...of drinking too many glasses of wine
...of overeating after consuming said wine
...of feeling anxious all the time due to these pounds creeping their way back
...of staring at the size 7 pants hanging in my closet that I never did get in to
...of going to the gym everyday but still not seeing results because of my disastrous weekends
...of the lack of structure in my diet
...of my lack of motivation, determination and accountability

So what am I going to do about it you ask?
I'm going to inject my food plan with structure. S-T-R-U-C-T-U-R-E. What a foreign concept! I think I've realized that my lack of devotion to the WW plan has allowed the pounds to slowly but surely creep back on. I am still carrying around some weight from our trip to Dominican and that is just not acceptable. My "one little ice cream, chocolate bar, piece of pizza, bag of chips" attitude has got me here and now it's time for for an overhaul. It's summer time and even the thought of going anywhere near my bikini gives me overwhelming anxiety. Fitted shirts that once showed off my small waist and flat stomach seem to be showing off mini love handles and a small pooch. Ugh. So it's finally time for me to do something about it.

Remember last May when I tried SFL (Simply For Life) Remember how focused I was...EVEN on the weekends? Remember when I lost 13 lbs in 3 weeks and kept it off for the entire summer? Remember how awesome I was then? Well I'm reuniting with my May 2007 self and these last 15 lbs will no longer be. This is supposed to be my Summer of Hotness and I'm ruining it with my cavalier weight loss efforts. So off I go.....
Tonight I will be spending the majority of my night preparing pastas, rice and tons of chicken, veggies and other foods with tons of protein. My menu tomorrow is as follows:

1 C Kashi Go Lean
1 C skim milk
1 C fruit

1 oz almonds

1 Cup stewed tomatoes and WW penne pasta
3 oz chicken breast (may add to pasta)
2 1/2 C of veggies (salad with fat free Italian dressing)

1 C watermelon

3 oz of chicken (BBQ'd)
1 C frozen California blend veggies
1 1/2 C brussel sprouts

1 C Jello

I know, the lunch looks like a massive amount of food...and it is. It's hard to eat it all the first few days but you would be amazed at what it does for your metabolism. Eating your main meal at lunch leaves you feeling over full and bloated for the first day or two but by day 4, your starving at lunch and not as much at supper. It's very interesting actually. I've tried this plan before and it works. I will post my menu everyday to help with accountability but you may notice that it looks similar each day. At least for the first 2 weeks. My one change to the plan this time around is that I am going to allow myself one cheat meal. Saturday night. I think I've realized that depriving myself entirely doesn't really work and that I will eventually break down and go wild. So allowing myself once meal to eat what I want will give me something to look forward to all week and knowing that I will have that one meal will allow me to stay focused the rest of the week.

So here I go. Day 0 of my perfect Summer of Hotness.

I totally Rock!

Not only did I say no to ice cream cake....I said no to ice cream cake smothered in hot ooey gooey fudge! I seriously rock! To my husband's credit, he also resisted the cake (I think mostly just to support me but for the record, I would have stood my ground even with him chowing down on ice cream right beside me)

So we get to DQ last night after a very filling supper of Sheppard's pie and tossed salad (Yum!) and there is a huge cake there for 9 of us to celebrate Scott's uncle's birthday. So we do the sing and dance thing and then the cake is getting passed out. Huge pieces of delicious ice cream. hot fudge crunch and whipped cream. To top it all off, Scott's aunt ordered two huge containers of hot fudge for everyone to smother their cake in. Dear. Lord.

I politely decline the first piece that comes around to me and pass it on to Scott's father. Then I decline the next piece until everyone has a piece but Scott and I. Oh wait a minute, everyone turns and looks at Scott & I. Carolyn and Scott didn't get a piece of cake! As Scott's aunt starts cutting off a massive chunk of unnecessary fat and useless calories (this is how I must describe it to myself in order to truly convince myself that I wont' die without a piece) No thanks, no cake for me. WHAT!?!?! You don't want cake? No thanks. I'm quite full and I'm trying to be good. Then the huge hunk of cake is all of a sudden right under my nose. Are you SURE you don't want a piece??? Have a piece of CAKE! It's a BIRTHDAY! C'mon!!! Nope, none for me thanks. And that is how it all went down. Let June 11th, 2008 forever be known as the day when Carolyn took a stand against delicious ice cream cake covered in decadent hot fudge and WON!

Proud of me ladies?

After all that drama, heartache, and fuss over the cake, I jumped on the scale this morning to see NO loss form last week. Ugh.

I have decided that Monday I am jumping back on the Simply for Life bandwagon with serious determination. It won't be easy but the results will be well worth it and I'm to the point of desperation that I am ready to throw myself wholeheartedly into another plan. It worked for me last year, and it will work for me this year. I'll post more about it next week.

