lovinaz's "getting her act together" journal

[toystoryduo]

That's great news that your friend will be renting your house! Sending some to help you get everything done before he moves in.

I hope the weather forecast improves out your way for the weekend. Right now it sounds like it's going to be kind of chilly!

I hope you have a good evening.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Amy, that is great news the rental thing is settled. That's always a tough call whether to get projects done or do something fun. I guess if the weather is crummy, you'll have your answer!

I would love to come to your Halloween party! I could come dressed as Kid Rock.

I am with you on Easter and all the goodies. And I am so proud you threw out the carrott cake! Good job, carrot cake is so high in fat and sugar and who needs that around!

 

[lovinaz]

We are not going up to our property this weekend. The weather forecast went from 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms on Sat to 40% chance of showers on Fri and 70% chance of snow/rain on Sat (high of 48)! So I think we'll stay at home, which is bad enough with a 60% chance of rain and a high of only 62! That leaves plenty of time to work on the rental, which we will.

We were planning to take tomorrow off work to go to the property, so we decided to still take it off and take the kids to see a movie and maybe mini golfing. They don't know we aren't going up north yet, I didn't want to burst their bubbles right before they left for school this morning.

Food has been really good this week, I actually got my butt to the gym this morning too.

For Wednesday:
B: chocolate oatmeal
L: 2 Costco turkey wrap rolls (getting sick of these, but they are almost gone!)
S: 3 mini cucumbers, 3 egg whites
S: celery-n-hummus (2tbsp), 1 serving mini rice cakes, 6 M&M's
D: 1.5 servings of Mini Wheats w/skim milk (the chicken wasn't thawed!), HC fudge bar

E: 55min Pilates Sculpt DVD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tracey, you probably can't even imagine just how wild it got on Sat. I'm blushing just thinking of it! I won't be drinking like that again anytime soon!

Tracy, there will be plenty more opportunities to go up north when the weather gets nicer. It's usually about 20 degrees cooler than it is in Mesa, so it's really nice to go up there in the summer!

Amy, the Halloween invitation is there! That would be so fun. Or maybe it won't be as fun if I am still on my self-imposed alcohol ban!

 

[Amy&Dan]

A self imposed alcohol ban? Sounds too much like pregnancy for my taste! But I am with you on curtailing things a bit.

Good job on food and getting to the gym. That's a good idea to see a movie. Have you seen Witch Mountain yet? It was pretty decent and the Rock, well he was very decent. To look at that is.

So sorry your weekend plans got nuked by the weather. Please don't send your rain to us because by the time it gets here it'll be snow!

Keep up the good work!

 

[toystoryduo]

Sorry the weather isn't cooperating for you this weekend. I'm hope you'll get a chance to go North another time.

Great job getting your workout in!

I hope you have a great day today!

 

[lovinaz]

Weight this morning was 137!!!!!! I am SO excited about that! After being sick all day Sunday, I had dropped to 135 on Monday, but I knew that was a fluke... Then on Tue I was 139 and stayed that way all week until today, when I dropped to 137! My clothes all fit better, even 2 pairs of pants that I hadn't worn in well over a year because they were bulging out in all sorts of places. But unfortunately I must have gotten rid of all the shirts that match those pants because I couldn't find anything to go with them! I see a shopping trip this weekend!

Today we will go see Monsters vs Aliens. Can't wait, my last trip to the theater was for Mall Cop Then I hope to get to the gym later today, then probably work on the rental house a little, color some Easter eggs, and just have a nice, relaxing day.

For Thursday:
B: chocolate oatmeal
L: 2 Costco turkey wrap rolls (there are 2 left, but DH will have to eat them, I'm DONE!!)
S: 3 mini cucumbers, string cheese
S: 8 mini rice cakes, 10 M&M's
D: baked lemon chicken breast, green beans, HC fudge bar

E: 45min elliptical
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amy, yes, Sunday was so bad, I have put myself on a ban. I am sure that ban will be lifted when I go to the UK on the 19th. But I know I won't go overboard during that trip, because I am traveling with the big bosses and there's probably nothing more career-limiting than getting all wild and crazy drunk around those guys! Have not seen Witch Mountain yet, but that is on the list!

