My May Plan

So, I had this activity epiphany just now, and of course I'm being foiled already! I decided that I'm going to set myself a distance goal for the month of May. I'll be away for 10 days, so that likely means no gym for probably 12-13 days...but I've already told my Mom that I'll be trying to keep up my activity while I'm visiting. This will be relatively easy with most of my Victoria friends, as we plan to go for walks along the Victoria waterfront and through Beacon Hill Park and such...plus I'll have some time to kill here and there so I can take myself out for practice jogs. While in Nanaimo with my Mom, I plan to try running in the park by my old house (which is hilarious because they made us do this in high school and we all HATED it) and am hoping to get out for walks along the waterfront there as well.

My epiphany was that I need something to track my distance, and since a Nike+ sport kit is only like $35 so I figured that it would be the way to go. (I know some of you don't like these, but it's a good price for a gadget so I'm starting there). So I call up the Running Room to see if they have them, but they've been sold out for a couple of weeks and he had no idea when they would get more. And to top it off, he is waaaaay backordered on the little clip thingy you need if you don't have Nike+ shoes because apparently Nova Scotia Power gave all of their employees iPods and Nike+ kits....and they have all shown up needing the clips. Nutty.

Anywho, so then I call SportChek because they are the only other store listed as a Nike+ retailer in Halifax, and they too are sold out. Boooooo.

But I want to start with my fabulous plan TOMORROW!! May-1st dammit! So what do I do?

I'm Thirsty

I hate it when I wake up thirsty, but nothing seems to quench it. I've tried a big glass of water...blah. I have brushed my teeth...blah. I've got my juice here...but still blah. You know what's stupid? It'll be my coffee that makes me feel better...brew, brew, brew!

Yet again, another morning that I'm absolutely exhausted. I thought because of my later, kickass workout yesterday that going to bed earlier would be a breeze, but no such luck. I watched a movie until about 10:45, but wasn't tired...so ended up watching some TV...then even when I went to bed around 11:30 I still couldn't sleep. Did my nails until after midnight, then just laid there. It was after 1am when I finally fell asleep. Boooooo.

Anywho....today's plans:

- juice
- coffee
- egg salad on Fibre+ toast (last of the boiled eggs for a while)
- watermelon
- ww pita toasted (w/olive oil), w/ hummus
- another small Greek salad w/ light feta & tzatziki as dressing
- post-gym: Kashi Bar
- grapes & light cheddar
- dinner is leftover Crusted Tilapia served with grilled zucchini (w/olive oil) & steamed carrots & brocolli
- skim milk with dinner
- ff vanilla yogurt w/ blackberries
- maybe some Lifestyle cookies & tea

25/22+5AP

Activity: 30 minutes high intensity cardio, 15 minutes moderate cardio, full strength training (5)

Guidelines: ALL GOOD

Speaking of Hungry Girl

That recipe that Shannon mentioned about cake + pumpkin was in the HG email this morning. Apparently you CAN use any kind of cake mix, with one 15oz can of pumpkin. Excellent! You know what I'm doing this weekend!! (DBF is coming home so I can't eat the whole pan this time...bwahaha.) So I guess maybe they do have a recipe or two worth checking out!!

Evening Recap

Got to the gym around 3pm (much needed break from workday!) and decided that rather than just sticking to my trusty treadmill that maybe I would break it up a bit and use the cross-trainer instead. It's more fun for sprints anyway! Plus, it's connected to the cardio theatre so I could watch Rachel Ray. :) So, I did a 5 minute warm-up, then 45 second sprints with 45 second recoveries for about 15 minutes. That's the other thing about the cross-trainer....you can go way faster because of the self propulsion.... around 5mph for walking and over 10mph for the sprints. Crazy! I finished up with a 5 minute cooldown at about 4mph. According to the machine I went 2.6 miles and burned exactly 250 calories. Nice.

Then I decided since it was nice to be off the treadmill that I would use the elliptical for my inclines. There are two different types of ellipticals to chose from so I picked the fancier looking one because I'd never used it before. The only real difference is that it has the moving arm things like the cross-trainer does...the other ellipticals have stationary arms. Anyway, I cranked up the tension and set the ramp at a midway point of 10. Did 5 minutes like that, then pushed it all the way up to 20 for another 5 minutes, then down to 5 for a glute workout for the final 5 minutes. Another 120 calories burned and just over 2 miles travelled.

I was going to do some calf and glute exercises, but I honestly hadn't actually planned any out and I was sweating like a mad woman...and I really had to get back to work...so I didn't do any. No biggie really.

I treated myself to a Starbucks double tall no-fat vanilla latte on my way home....it's freaking cold and gloomy outside...totally a cozy latte day. I'll just skip my yogurt later and call it even. It's a better dairy serving anyway. :)

Is anyone...

...going to buy the new Hungry Girl Cookbook?

I keep seeing the ads in my email inbox, and the bright pink colors continue to try to suck me in...but honestly, most of her recipes are too ingredient intensive so I don't know if I'd ever bother with it. What do you think?

Today I'm eating...

- juice
- coffee
- Honey Nut Cheerios w/ vanilla Almond Breeze
- watermelon
- 2 x chicken dogs on Fibre+ bread...w/ ketchup, mustard & relish
- small Greek salad w/ light feta & tzatziki as dressing
- pre-gym: hard boiled egg
- Cornflake Crusted Tilapia a la Mrs Furious
- served with grilled zucchini, carrots & onions (w/ olive oil)
- blackberries w/ ff vanilla yogurt
- grapes if still feeling snacky

23/22+3AP

Activity: 1 hour treadmill (sprints & inclines), calf & glute exercises (3)

Guidelines: ALL GOOD

Gym Recap & Today's Festivities

Well, not festivities so much, but that's the word that came to mind so I used it. LOL.

I ended up on a long business call today, so by the time I finished that and cleared up my day's work, it was already 6pm. No time to walk the doggie. AGAIN...poor guy! But it was either that, or go to the gym, so I had to chose the gym. So off I went because I didn't want to wait any later otherwise I'd be starving.

My workout was pretty good. I started Week 6 of C25K over again, so it was a 5 min warmup, 5 min run, 3 min recovery, 8 min run, 3 min recovery, 5 min run...then cooldown. All was well, except I ended up having to walk for 1 minute in the middle of the 8 minute run. Lame. But I still travelled 2.5 miles and burned 275 cals according to the treadmill.

I have a theory that I need to go back to my early morning workouts (I haven't been up early at all since DBF left!) because those workouts were WAY better. It's sooo tough for me to get up extra early though...but I've got to try! It's better for not interupting my day too.

