Amber's Best Life Journal

[Foxfiregrrl]

Linda - I have been feeling so much happier since making my decision so I feel it was definitely the right thing!

I have been a bit grumpy about work in general for the last week or so, but I think that is a TOM thing This afternoon I really feel like I was able to push toward getting some important decisions made on some of my cases, so that is alway energizing! Hopefully it will motivate me through the end of the month.

THEN... VEGAS BABY!! I managed to find us discounted tickets to Mystere which is one of the cirque du soleil shows I'm really excited about going but with everything else that has been going on around here, I can't believe it is only a week and a half away I am usually much more obsessive about my planning, too, so I'm a bit I did some research in the beginning (probably more than plenty - think I dug out EVERY free thing there is to do in Vegas) but I was planning to do more as it approached. Guess I better get busy!

So yesterday was a good diet/exercise day:
B- kashi, soy, coffee
l- chick. sandwich, soup
s- grapes, 1 peanut cluster (I think my coworkers are trying to sabotage me )
d- pork w/ black bean, corn and tomatoes

I went to water aerobics last night for an hour, then sat in the sauna for a bit.

Today was not so good:
B- kashi, soy, coffee
l- (out) chicken salad sandwich, cheesy spanish rice (didn't know it was a bucket of cheese w/ a touch of rice ) sweet tea
d- (out) 2/3 of a california style burrito w/ tofu instead of chicken

I tried to make slightly better choices than I normally would. For lunch I would have had fries and thought the rice would be better, but who knew? Dinner I chose the tofu and didn't eat the whole thing, also no guac or sour cream.

No exercise tonight. Dh was home early and my shoulder is a bit sore.

Gonna have leftover burrito tomorrow for lunch w/ soup and then grilled chicken on salad for dinner tomorrow. So it should be a good food day. I'm also planning to go to aqua kickboxing.

My goal is to be down to 160 by July when we start trying to get pregnant (note this is changed from my prior goal for May ) I was at 192.8 for weigh in this week, so I'm thinking if I work hard it is possible

K, that's it for me tonight. Gotta watch my Biggest Loser I DVR'd yesterday!

 

[DisDee]

Hey Amber!

Just checking in to say hi! I haven't posted much lately, but I just want you to know I'm still reading your journal and that I'm here for your support. Have a great day!

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks Denise

I've actually been having a pretty good week this week. I think that having my mind made up has been really good for me.

At work our Federal Audit starts March 3rd (when I'm on vacation ) and I knew that my files had to be nearly perfect. I have two that are definitely pulled for audit and one on the overflow list. The two that are for sure have been reviewed by my sup. and I fixed everything I could, then they were pulled by the regional folks... one came back with NO CORRECTIONS and the other with only ONE correction which I've already fixed That is SO AWESOME!!!! I'm really stoked about that! Now that is not to say that the feds won't find something wrong with the files but it does say that second level reviewers said I've done what I can! WOOT!! I'm also pretty much done with all of my work for the month of February and I still have a week left to tie things together before vacation! Ah, it is good to be in a happy place at work!

Diet and exercise wise I feel pretty good also. I have managed to go to an hour long exercise class 4 out of 5 workdays this week I did eat out a total of 4 times this week (lunches and dinners). As of this morning I was down 1.2 pounds from Tuesday though today was 2 of the 4 outings though at lunch I wasn't the best, but dinner was chinese and I think I did pretty good. I'm also having a bit of wine tonight. I am going to try to fit this into my calories from now until about mid-June, because after July 1 it is no more

So yesterday I had:
b- kashi, soy, coffee
l- leftover burrito, soup
s- grapes, 2 kisses & 1 pb cup
d- grilled chicken salad w/ feta and almonds
exercise - aqua kickboxing

Today -
b- kashi, soy, coffee
s- pumpkin muffin (I was shaky )
l- beef taco, chicken flauta, 1/2 burrito, chips and salsa
d- chicken & shrimp w/ veggies in wine sauce over steamed rice (ate less than half), 3 glasses of wine
exercise - it's called dancing with weights. an hour long class. It was mostly dancing which I enjoy, but this class was kind of weird and I felt a bit self conscious. I started out w/ weights but my lower left arm started hurting so I finished the class without them. This class was Friday at 5:30 and it was the most crowded fitness class that I have ever been to I enjoyed it enough that I will probably try to go back.

