So, this blog is all about sharing triumphs and defeats right? Well, today, I had both.
I made up my mind yesterday that today I was going to run a mile. I wanted to see what my time would be (kinda like the physical fitness tests that I used to do in elementary school).
In my life, I have never run an entire mile. I've walked many and walked/run a few, but never running (without stopping to walk) in entirety. So, after work, I made my move on the trails behind our house. I actually took the GPS from our car to measure the run (since I couldn't mark off the distance with my car beforehand...).
So, I DID IT. Very, very exciting. Didn't stop to walk. Kept running until I reached 1 mile...
18 minutes and 7 seconds later.
No, I am not kidding.
18:07.
I ran a mile in the time it takes you to watch almost an entire TV show (without commercials). I ran a mile in the time that some people can run a 5K.
It was quite possibly the slowest mile anyone has ever run. I've never even HEARD of someone running a mile that slow, but I, Laura Samuels LeBlanc, did it.
Aha.
I'm pretty sure the construction workers were laughing at me (I would have been laughing at me--they can build a house faster than I can run a mile!)
So, that's the story :-)
At least I've done it now and my time will only go down.
I hope.
(Actually, on second thought, you can laugh. It's pretty funny.)
=====================================
ADDENDUM (about 1 hour, 30 minutes later)
It would appear that I am a complete moron. Turns out, the GPS doesn't work if it's not on actual roads. So, I went running again--on actual roads (probably not the best idea ever, but I had to know...) and, it turns out, my actual mile time is 12:35.
So, yes, before, I was just running haphazardly until the GPS decided to move to 1 mile, which, as it appears, based on my second time, was actually a little under 1.5 miles.
So, yes, I've run a little under 2.5 miles today.
Well, at least I know now :-D
12:35 is pretty good, I think. I am very pleased with it. (And I didn't stop the second time either!)
But I think I want to stick with the elliptical for a little while--although I might come back to running in the near future...
Yes, I'm insane.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Interesting studies about physical and emotional health
I don't usually read too much into study results because you never really know much about the study sample, but I came across three today that appear legit and seem thorough.
The first one is about the effects of eating too much red meat:
The second two studies were from Duke and the University of Maryland and were about having an upbeat attitude. From Shape:
On a semirelated note, I was talking to my mom on the way home from work today (and YES I KNOW there are studies about talking on the cell phone when driving!) and she was looking through old pictures and commented on something I found funny. She mentioned that in some of the pictures I was so clearly in a "mood"--namely, the ones that were taken in the early morning before school or early on Christmas (I am not a morning person!) or on some of our trips as a preteen/teenager (see: Walt Disney World 1998; the entire week). And it reminded her that 97 percent of the time, I was a very happy child, but the other 3 percent I was moody and annoying. But what she thought was interesting was that I'm really not a moody person as an adult, which is pretty true. Sure there are times when I'm mad or in a bad mood about something, but those really are pretty rare.
So, hopefully, with the sushi, positive outlook, and laughter, my cancer and heart disease risks are decreased! :-)
Speaking of momma, I have to give her and my dad a shoutout about their NS progress. They sent me some pics the other night of mom's dress for Callie's wedding and HOLY MOLY they both LOOK AWESOME. So svelte! I am so proud of them!
And, I get to see them both this weekend. We're all trekking to Hickory for Callie's bridal shower, which is being given by my aunts. I am so excited to see everyone on that side of the family! It's been since football season (too long!) and even then it was only for a night at a time. I guess I should probably get Callie a gift (though, I'm waiting until the last possible minute because I'm sure she's scoping out what's still available on her registry...) ;-)
Finally, two very exciting things (probably not so much for y'all, but yes so much for me):
(1) I bought and cut up my very first cantaloupe yesterday! I was very successful at the endeavor!
(2) My team at work went to the Pizza Hut buffet for lunch. My plan was to just eat my salad and protein and then eat my lunch bar when I got back to work. A very good plan in theory, but very difficult in reality. So I did eat a very big salad with a fat free dressing and then I had 1 medium slice of veggie pizza, a tiny bit of their pasta (which is worse for you than the pizza), and 1 cinnamon stick. Although I would have preferred to eat my bar, I also try not to be the obnoxious diet woman. I've only talked to one of my coworkers about it and only because she saw me talking about it on Facebook. So, anyway, the pizza looked good, so I was pretty pleased that I was able to only get by on 1 slice (and SURPRISINGLY I was full--yay stomach shrinkage). So, all things said and done, I didn't get the same amount of nutrients that I normally would for lunch, but I still ended the day only 167 calories more than yesterday (when I was completely on plan). I consider that a victory and bodes well for continued success after I meet my goal.
