I'm BAAAAACK

That's right guys and dolls, I am home fresh from the lovely 115 degree temps of Las Vegas! It was a great trip. We...

Saw a magic show 

Had a celebrity encounter

Did the casino crawl

Drank a yard of Margarita

Ate an expensive meal at a nice restaurant

Won $200 on the slots

Visited Fremont Street in a drunken decision at 11pm...bad move!

Had a fab time all around! 

We walked and walked and walked on this trip, but we also ate. Yeah, nothing horrible, but more than usual. I still didn't finish a meal, but I ingested more calories than usual, that's fo sho. We also had a few desserts. Um yeah. Good ones. :P 

The bad news is I did gain about 2lbs on the trip. Blahhh. Could've been worse, I suppose. Gonna get back on track with eating and exercise now. Worked out today and ate normal food. Went shopping too to fill those barren cupboards. 

Either way, I had a great time, and we WILL go back again.

I am having a hard time adding images today, so I will get back to you soon on that. Hope everyone is doing well out in bloggerland! Ooh, I have some catching up to do! 

Stats for the day:

Weight 197 (boooooooo)

Exercise : 30 min. 

Viva Las Vegas...bring on the Elvi!

I am off to Vegas until Thursday! I will return hopefully only laden with merchandise and pictures, and not extra pounds on my ass.

Here's hoping!

See y'all when I get back...happing blogging everyone. 

T

Ahh Friday

Do you hear it? I hear it. It's the sound of Vegas calling to me! It says, "Come, Tammy. Come to me. I have bright lights, free booze, dancing girls, amazing shows, crappy magicians, more free booze and a thousand ways to lose not only your money, but also your dignity and sanity!"

How can I resist that call? 

Well, I am happy to report that I remembered to eat lunch today! Vegetable soup, no less. Three meals, who woulda thunk it? I don't know where my appetite went, though. I haven't had any snacks...it's weird. Dinner was BBQ chicken, baked potato, salad and corn. Lol...a wee bit of deja vu from last night. Tasty chicken though!

I didn't want to work out after a really busy day, but I did. Legs are almost normal, too! Just a lingering soreness in the inner thigh. THANK GOD. I feel for anyone with difficulty walking for whatever reason. It. Sucks. 

Short but sweet today, folks! 

Countdown to Vegas: 3 days!

Stats for the day:

Weight: 195

Exercise: 35 min. 

Belated Pics...sorry, I'm lazy!

Before I start, I've finally gotten of my lazy ass and downloaded some pics! So here are a few from the last couple days...

The Saw...and alllll the fallen soldiers. 

My cut. So proud. Don't let the smile fool you...totally crying on the inside!

Mmm. Pig. 

My lovely niece and me at the BBQ

And back to the bloggin...

I can't begin to say how happy I am to not feel pain with every step or movement of my legs! Yayyy! By tomorrow I should be nearly 100%. 

I don't know what's been going on with my eating! I've been sleeping in 1/2 later, and not eating breakfast right away. This puts me in a state of not being hungry at lunchtime. Today I got busy, forgot about lunch and grabbed a granola bar on the run. Jeeze. I'm sure this lack of food, not to mention nutrition isn't doing my bod or metabolism any good! Damn. I didn't even eat lunch yesterday! I had an applesauce and some almonds at 3:30 or so. Dinner was ok, small piece of steak, very small baked potato and a salad. I was full after. Tonight we went for Chinese food, which I don't love. I had a few bite sized pieces of the three dishes I do like. Jason was hankering for a milkshake, so we hit DQ after, and I indulged in a small dipped cone. I don't think I consumed enough calories today to worry about that much. 

I worked out yesterday, but not today. I will tomorrow, Sat and Sun before Vegas. I think my only exercise there will be the constant walking! 

I am going to try VERY VERY HARD to eat well in Vegas, too. I know it's known for large quantities of greasy food, but there has to be something healthy I can eat! I also must listen to my stomach, and not overeat all week. I love my shrunken tum and want to preserve it for future meals!  

Ok, I'm out...take it easy party people. 

Stats for the day:

Weight: 195

Exercise: NADA, ZIP, ZERO

Ow

I think my leg muscles have decided to contract, then go on holiday to Cabo or something. I have NEVER been in this much leg pain in my whole life. Walking hurts...sitting down hurts...standing up hurts...stairs are now akin to the worst of the medieval torture devices. Ow, OW and DOUBLE OW!  I basically did squats for five hours yesterday . Try it sometime. If you hate yourself and like pain. I'm stiffer than a thirteen-year-old boy in a lingerie shop, and I walk with the grace of someone with a pole shoved up their ass! 