Tracy, thanks! The kids were bummed about not going up north, but the fact that we are going to the movies made up for it!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Amy, congrats on the weight loss! Well done, you are definitely firmly settled back in the 130's! Enjoy the movie and your weekend.

 

[lovinaz]

If you haven't seen Monsters vs Aliens, I highly recommend it! You have to see it in 3D, boy has that come a long way. And I couldn't believe that there were previews for probably 5-6 more 3D movies coming out this year. Amazing!

Food was decent yesterday, even though I had some candy at the movies. I avoided popcorn and to tell you the truth, I wasn't even tempted. Which is strange...

Today looks like it will rain, when DH gets up and around we plan on heading over to the rental to get a bunch of stuff done. And that is how my day will be spent!

For Friday:
B: chocolate oatmeal
S: ~1 serving Sugar Babies (probably less)
L: FlatOut bread w/1tbsp peanut butter
S: 6 strawberries, string cheese, 1 serving mini rice cakes
D: 1 serving cheeseburger pie, peas, HC fudge bar, 10 M&M's

E: none
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amy, I sure hope you are right! I never want to see the 140's again, but I am going to have to be diligent about it. I have a weight goal tracker on FitDay, I want to be 130 by the time we leave in June. According to the graph, I am right where I should be right now to meet that goal.

 

[traceycooper]

well done on the wi amy
glad you enjoyed the movie
have a great easter

 

[lovinaz]

Happy Easter!!

I have come to the conclusion that I am not cut out for manual labor! I was at the rental house from 10am-7pm. I sat down maybe 3 times, for 10-15min. The rest of the time was spent putting primer on the living room and family/dining room. I still need to do the kitchen, hall, 3 br and 2 bath! This house is only 1300sq ft, but it seems like a mansion when you are painting! My hands are KILLING me from holding the paint roller. DH tore out the shower in the master bath (the base was cracked and had to be replaced). My friend from work volunteered to come help us, bless him, and he pulled off most of the baseboards and also helped tear down the kitchen cabinets. He got a huge splinter in the process (in his index finger), and of course this was when DH and DD9 were out picking up things at our house. So I had to dig this splinter out with the tip of a screw (yes, a used screw!) and my fingers that had primer all over them. He was a good sport about it. I topped it off with a SpongeBob bandaid that I had in my purse

I'd like to go back to the rental today, my friend even said he'd help again (he loves renovating and I love free help!). We will definitely have to do something special for him.

So food was weird, exercise non-existent (but I was active all day). I know today I will be indulging in a piece of French Silk pie, that is what my mom requested for dessert (she is cooking Easter dinner). Can't wait!

For Saturday:
B: chocolate oatmeal
S: ~20 almonds
L: FlatOut bread w/pb, small bag Sun Chips
S: ice cream sandwich (the ice cream truck came by the rental and DD9 got us all something!)
D: 2 pieces ham-n-pineapple pizza, HC fudge bar, 7 M&M's

E: none (except painting for a total of at least 5 hours!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tracey, thanks! The movie was great, way better than Mall Cop, which is the last movie DD9 dragged me to!

 

[traceycooper]

what do you mean - no exercise - i'm worn out just reading what you've been up to
your friend sounds a real good sport - hope his finger is ok - no primer or rust infection
enjoy the dessert - although i've never heard of silk pie - it still sounds yummy

 

[Amy&Dan]

Yeah, I aree with Tracey, you definitely exercised! That is definitely hard work but worth the effort.

I know you can meet your goal by June. Hope the silk pie was good, that was a favorite of my mom's, I used to make that for her a lot!

 

[lovinaz]

Guess I missed a couple days! Been busy, but that's nothing new... Food has been great, scale has been great, so I can't complain! I need to stay focused and not let next week's trip totally de-rail my progress. I leave on Sunday night.