Finally, I joined a NS challenge on the NS message boards to lose 20 lbs. by Memorial Day, which is a little under 9 weeks away--for a safe weight loss of 2.2 lbs/week. Wish me luck! (I'm also still aiming to have lost 15 lbs. from March 1 to April 15...but I'm not 100 percent sure if I will meet that goal, but, of course, I'll keep trying!)
I'm tracking my 20 lb. challenge with the following ticker:
The first one is about the effects of eating too much red meat:
Over 10 years, eating the equivalent of a quarter-pound hamburger daily gave men in the study a 22 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 27 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease. That's compared to those who ate the least red meat, just 5 ounces per week.
As far as I'm concerned, that's downright scary and makes me love my sushi obsession even more!Women who ate large amounts of red meat had a 20 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 50 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease than women who ate less.
The second two studies were from Duke and the University of Maryland and were about having an upbeat attitude. From Shape:
Looking at the bright side can have a huge payoff for your well-being. A new study from Duke University found that people with upbeat attitudes may be more likely to have cancer-fighting habits--such as exercising, not smoking, and seeing a doctor regularly--than those with pessimistic outlooks. Meanwhile, a study from the University of Maryland revealed that laughter may fend of [sic] heart attacks by boosting blood flow by 19 percent. ...Pretty fascinating stuff!
On a semirelated note, I was talking to my mom on the way home from work today (and YES I KNOW there are studies about talking on the cell phone when driving!) and she was looking through old pictures and commented on something I found funny. She mentioned that in some of the pictures I was so clearly in a "mood"--namely, the ones that were taken in the early morning before school or early on Christmas (I am not a morning person!) or on some of our trips as a preteen/teenager (see: Walt Disney World 1998; the entire week). And it reminded her that 97 percent of the time, I was a very happy child, but the other 3 percent I was moody and annoying. But what she thought was interesting was that I'm really not a moody person as an adult, which is pretty true. Sure there are times when I'm mad or in a bad mood about something, but those really are pretty rare.
So, hopefully, with the sushi, positive outlook, and laughter, my cancer and heart disease risks are decreased! :-)
Speaking of momma, I have to give her and my dad a shoutout about their NS progress. They sent me some pics the other night of mom's dress for Callie's wedding and HOLY MOLY they both LOOK AWESOME. So svelte! I am so proud of them!
And, I get to see them both this weekend. We're all trekking to Hickory for Callie's bridal shower, which is being given by my aunts. I am so excited to see everyone on that side of the family! It's been since football season (too long!) and even then it was only for a night at a time. I guess I should probably get Callie a gift (though, I'm waiting until the last possible minute because I'm sure she's scoping out what's still available on her registry...) ;-)
Finally, two very exciting things (probably not so much for y'all, but yes so much for me):
(1) I bought and cut up my very first cantaloupe yesterday! I was very successful at the endeavor!
(2) My team at work went to the Pizza Hut buffet for lunch. My plan was to just eat my salad and protein and then eat my lunch bar when I got back to work. A very good plan in theory, but very difficult in reality. So I did eat a very big salad with a fat free dressing and then I had 1 medium slice of veggie pizza, a tiny bit of their pasta (which is worse for you than the pizza), and 1 cinnamon stick. Although I would have preferred to eat my bar, I also try not to be the obnoxious diet woman. I've only talked to one of my coworkers about it and only because she saw me talking about it on Facebook. So, anyway, the pizza looked good, so I was pretty pleased that I was able to only get by on 1 slice (and SURPRISINGLY I was full--yay stomach shrinkage). So, all things said and done, I didn't get the same amount of nutrients that I normally would for lunch, but I still ended the day only 167 calories more than yesterday (when I was completely on plan). I consider that a victory and bodes well for continued success after I meet my goal.
Finally, I joined a NS challenge on the NS message boards to lose 20 lbs. by Memorial Day, which is a little under 9 weeks away--for a safe weight loss of 2.2 lbs/week. Wish me luck! (I'm also still aiming to have lost 15 lbs. from March 1 to April 15...but I'm not 100 percent sure if I will meet that goal, but, of course, I'll keep trying!)
I'm tracking my 20 lb. challenge with the following ticker:
Monday, March 23, 2009
Picture results after 2 months
Because I know that's all y'all care about :-)
Start (Ugh!)