This whole day has been torture! I managed to ride the bike, but couldn't go up to my usual resistance. I think I felt better after. Then I sat in my car for 1/2 hr to go to my mom's again, and oooooohhhhhh noo. Tightened back up again. This time, I got smart and bought a little stool to sit on. Thank god for it, otherwise I don't think I could've done more! To top it off, we didn't finish the floor! Why might you ask? Well, total lack of skill helps. :P My mom cut one board in tiny increments FIVE TIMES. I was like, cut more mom. No, more. JEEZE...MORE! I didn't lose it though. That was some restraint! My favourite was when we spent an hour doing one board. Yup. Let's see the things we fucked up:

1. Cut the wrong end of the board

2. Cut too much off

3. Didn't cut enough off

4. Cut the wrong part of the board. 

5. Used the wrong board, period

Yeah, we are

Just. 

That. 

Good. 

If it weren't for the cutting around doorways and dealing with her frickin' thousand miles of mouldings (coupled with our tiredness and aforementioned total lack of skill)...it wouldn't have been too bad! Mom actually refused to measure after a while. Things picked up after that. Hmmm. 

Anwyay, no more laminate floors!

I kinda cringe to think of what I ate today...let's see...

Cereal

Two small pieces of leftover pizza

Couple pieces of apple

Very small tuna sandwich with green onion and lettuce on brown bread

One slice leftover pizza

Hmm...yeah. Not the best day. My mom's fridge is pretty empty of anything edible, so no big sack choices. I would have had more apple, but we were so busy cutting and re-cutting, it got a bit forgotten. 

I have to say, I am feeling smaller these days! My lovely MIL actually told Jason I looked skinny! She needs her prescription checked, but still, very sweet! I'm sure I will have days where I feel huge and bloated (ladies, you are feelin' me here), but right now, I feel awesome (until I try to move my legs, of course!).

Hope everyone had a great day in the blogging world. 

Countdown to Vegas: six days!

Stats for the day:

Weight: 195

Exercise: 30 min (plus 6 hrs of putting down laminate floors)

I. Hate. Laminate. Floors.

I am sore. I am tired. I am dirty. Laminate flooring and I do not get along. Laminate floors can suck it. 

It's not like it's hard to do, it's just annoying! My mom's floor has angles in it, which need to be cut, and there has to be this friggin' gap between the laminate and the tile for the strip of moulding, which needs to be cut as well. And the edges of the boards chip sometimes when they are tapped in, so they have to be replaced. And sometimes, we just fuck it up and have to re-do it! I spent most of the day crouched down holding the end of the boards down...then up again to get more boards, or tape, or the hammer, or something else. Fuck me. Did I mention it was really hot and I was sweaty? 

Ok, yes, I am a whiny baby. I'll admit it. I helped my mom put in her floors for five hrs. today...and she wants me to GO BACK TOMORROW. Gawd. 

I didn't work out today or yesterday. Yesterday was Harry Potter day, and then BBQ at the MIL's. I spent most of that day miserable because my eye was bugging me. Turns out I have a lovely infection. Eye goop anyone? 

So yeah, I am tired and annoyed and infected and I have to wear my stupid glasses for five days. 

I guess the happy in all this is that I didn't over-eat this weekend.  I had a few treats, but I don't think they resulted in any excesses in my calories for the day. On Friday, I had a very small slurpee and two sour candies. Saturday my indulgence was a thin slice of delicious choco cake at my cousin's pig roast. Mmm pig. Yes, the pig was fantastic...cooked for 8rs. I ate a wee bit of a few things, and was no where near full after.  I will post a pic or two when I have more time and energy.  Last night I had a small piece of cake with strawberries. Mmm. 

Friday and Saturday I did work out, and I am going to work out tomorrow before Laminate Hell Day 2 begins if it KILLS me. 

Oh, and the other good thing is that I am now down 25 pounds!!! Yayyy! 

Stats for the day:

Exercise: 5 hrs of up, down and hauling floor boards

Weight: 195!! 

Shopgasm and the LBD

My day did not go exactly to plan, but I did manage to pick up my very first ever little black dress! The ladies out there are feeling me right now. It's a staple item in every woman's wardrobe, and I sadly, nay, tragically have never owned one! Oh, travesty of wardrobe! I know I never ever ever ever would have even tried it on 20 lbs ago, let alone thought I looked hot in it. That kicks ass, in my book! 

I know, I'm talking this dress up so much, you wanna see it now. Right? I promise you, I WILL post a pic in the dress soon. :)

I didn't eat much today due to the aforementioned things going awry. I thought I was going to the beach (girl, you know I love you dearly, and am NOT mad in any way!) but that didn't pan out, so I ate lunch in the car (nutribar) for nada. Since I was out, I headed to my favourite clothing store to check out the summer sales. Glad I did! 