Then I did my full strength training routine, plus a 10 minute random ride on the recumbent bike. My legs were like jello when I finished. Mostly from the workout, but partially because I was really hungry.

It was getting way late, but I had my grocery list all planned out, so I stopped by Sobeys to stock up on fresh produce and some fish for my "fish week" (you may remember me saying I was going to have some fishy dinners while non-fish eating DBF is away). I got two huge-ass bags of grapes in the BOGO sale for $4, some tilapia and some haddock, lots of veggies and a few other items to hopefully round out my menu for the week.

When I got home, I immediately made my pizza. Can I just say that it was really f'ing good!!! I'll be having that again when the fish is gone for sure. Now it's after 10pm though and I still haven't finished my planned eats for the day. I have to eat the fruit to get my F&V servings in, but I'm skipping the tea and cookies because they weren't necessary to the menu plan. And thankfully I already got two dairy servings today so I can scrap the yogurt too. I don't know where I would put it after eating that pizza.

So, here's to Day One of the Summer Challenge DONE! Hope everyone else had a great first day.

Summer Challenge - Let's Get Started!

First things first...weigh in this morning...down exactly 1 pound to 153.4. Don't know how I did it, but I'll take it. Anything under 155 and I breathe a sigh of relief. :)

I've got that Monday feeling that I can take the world by storm. I'm already mentally planning my menu for the week and really concentrating on those Eight Healthy Guidelines. I hope I can maintain this excitement and get my mojo back today. It sort of went for a hiatus last week. This challenge is just what I need. A major focus on health...and not so strenous on counting points and beating myself up for cheating. I've added my challenge notes over on the sidebar --->.

I'm due for a kickass workout today. I am re-doing week six of the C25K program because I am unhappy with last week's results. Gotta build that cardio stamina! The sun is shining today too, so a walk with the dog will help keep me on track.

The fruit situation in the house is dire. I'm down to just blackberries. Don't know when this happened, but if I'm going to keep up my F&V servings I'd better hit up the grocery store tonight. I think it's time for melon! Should probably hit up the meat & seafood counters for some yummy protein too.

The toughest guideline for me is going to be the water I think. My plan is to drink as much water as I can in the morning and earlier part of my day, because I tend to forget later in the day...and then I'm always trying to cram it in too close to bedtime. Of course, if I keep up the activity like I want to...it will be a lot easier.

DBF is home next weekend (my God the time is dragging!) so I'm thinking up a yummy Welcome Home dinner. It will definitely involve the BBQ. Maybe some sort of scallop appie, marinated steaks and grilled veggies. I saw some ideas on a blog somewhere...I'll have to track those down again.

OK, enough babbling....on with today's plan:

- coffee
- Fruit Solutions juice
- WW bagel with egg salad & spinach
- ff vanilla yogurt & blackberries
- small Greek salad, 1 oz light feta, 1 tbsp tzatziki as dressing
- Kashi bar (pre-gym)
- pita pizza: ww pita, Classico sauce, salami slices, mushrooms, spinach, red onion, 2 oz part skim mozza, fresh parmesan, olive oil drizzle
- ff vanilla yogurt & melon
- tea & Lifestyle cookies

24/22+7AP

Activity: high cardio + strength training (5), dog walk (2)

Guidelines:
F&V: 6/5
Whole Grains: yes
Dairy: 3/2
Oil: yes
Protein: 3/2
Sugar/Booze: all good
Vitamins: multi, C, calcium
Water: 3 litres

Skip the salmon

No time to hit up the grocery store today, so no salmon for me. It's back to the trusty old freezer, so I think a couple of spanokopita with my salad will do just fine. I'm adding feta to my salad too to make up for the lost protein. :)

Sunday Damage Control

So last night's plan for salad and chicken didn't work out. You all knew it wouldn't. I never order salad in a restaurant...well, hardly ever anyway. We went to The Fife & Drum and their menu was so damn boring. They did offer some sort of lame mixed greens with chicken, but I think I yawned when I read it so I ordered the fish & chips. Not bad, but let's just say I won't eat there again. On the upside, they did have Strongbow cider! Not good on the calorie front, but it's hard to find here for some reason so I had two! I got home and wasn't tired, so those damn Cheetos called my name. Gah.

Anyway, today is the day for re-grouping and getting ready to start our Eight Week Summer Challenge tomorrow. I'm so excited!!! Eight Healthy Guidelines, here I come!

Here's the big plan for today:

- Fruit Solutions Juice
- coffee
- egg salad on WW bagel
- grapes & light cheddar
- Spring Veggie Soup
- mixed green salad w/ lotsa veggies & grilled salmon, olive oil for dressing
- garlic toasted bun
- blackberries & ff Vanilla yogurt

22/22+3AP

Guidelines:

F&V: 7/5
Whole Grains: bagel yes, bun no
Dairy: 2/2
Oil: yes
Protein: 2/2
Sugar/Booze: all good
Vitamins: multi, C, calcium
Water: 3 litres

Activity: Longest walk on the BLT Trail I can manage with the doggie. (3)

Poo-poo Choices

I overindulged in Cheetos and chocolate last night. That's what happens when your boyfriend is away and your bored watching movies and DVDs of Sex and the City.

Then I had a brunch this morning, where for some reason I chose Eggs Benny. I never order Eggs Benny. And they had no alternative the home fries, so I ate them. There wasn't that many and had I not eaten all of those Cheetos and chocolate last night it might not have mattered. But I did, so it did matter. At least it was really good!

My good choice for today was that when I finished shopping hours after brunch and I was famished, I opted to try a smoothie from the Juice, eh in the mall. I got a small one made with pineapple, strawberries & banana. According to their NI a 16oz would be 225 cals, but there's no way this was a 16oz....maybe a 12oz....so a good choice I think.

Problem was, that I went straight to the gym with half of the smoothie in my tummy. Makes for a piss-poor workout let me tell you. By far the worst workout I've had yet. I mean, I still did most of it, and at least I didn't skip it all together....but it was lame. Half way into my C25K the smoothie decided to turn into a gurgling stomache ache, so instead of my second 10 minute run I just went straight to the cooldown walk and decided that was enough cardio for today. I did about half of my strength training, a really fast stretch and that was it. Better than nothing, but lame nonetheless.

Now I'm eating a bowl of Kashi Crunch to hold me over until my late dinner. It's my girlfriend's birthday, so it's girls night out. Dinner got moved to a slightly classier pub, so hopefully the food choices are a bit on the healthier side. I'm hoping for something along the lines of salad with chicken.

Anywho, hopefully there will be dancing to help fend of the evil eats and copious amounts of vodka I will be consuming. At least my drink of choice is vodka/soda anyway, so that's cheap on the old calories.