End of week 4 (less ugh!)
End of week 8 (slightly less ugh!)
I also just have to point out that the red shorts I'm wearing in the last picture are the shorts I bought for my badminton class at NCSU (fall of 2000). And they fit better now than they did in badminton (but I did get an "S" in badminton--even if I was fat).
Start (Ugh!)
End of week 4 (less ugh!)
End of week 8 (slightly less ugh!)
I also just have to point out that the red shorts I'm wearing in the last picture are the shorts I bought for my badminton class at NCSU (fall of 2000). And they fit better now than they did in badminton (but I did get an "S" in badminton--even if I was fat).
Have a great week, y'all!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Adios 20 lbs. | Yummy Food
Today I woke up (at noon--it was grand!!!) and made my morning trek to the scale. Turns out, I have lost 20 lbs. (well, 21.4 lbs. to be exact). YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very exciting.
The funny thing was that when I came downstairs, Brian told me my dad had left me a message. So I listened to it and he also crossed the 20 lb. threshold this morning! Isn't that hilarious that we both did it on the same day?? I thought so too.
Brian capitalized on my good mood and convinced me to let him make homemade biscuits. So he whipped out the Healthy Heart Bisquick and made biscuits while I cut my grapefruit half and made a cheesy, mushroomy, egg substitutey scramble. I pretty much figured that the biscuit was going to be over for carbs for breakfast, but it turned out that Brian was able to get 7 biscuits out of the recipe (instead of the 5 that it calls for), so my biscuit was a perfect stat for a NS carb! YAY. And it was AWESOME, especially smothered with 2 tbsp. of sugar-free raspberry jelly. The final result was beauty-full:
Because breakfast was so good, I decided to be chef-y with lunch too and I made a homemade chicken soup. OMG it was soooo good. I was totally winging it, but the final result was AWESOME. I dissolved a low sodium chicken bouillon cube in 1 cup of boiling water and then added in some chopped carrots, green beans, and mushrooms. I let all that simmer with 1 clove of garlic and then I added some thyme, rosemary, onion powder (totally bummed that I didn't have any real onion left), black pepper, chives, oregano, and basil. Finally, after all that was smelling so delicious, I added 2 oz. of canned white chicken meat. I really wish I had some real chicken, but I didn't so that's how I made do. I was worried about the sodium content with the bouillon and the canned chicken, so I did rinse off the chicken before I added it. I have no idea if that works or anything, but I figured any little bit helps.
I rounded out my meal with an Arnold's Sandwich Thin toasted with reduced fat Colby Jack cheese and 1 tsp. of spicy brown mustard.
I also just wanted to show y'all my pretty dinner from last night! NS Flatbread pizza with added pineapple, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and 3 slices of turkey pepperoni. I served that with a chopped lettuce salad in which I added some chopped tomatoes, 2 sundried tomato halves, and I garnished it with pickled ginger. My dressing was a reduced fat ginger and soy dressing. Aren't the colors in the salad soooo pretty? And the pizza was piled like 3 inches high. It was awesome!
Also, a major congratulations goes out to Callie who was accepted to Carteret for nursing school. I know that she and Clay are soooo excited that she'll definitely be living in Beaufort after the wedding. I'm so proud of her!!!
The funny thing was that when I came downstairs, Brian told me my dad had left me a message. So I listened to it and he also crossed the 20 lb. threshold this morning! Isn't that hilarious that we both did it on the same day?? I thought so too.
Brian capitalized on my good mood and convinced me to let him make homemade biscuits. So he whipped out the Healthy Heart Bisquick and made biscuits while I cut my grapefruit half and made a cheesy, mushroomy, egg substitutey scramble. I pretty much figured that the biscuit was going to be over for carbs for breakfast, but it turned out that Brian was able to get 7 biscuits out of the recipe (instead of the 5 that it calls for), so my biscuit was a perfect stat for a NS carb! YAY. And it was AWESOME, especially smothered with 2 tbsp. of sugar-free raspberry jelly. The final result was beauty-full:
Because breakfast was so good, I decided to be chef-y with lunch too and I made a homemade chicken soup. OMG it was soooo good. I was totally winging it, but the final result was AWESOME. I dissolved a low sodium chicken bouillon cube in 1 cup of boiling water and then added in some chopped carrots, green beans, and mushrooms. I let all that simmer with 1 clove of garlic and then I added some thyme, rosemary, onion powder (totally bummed that I didn't have any real onion left), black pepper, chives, oregano, and basil. Finally, after all that was smelling so delicious, I added 2 oz. of canned white chicken meat. I really wish I had some real chicken, but I didn't so that's how I made do. I was worried about the sodium content with the bouillon and the canned chicken, so I did rinse off the chicken before I added it. I have no idea if that works or anything, but I figured any little bit helps.