When I got home I started pizza dough, and then had an applesauce 'cause I was hungry hungry. The pizza was delish, but much to my shock, I could only eat 1/2 as much as I usually do. Holy crap on toast! Where has my stomach gone? Not complaining...love feeling full on less. Just a bit weird. It shows me what listening to my body does...allowing me to stop eating before I am stuffed and bloated and lolling on the couch like a beached mammal of the sea. Now all I have to do is not cram too much food in my yap, and keep it nice and small. Does anyone know the science behind this stomach shrinking thing? 

I did not work out today. There. I said it. We went to Costco after dinner, and got home late, and I was bagged. I figured I could use a day of rest since it's been over a week since I've had one. 

Oh, we picked up some cherries and more strawberries at Costco, and the cherries are so yummy. I had a bowlful when my stomach started rumbling this evening. 

That's all folks...tomorrow is another day to lose weight. Yeah.

Stats for the day:

Weight: 197 (bugger)

Exercise: 0 (whatever)

Life's a Beach...and I am a beach bum in training

My day was very uneventful, but I did have a really nice evening. :) 

My couch and I were good friends a lot of the day...blahh...but I did work out. Sweaty, heavy breathing...and then I rode the bike. Har. I had my cereal for breakfast and a bit of leftover turkey chili for lunch. Yum the second day.  Be jealous. 

Then I headed out for a lovely evening at Jerico beach. My friend, Leanne, plays beach volleyball there, so I tagged along with her fam for a picnic and to cheer her on. Her mom is awesome, and had a great spread. She's doing Weight Watchers, so had a ton of delicious fresh fruit and veggies along with chicken and a tasty potato salad. Dessert was a Weight Watchers choco cake that she made (totally appealed to the chocoholic in me). It was all really great, and I got to eat it looking at the gorgeous ocean and Vancouver skyline! What could be better?

Oh, you know I took pictures. 

Beach Volleyball- the best kind

Sun makin' its way down to the ocean for a goodnight kiss

**sigh**

ahh...more pretty

Vancouver...gorgeous, ain't it?

Can you see why people say I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth?

Stats for the day:

Weight: 196

Exercise: 35 min

P.S

I stole the fishies from Blue Bird. :) Pay her a visit, as she is a new blogger! Also, please feed them by clicking in their space, and they will also follow your arrow around! Fun fun for hours and hours...lol...or maybe that's just me. :P

Late night post...zzzzzzzzzzz

I wasn't going to blog today because, well, it's almost tomorrow. But, I felt bad not doing what I said I'd do, and here I am. 

Damn, guilt really works for me.

Feeling better today, thank god. Sometimes having "lady junk" really sucks (thanks Carlos). Of course, if I had to choose between the dingle-dangling man parts flappin' in the breeze and the neat, tidy internal female parts, I choose the latter. Thank god, really, because that whole sexual reassignment surgery just looks painful. 

I had some bad moments a few posts ago and was getting a bit frustrated with the scale. BUT I think it's back on its downward path...thank you weight-loss gods.

I worked out today, ate well and hopefully will see a nice result on the scale tomorrow. If not, well, maybe the next day. Or the next. This is where your comments, and your blogs really help me. I know I am on a journey here, and if I don't meet my short-term goals, that's ok. I will meet those goals eventually. I came into this thing really wanting to lose 40lbs in four months or so. I know this is a lot of weight in a short period of time, so it's very possible I won't get there. The important thing is that I don't beat myself up and then GIVE UP if I don't get there. I think that mentality was sneaking in a bit last week. Like, what the fuck is the point of all this if I am not losing weight? Am I a masochist? I like to torture myself? But, now I see the scale go down again, and am reminded that I have to just stick with it. Stick with it like gum cemented under a table at a greasy spoon diner. Like that lady's dentures in those Polydent commercials. Like an Olympic gymnast sticks a landing. Stick with it like superglue. Um. Yeah...that's all I got.  I am fading fast here and dammit, it's tomorrow already. :( 

I hope my little treat this evening won't hurt my chances for a loss tomorrow. I had a bellini with my friend Lara. It was so good. I wanted another. It was on special. Half price. I didn't.

Otherwise I had:

Kashi ceral

Whole wheat wrap with a small portion of black forest ham, lettuce, red pepper, one slice of reduced fat cheddar, mustard and onion (YUM)

Vitatop muffin (last one...dunno if I will buy more)

Banana

Small serving of turkey chili (homemade and REALLY good)

Small bun

I am sad I am out of strawberries, and my fruit/veg intake is down again. Blah. 