Happy Saturday!

Super Sammich

Yes, I'm posting a lot today. So sue me. That egg salad bagel sammich was frickin good. I'm off to boil the rest of the eggs in my fridge because I foresee that I need more of these in the days to come. 5 points - yummy & filling! And I hate to admit it, but those whole wheat WW bagels are way better than the PC Blue Menu ones.

8 Weeks til Summer

No more excuses. I'm in for Carolyn's Eight Weeks Til Summer Challenge.

The challenge is to pick something that suits you...and I was making excuses that I didn't think I could participate because I'm going away for a couple of weeks. Well, so what?! I'm not going to another planet or a groovy all-u-can-eat resort on the beach or anything. I'm going home to visit family and friends. Life can go on!

So, my plan is to challenge myself to stick to the Eight Good Health Guidelines each day. The challenge starts on Monday and runs for 56 days....so my challenge to myself is to get in those guidelines at least 52 days. It's a good goal, since I don't regularly follow the guidelines and my body will thank me for it. It will also help keep me accountable during all of the eating out that will be done on my trip.

I mean, how hard is it to eat my veggies and drink my water? It can be done!

And I get to buy new stickers for my calendar! :)

Funky Friday

Ugh. I had THE WORST sleep last night. I even went to bed about 1/2 hour earlier than usual...and what did I get for that? Two hours of laying there staring at the clock...then dozing in and out for a few hours...only to sleep right through the alarm because I was so exhausted. Boooooo. Maybe I shouldn't eat fruit and Kashi so close to bedtime? Weird. Then I woke up with a crick in my neck...probably from not really relaxing all night long. Double boooooo.

Friday is my official day off from the gym, but we'll see how the day goes. If my neck is still all tight and sore, I might go in just for a good stretch and maybe a walk. The weather is ASS today so no walking outside again. Poor doggie!

Today's eats:

- juice
- coffee, coffee, coffee
- Honey Nut Cheerios w/ skim milk
- blackberries & yogurt
- WW bagel sammich w/ egg salad & spinach (1 boiled egg mashed with 1 tbsp light mayo, green onion, s&p)
- cucumbers & baby tomatoes w/ tzatziki
- cookies with extra coffee
- Attempt #2 for the Spring Veggie Soup w/ toasted bun
- some sort of snack or drink or treat because it's Friday!

22+snack/22+FP

Timing

Oooops. Didn't leave myself anywhere near enough time for the soup and toasted bun idea. Duh. Obviously shouldn't plan to make soup from scratch when I have a meeting at 7:00! So dinner ended up being a WW bagel with natural PB as I ran out the door. So now it's 10:15 and I'm starving so it'll be yogurt with fruit and Kashi. At least I didn't have time for snacking!

Gym Recap

It's soooo dismal outside today. I had to drag myself into the gym (alas, I knew that if I didn't go I wouldn't get ANY activity because it's too yucky out to walk the dog). I had pretty much decided I was just going to go for a long walk on the treadmill, but then I snapped out of it. If I'm going through the trouble of changing my clothes, combing my hair and driving over there, I'm sure as hell not going to waste a good cardio workout! So....

Treadmill:
- 5 min warmup
- 15 mins worth of sprint intervals: 1 minute sprint, 1 minute recovery, last 2 minutes sprint
- (sprints @ 7mph, recoveries @ 4mph)
- 5 min walk
- 20 mins worth of inclines: played around with inclines, mostly going up, but a few downs for recovery, tried to stay between 10-15. adjusted speed accordingly....mostly around 3.2mph, but some at 3.5mph....nothing below 3mph
- 5 min cooldown

Total: 50 mins

All totalled I burned 430 calories according to the machine, and travelled over 5km. Woooooo!!

Extra Ab work:

- Plank: 3 x 15 second planks (this was too easy, I'll be doing the sets for 30 seconds next time)
- Russian Twists: 3 sets of 12 (this is the one where you hold the medicine ball while in crunch position and twist to each side)
- Crossover Crunches: 2 sets of 12 for each side (so 24 per set)...(this proved to be tough on my problematic lower back so I'll have to find something else to do)


Instead of my planned cookies and milk I stopped and got myself a Starbucks treat - dbl tall no-fat vanilla latte...same points as cookies & milk, but far more comforting on a day like today. :)

Aches, Rains, and Menu

Well, time sort of got away from me last night so I didn't get a chance to pull my bike out. By the time I got done work, then made dinner and did a few things in the house, it was pretty dark outside. (meh, that's what I get for buggering off to the gym for 2 hours in the middle of a work day!) So I was going to pull it out today, but now it's raining. Booooo! (Better rain than snow though!) I guess we'll see how the weather progresses today.

I'm really exhausted and achey today. I actually had to take some ibuprofen before bed last night because I had a nagging ache in my legs that was annoying me enough to keep me awake. I guess all this working out is catching up with me. It's for a good cause though so I'm not complaining (yet!).

So today's activity will either be A) walk the dog, ride my bike & some sort of home ab workout or B) gym for sprint intervals, incline intervals & abs (I've decided to do extra calf work on Tuesdays and extra ab work on Thursdays).

Today's eats:

- coffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
- juice
- Kashi bar
- berries, banana, ff vanilla yogurt
- leftover risotto w/ leftover meatballs & sauce
- carrots & cukes w/ tzatziki
- cookies & milk
- Spring Veggie Soup from RR Mag
- toasted sub bun w/ light Laughing Cow, garlic & seasonings
- banana bran muffin & decaf tea
- tiny Tango yogurt

(I moved the cookies into the middle of the day because I'm always craving some sort of "treat" in the afternoon....and added a glass of milk because my dairy has been way down lately.)

25/22+3AP

Water: I'm aiming for 2 litres. It's raining today and that never helps with the water consumption.

Relay for Life

I created a Facebook Group for supporting my Relay efforts, here: Support Jaime's Relay for Life

Gym Recap

Can I just say that I bust my ass for an hour & a half and WW says it's only 5 points. Pttttth. On the treadmill alone I burn 300 calories, then I do a hard-ass strength training session, followed by another 10-15 mins of moderate cardio...I'm guessing all of that totals about 450 cals...but nooooo stupid WW says poo-poo to that.

I'm just saying...

Anywho....
(I just realized I didn't recap on Monday....well, you didn't miss anything except that C25K Week 6/Day 1 was: 5 min warm-up, 5 min run, 3 min recover, 8 min run, 3 min recover, 5 min run, cooldown)

So today....