I rounded out my meal with an Arnold's Sandwich Thin toasted with reduced fat Colby Jack cheese and 1 tsp. of spicy brown mustard.
I also just wanted to show y'all my pretty dinner from last night! NS Flatbread pizza with added pineapple, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and 3 slices of turkey pepperoni. I served that with a chopped lettuce salad in which I added some chopped tomatoes, 2 sundried tomato halves, and I garnished it with pickled ginger. My dressing was a reduced fat ginger and soy dressing. Aren't the colors in the salad soooo pretty? And the pizza was piled like 3 inches high. It was awesome!
Also, a major congratulations goes out to Callie who was accepted to Carteret for nursing school. I know that she and Clay are soooo excited that she'll definitely be living in Beaufort after the wedding. I'm so proud of her!!!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Walmart, Results, and Hot Tea
All is well in LeBlanc land! We are both busy at work (always a good thing) and Brian has had a lot of hockey games to cover lately. He has games on Friday and Saturday night this week!
So, because he'll be busy working this weekend, we decided to head to dinner at Logan's in Garner. Yes, perhaps, a potential NutriSystem nightmare, but I think I did pretty good all things considered! I had a salad with fat free ranch dressing, 1 dinner roll, about 4 oz. of sirloin (cooked with no butter and I cut off the 2 oz. that I didn't need), and a sweet potato (I added about a teaspoon of butter to the sweet potato). It was quite delicious. I am very pleased that I'm still able to find ways to eat out occasionally. I've also been really rocking and rolling this week. My next order of NS food is supposed to be delivered tomorrow (should have been today, but that's a long story--stupid UPS!), so I've been preparing a lot of my own meals to meet the NS stats. I'm not gonna lie--I'm pretty darn good at it! I can rock out a super yummy breakfast and lunch with little-to-no thinking. Fortunately, I haven't had to face any dinners on my own yet because I had more dinners left over than breakfasts and lunches.
I was also very adventurous last night and cooked brussel sprouts! I had never had them before and I wasn't really sure what the situation would be, but they were AWESOME. They were fresh from Harris Teeter so I removed a lot of the core (leaving only enough to hold them together) and boiled them for about 7 minutes. Then, I drained the water and added tiny bit of butter and lots of black pepper and sauteed them with some fresh sugar snap peas. Oh my goodness! So yummy. I'm really pleased that I tried them!
Also, the other night, I took some fresh zucchini and sliced it up. I dipped each slice in some egg beaters and then dredged them in some Heart Smart Bisquick and then cooked them at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. Also very delish! The "crust" made them have such a fun taste with little calorie expense. I def. couldn't eat something like that every night though because it's amazing how much my tastes have changed. I just don't have any type of cravings for fried or greasy stuff; it honestly makes my stomach turn just by smelling it!
After we went to dinner, Brian and I were planning to head to the SUPER Walmart in Clayton. However, when we got there, the power was out and the Walmart was closed. Fortunately, my fearless husband trekked onward and we drove through fun country roads in Johnston and Wake counties to arrive at the Walmart in Zebulon, which is basically the most rocking-est Walmart on the planet. They have a million flat screen TVs all over the place! One of the reasons I was there was to buy some dumbbells--the ones I have are only like 2.5 lbs. each, which is pretty pointless for strength training. So I got some fun 5 lbs. ones, a super awesome jump rope, and a fun, pretty workout shirt. Very exciting.
Of course, while we were there, I went for the blood pressure check. The very first time I took my BP, it was 125/77. Not too shabby! The next two times it was under 120/80 and the final time it was:
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Pretty darn cool! My pulse is a little high, but I had also been hopping all over Walmart with Brian, so I think that is probably why.
I have been doing really well on the workout front for the last week. I had definitely slacked off from my 5K training and was not pleased with myself. So, with it being so super rainy for the past little bit, I've been working hard on the elliptical trainer. I usually warm up on the elliptical for about 5 minutes and then do 20-30 minutes of strength training, and then pop back on the elliptical for another 35 minutes for some good cardio. I can't believe how much stronger I am in 1 week. My ab muscles feel are so much stronger now. I can actually lay horizontally on an inverted bean-shaped, workout floaty thing and use my ab muscles to keep my body parallel to the floor (legs, core, and arms) for about 10 seconds! I'm also working really hard to strengthen my arms and back because my bridesmaid's dress for Cal's wedding is a halter top (and, obviously, an open back).