Oh, and something cool...I thought I was hooped and had to go to the store 'cause I didn't have tomato sauce for my chili. Then I noticed we had more of that pasta sauce from last night. Hmm. I tried it, and it was really good! Especially since the sauce is zero fat and has all these added veggies. I may use it from now on, even!

Ok, sleep time. Nighty night.

Stats for the day:

Weight: 196

Exercise: 40 min.

Week 11...oops make that 12

Just a quickie today. :) Sometimes a quickie can be just as satisfying as a long, drawn out affair, don't you think? 

Yes, so 12 weeks gone...and 23 lbs also gone. I am very very very happy to have lost those pounds, let me tell you! I look forward to the next 20 though. They can get gone anyyyy time now.

I had a bit of a rough day today with cramps that just would not die. Sorry if that's TMI, but hey, it was part of my day. An icky part. Blah. So I did wallow on the couch having a little solo pity party for a while. Then I started to feel bad for not doing anything (damn the inertia), and I vacuumed the carpet and the furniture (cat hair...bane of my existence. She is a black and white cat, but do I ever see black cat hairs? Nooo...not even on white stuff! I think she sheds only the white hair just to spite us) then cleaned up the kitchen and bathroom counters. 

I didn't eat a lot today, which I think is a victory considering how super crapola I was feeling. I ate:

Kashi cereal with last of fresh strawberries (awww)

Whole wheat wrap with fat-free turkey, lettuce, tomato and 2 small slices of low-fat cheddar

Vitatop muffin

Frozen strawberries (all gone now too...booo)

Small serving of smart fiber pasta with fat-free healthy choice veggie-lovers sauce with added chicken, onion, red and green peppers

Small bun with a skim coat of marg.

Something cool to note about my dinner...together with the high fiber (36%) pasta and veggie sauce I got nearly 1/2 my daily fiber from one meal. 

I am having a harder time drinking all my water at home. I just don't think about drinking it as much. I think I did...5 cups today. But, I did have about a cup of milk with my cereal, and a green tea vitamin water...so a little more liquid in me. 

I worked out after dinner...just the usual on the bike. 

And that be all for the day! Wow...so very exciting. 

Stats for the day: 

Weight: 197

Exercise: 40 min. 

Hmm...that wasn't terribly quick after all. 

Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious

Ha ha! Did that get your attention? No reason really, I just like that word. It's right up there with antidisestablishmentarianism. 

I've been lovin' living in blog world lately. I just enjoy reading all your blogs out there so much. Some of them are weight-loss blogs, and others are about life and stories and all of them are darn entertaining or enlightening, or both! It's become my morning ritual to eat my beloved Kashi cereal and read blogs. I hope you'll check out some of the blogs on my Reading List. 

Alrighty then...my day. I had my cereal with a bunch of fresh strawberries. Mmmm. Then, Jason and I emerged into the sunlight, blinking like mole-people from living in our little cave for so long. Once our eyes had adjusted to natural light, we of course immediately headed into the unnatural darkness of the movie theatre. Light shmite. Transformers 2 was not terrible...I actually found it fairly entertaining. Although, the fact that I heard Michael Bay denying he used Megan Fox as a sex symbol in the film is pretty laughable. The first time you see the girl she is drenched in sunlight and draped over a motorcycle with her short-short clad ass facing the camera as she (oddly) paints an image from above. Yeah...that was natural.  

Of course hand-in-hand with the movie is the popcorn. Always a temptation. I did have a couple handfuls of the unbuttered (and..er...dry) stuff. I brought along a nutribar for my lunch, (it was a 12:35 movie) so I munched on that. Jason was more than happy to kill the rest of the bag of popcorn. What a guy. :) Dinner was a ham sandwich with lettuce and tomato and a small bag of my favourite potato chips-- BBQ. I hardly ever eat chips anymore, so this is quite an indulgence. I actually found I couldn't finish the whole 6"  sandwich! Wow, can you say stomach shrinking?

Then I had something I'd heard about in the blogging world, a Vitatop muffin. Chocolaty goodness. The muffin part is somewhat flavourful, but the whole thing is really saved by the chocolate chips. Mmm. I don't know if I'll keep buying them though. We'll see if it kicks off my baked-goods cravings or not.  

I climbed on the bike and did my workout while watching True Blood. Southern heat, vampires and sex...what's not to love? As usual I used my weights while pedaling. It really increases my heart rate when I do that. I did my sit ups as well, adding about 10 more leg-lifts for my lower abs. 

I am really hoping the scale will reflect my work a little more this week. Please, please, please! I beg of the weight-loss gods, fickle, capricious, mercurial, gods that they are. 