Treadmill: C25K Week 6/Day 2
- 5 min warm-up, 10 min run, 3 min recovery, 10 min run, cooldown
- (first run @ 5.6mph, recover @ 3.5mph, second run at 5.4mph)

It took me a while to find my pace, but I eventually got it. The second run was a bit buggered because the machine went into cooldown on me, so I just stopped and restarted it and added 30 seconds on at the end of the run to make up for it. My right shin started to really give me some trouble a few minutes in (enough that I was getting worried) but then I found my pace and it relaxed and I made it through no problem. Yaaaieee!

Strength Training:
- 3 full sets except I left out the reverse lunges for the first time today. My knees bother me once in a while and after the run I just didn't think they could take the lunges. I added a set of calf exercises instead.

Bike: (I actually used the regular bike instead of the recumbant just for something different)
- 6 mins on random, level 5
- 4 mins on random, level 7 (5 was seeming a little too easy)
- 2 min cooldown

Lots of stretching. I've been pretty stiff lately since I've been upping my weights more and more.

I have a PLAN!

Last night's menu didn't go quite as I had planned but it was still pretty much on point so I'm not stressing about it. I was going stir crazy in the house, so decided to go shopping instead. Of course, being a Tuesday night all that I did was go to Wal-Mart and Sobey's. :) I picked up the ingredients to make a Spring Veggie Soup from the latest RR magazine and the few extra things I needed for tonight's meatball sub (Jen talks about these often and I have meatballs to use up, so I just had to do it!). Wal-Mart had tons of yummy treats on sale, but I managed to stick to the basics that I actually needed like Kashi granola bars, All-Bran Bars, and I did decide to try a box of those Peak Frean LifeStyle cookies in Cranberry Orange (they aren't chocolately so I shouldn't binge away on them). I also found a new flavour of Nestea singles (I prefer them over Crystal Light because they are made with Splenda) - Blueberry Pomegranate - for flavoring my water once in a while.

Anyway, dinner was late and I didn't feel like prepping veggies so I had McCain fries instead. Oh well. Points were fine, just not the healthiest choice. I'm using the asparagus in the soup I'm making tomorrow anyway!

And with Angie's post about her new bike, I'm extra motivated to get my bike out of the garage and give it a go. I'll prep it up today and make sure it's all OK, so I can go for a ride tomorrow. Yaieee!

Today's Plan:
- SunRype Fruit Solutions juice
- coffee
- Kashi cherry/choc granola bar
- 500 ml water
- Source vanilla yogurt w/ strawberries, blackberries & 1/2 banana
- 500 ml water
- GYM
- 1 litre water (at gym)
- 1/2 portion of leftover risotto w/ 6 big shrimps
- baby carrots & cucumber sticks
- 500 ml water
- apple w/ light Laughing Cow
- WALK THE DOG
- meatball sub: crusty roll, 4 PC BM lean meatballs, 1/3 cup Classico tomato/basil sauce, Italian seasoning, sauteed onions, 1 oz shredded part skim mozza, sprinkle fresh parm (DROOL!)
- arugula salad
- 500 ml water (with dinner)
- GET BIKE OUT OF GARAGE & PUMP TIRES
- CHORES (apparently the dog isn't going to vacuum up his own fur!)
- decaf tea & Peak Freans
- (if still hungry...yogurt & berries)

25/22+7AP

Activity: 30 mins high intensity cardio, strength training, 15 mins moderate cardio (5), dog walk & chores (2)

Water: planned 3 litres!

Relay for Life

I have joined a Relay for Life team. See here for details.

Tuesday is Cake-free

Thanks for all of the support last night! Unfortunately the cake won the battle, but I did eat a whole lotta steamed veggies for dinner, and drank lots of extra water. What's done is done, and the good news is that there isn't any more stupid cake here to call my name today! If I want a treat today I am going to have to get in the car to go get it, so that makes cheating a lot bloody harder! :)

Today I'm eating:
- Fruit Solutions Juice
- coffee
- strawberries & Souce Tango yogurt
- 1/2 cup Kashi Crunch mixed with 1/4 cup All Bran w/ 1/2 cup skim milk
- Lean Cuisine Beef Stirfry
- Wasa w/ light Laughing Cow, red onion & cucumber
- apple
- tomato risotto (from freezer) with sauteed frozen shrimp
- steamed brocolli, asparagus & carrots
- bran muffin
- grapes

24/22+2AP

Activity: walk the doggie (2)

Water: 2 litres

To Flex or Not to Flex

The stupid cake is winning. It's sitting right there, calling to me like every 5 minutes. Argh. This is why I shouldn't bake when I'm home alone. And I guess I shouldn't work at the kitchen table instead of in my office where food has to call all the way up two flights of stairs to get me.

So at this point, I've already eaten enough cake to have veto something from dinner. I'm thinking the fries. I will need the protein from the chicken. I'll eat extra brocolli.

My dilemna is whether I should just eat it all and call it flex and be done with it....it would only be like 8 flex....but it seems dumb to use it on cake...on the first day of my WW week. But what else am I going to use flex for this week? (She says this knowing full well she has a girl's night out on Saturday...........)

But it's really good f'ing cake. ;)

The Cake

It's the same as "Diet Pop Cake"...just use Club Soda instead. Still no calories, but also no aspartame.

Mix one box of Betty Crocker French Vanilla cake mix with one can of Club Soda.
(I like to add half the can, then whisk...then the other half, and whisk some more...don't overmix, a bit lumpy is fine.)

Bake according to package directions.

This time I did it as one 9x13 cake, instead of cupcakes. I broiled it for the last 2 minutes to brown the top a bit. Worked like a charm.

All of these "diet" cakes are crumbly, but if you let them cool all the way, they turn out just fine.

(As I mentioned to Jennifer, I think I'm going to turn them pink next time...they just smell "pink" to me!)

Cake Day

I've designated today as "Cake Day". A couple of reasons for this....

1) Last night I made a French Vanilla cake with Club Soda and it's friggin awesome....2 points for a huge slice. Best "diet" cake I've made yet. Love it and can't keep my hands out of the pan. LOL.

2) I'm up exactly 1 pound at today's weigh-in. Booo. But I knew it was coming because I had a crap week foodwise...and yesterday I didn't drink any water. Cake will make me feel better.

Don't worry, I'm counting it in my plans for the day!

Today I'm eating:

- 3/4 cup Fruit Solutions Juice
- coffee
- cake
- 3/4 cup Kashi Crunch w/ 1/2 cup vanilla Almond Breeze
- strawberries
- spinach salad w/ mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions, light cheddar & light Italian dressing
- 1/2 WW bagel w/ RSF Becel
- cake
- apple
- PC BM chicken strips w/ plum sauce
- 1 serving McCain low fat fries w/ light Miracle Whip
- steamed veggies
- tea
- cake

24/22+6AP (keeping those extra points open for extra CAKE!)