So I have 4 days of exercise this week. My plan is to go to yoga in the morning. That would be 5 days of exercise in one week !!! That is quite an accomplishment for me!! If I can only string together a few weeks like that!!

Guess that is it for tonight! I'll check in tomorrow. Have a Fabulous Saturday!

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

Yesterday was the birthday party for my 10 year old godson. DH and I have been VERY BAD god parents up to this point and we are going to try to do better. I think this is his first birthday (or holiday period) that we have celebrated with him. We ran out to the store last minute, called the parents and found out what to buy. They said Bionicle (like legos) so we got him one of the medium sized ones. Besides his parent's gift ours was his most oh'd and ah'd over They had the party at a arcade/soft play/putt putt place. We stayed for a long time and I played w/ the 3 year old in one of the bouncy things, then we played putt putt. We got there just after 2 and left at 5 would've never guessed we'd be there that long.

So, food was really wacky yesterday:
B- kashi, soy, coffee
l- 1 piece pizza, piece of cake, later - hotdog and pepsi, then later 2 small slices of pizza (had gotten really icky feeling by then )
D- Dh was gonna cook but changed his mind - fried chicken piccata w/ salad and mashed potatos. It was a HUGE piece of chicken so I ate half and scraped off most of the gravy stuff. Also 2 glasses of wine

I overslept yesterday so I didn't make it to yoga class. I really missed it too. And my sister called at 11:30 because she had gone and had expected me to be there.. oops.

I will say that I got a little bit of exercise yesterday because the bouncy thing was serious stuff! It was the bouncy cage thing, but also had a big inflated slide leading out of it. Well, the ladder was Crap, so none of the kids could climb up it. So, when I went in to help the 3 year old, then EVERY kid in there lined up and asked me to help them up the ladder, over and over and over until I couldn't stand up anymore My legs were SO wobbly and then my arms to when I stopped. Some of those kids were Heavy! It was fun though. the funniest thing was that after hoisting a bunch of them up on the slide, I tried to get up and I couldn't

So, today I plan to have a pretty laid back day. We are going to my grandma's in a bit for lunch. Other than that I want to try to finish organizing the information that I have gathered so far on Vegas. I have a Bunch of stuff, but I'm trying to figure out the best way to put it together so that it makes since. I think I'm gonna put each hotel's info together and then group them by area of the strip or downtown, etc. Hopefully that will work.

Well, have a wonderful day guys!

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ack! Been kind of busy.

Didn't eat too badly on sunday, but didn't do that great. Yesterday I ate pretty good and went to Hi/Lo Cardio.

Today:
B- kashi, soy, coffee
l- 6" turkey sub, sun chips, coke
d- baked pork, chickpea polenta, wine

no exercise

Today I decided to make a rest and get ready for Vegas day. Only thing I did to get ready though was wash clothes better than nothing

I probably won't be online much this week. I'm gonna try to get to the gym another night or two and then the rest of my time will be spent prepping for the trip. I will try to stop by before I leave town for sure though

 

[goldcupmom]

Trying to catch up on journals a little bit. Sounds like you've been handling life really well.

Vegas sounds AWESOME!!! I LOVE the Cirque shows!!

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks for stopping by, Julie!

Been a not so great week for me. TOM came this week and brought some pretty bad moods and even worse cramping I went to water aerobics Wednesday but every move made me cramp worse I was very b*tchy by the time it was over, as my co-workers reminded me several times the next day

Ate out last night and tonight and most likely will tomorrow also.

We leave for Vegas Sunday morning and will return Very late the following Sunday. Food will be Very bad while I'm gone. I just hope to get enough walking in to burn some of the calories

I started gathering my things, but haven't really started to pack yet. I'm gonna throw it all together tomorrow. Still trying to print out all my coupons and directions and ressies, etc.

Well, have a great week guys! See ya when I get back!

 

[DisDee]

Have a wonderful time on your trip Amber!!!!!

 

[lindalinda]

Have a marvelous time Amber! Take pictures and tell us all about it!

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

I'm back! We had a great time and got to do a bunch of stuff. Unfortunately DH and my mom caught colds while we were there - about mid week. Then dad and I caught them right when it was time to come home. I think that I have been lucky and have been the least sick of everyone, but I'm still pretty down. Bad cough, sore throat, Really tired plus I have some weird rash on my legs I thought it was just dry skin from the desert, but then it is bumpy and itchy... so I have no idea.

I will tell all about my trip later. I don't really feel like sitting at my puter much tonight, but I wanted to check in at least.