That's all folks! 

Stats for the day:

Weight: 197 (Ha ha! Up yours weight-loss gods! Um...wait...that's LOVING and GENEROUS gods)

Exercise: 40 min. 

Lazy Daze

I've been sticking pretty close to home the past week with hubby being sick and all. I did manage to get out Tuesday and Wednesday, and grocery shopping Friday. Still, I feel a little bit of cabin fever goin' on. I haven't started talking to the walls or trying to adopt the dust bunnies (not so much dust, as small drifts of cat fur...which reminds me...I've really gotta vacuum!) or anything, but mayybeee a bit goonie. 

I have worked out every day this week, which I am happy about. The scale went up yesterday, which made me want to huck it in front of a moving vehicle, but today it was back down to 198, so maybe it was water or something. Yes, yes that's it. 

I think I've been eating fairly well, too so I expect to see some downward action of the scale very soon. Today I had:

Kashi cereal with fresh strawberries

whole wheat wrap with fat-free turkey, lettuce, tomato and reduced-fat cheese

banana

more strawberries

Dinner is still up for debate. We planned poorly today and now must suffer the consequences. I wish the dinner genie would pop outta his bottle and just conjure a nice, healthy and filling meal for us! Lazy bastard. I'll bet he's just sitting in his little bottle watching SportsNet or something. 

I have worked out on the bike with weights and done my 100+ sit-ups already today, but later I am also going for a brisk walk with my upstairs neighbour, Leanne. Yay! So two work outs for me today. LOVE IT!

I'm hoping to get out tomorrow to see Transformers 2, finally. If it sucks, please don't tell me! I'll find out for myself tomorrow. :P 

Ok, better go figure out dinner. 

Aha..so I did get dinner: baked beans and chicken dogs. Desperate times people. Surprisingly low in calories, and loads of fiber in those beans. 

Stats for the Day:

Weight: 198 (soo close to 197)

Exercise: 35 min 45 min walk= 80 min.

Pics

I said I'd do it, and here we are. It would have been better to have Jason take these for me, but he was not up to the task being all sick and feverish and half-asleep on the couch all day (he's feeling better today, but the fever is still lingering).

I didn't know what I should wear, so I chose a tight-fitting tank top ( *gasp* it has horizontal stripes!! What-everrr) and a skirt. All my shorts are pretty baggy right now, so I didn't want to bother. I don't love the way I look in these pics, as I have heard others say, the camera just shows EVERY pound. Ugh. I hope in a month the pictures will look different. :) Oh, and I threw one in with pants just for fun. 

This is me at roughly a size 14 (skirt is 13...tank is XL. I am fitting some L, but you know...the girls require more space!). Still got a lonng way to go. 

So there they are. In all their non-glory. I took some in my undies too...lol...not for here, of course. Just to see the changes a bit more clearly. I wish I had taken some at the beginning of all this!!! 

I managed to work out today before dinner, which felt good. I ate:

Kashi cereal

banana

two pieces of whole grain toast

cup of applesauce

salad

two chicken dogs with sautéed onions

second to last bag of fiber cookies

Tomorrow, we are are going grocery shopping if Jason is up to it. I will pick up some fruit and veg to add to my snacks. Gotta do better there! 

I am still very determined to keep up my eating and exercising. I am just frustrated with the scale not moving. 

That's all folks!

Stats for the day:

Weight: 198

Exercise: 35 min. 

Consistency VS Apathy

Ohh people, I am having a really hard time staying motivated to work out! I am on yet another stinkin' standstill and the scale is pretty much giving me the finger whenever I step on it. I've gotten on the bike the last two days and have wanted to scream, cry and throw a hissy fit that would make any two-year-old child proud. I whine. I moan. I am obnoxious even to myself! Oyyy. I know it would help if I did something different, but I don't even want to do that! With hubby still sick, I have no walking partner, and I hate walking alone. Just way too boring. 

God, I am such a whiny bitch! 

I mean, I guess it's still good that I am getting off the couch to do my workouts. Yes. That's good. Yesterday I even worked out before noon! Wow. It turned out to be a good thing because I went out socializing that afternoon at the last minute. Today, I had to leave early-ish for a lunch date with my friend Lara, and didn't have time to work out before. I really wanted to just sit on the couch all night, but instead after dinner I rode that f#@%ing bike. 

Another not-so-good thing is I'm barely eating my fruit and veg these days. I was more consistent when I was working with me brining a snack and the having another when I got home. I would get at least two servings in that way, then get three or so at dinner. Now, I'm lucky if I get two!  Friggin' hell. It's going to take a lot of concerted effort to cram vegetation into my gullet. 