Activity: off to gym shortly... 30 mins high intensity cardio, 15 mins moderate cardio, strength training (5)... walk the doggie (2)

Water: 2 litres (I need to get on it!)

Sunday

Today's plans didn't go quite as I had planned, but it ended up being an extra productive day so I'm happy. I didn't make it outside (yet!) to enjoy the great weather because I got on a roll sorting my tax papers and just kept going and now I'm all done and ready to actually do my taxes. I thought it was going to take several attempts for the rest of the week to finally get it all done, so I have no problem giving up one day outside for getting it all done now. :)

I still basically stuck to my food plan for the day too. So far only one snack that wasn't on my list, and it was a 3 point Luna Bar so I don't feel bad about it at all. I'm down a dairy serving because I opted to skip my latte at Starbucks today and made coffee at home...I'll make it up with milk tonight instead of tea.

No activity as of yet, but the sun is still out so maybe an after dinner walk around the neighborhood with the dog. Sunday is an optional day of rest in my activity routine, so no biggie.

Today's eats:
- SunRype Fruit+veggie juice
- coffee
- Fibre Source granola bar
- omelette made with 100ml Egg Beaters & 50ml egg whites, mushrooms, fresh spinach, Italian Seasoning, light cheddar, and sprinkled with fresh tomatoes
- 1/2 WW bagel w/ RSF Becel
- grapes
- Source Tango yogurt
- 3 Wasa w/ 2 light Laughing Cow, sliced tomatoes, sliced cukes, sprinkle of red onion
- chocolate LunaBar
- leftover Chicken Stew from freezer, with added frozen veggies & steamed asparagus
- muffin, skim milk
- maybe strawberries & another Tango yogurt

approx 25/22

Saturday!

And there you have it. Wake up on the right side of the bed, with a plan in my head, and it's a piece of cake. Why can't every day be this easy?!

Last night I completely cleaned our fridge, freezer and pantry. I tossed out boxes of stale cereal & crackers, cleared out anything past it's prime, cleaned out boxes with hardly anything in them. I found some pumpkin bran muffins that I thawed for evening snacks and a frozen juice I bought a while back and totally forgot about. When I was done, I felt accomplished. It was truly cathartic.

Then after I cleaned my office and tidied my desk, I made a list of everything in the freezer and started on my weekly meal plan. As I mentioned before, my goal for this week is to eat up leftovers and whatever is already on hand...then next week I can start fresh with my fish and seafood plans. I have planned through Tuesday, at which point I'll need to re-evaluate and see what fresh produce or recipe ingredients I might need to pick up to get me through the rest of the week. I love the organization of it all!

This morning I slept a little late (thanks Mojo!) but got up and set right into my plans for the day. Grabbed all of my clean gym gear and my 1/2 banana and off I went.

I decided to keep the cardio portion shorter than I have been on Saturdays because it's sooooo bloody nice outside I knew I'd be going for a walk with the dog. So I stuck with my C25K on the treadmill and opted to skip my elliptical for today. I did OK on the C25K....today was supposed to be a straight 20 minute run, but I couldn't do it...I made it for 10 minutes, then a 3 minute recovery, and finished with a 7 minute run. Not bad, but not great either. I did work up a serious sweat though so I'm not really complaining. No matter how good my running gets, I have poor lung capacity and that may just keep me from ever really being able to go for long periods of time. Only time will tell. I still did my 3 full sets of strength training...in fact, I added in 3 sets of ball squats just because...and finished my workout with a 10 minute ride on the bike.

After getting cleaned up at the gym, I stopped at Starbucks for my weekend latte and sat in the sun reading my new Rachel Ray magazine. Then I headed home for my brunch of 2 Eggos topped with chopped banana and vanilla Source yogurt....so yum!!!

Then I grabbed Mojo, a supply of baggies, an extra big bottle of water and his dish....loaded him into the car and drove up the road to the BLT Trail. We had a fabulous 4km walk in the sun and it was awesome. Read more here.

Now we are home and I puttered in the yard a tiny bit....pulled out some dead stuff, cleaned up a bit of garbage that had blown in, enjoyed the sun. I made a snack of chopped oranges and strawberries, and ate up some sesame rice crackers with light Laughing Cow. I put some eggs on to boil (I noticed last night that they are getting near their end date) to keep in the fridge for snacks, then had a glorious shower. :)

Tonight I'm making a huge-ass spinach salad with veggies, cheese, chopped eggs & ff ranch dressing. I'll top it with some frozen shrimp that I'll sautee up in some olive oil and dried herbs & lemon. Drool. After dinner Í have to get my filing cabinets sorted out...finally! And then start on the giant task of sorting my receipts and stuff for my taxes (stupid procrastination has struck again).

I have a bit of mail here so I might have one more short walk up the block this evening to mail it before I forget. I think without Mr. Mojo though as my arm could use the rest. After that I have a couple of movies...and have planned some tea, a muffin, and another of those yummy little Source Tango yogurts.

Today's Eats = 22/22+6AP (I'm not eating my APs today to help counteract yesterday...)

Activity = gym (4), walk (2) = 6AP

Water = 3 litres...no problem when the sun is shining!

Friday such as it is...

Today is a bit of a mystery. DBF is leaving on a jetplane this evening, so depending on if he can book his preferred seats online, we may eat at home or on the way there or possibly at the airport.

I opted not to go to the gym this morning, but now I think that may have been a bad idea because I'm not sure that I have time to fit it in later today. Maybe at the very end of the night, after I've dropped DBF off at the airport? The weather is wet and yucky so no dog walkie today.

Today's Eats (to the best of my knowledge...):

- 1 cup SunRype Fruit+veggie juice - orange pineapple
- coffeeeeeeeeee
- 2 blueberry Eggo dipped in a Source Tango vanilla yogurt
- strawberries
- WW bagel w/ 1 wedge light Laughing Cow, topped with sliced tomatoes
- apple w/ natural PB
- ???dinner???
- cookies & tea while I get used to DBF being gone tonight :(


16+dinner/22 (hmmmm....points ratio not looking so good....gotta find me some activity!)

Water Water Water!


Edit: uh-oh....scrap the bagel and the apple...DBF stopped for drive-thru on his way home and 3 yummy Wendy's chicken strips made it into my lunch plan. And right now I'm eating my final pack of PB cups (we have a bunch of treats in the cupboard that I've asked him to either hide or take with him). Dinner at the airport better involve a salad! And I think those cookies better find their way outta here too!