I've also really started paying a lot of attention to my heart rate while I've been working out. My true resting averages at 62 bpm (that is, in the morning, right after I wake up, before I even sit up) and at the ripe-old age of 26, my max HR is somewhere around 194 bpm. So I usually warm up to get to around 50%-55% of my max (or 128-135 bpm) and then it usually hangs out around 115-130 bpm while I'm doing my strength training. During the cardio, I stay between 60%-80% of my HRmax (141-167 bpm) and I usually bump it up to about 80%-90% for the very last minute (168-181 bpm). I have been absolutely amazed at how much my recovery is improving! In just a week, I've gone from having trouble getting below 130 bpm after a 5 minute cool down to being right around 115 bpm tonight. And by the time I'm done stretching it's usually back to around 90 bpm. Very, very exciting and I feel AWESOME.
Yesterday, because it was so pretty, I took Gatsby on a nice long walk and even did a bit of jogging. I can't believe how much easier it is to jog now. I actually like it! I'm excited to know that it will just continue to get easier as I lose more weight.
Speaking of which, after almost 8 weeks on the program, here are my results:
Weight: -19.2 lbs. (-9.39%)
Upper Arms: -2.5 in. (-15.15%) [Hello, weight training! I love you.]
Chest: -2.5 in. (-6.33%)
Waist: -5.25 in. (-12.00%)
Hips: -3 in. (-6.82%)
Thighs: -3.25 in. (-12.75%)
Finally, I have refallen-in-love with hot tea. I've always enjoyed it, but in the past month or so, I've been drinking it a ton. I have a cup each morning (usually caffeinated) and then a cup before I go to bed that is designed to make my sleepy. It's incredible how well it works. I love tea. It makes me happy.
I also wanted to give a shoutout to one of my favorite people on the planet, Kara, who had a little baby girl today. Yay to Kara and Jed--congratulations!
I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!
So, because he'll be busy working this weekend, we decided to head to dinner at Logan's in Garner. Yes, perhaps, a potential NutriSystem nightmare, but I think I did pretty good all things considered! I had a salad with fat free ranch dressing, 1 dinner roll, about 4 oz. of sirloin (cooked with no butter and I cut off the 2 oz. that I didn't need), and a sweet potato (I added about a teaspoon of butter to the sweet potato). It was quite delicious. I am very pleased that I'm still able to find ways to eat out occasionally. I've also been really rocking and rolling this week. My next order of NS food is supposed to be delivered tomorrow (should have been today, but that's a long story--stupid UPS!), so I've been preparing a lot of my own meals to meet the NS stats. I'm not gonna lie--I'm pretty darn good at it! I can rock out a super yummy breakfast and lunch with little-to-no thinking. Fortunately, I haven't had to face any dinners on my own yet because I had more dinners left over than breakfasts and lunches.
I was also very adventurous last night and cooked brussel sprouts! I had never had them before and I wasn't really sure what the situation would be, but they were AWESOME. They were fresh from Harris Teeter so I removed a lot of the core (leaving only enough to hold them together) and boiled them for about 7 minutes. Then, I drained the water and added tiny bit of butter and lots of black pepper and sauteed them with some fresh sugar snap peas. Oh my goodness! So yummy. I'm really pleased that I tried them!
Also, the other night, I took some fresh zucchini and sliced it up. I dipped each slice in some egg beaters and then dredged them in some Heart Smart Bisquick and then cooked them at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. Also very delish! The "crust" made them have such a fun taste with little calorie expense. I def. couldn't eat something like that every night though because it's amazing how much my tastes have changed. I just don't have any type of cravings for fried or greasy stuff; it honestly makes my stomach turn just by smelling it!
After we went to dinner, Brian and I were planning to head to the SUPER Walmart in Clayton. However, when we got there, the power was out and the Walmart was closed. Fortunately, my fearless husband trekked onward and we drove through fun country roads in Johnston and Wake counties to arrive at the Walmart in Zebulon, which is basically the most rocking-est Walmart on the planet. They have a million flat screen TVs all over the place! One of the reasons I was there was to buy some dumbbells--the ones I have are only like 2.5 lbs. each, which is pretty pointless for strength training. So I got some fun 5 lbs. ones, a super awesome jump rope, and a fun, pretty workout shirt. Very exciting.