Dinners have been bad lately because of sick hubby. He doesn't want to eat much more than soup or toast, and I don't want to cook a whole dinner for just little ol' me. Friggin' hell again. 

Let's see what I ate yesterday...

Kashi cereal

nutribar

macaroni and cheese with two small buscuits

salad

fiber cookie pack

And today...

Kashi cereal

1/2 a chicken sammich with lettuce, tomato and asiago cheese

less than 1/2 portion of curly fries

banana

other 1/2 of sammich

1/2 cup healthy choice chicken noodle soup

fiber cookie pack

SEE?!?! Where's the healthy? I don't think I'm over-eating or anything, but my choices are just not the best. Grrr. I do think I'm doing ok at restaurants. Eating only part of the sandwich and only a few fries is so good for the girl who would ALWAYS clean her plate. Always. I'm not buying those cookies anymore either. They are a lot healthier than those 100 calorie Oreo packs or whatever, but they are still cookies. I don't need to be turning to cookies. I've been eating them to curb this baked-goods craving I've had lately. I'd rather have my no fat 40 cal. fudge pop as a dessert. 

I think that's all I have for now. I did take some pics today that I may post later. I have to get them off my camera and see if I am brave enough! 

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week. Someone should, really. 

Stats for the day:

Weight: 198

Exercise: 35 min. 

 

Newton's Law (and week 11)

As many of you know, Sir Isaac Newton, supreme smartypants that he was, came up with some nifty laws regarding motion. The law that appears to be governing my life right now is the First Law, which can be simplified into two statements:

1. An object in motion tends to stay in motion

2. An object at rest tends to stay at rest

The exception for both being unless acted on by an external unbalanced force. 

Since I have been off for the summer, I have been an object at rest. My ass and couch have re-formed their loving bond. This is what I was afraid of. Once I settle into the couch, the inertia keeps me there. I tend to stay at rest. When I was working I was in motion, moving around, getting things done. Not so much these days. So I know I need that external unbalanced force to kick my inert ass off the couch. What is this force? How will it get me moving? 

The only thing I can come up with is there is no external force to set me in motion. There is only willpower. Determination. Drive. It's my choice to lounge around, watching crap TV and surfing the net. Thus, it is also my choice to get off the couch. Not an easy feat by any means. I mean, I really like being at rest. A lot. As much as I've wanted to be, I've never been a go-getter, a doer. A rise at 6 and go go go go until bed. Nope. Sadly, I am a sitter. A watcher. A procrastinator. 

So what am I going to do? 

First, I am going to close this friggin' laptop and go clean the bathroom that has been waiting for me for WAY too long. 

Next, I will get my ass worked out (which  I didn't do yesterday).

Finally, I will start the dough for our pizza dinner this evening. 

Because I know all you lovely people out there in blogger land will want to know if I managed these terribly insurmountable tasks, I will update y'all tonight. 

Here I gooo...breaking the inertia!

To be continued. . .

I know you are wondering...Did she do it? Did she accomplish simple tasks?? The answer is YES! I cleaned that darn bathroom to within an inch of its life, then got on the bike and pedaled to nowhere for 1/2 hr and did my 100 sit ups. Yeah boyyy! 

Thank you, thank you. I know, I am fabulous. And, the pizza was darn tasty! 

Tomorrow, I must battle the demon inertia once again, and GET MY ASS OFF THE COUCH!! 

Wish me luck.

Stats for the day: 

Weight: 198

Exercise: 35 min. moderate-high intensity

Jack Sh*t's Commemorative Poem...and more!

The moment we were all waiting for has arrived! Jack Sh*t, wordsmith extraordinaire, has written his poem celebrating our half-ass weight loss! Best of all, one verse is all about yours truly! Please check out the poem, nay the masterpiece,  here, and be patient because my verse is wayyy at the bottom.

Thank you Jack! 

In other news, I have a sick husband on my hands. He is all virus-ridden and miserable. Poor guy. Even before the illness struck our Friday plans were doomed, though. My mom had to come back to town for an appointment, so no trip south for pseudo-camping. Boo hoo. Now, I am really worried I will also get sick! Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!  Please cross your fingers for me.

I didn't work out today because I didn't want to push myself. Being headachy and tired and paranoid didn't help either. If I am not on my deathbed tomorrow I will work out fo sho. 

I did want to mention some of the fun and funky changes I've been noticing. 

1. Muscles

I LOVE having muscles! It feels so great to feel firmness under my skin rather than mushy marshmallow (ugh). I've noticed my outer thigh muscle is coming in nicely...have that long line showing through now. My arms are more toned too! I can see a tricep muscle moving around there even. I can also see some nice definition in my calves. 