I can do it.....

I can say NO to Dairy Queen ice cream cake. I know I can do it and I'm going to feel like a million bucks walking out of there with a belly full of diet Pepsi and not DQ Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard ice cream cake. I love a challenge right? And this one is going to be easy peasy.

So tonight we are going to Scott's parents for supper (Sheppard's Pie) and then the whole family is going to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cake for Scott's uncle's birthday. We are all meeting there at 7:00, right after dinner. So my plan today is to hit the gym right after work for some HIIT and lower body weights, then I'm off to Scott's parents for supper and on to DQ where I will treat myself with.....................................a diet Pepsi! :) I figure if I order a diet Pepsi (something I never drink during the week) it will feel like I am having a treat and it will be easier to pass on the cake. I've already made up my mind that I'm turning down the cake. I was a bit wishy washy last night but this morning when I woke up, I decided I didn't need the cake and if I'm going to make a stand against these last 10 pounds, I better get a backbone and start saying NO! (thanks). Also, I've told Scott that I am turning down the cake and he's agreed to jump on board too. Although I have a feeling he will have a piece anyway. (Sorry babe, but you tend to cave around ice cream) But that's not going to soften my stand against the cake. I've made up my mind and I'm a stubborn one so I'm sticking to it.

In other news.....
I had a great OP day yesterday. 20 mins elliptical at the gym and 20 mins interval Stairmaster. Wowsa! Want to work up a super sweat? Interval train on the Stairmaster. I also did 25 mins of weights. Overall, great workout.
Tonight I'm hoping to run for 30 mins and get in 20 mins of weights. I'm in a bit of a rush today so hopefully I can squeeze it in before it's time to leave for supper.
Last night I also made the Pumpkin raisin muffins again - sans raisins. Instead I added 1/3 cup mini choco-chips. Yum!! These could be dangerous to have in the house though. Scott ate 4 of them last night! Yikes. I had 2 (Boo me...but I had the extra points left over, however not the best choice to make late at night).

Can't wait to tell you all how much I rocked the No Cake Rule tomorrow!

I feel so good about yesterday!

1. I stayed OP all day and turned down chocolate chip cookies TWICE!
2. I ran at 6.0 mph for 20 mins (I usually stick to 5.0 or around there but I felt like a challenge yesterday. I actually didn't find it that much harder to run 6 mph, I could tell my body was working harder but my breathing basically stayed the same, just more sweat) I also jogged for 5 mins, ellipticalled for 20 mins and did 20 mins of weights.
3. I went for a 20 min walk after supper. Nothing big but considering I just came home from the gym, it was nice to get a little extra exercise in after supper. We basically just walked to our mailbox which is once street down from us. We've decided to walk this every night, instead of stopping in with the car to grab the mail. Plus it's a great time for Scott and I to just unwind and talk about our days.
4. I stopped eating after supper. No unneeded snacks. Especially since supper wasn't until 7:00 last night, I wasn't even hungry...so why load up on useless calories right before bed?
5. Randi rocks and has totally kicked my butt into gear yet again. Her no-nonsense approach seems to be working on me lately. I actually thought of you Randi while I was saying no the second time to the choco-chip cookies
6. I didn't sleep a wink last night because Scott and I had a close call on the way home from the gym last night. We were driving on this long stretch of woods about 5 mins before my house. The speed limit is 80 kms , which everyone takes advantage of. So there we are cruising along and I see something coming out of the woods out of the corner of my eye. So I gasp really loudly and grab Scott's arm. There are cars behind us and a few coming towards us in the other direction as well. So Scott slams on the brakes just in time for this MASSIVE Moose to come barrelling out of the woods and across the street right in front of us. My first instinct was to lay on the horn so that everyone would pay attention and a) not hit the Moose and b) not slam into the back of our car. Apparently your not supposed to honk the horn at a Moose because they may charge. Luckily this Moose was more interested in getting to the woods on the other side of the road so he didn't pay much attention but Wow! I think it really shook me up because I thought about it all night long. If he had of been only 2 seconds later, we would have ran right into him. Ugh. I can't even think about it. It was the first time I've seen a Moose up close. They are so HUGE!
7. This post is so random, I don't even know where to go next.
8. I'm moving into another position at work in 2 weeks. It's a position I have worked in before and it looks like I'll have a much better shot at getting a permanent placement from this position so I am excited about it but it does mean giving up my own office. Right now I am a casual employee with the Province (Dept of Social Development, formerly Family and Community Services) so I would love to get some stability in my job. Here's hoping!
9. That's it for me today. I've got a physio appt & a dentist appt today. Lucky me!