Of course, while we were there, I went for the blood pressure check. The very first time I took my BP, it was 125/77. Not too shabby! The next two times it was under 120/80 and the final time it was:
.jpg)
Pretty darn cool! My pulse is a little high, but I had also been hopping all over Walmart with Brian, so I think that is probably why.
I have been doing really well on the workout front for the last week. I had definitely slacked off from my 5K training and was not pleased with myself. So, with it being so super rainy for the past little bit, I've been working hard on the elliptical trainer. I usually warm up on the elliptical for about 5 minutes and then do 20-30 minutes of strength training, and then pop back on the elliptical for another 35 minutes for some good cardio. I can't believe how much stronger I am in 1 week. My ab muscles feel are so much stronger now. I can actually lay horizontally on an inverted bean-shaped, workout floaty thing and use my ab muscles to keep my body parallel to the floor (legs, core, and arms) for about 10 seconds! I'm also working really hard to strengthen my arms and back because my bridesmaid's dress for Cal's wedding is a halter top (and, obviously, an open back).
I've also really started paying a lot of attention to my heart rate while I've been working out. My true resting averages at 62 bpm (that is, in the morning, right after I wake up, before I even sit up) and at the ripe-old age of 26, my max HR is somewhere around 194 bpm. So I usually warm up to get to around 50%-55% of my max (or 128-135 bpm) and then it usually hangs out around 115-130 bpm while I'm doing my strength training. During the cardio, I stay between 60%-80% of my HRmax (141-167 bpm) and I usually bump it up to about 80%-90% for the very last minute (168-181 bpm). I have been absolutely amazed at how much my recovery is improving! In just a week, I've gone from having trouble getting below 130 bpm after a 5 minute cool down to being right around 115 bpm tonight. And by the time I'm done stretching it's usually back to around 90 bpm. Very, very exciting and I feel AWESOME.
Yesterday, because it was so pretty, I took Gatsby on a nice long walk and even did a bit of jogging. I can't believe how much easier it is to jog now. I actually like it! I'm excited to know that it will just continue to get easier as I lose more weight.
Speaking of which, after almost 8 weeks on the program, here are my results:
Weight: -19.2 lbs. (-9.39%)
Upper Arms: -2.5 in. (-15.15%) [Hello, weight training! I love you.]
Chest: -2.5 in. (-6.33%)
Waist: -5.25 in. (-12.00%)
Hips: -3 in. (-6.82%)
Thighs: -3.25 in. (-12.75%)
Finally, I have refallen-in-love with hot tea. I've always enjoyed it, but in the past month or so, I've been drinking it a ton. I have a cup each morning (usually caffeinated) and then a cup before I go to bed that is designed to make my sleepy. It's incredible how well it works. I love tea. It makes me happy.
I also wanted to give a shoutout to one of my favorite people on the planet, Kara, who had a little baby girl today. Yay to Kara and Jed--congratulations!
I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Free Stuff, Heart Rate and Blood Pressure, and Clothes
Free Stuff
- NutriSystem has a deal where if you log your weight each day online, they send you a stuffed (beanie-baby-like) teddy bear celebrating each 10 lbs. that you lose. It's supposed to be automatic for people who are on auto-delivery, but evidently the system isn't that great, so if you call up (or, in my case, e-mail) to ask for one, they will send it out. I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to get it because I go through QVC, but I figured it was worth a shot and the little bear was waiting for me when I got home from my parents. He's pretty cute!
- Brian and I have our insurance through BCBS and we have Blue Points with the program. So, when I exercise, I log the amount of time and then eventually get free stuff (gift cards, merchandise, etc.). Well, I also found out today that you can get 100 pts/week for eating a combination of 5 fruit and veggie servings, 5 out of the 7 days in a week. I eat 6 with NutriSystem each day, so, YAY for more points!
Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
- I was doing some crack pot Internet investigative research tonight on the "average" resting heart rate and evidently it's 75 bpm for an adult woman. So, after my ellipticizing tonight, I've kept my heart rate monitor on to see where it stayed all night. Well, awesome for me, it's been around 72-76 bpm. I am very pleased with this and being "normal." (Prior to NS, I was just happy if it was under 100 bpm!)