Edit #2: uh-oh some more....so much for the salad...I chose fish n chips! oooops. Oh well. DBF did take away the leftover chocolate bars, so I only have 4 cookies and some Mike & Ikes to contend with. I think I'll just indulge in them tonight while I clean my office and watch some TV...then tomorrow I can have a fresh start. For some reason, I do pretty good resetting on a Saturday so hopefully that proves to be true tomorrow!

On a bright note, it was still somewhat light out and warm when I got back from the airport...so instead of taking off my shoes and getting comfy I immediately grabbed the dog's leash and a baggie and off we went for our neighborhood walk. It was great!

Il Mercato

OMG. I'm so full.

Let me just say that the Risotto Croquettes are friggin amazing. However, paired with a salad they would have made a meal. I followed mine with the yummy halibut...and it was way too much food. Of course, I still managed to cram dessert in there too. How is it even possible? I loved every minute of it, but now I feel like a beached whale.

I think Friday might not be rest day from the gym. If this yummy dinner isn't still weighing me down I can see at least a power walk in my future.

Gym Recap & Today's Eats

No snackie pre-gym today. I think that actually works better for me for some reason.

- 1/2 Lemon Luna Bar
- coffee
- Weight Watchers bagel (on sale) w/ 1 wedge light Laughing Cow
- Source Tango yogurt - vanilla strawberry
- spinach salad - same as yesterday - soooo yum!!
- apple w/ natural pb
- probably another yogurt to tide over until dinner
- dinner out: Il Mercato: maybe the mussels, or more likely a pasta or thin crust pizza (either of those make for good leftovers)...a glass or two of wine.
- there's been talk of cheesecake, but hopefully DBF is willing to share (haha, ya right!)

13+dinner/22+6AP

Gym Recap: (cardio day)

Treadmill:
- 5 minute warm-up
- sprint intervals: 1 minute sprint/1 minute recovery... for 15 minutes
(sprints @ 6mph/recovery @ 4mph)
- 5 minute walk
- incline intervals: starting @ 5, then moving up by 2's until reaching the top (15), 5 minutes at top level, then back down to 10 for 5 minutes
- 5 minute cooldown

Recumb Bike:
- 12 minute ride @ level 6, random
- 2 minute cooldown

(4)

Walk the doggie in the sunshine! (2)

Oh well!

Made it through yesterday on plan and unscathed! Woohooo! I think that might technically have been my first OP day all month. Sad really, since I had 18 days straight before that. Oh well!

I did have two cookies last night, but they were planned and I ONLY HAD TWO. :)

The au gratin potatoes didn't really work out. I followed a WW recipe I had used before...but I was halfing it, and I only had whole wheat flour...which apparently doesn't thicken as well. I also tried to speed up the cooking time by pre-boiling the spuds and I think it left them too watery. We ended up just eating the spuds with some of the cheese on top. Oh well!

I got out with the dog for a walk early on in the day...so there was no procrastinating my way out of it. I shall do that again today!! The weather is supposed to go sour this evening and into tomorrow...isn't that always the way...weekend is coming. Oh well!

DBF leaves tomorrow evening for a trip to Winnipeg to visit his son, so I'm starting my menu planning. My basic plan is to only buy whatever fresh produce I need and to eat up leftovers and freezer items. This should get me through the first week no problem. Week two I think I'm going to try a couple of fish dishes. DBF doesn't eat seafood (except lobster and the occassional scallop) so I don't make it at home. Now's my chance! Tilapia here I come.

Dog Walk

DONE! :)

Today's Food & Gym Recap

forgot my pre-gym snack!
so, post-gym:
- 1 coffee
- 1 cup SunRype Fruit+veggie juice - banana pineapple
- 3/4 cup Kashi Crunch w/ 1/2 cup vanilla Almond Breeze
- 1/4 cup ff Lemon yogurt (emptied the container)
- spinach salad w/ strawberries, chopped orange, blackberries, shredded real white cheddar, few chopped almonds & 2 tsp olive oil w/ balsamic for dressing
- toast w/ 1 tsp natural pb
- apple w/ light Laughing Cow wedge
- carrots if I am still hungry
- BBQ steak (we make one big steak and I just take part of it and give the rest to DBF), steamed asparagus, white potatoes au gratin style (I'm thinking up a low-fat scalloped sorta dish)
- no god damn cookies. if I want dessert, it'll be a Tango yogurt or two. maybe fruit if I'm a good girl.

24/22+7AP

Gym Recap:

Treadmill: C25K, week 5/day 2
- I'm pretty freaking excited that I made it through today with hardly any trouble!
- 5 minute warm-up
- 8:00 run/5:00 recovery/8:00 run (this is the longest I've run probably since elementary school!)
(runs @ 5.7mph/recoveries @ 3.7mph....final minute of 2nd run was @ 6mph just to push it)
- 5 minute cooldown

3 full sets of strength training (except for back extensions, only one set today...those things are brutal on my bad back)

StairMaster: just for something different
- level 3, 15 minutes

(5)

Walking the dog today! I promise! No sitting here surfing blogs when I have a lull in work...I WILL GET OFF MY ASS AND GET SOME SUNSHINE!

(2)

Ugh

Ugh is right. What is up with me lately? Last night I was full to the brim with my yummy homemade burger. So much so that I had to really talk myself into finishing my salad. But for some reason, while we were out getting movies I had this incredible craving for DQ. We almost made it past, but at the last minute I told DBF to turn. All my doing!

I really wanted the Tin Roof Brownie Blizzard again...and when the girl said they were out of brownies I really should have said forget it and left...because I didn't really have the craving for anything else. But once you are in DQ, do you leave with nothing? I don't think so! So I ordered my old standby of a Smarties Blizzard...at least I only ordered a small since I wasn't all that excited about it.

But even though it wasn't exciting and I was still full from dinner, I still managed to cram that thing in me. And it was only OK. Sorta boring. I probably would have been happier with the cookies and tea we had planned. I hate that.

Then DBF went to bed early, and I wasn't tired so I stayed up to watch Big Brother and Law & Order SVU. But of course this led to more snacking....a random chocolate bar, a couple of those damn cookies, and SmartPop w/ butter. WTF?

Maybe it's because I know DBF is going away this weekend and I plan to be totally OP while he is gone for the next couple of weeks. My brain always thinks it's easier to stay on plan when he's not around (even though it's rarely his ideas that throw me off the track)...and I think I'm mentally sabotaging myself because I know that as of Saturday I'm on my own. Who knows?

I didn't even walk the poor dog yesterday. So all that extra crap in my system, plus no activity. Booooo for that. Today will be better!

In case you were wondering...

I posted the latest "tag" over here.

Pizza Hut "The Edge"

For Shannon!