Monday Monday...la la....la la la la

Monday already? Seriously?

I must say I did pretty well this weekend, minus a few slip ups but I kept portion control in mind all weekend and even had a few minor NSVs over the weekend. Aside from the fact that I didn't get to see my hubby at all for the whole weekend (So yes, that means Scott & Carolyn day had to be postponed, boo) It was a pretty good weekend.


Friday we tried the Mexican Pizza recipe for supper and loved it! We even cut the points down further by using an extra large pita pocket for the crust instead of dough. I topped it with a little sour cream and it was sooo yummy. I think we may be having it again tonight. I was surprised at how filling it was too! Friday night was Scott's ball game and we were meeting the family at DQ before the game for an ice cream. I know I had resolved to get a plain ice cream cone but when we got there, the waffle bowls were calling my name. Keeping in mind though that they are a whopping 17 points EACH, I asked hubby if he wanted to split one with me. While he was shovelling it in, I spent time talking to my 2 year old niece and took 1 bite for his 2. So he ended up taking int he majority of the calories but I still felt like I got a treat.

Saturday Scott was out for the whole day helping a friend work on his house (which turned into an all day Sunday event as well) so I spent the morning cleaning the house and cooking up a few things and the afternoon was spent shopping with a friend. I got together on Saturday night with a few girls for a few glasses of wine and we ended up going out dancing so I'm pretty sure I burned a few calories on the dance floor. Hopefully I burned off the chocolate bar I had after supper and the 2 handfuls of chips. Ugh.

Sunday was a lazy day and since Scott was out for the entire day working on his friend's house, I ended up going out to brunch with the girls, where I did not make good choices at all. But I did keep portion control in mind and I stopped eating when I was full and even pawned the rest of my bacon off on my friend so I wouldn't sit there and pick at it. The rest of the day was pretty on plan. Weighed myself this morning and I'm right where I thought I'd be....but no where near where I want to be so I need to step it up. Summer is basically here! 2 weeks left in the Summer Challenge and I'm still hovering around the same weight. So for the last 2 weeks of the Challenge I'm kicking it up:

5 workouts this week AND next week so a total of 10 before the Challenge is done
I want to lose 3 lbs in the next two weeks. Completely doable.

We're in the home stretch. How are you ladies preparing for Summer?

2 New recipes!

Well I completely stole them from Amy's & Mandy's blog but they are new to me.


So last night after working all day, hitting the gym for 30 mins of cardio and 30 mins of weights, and after spending almost 2 hours roaming around the grocery store, checking out new products, I finally came home and hit the kitchen to spark up some creative geniusness. What's on the menu?

Red Lentil Curry & Pumpkin Raisin muffins

Both are sooo good! The curry isn't what all what I had expected but I had it with rice and veggies for lunch and it was super tastey. Next time, I may add a little sour cream like Amy suggested. For some reason though, mine came out pretty thick, more like a paste. Still yummy though. The muffins are great but next time I think I'll try a different type of raisin. The once I bought are maybe too big??

Yesterday I did the worst thing ever! Got to the gym, all psyched up to sweat it out. I get to the changing room, haul all my gym crap out of my bag and start undressing.....then I reach for my workout pants. Wait...where are my pants? I pause to retrace my getting-my-gym-bag-ready steps from that morning and realize I left them in the dryer! ARGH. I'm here, I want to workout but I'm wearing dress pants. Grrr. And I have about 1 hour before I have to be at Scott's parents for supper. Crap. I wish I had some amazing story about how I overcame this minor obstacle and magically turned my dress pants into a pair of workout capris but I don't. I just left the gym. Booo me. But life happens sometimes right? I was hoping to get in a walk when I got home but we didn't get home until late so I settled with a vow of kickassness (yes, I realize this is not a word) for the gym tonight.

Finally it's Friday!

Weekend plans:

Tonight we are having Mexican Pizza for supper, yet another recipe stolen from Mandy.
Can't wait to try this one out. Looks sooo good. I might throw on a little taco seasoning too. I'm a little surprised that wasn't any on there, and maybe a few black olives too. Yum. I'll let you know how it turns out. After supper is DQ with the family (I'm ordering a small plain ice cream cone) and then Scott's soft ball game is from 9:00-12:00am. It's supposed to rain so I might just putter around at home.
Saturday Scott is out all day and night helping a friend work on his house so I'm flying solo for most of the weekend. Not much planned. Hoping to get in a little shopping with the girls and possibly go out dancing tomorrow night. I might try out a few new recipes tomorrow if I'm home for most of the day. I always feel so productive when I cook in the mornings.
Sunday is Scott & Carolyn day. Just the 2 of us. We might head out for a hike and a picnic. I love Scott & Carolyn days, my favorite days! (How cheesy am I right now?)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Terrific Tuesday

1. I feel awesome today. No reason. The sun is out, it's warm. I like my outfit and my pants don't feel tight at all. I'm having one of those days where this whole weight loss journey actually seems possible, like I know I can do it, I just need to set my mind to it. (Aren't those the lyrics to some old 80s song?)