I ate LOTS too... so I gained I'm trying to get back on track though. I am not going to the gym until I feel a little better though.

See ya'll later! Hopefully I'll give you guys the full run down this weekend!

 

[lindalinda]

Hi Amber! Glad you guys had a good time and look forward to some pics and stories about it.

Sorry you guys got sick, there is some nasty stuff going around. I went to the drs office yesterday and they were having people put on masks if they thought they were sick, and they were wearing them too. Never seen that before.

Go to the dr about the rash, sounds wierd. You might have an allergy of something. (I hope its not one of those...happens in vegas..stays in vegas rashes! )


Nite

 

[lindalinda]

Hope you are feeling better soon Amber!

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks, Linda! I'm feeling somewhat better, but still just really tired from the cold. Went to the doctor Thursday and she said that I had an upper respiratory infection and both ears were full of fluid (I was starting to have some serious pain in the right one). She said that the rash is just dry skin and to keep putting lotion on it. It seems to be getting better now, not itchy anyway. The meds she gave me for the cold are helping, but when I lay down to go to sleep I start draining, which causes me to cough most of the night I try propping myself up w/ pillows, but that just makes my neck hurt.

Anyway, I've mostly been lounging on the couch trying to relax and take it easy this weekend so that I will have as much healing as possible before going back to work next week, because I HAVE to get on the ball. I was out two days last week and the whole first week of the month, so I'm a bit behind!

I promise to give a report of my trip and what I'm doing to get back on track. I just need a few more days to get over the crud.

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

Today I had planned to get to the gym and work out, but I ended up working later than I wanted. I did put on my walking shoes and went outside for a walk when I got home. I was in a mood though and my left shin was giving me trouble. So I only did just over half a mile I am going to try to get to the gym tomorrow though for sure!

Food:
b- kashi, milk, coffee
l- chicken sandwich, gumbo soup, grapes
s- 1 kiss, 1peppermint, kashi granola bar ( was Really wanting Something!)
d- chicken, beans, and rice dish
s - ? not sure yet, but I'm gonna end up eating a little something because I haven't felt satisfied all day

I am trying to get back on track. Yesterday was BAD! I caved into the sweets that were around the office and then had more than I should have.

My weigh in for today is 194.6 I'm torn about how I feel with this weight. On the one had it is not as bad as I thought it would be when I first came home from Vegas. But on the other hand it is 2 pounds higher than the weight I had gotten to a few weeks before AND it means that I've been moving in the wrong direction - more than just while on vacation too!

Oh, well, as was said on the BL thread, today is a new day to start over! Just because I screwed up yesterday doesn't mean that I have to screw up today!! I really want to get myself together and get this weight off!!

As far as a report on the Vegas trip - I have limited time during the week, but the guys will be here this weekend, so I plan to sit and type up a good recap on Saturday

Have a Great week!!!

 

[kmp1191]

Hey there Amber!!!
Wow...I had alot of catching up to do!!! New patio...baby planning in the works....Vegas!!! Man...I gotta check in more often!!!
Keep up the workouts girl....you know you're on the right track!! Don't give up!!! Take each day as it comes and try to do better than the day before. (Wow...that was pretty profound....sometimes I scare myself!!)

I'll be back....and there better be a little bit of Vegas on here!
Marie

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

Yay! Marie is back! Good ta see ya!

I have to confess to not doing very well today

Food:
b- kashi, milk, coffee
l- bruschetta burger & fries at Applebees
s- various junk inc. - deviled egg, pimento cheese sand., chick. nuggets, and two bite size brownies (we had a work party for a girl that is leaving)
d- small amount of chips and salsa, grilled shrimp salad w/ avacado and pico w/ NO dressing, sangria
s?- wine... 2 glasses maybe.. don't know cause I just started drinking it

The worst part about the food is that I was SO stuffed after lunch that I really didn't want anything at the stupid party, BUT like a dummy I ate it anyway I did stop myself from getting any cake though

Then AFTER the party DH called and said that he got someone to take over the on call pager for the night (more on that later) and he wants to go out to dinner any other night, but tonight would have been better! But I knew that he really wanted to, so I said ok and vowed to eat better at dinner.