I had originally planned to order the veggie version, but the toppings were boring, so I checked out the NI for The Works and it's what I would consider acceptable so I ordered that instead. I opted for adding pineapple in place of the green peppers though because I HATE green peppers....I imagine the NI would be a tiny bit higher for the pineapple but I didn't stress over it.

According to Pizza Hut's website, the NI for The Edge w/ The Works is:

- 110 cals/5 gr fat/1 gr fibre (2 points) per serving

This is for the medium size. Technically you would have to actually weigh the pieces (this is based on 56 gr slices) because they slice the pizza in squares instead of wedges and every piece is a different size. I guesstimated.

(Note: the NI is higher if you order the large pizza, because the squares are bigger...)

I LOVE good thin n crispy crust, so I thought this was pretty good. I'd definitely order it again, except next time I think I'll chose my own toppings because I really didn't need two kinds of meat...and it would have been good with spinach or something like that.

Today I'm eating...

- SunRype Fruit+Veggies Juice - pineapple banana
- Source Tango yogurt cup - vanilla peach
- coffeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
- Kashi Crunch w/ vanilla Almond Breeze & chopped strawberries
- leftover "Edge" pizza
- cukes & carrots
- apple w/ light Laughing Cow wedge
- BBQ'd burgers (I love it when I make double of something then freeze it!)
- spinach salad w/ red onions, mushrooms & tomatoes (ff ranch dressing)
- tea & cookies (I bought a bag of SuperStore Decadent Choco Chip...and we won't rest until they are GONE!)

26/22+2AP

Activity: well, I slept right through my gym time this morning...soooooo...definitely the longest walk I can manage with the doggie in the sunshine. (2)

Water: 2 litres

Snack Attack

OK, so I caved while at the grocery store and instead of the yummy carrots and hummus I had planned for an afternoon snack I decided to have a Luna bar. I the Lemon Zest one (as I've gushed on about in previous posts), but the lovely Jennifer mentioned the Caramel Nut Brownie one so I tried it...and I now have a new love. OMG, it's like a chocolate bar substitute. Soooo good...I won't be keeping them in the house...or they will go the way of the Aero Singles or the Sweet n Salty bars....the way right into my tummy!

Recipe - Chicken Cordon Bleu "Sorta"

Just for Alli! I made this up myself, but it turned out really good the first time, so hopefully this time around it works out the same!

I call it "sorta" because it's not breaded and I use havarti, so it's not exactly Cordon Bleu.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 slices low-fat ham (whatever you have around)
2 slices havarti cheese (I buy the pre-sliced stuff from the deli, buy light if you can get it)
grainy mustard (optional)
olive oil
Italian Seasoning
salt & pepper

One at a time, lay the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap, as flat as you can. If you have a meat mallet GREAT!, but if not use a rolling pin, and beat the living snot out of the poor chicken booby. :) Until it's as evenly pounded as you can get it. Repeat with the other chicken breast.

Lay the flattened boobies, bottom side up. Schmear a bit of mustard on them. Lay a piece of cheese & a piece of ham on each one. (You may have to do some trimming to fit it in...it's not a science!) Roll up and secure with toothpicks.

Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper (if you don't have it, then just spray the pan with cooking spray) and place the two roll-ups in the center of the pan. Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with the seasonings to taste. Rub them in a little with your fingers.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes...until the outsides are looking browned a bit. Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil (not tight, just a little tent) and let stand about 5 minutes.

Enjoy!! (Oh, don't forget to remove the toothpicks when serving!)

Today I'm eating...

pre-gym: 1/2 Fibre Source Apple Crumble granola bar
post-gym: other half of bar, coffee
- 3/4 cup Kashi Crunch w/ 1/2 cup vanilla Almond Breeze
- apple w/ 1 tbsp natural pb
- leftover Edge pizza ("the works" with pineapple instead of peppers)
- baby carrots w/ 2 tbsp hummus
- some kind of crackers
- Chicken Cordon Bleu (chicken boobies w/ ff ham & light havarti) with a platefull of steamed veggies
- 1/2 cup fruit salad (blackberries/strawberries/chopped orange) w/ 1/4 cup ff Lemon Parfait yogurt

24/22+5AP

Activity: 35 minutes high intensity cardio, 15 mins moderate cardio, strength training (5)

Water: 2 litres

Gym Recap

Treadmill: C25K, week 5/day 1
(note...C25K is different each day this week...it's scary!)
- 5 minute warm-up
- 5:00 run/3:00 recovery/5:00 run/3:00 recovery/5:00 run
- 5 minute cooldown
(total: 2.32 miles)

3 full sets strength training
- upped the weight for tricep pulldowns and it didn't kill me!

Recumb Bike: random, level 6
- 10 mins @ 90mph+
- 3 minute cooldown



Big thanks to Amy for pointing out that I mistakenly typed that I figured I could do the 5k in 20 minutes. Ooooops! that has now been corrected to 30 minutes. (and yes I know this is ambitious...but go big or go home I say!!) I'm also aware that once I'm off the treadmill and running under my own steam that my time will go up....this is treadmill specific for now. Thanks Amy!

Weigh In and Sunday Recap

Down 1 pound this morning!! Woot! I'll take it. That puts me back at 153.4 and for some reason I feel a sense of calm as long as I don't go over the 154 barrier. How weird is that? LOL.

I didn't have time to weigh-in before my workout this morning like I usually do, so I had a granola bar, a litre of water, and half a cup of coffee in me before I stepped on the scale. Of course, I also had an hour and a half of exercise too, so the number is probably totally skewed.

Yesterday was not a nutritious day, but I think that considering I was at a kid's birthday party I made out not toooooo bad. I made sure to have a decent breaky/snack before we left....fruit juice, blueberry Eggos, ff Lemon yogurt with blackberries & strawberries....plus we stopped and got no-fat lattes on our way. The bowling alley was no problem as I wasn't hungry and no one was eating (the food was saved for after bowling) so I made due with a diet 7-up. Once at the house, the snacks were plentiful, but mainly on the healthy side (veggie tray, fruit tray, cheese cubes) and the only truly bad thing I indulged in were the Tostitos & guacamole...but really I didn't eat all that many so who cares. Pizza was ordered but I only had one piece...and my piece of cake was the smallest in the room (not by choice mind you!). I will admit to eating all of the ice cream on my plate though because it was Oreo AND Smarties and that's just too good to pass up. I avoided the punch and stuck with some diet Coke.

When we got home, I busied myself tidying up and doing dishes and drinking a ton of water....sooooo thirsty. In the evening, I got hungry so opted for a 2 point bowl of Cheerios with some skim milk.

No activity yesterday, but shit happens. :) It was a fun day and my body thanked me for the relaxation.