2. I bought the stuff today at lunch to make Red Lentil Curry. Got the recipe from Amy's blog. My kitchen is feeling neglected and the meals that I am popping out are BORING. Need to spice things up a bit. I just bought the ESBM cookbook and have only tried ONE recipe so far. Tonight, I'm going to pick 2 new recipes to try out this weekend.

3. I went over my point range yesterday without even knowing it. Guess it pays to journal, huh? I also felt like I had NO energy at the gym. I ran for 10 mins and then gave up. Boo me. To my credit, I could feel the blisters coming back on the arch of my feet so I jumped on the elliptical. I NEED to buy new sneakers this weekend. No ifs ands or buts. I did 50 mins of cardio yesterday and no weights. Boo me again.

4. I'm going to go see Sex and the City tonight with 3 other girls. Can't wait. In order to avoid the popcorn and candy, I bought a bag of baby carrots to munch on. Yay me! I also packed a supper instead of hitting up Wendy's or Tim's with the girls. I cooked some chicken on the BBQ last night, cut it up and I'm having a chicken and veggie wrap with fat free Ranch dressing for supper.

5. I ordered the Cheat to Lose Diet book from Amazon and got it on Saturday. You may have been reading about it on Angie's blog. I haven't started reading it yet but I'm anxious. The only thing that scares me is the first three weeks are cleansing, no cheats, no wine. That is big for me. I do loves me a glass or two of wine on the weekends. And with Summer here, we have something planned every single weekend. It usually involves wine and food. But if I'm going to get serious for Summer, I have to make some sacrifices right? So tough though. Obviously I need to do something since my weekends have been out of control. What do you ladies think?

6. I am almost 100% positive on signing up for a 5K on Canada Day, July 1st. Scott said he would sign up for it too but he runs quite a bit faster than I do but that's ok, he can wait for me at the finish line. If I'm going to do it, I HAVE to get some new kicks asap. I keep doubting that I can do it though and chicken out. I know I can do it....I just need to work myself up to running 5K. How long does 5K usually take anyway?

Monday Monday

My weekend went by pretty quick. We were so busy all weekend that we didn't have much time to relax and enjoy ourselves.

Friday I was in another town for work and I met my Dad there for supper. We went out to a greasy diner type place but I ordered a salad and a grilled chicken and veggie wrap so I did pretty well there. Friday night was Scott's ball game so we went to watch. Had 2 glasses of wine after the game and 1 cooler. More points than I wanted to use but oh well. I was starving by the time we left the game and was CRAVING greasy cheesy pizza but I suggested Subway instead. Got a 6 inch turkey sub (although I could have easily polished off a footlong) and stuck with diet Pepsi. YAY me!

Saturday I had a pretty low point day. I was busy getting ready for a family reunion for Scott's family so I didn't have much time to munch. Ended up skipping lunch altogether in favor of making 30 homemade hamburgers. Supper was a BBQ at our place. Had potato salad (not much), 1 hot dog, a handful of chips and a bunch of veggies, and a few crackers snuck in there too. But I think over all I did pretty good for the day. I also made the Angel Lush Cake that I saw on Angie's blog. I topped it with blueberries instead of strawberries and it was SOOO good. Oh and I made the angel food cake instead of using a store bought one. So mine was only 2 layers but it was much bigger. Love this cake. It's absolutely perfect for a Summer BBQ type event because it's very light and yummy. Won't weigh you down. Overall, I could have done SO much worse at the BBQ. I kept my portions small and stopped eating when I was getting full. HUGE accomplishment for me. I did indulge in a few glasses of wine though. Probably more than I should have.

Sunday is usually my downfall but this was the best Sunday by far and my worst indiscretion was a chocolate bar. I know, still not stellar but my typical Sunday involves chocolate and chips and Delicsio Pizza and ice cream (I crave the sweets after a night of a little too much wine) So I definitely improved this weekend. Scott even asked if he should go to the store for more treats and I said no way and made a yogurt/milk/fat free chocolate pudding/fat free whipped cream milkshake which was just as good and half the points! Yum!

I'm anxiously awaiting for Randi to post today! Congrats on your Tri Randi! Can't wait to hear all about it.