- I also checked my BP at Harris Teeter Sunday night--real scientific, I know! ;-) And, because I'm OCD, I checked it 4 times in one sitting. (I always do this.) So, the very first time it was 130/77 and I was thinking sh!t (although, 130 was pretty much the lowest I could ever get it before NS). And then times 2 and 3 it was 122ish/71ish; and then time 4, it was 117/67 (seriously!!). I was very, very excited. I'll feel very awesome when it's right at 120/80 on the first sitting...
Clothes
- I was supposed to tutor on Tuesday after work, but my student had to cancel because she was sick, so I made use of the bonus time to go shopping at Kohl's. (I was 25 minutes late to work Tuesday morning because I had to try on 5 different outfits to find something that didn't look stupid on me. I'm not usually this bad, but everything looked crazy-bad before settling on a pretty dress.) So, I went to Kohl's to find a few work clothes (thank goodness I only need them 3 days/week!) and I found 4 cute tops (though Brian hated them all except for 1--go figure), 1 pair of pants, and a super-cute pair of shoes (I'm not going to lie--they're awesome). I didn't buy much because I *hope* it will be too big for me in a month, but I had to have something before HR sent me home for looking ridiculous. This trip was very exciting because I was able to find all my outfits in the Misses section, rather than the Woman's (aka, plus-size). Yay for small victories--there is a MUCH bigger (pardon the pun) selection in Misses and the clothes are WAY cuter.
- On Monday, I went to David's Bridal to pick up my bridesmaid's dress for Callie's wedding. It is so super cute! It's a little big right now and I was supposed to go for alterations tomorrow, but I decided to cancel tomorrow's appointment and I rescheduled it for April 9, which gives me the most time possible (within DB's alterations guidelines) to have the dress fitted to my then-size. Very exciting!
That's pretty much it! Brian and Gatsby are rocking and rolling. Gatsby is sleeping and Brian is watching the Canes game and getting ready to put an audio package together for the sports segments on the radio stations tomorrow.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Fantastic weather, washed cars, sushi, jeans, shrimp, kitties, movie
Today was an AWESOME day to be outside! It was probably 70-72 degrees down here and not one cloud in the sky! We all knew that we wanted to be outside as much as possible today so Callie and Clay came over and we had a car washing party. We washed Callie's car, dad's truck, my car, and mom's car. They're all nice and pretty inside and out now, but holy moly that's a lot of work! I think we were all a little tired and sore tonight, but it was so fantastic to be outside!
After the car washing fiesta, we went into Morehead City to California Roll--a yummy sushi restaurant--for mom's birthday. We ate A LOT of sushi. They have this unreal "house" salad, which is basically lettuce, carrots, and pieces of nori in a ginger dressing--it is incredible. For 5 people, we ended up with 9 rolls and 2 orders of nigiri!!! It took a LONG time for the poor sushi chef to get everything made, but it was absolutely worth the wait. I also had a Japanese hot green tea that was really tasty. Mom and I split a roll (and ordered a few other things separately) so they brought all of our food out on one GIANT wood tray. After we got the order, mom and I realized that everything we ordered, except for the salmon nigiri, was some type of spicy, specialty roll. Lots of yummy tuna and salmon! Callie, Clay, and dad also made excellent choices; sushi plating and presentation is so pretty! I think everyone was pretty pleased.
After dinner we went to Wal-Mart where I purchased 2 new pairs of jeans--I figured it was time since the ones I had were all falling off of me and my belts just made the waists really bumpy! So, it turns out, I've gone down 2 pant sizes (and that was AFTER all the sushi!). Very, very exciting! (And, yes, I bought clothes at Wal-Mart--no reason to spend a lot of cash on clothes that I'll only be wearing for a month or so!) The sad thing is that my jeans were $15, but my 2.5 oz. bottle of face moisturizer was $14.92. GO FIGURE!
Last night, we went to Clawson's in Beaufort and had peel-and-eat shrimp, which was DELICIOUS. Afterward, we went to Clay's apartment and played with Bama and Brewer who are incredibly cute. We also went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic, which is a really fun movie! They stayed pretty close to the book and the movie was really enjoyable and refreshing.
Tomorrow, I'm planning to enjoy a day sitting in the sun and reading until I have to head back to Raleigh--I LOVE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME!!