2. A waist

Now, I don't have the tiniest waist in the world, by any means, but standing in front of the mirror, I can see it dip in nicely before swelling out again at my hips. I have always had slim hips for my size. My stomach is still a work in progress, but it's definitely less there. I can feel this lessening especially when I bend over to tie my shoes...no uncomfortable squeezing of excess flesh! 

3. Bones

When I look in the mirror, I can see...get this...COLLAR BONES! Yes! They don't jut out or anything, but they are definitely there. I can also feel my hipbones pushing up through that padding of flesh, just aching to bust out. Lol...not literally 'cause that'd be gross. They are really apparent when I lie down. 

All in all, I just feel better about my body. I like what I see more and more. I want to wear shorter shorts and more fitted tops to show it off. Don't get me wrong, it's not all rainbows, kittens and sunshine. I have issues with many body parts still, and I certainly won't be parading around in a bathing suit any time soon **shiver**.  Nooo. 

That's all I have for today, folks. Hope all you lovely American's have a fantastic Independence Day! 

p.s

I AM a bit sore from my visit to the gym, but not as much as I thought I'd be. Raising my hands above my head is painful. I never realized how much I sit with my arms up like that until now! Weird. 

Today's Forecast: owww...with chances of more owww

(I just thought this pic was kinda funny)

I'm hurting already. It bodes not well for tomorrow. In my efforts to change up my workout, I went to my building's wee, sad gym with hubby. We biked to warm up, then I alternated between upper body weights and The Beast. The Beast is a star-stepper machine from circa 1960. It is truly an evil entity masquerading in metal, rubber and springs.  Doing one minute on The Beast is like an eternity in sweltering hades during which really persnickety demons stick hot pokers in my calves and various other  muscles. I did two minutes my first time on. Huge victory. When I was working out two years ago, I could barely get past 1 minute. I hope to conquer The Beast in five minute intervals one day. On the weights I worked on my upper back, chest, triceps and biceps. And did I mention...owww? 

I spent the earlier part of my day cleaning out my classroom for the summer. Going back to the school during summer break (even early summer break) well and truly sucks. I did manage to get it done. Although, the quality of my "cleaning and organizing" degraded markedly as time went on. I started out neatly placing things in my cupboard and organizing papers...and eventually I was pretty much just chucking it in randomly. I know I'll open the doors in September and be buried in an avalanche of textbooks and paperclips. Oh well. It's done! 

I didn't eat a whole lot today. I started out with my very favourite cereal of all time, my Kashi Go Lean Crunch with sliced strawberries. I had to head out to the school before lunch, so I brought a nutribar and water with me. When I came home, I was busy, so I didn't think of eating a snack. Then, Jason came home and we went to the gym. After that, we made high-fiber pasta with healthy choice vegetable-laden sauce with added chicken, onions and peppers. Mmm chicken spaghetti! What was really weird, was that I was hungry about two hours later. I had a 40 cal fudge pop, which didn't help. I drank water rather than eat anything else. I hate feeling hungry. I am more used to it now, I have to say. Before, I'd eat pretty much the instant I felt hungry. Usually I didn't think too much about what I put in my pie hole, as long as it killed the hunger pangs. I am glad I am more choosy when it comes to snacks now. 

Tomorrow we are heading south to visit my mom at the campsite she's staying at. I don't know what lunch will be...or dinner...which worries me a bit.  I also have a feeling there will be s'mores. Luckily, though I love the marshmallow and chocolaty goodness, I only usually have one or two. 

Oh, and yesterday I was unsure what I was going to eat at the restaurant, and I stumbled upon something really great! I had a turkey wrap! It was roast turkey with lettuce and tomato on a salsa wrap. So good! It was supposed to come with bacon and mayo, but I asked them to omit the bacon and give me a wee bit of mayo on the side. I put the tiniest bit on it for flavour. I had the fries, but I ate less than half of the serving they gave me. God they were good. Ok, that's not helping with my hunger issue! 

Oh, and before I forget! I wanted to say thank-you to all my lovely followers, new and old, for joining me on this journey. I hope I will hear from some of you quiet ones hiding in the back there. :) 

Stats for the day:

Weight: 198

Exercise: 25 min.

Jack Sh*t's Half-Ass Half-A-Pound Challenge Results!!

Please cast your gaze rightwards and absorb with your eyeballs the true and beauteous glory that is the badge of my accomplishment. 

I did it.

I lost that half-ass half a pound. 

But I didn't stop there. Ohhh no. 

I lost TWO pounds. 

As of Wednesday July 1st, I weigh 198 lbs. 