The bad part about going out to dinner also was that DH didn't want to wait for me to get back from water aerobics, because I don't usually get home until 8pm and then have to shower. So, that meant that after telling myself ALL day that I would at least get my hour at the gym, I couldn't. I had taken my swimsuit to work, but I now needed my regular workout clothes My plan was to come home, change, go to the gym, do the treadmill or elliptical for 30 min. or so, then come home and shower. Well, work ran a touch late and I started to realize that it was a lot of driving for not much workout. So, instead I came home and did one of my Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad workouts. It was only 25 minutes, but it kicked my butt! and then I stretched afterwards for at least 5 minutes.

So, I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't get in my full water aerobics, but was proud of myself for at least getting some workout in rather than skipping it.

So, not a great day, but not a Total loss. I can and will do better tomorrow. I have a 5:30 appointment, but I should still be able to make it to a 6:30 class tomorrow, so I'm gonna aim for that. Wish me luck!

Oops, forgot to explain about dh's work. He's been on call this week, like he is every 4 or 5 weeks. But this week has been TERRIBLE!!! He has gotten at least 6 or 7 calls a night, which means that neither of us is getting any sleep. The worst part is most of the pages are stupid stuff that aren't things that he needs to fix, so it is pointless to wake him up for them! Well, let's just hope that next time is not this bad.

 

[DisDee]

Amber, don't you just hate it when your plans go astray? Good for you to get in your workout even when in a time crunch!

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, D! Yes, life is full of curveballs and I usually let them knock me out. But I'm trying to do better

Just a quickie w/ yesterdays food/exercise:
b- kashi, milk, coffee
l- HC steamer, apple (was not good, and did not help my mood )
s- tootsie roll pop, small chocolate egg (size of peanut m&m)
d- chicken salad w/ nuts, feta, croutons, lowfat ranch
s- chocolate pudding, milk
Approximately 1300 calories

Exercise - just short of 1 hour Aqua Kickboxing I was running late, but went anyway. I got there just as they were warming up and stretching

Have a Wonderful Friday!!

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, so today was hit or miss.

I didn't go out for lunch, but I did let a coworker talk me into buying lunch food from the small grocer next door to work. We ended up making PB&J sandwiches, which isn't as bad as it could have been, but still not great. I only ate one sandwich and had part of a Pepsi.

For dinner we went to this local mexican place that SMOTHERS their food with cheddar cheese. This was the request of DH's friend who is in town for the weekend. They also have a Delicious guacamole salad - I think it must have sour cream mixed in it. I tried to order good, but I ended up eating it all so I was pretty bad! The salsa was Way too hot for me, so at least that limited my chips and salsa intake

Food:
b- kashi, milk, coffee
s- mini reese cup
l- pb&J sandwich, pepsi
d- handful of chips, guacamole salad, one beef burrito w/ lots of cheese

No exercise today.

Tomorrow is going to be difficult too. We are having Dh's friends over and grilling out. We will have brats, potato salad, roasted lima beans, and curried cauliflower (so we can try to act healthy). The potato salad was requested because the guys say I make it really good - they sure know how to flatter a woman Anyway as long as I don't pig out I should be fine.

Well, have a wonderful weekend and try not to let the weekend get the better of all your good efforts!!

 

[Foxfiregrrl]

Happy Easter Weekend Saturday everyone!

I got up this morning to go to yoga, But they apparently were closed for the holiday weekend because no one showed up (the sign said closed for Good Friday but didn't mention the rest of the weekend ) So then I was determined to get a work out in which meant I had to go home and change shoes. Anyway, I finally made it to the gym and did 30 minutes on the elliptical. I really pushed myself in intervals and my heart rate was pretty high. It said to get my heart rate to 153 and it generally was up around 160 something. The machine said I burned about 265 calories and went 2.1 miles

They had a carnival at my parents' church today and my mom really wanted me to bring our friend's kids. But their mom (who's weird) just started work a few weeks ago and said they had too many errands to do today. So I went by myself and met my parents there for a bit. I ate some soup before I left so that I would not eat bad for me hotdogs, knowing that we are having bratwurst tonight. But I ended up eating a hotdog anyway. I also stopped by the new shopping center in town that opened this week. I just wanted to hit the bookstore (my favorite type of store ) I said I wasn't going to buy anything, but got two magazines anyway. If you could see the STACK of magazines that I still have to read you would know how badly I DON'T need another magazine

I've been working for awhile on making sides for dinner tonight. All the guys are here. I will goof off on my puter for awhile this afternoon and then probably watch tv and read this evening. I will try not to eat too much at dinner, because I'm sure I will imbibe with some wine tonight also

Hope you're having a great Saturday!! I'm gonna start a new post now and actually tell about my trip