After the car washing fiesta, we went into Morehead City to California Roll--a yummy sushi restaurant--for mom's birthday. We ate A LOT of sushi. They have this unreal "house" salad, which is basically lettuce, carrots, and pieces of nori in a ginger dressing--it is incredible. For 5 people, we ended up with 9 rolls and 2 orders of nigiri!!! It took a LONG time for the poor sushi chef to get everything made, but it was absolutely worth the wait. I also had a Japanese hot green tea that was really tasty. Mom and I split a roll (and ordered a few other things separately) so they brought all of our food out on one GIANT wood tray. After we got the order, mom and I realized that everything we ordered, except for the salmon nigiri, was some type of spicy, specialty roll. Lots of yummy tuna and salmon! Callie, Clay, and dad also made excellent choices; sushi plating and presentation is so pretty! I think everyone was pretty pleased.
After dinner we went to Wal-Mart where I purchased 2 new pairs of jeans--I figured it was time since the ones I had were all falling off of me and my belts just made the waists really bumpy! So, it turns out, I've gone down 2 pant sizes (and that was AFTER all the sushi!). Very, very exciting! (And, yes, I bought clothes at Wal-Mart--no reason to spend a lot of cash on clothes that I'll only be wearing for a month or so!) The sad thing is that my jeans were $15, but my 2.5 oz. bottle of face moisturizer was $14.92. GO FIGURE!
Last night, we went to Clawson's in Beaufort and had peel-and-eat shrimp, which was DELICIOUS. Afterward, we went to Clay's apartment and played with Bama and Brewer who are incredibly cute. We also went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic, which is a really fun movie! They stayed pretty close to the book and the movie was really enjoyable and refreshing.
Tomorrow, I'm planning to enjoy a day sitting in the sun and reading until I have to head back to Raleigh--I LOVE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME!!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Beach Bound!!
Hi kids! Warm weather is coming!!!!! YAY!! (And, I'm going to the beach--even more yay!!!!)
My mom's birthday is Thursday, so I'm heading down to Ocean this weekend to celebrate. Unfortunately, Brian can't go because he has a hockey game Friday night and didn't want to drive down Saturday morning to turn back around Sunday to come home. Because Fridays are my work-from-home day, I'm going to head down to Ocean right after work on Thursday and then work down there on Friday. Having a flexible work schedule is quite possibly the greatest thing in the history of the world.
The baby doggie is going to stay with Brian...
I am really excited about the weekend. Callie and Clay want to go to Clawson's on Friday night for peel-and-eat shrimp and mom wants some other type of yummy seafood on Saturday night. And I've packed up my NS breakfasts, lunches, and desserts to have for the meals that we eat at home. Since mom and dad are also doing NS, I know that it will be easy to stay on the plan.
Speaking of NS, everything is continuing to rock and roll. As of this morning, I've lost 15.8 lbs. My first mini-goal was to get down to a nice round number by March 1st (a loss of 14.4 lbs.), which I did! My next goal is to have lost a total of 30 lbs. by April 15, which seems doable, based on my past rate and progress. If that happens, my BMI will go from the "obese" range to just "overweight." Yay, for small victories! ;-) It's interesting how your brain works--when you're not doing anything, you never want to think about any of this, but, when you are being healthy, it's even more fuel to the fire for motivation. I really get excited each morning when I go to my scale. It's like an early morning adventure!!! The progress just continues to fuel the motivation.
This is going to sound so corny, but I am just so incredibly motivated and happy about life right now! Since right after we got married, we've been really on top of all our finances to have a plan to pay down all our debt and get rid of it ASAP. We've pretty much stayed on target since the summer of 2006--we had a ton of stuff paid off right before we bought our house, but after we moved in, we did spend some money on house things. Well, I'm so excited because by the end of May, we will only have some no-interest-accruing debt (save the mortgage) that we will be finishing paying off (house furniture and a computer). And by the end of October, we will only owe money on our mortgage!! I'm sure that at some point soon we will need new cars--ours are getting older, but we want to hang on to what we have for as long as possible because having no car payment is phenomenal. It's just so exciting to be in complete control. YAY PROGRESS!
And, finally, our last exciting news is that Callie and Clay are adopting 2 kitty cats!!!!! And they will be getting them tomorrow!! I cannot wait to meet them!!!! They are brother and sister and SO CUTE. So, please meet:
Bama
and
Kidd-Brewer (Brewer for short)
Those are the planned names for now, but there is a chance they could change, but I doubt it. For those of you who don't know, Clay is a HUGE Alabama fan--hence the name of the girl kitty (Bama)--and Kidd-Brewer is the name of App's football stadium. They also liked "App," but Callie was scared that she'd end up calling one of the cats "Appy," which is a big no-no for App fans. I cannot WAIT to meet them. SO CUTE!! :-D
So that's pretty much our story for now. Yay!
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