I know, this is a lot to take in, but I am also going to add MORE excitement by giving you my measurement losses. Take a deep breath. I don't want anyone hyperventilating in front of the computer from sheer excitement overload. 

Chest: 2.5 inches (don't worry, "the girls" aren't going to disappear!)

Ribcage: 1.5 inches

Waist: 2 inches

Hips:  2 inches

Upper thigh: 2 inches

Upper arm: 2 inches

This confirms my theory that my gained and lost weight is distributed very evenly over my whole body. I am generally 2 inches smaller! Yay! 

And to further update you (another deep breath...keep it together now):

It has been a good day, but not such a good day for eating. I hope I don't gain back those two lbs. before I can bask in the glory of losing them! 

My fabulous, wonderful friend Lara allowed me to accompany her to that mecca of all things Swedish-- Ikea. We bought some things for her new condo, and then went for lunch. I had an individual pepperoni pizza. It. Was. So. Freakin. Good. It was a foodgasm. When I got home, I may have sunk into a grease/fat induced coma-like state and crashed on the couch. After some dozing, I hauled my ass over to the bike and did my 30 minutes with weights, and my sit ups. With the sit-ups, I am trying to do 100 at a time. Not all the same kind, mind you, but 100 all together. I have to say, I've noticed some nice soreness in the abdominal area. Coool. 

To compound my pizza badness, I am going out for dinner with hubby to celebrate the birth of our nation. I have no idea what I am going to eat there that won't do me in completely. I guess one good thing is we are walking to the restaurant. It's about a 15-20 min. walk there. 

I guess I will see tomorrow if the scale hates me and sends me back up to 200 for my bad behaviour. Wish me luck my lovely blogger friends! 

Stats for the day: (this would be Wednesday)

Exercise: 35 min + a projected 35 min.= 70 min.

Weight: 198 (please stay here!!)

Happy Canada Day!

Yes, it's Canada's birthday today! My country is 142 years old today. :) 

Oh, and I'm tired of trying to remember what the heck day it is...such tediousness. I will just note weeks and months now, rather than days. 

I am feeling like hitting 199 is a bit unreal...did it really happen?!?? I actually waited two days to post that weight because I wanted to be really sure I wasn't imagining it! That and my scale is so crappy and hard to read (I may need to start a petition to Jason - the "Let Tammy buy a new scale, for Pete's sake!" petition. Catchy, right?).  He says we spent good money on this scale, so why go spend more money on a new one? Men...they just don't understand. I'll keep workin' on him, and I'll keep you posted on that petition.

So it's summer, and I have allll these days off stretched in front of me like a long, empty highway. What to do? Work out, to be sure. Spend time with my hubby on his days off, bien sur. Hang out with friends and family, of course. Go on vacation, hells yes! Going to VEGAS. Bring on the big lights and big casinos, baby! We're staying at Planet Hollywood for three nights...pretty nice hotel. The cool part (for me) is it's right next to the Miracle Mile's giant mall. I've heard that we must hit the outlet malls as well. Working on that one...every day. The only trouble is we will have to take a bus or taxi there, which is mo money, honey. We're making it a short trip this first time out because we just don't know how we will like it. If we love it, our next trip can be longer. 

Jason and I are slipping across the border on Friday to visit my mom, who is camping with her trailer. It's nice to visit for the day-- we get the comforts of the camping experience of cooking out and s'mores (ohh my) without the discomforts of lumpy mattresses and mosquitoes feasting on us whilst we slumber. Camping and sleep never really went hand-in-hand for me. It was inevitable that we'd either be camped next to a huge clan of early risers with a gaggle of boisterous children, or crows would settle in the trees above and have a noisy crow party. 

Other plans for this summer include: Visiting Golden Ears Provincial Park again...such a lovely place with a beautiful river, helping my friend move into her new condo, having people over to our place for dinners, be as active as possible! 

My BIG goal for the summer is to take advantage of this time off and work out as much as I can. My pre-Vegas goal is to lose 10 lbs before we go. Gotta work hard for that one! 

I will continue eating less, watching my portions and turning to healthy snacks. I WILL be 190 lbs as that plane takes off to Vegas! 

Oh, food! Hmm....

Kashi cereal with four large sliced strawberries

Two small tortillas with sliced tex-mex chicken breast, lettuce and green onion with a splash of red pepper and parmesan dressing

A small bunch of grapes

About six almonds and an applesauce cup

Two small slices of turkey, a dollop of garlic mashed potatoes, salad with cucumber (with extra cucumber on the side), a dollop of reduced sodium stuffing

40 cal. fudge pop

Stats for the day: (this would be Tuesday)

Weight: 199

Exercise: 35 min moderate-high intensity