Gym Recap & Saturday Menu

For the first time since I started my "gym journey" (it's been well over a month now...time flies...) I had to talk myself into going this morning. I just wasn't feeling it. But I knew once I got there I would be fine, and I was right. :) What was I going to do at home anyway? Nothing constructive I'm sure!

Treadmill: C25K - Week 4, Day 3
- 5 minute warm up
- 3:00 run/1:30 recover/5:00 run/2:30 recover/3:00 run/1:30 recover/5:00 run
- 5 minute cooldown
- runs at 5.7mph, walking at 3.9mph

This run takes too long for the treadmill (about 31 mins), but no one was waiting today, so I just stopped during my final recovery and reset the machine so it wouldn't kick into cooldown. Today was 2.6 miles total...looking good!! I have no doubt that by week nine I'll be running the whole 5km (3.11 miles) in about 30 minutes. I hope!

3 full sets strength training. Upped my weight for the leg press again, and upped my weight finally for the ab machine. I think I'll be able to up it for the deltoid press this week too.

Elliptical:
- all over the place.... I was playing with the settings to see if I could really feel it in the muscle groups the indicator said I should be working. I have to say that mostly I could feel it in my quads...which is annoying because I'm really aiming to target my gluts, hams, & calves.
- 25 mins total

Sucked back a full litre of water and wished I had thought to pack a back up bottle. Oh well, such is life. (I hate the water from the gym taps...gross!)

(6 AP)

Today I'm eating:

pre-gym: 1/2 cup Kashi Crunch w/ chopped strawberries and 1/2 cup vanilla Almond Breeze
post-gym: SB double tall vanilla non-fat latte & 1/2 SB chocolate chip cookie (so sue me!)
- fruit salad (1/4 cup chopped orange, 1/4 cup blackberries, 1/2 cup strawberries) w/ 1/2 cup ff Lemon Parfait yogurt
- PC BM cinnamon raisin bagel w/ RSF Becel
- dinner TBD, but DBF is sick again (hmmm...going out drinking last night maybe not so wise!) and would like pizza, so I might try the Veggie Edge w/ pineapple from Pizza Hut. (I'm thinking freeze the leftovers for yummy lunches....)
- probably some sort of evening snack later on....

15+dinner/22+6AP

Friday Night

DBF ended up feeling better after he got home from work and had a little nap, so dinner carried on as originally planned....BBQ burgers! (haha, can you tell we LURVE our new BBQ....that's 5 days this week I think...) I made them with extra lean ground beef, a few (by few, I mean maybe a tablespoon) breadcrumbs, Italian Seasoning, and a packet of McCormick's SuperBurger mix. That stuff rocks! Makes a super tasty burger without the added calories of an egg or anything like that. Sprinkled them with a little Montreal steak spice and topped with a fat free Kraft single. Yum!! Served on these yummy whole wheat buns from the bulk section at Sobey's bakery with mustard, relish, tomatoes, red onion and lettuce. Who needs a restaurant?!!

I had originally planned to just grab some potato salad or something from the grocery store deli, but seeings as those salads are never all that good (or good for you!) I opted for a pre-made spinach salad instead. We shared it, so we each got a taste of the bacon and boiled egg and I gave DBF most of the cheese. I topped mine with some low-fat ranch dressing we had in the fridge.

Later in the evening, we met a couple of friends downtown for a few drinks. I opted to drive so there would be no extra drinkies for me. :) I stuck with my trusty vodka & soda and we had a fab ole time. Home and in bed at a reasonable hour too...shocking!

Is it just me, or does this seem wrong to you?

This just doesn't seem right to me....

OK, the picture is a bit shitty, but you can see that my SmartPop value pack came with a box of Crunch 'n Friggin Munch. How does that make sense? You just know that the carmelly, nutty, crunchy treat was gone long before the healthy, boring, SmartPop was even opened.

I knew "value pack" was too good to be true.

Today I'm eating...

Ugh, I don't know what was up yesterday, but the snacking was terrible. I even ended the night with a bowl of ice cream topped with a smashed up Skor bar. So good but soooo bad! I am hoping whatever is was that caused it has passed and today will be a better day....

Since today is a day off from the gym (my legs thank me!) I decided to go back to starting my morning with fruit before having my coffee. This way I can make my coffee stretch out through the morning and hopefully won't feel the need to eat something extra right away. I'm also adding my water intake into my schedule since that seemed to work so well last week.

- fruit salad (1/4 cup chopped orange, 1/4 cup blackberries, 1/2 cup strawberries) topped with 1/4 cup ff Lemon Parfait yogurt and 1/4 cup Kashi Crunch
- 500 ml water

- coffee x 2
- 500 ml water (simultaneously)

- Knorr Rustic Veg soup
- 1/2 toasted tomato & cheese sammich (w/ ff cheese slice on multigrain+ bread)
- 500 ml water

- carrots & cucumber sticks
- 100 cal pack Ritz Crisps
- 4 tbsp lemon & dill hummus
- 500 ml water

Dinner TBD - DBF is really sick, so we'll see how he's feeling

13+dinner/22+2AP

Activity: walk the doggie (2)

Water: 2 litres + whatever I drink with dinner and in the evening

Snack-o-rama

Snack-o-rama is right! Boooooooo!

It's one of those days where the nice weather turned to rain, and the house was cold, and work was busy and then boring, and and and....

I never should have gone downstairs because now I've had myself a ridiculous little pantry binge. Stupid popcorn, stupid chocolate bar, stupid Handi-snack.

Stupid!!!

Snack Attack

Now that I work out almost every morning, I find that I have a wicked carb craving for breakfast. My old school routine of yogurt and fruit just isn't cutting it anymore...and I don't always have the time or inclination to stand over the stove waiting for my Red River cereal to cook. I do love the Kashi Crunch, but was looking for something a little more "sinful". :)

Enter, the cinnamon raisin bagel!

Bagels have basically disappeared from my menu plan since joining WW. Occasionally I have opted for a multigrain version from Timmy's with no butter or anything, but how boring is that?!! And such a waste of points really.

Anyway, a few months ago I discovered the President's Choice Blue Menu bagels. They are just the right size, and high in fibre. Three points! I tried the Oatmeal version first, but found that they needed peanut butter or something to jazz them up, thus upping the points. Yesterday, I bought the cinnamon raisin version and they are satisfying the "morning treat" craving just as I had hoped, without sacrificing nutrition or points. Yummy!!

Topped with a bit of RSF Becel (for essentially no added calories) or for the creamy resemblance of cream cheese, try it with a wedge of light Laughing Cow (again, hardly any additional calories). Follow it up with some fruit & ff yogurt for the protein, and you are good to go!