I tried my swimsuit on this morning, and I am shocked to say I didn't want to cry! There is still room for improvement, don't get me wrong (I'd eventually like to get down to 125), but it definitely looks better than it did last year! Or even last fall! And if you are wondering why I tried it on, there is a hot tub at the hotel in the UK and last time I went with this group, we all went in it. Talk about nerve-wracking - sitting in a hot tub with your boss's boss and 3 other high level managers! And being the only woman to boot.

So far I have managed to stay out of the Easter goodies. My mom went WAY overboard, she got the kids more junk than we did! I try to put more books, DVDs, etc, she is all about the candy...

For Sunday:
B: chocolate oatmeal
L: string cheese, ~30 almonds
S: S'mores 100 calorie pack
D: ham, corn, asparagus (both veggies swimming in butter - thanks, Mom! ), 1 piece French Silk pie , 1 mini Reese's cup

E: none

For Monday:
B: chocolate oatmeal
L: prickly pear chicken sandwich, 2 fries (I didn't get them, but tried my friend's)
S: 3 egg whites
S: 7 M&M's
D: 4 strips turkey bacon, egg beaters, 1 piece wheat toast w/butter & cinnamon/sugar; HC fudge bar

E: 45min elliptical
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tracey, not only is my friend a good sport, he offered to come help AGAIN this weekend! This guy is my hero! French Silk pie is a chocolate cream pie w/whipped cream topping topped with chocolate shavings. Very good, but very rich.

Amy, pie was great, I could not have eaten another piece, it was sickening sweet! I'm glad I don't know how to make it, I'd be in a world of hurt!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Amy, French Silk pie is very rich. Basically, its made with raw eggs (I used pasteurized egg beaters) and lots of butter! By the time you top it with the whipped cream, its a heart attack in a flaky crust.

My mom used to get my kids so much candy. I normally only buy them a chocolate bunny since she always bought so much then I realized Saturday night they were only getting one thing in the way of candy so I sent dh out to buy them a few more things! Grandma's just do that I guess.

That is awesome your bathing suit looks non cry worthy! Keep this up and you'll be at 125 by summer. Keep up the good work! You can do this in the UK, you have some serious motivation given your recent results. You won't want to blow it and I know you won't!!

 

[toystoryduo]

You are doing a great job, Amy!!!! Keep up the good work!

My girls didn't get that much candy this year. I'm not sure why. Usually they have tons of candy. That's a good thing for all of us though. My DDs and my DH usually eat Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs until they pop.

I hope you have a wonderful day today!

P.S. Monsters vs. Aliens was a really good movie! My girls want to see it again.

 

[goldcupmom]

AWESOME about the swimsuit, Amy! I won't even try one of those on yet!!

Hope you have a wonderful, safe trip!

Could you post the chocolate oatmeal recipe again? I lost in when my computer died. PLEASE??? Thanks!!

 

[lovinaz]

Another good day yesterday! But I'm about to make up for it since I am going out to lunch today. I plan on getting a salad, so hopefully it won't be too bad!

Things are really rolling on the rental house, I just hope we can get everything done by May 18th. And within budget of course, which I think is where the real problem will lie...

For Tuesday:
B: chocolate oatmeal
L: spinach salad w/chicken, cheese, LF dressing
S: 3 egg whites, 10 baby carrots
S: Cinna-Swirl 100 calorie pack
D: shrimp, cauliflower, Pasta Roni (maybe 1/4c), 1 mini Reese's cup

E: 40min Pilates DVD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amy, thanks for telling me what was in the pie, I will definitely remember that before I take a bite of it again! I make my kids follow the serving size for their Easter candy, so it lasts a looong time. Usually I end up throwing it out or sending it to work with DH (same for Halloween!). I really want to behave during my UK trip. I would like JUST ONCE to come back and not have gained a single pound! Last trip was +2lbs, which is the best result I've seen so far.

Tracy, I don't blame you, Reese's eggs are the BOMB! Be glad your girls didn't get much candy. Less temptation for you!

Julie, thanks! I was surprised about the bikini, usually I dread wearing it, but this time won't be so bad.

Chocolate Oatmeal:
1/3c oatmeal (not instant)
1/2c water
1 scoop protein powder

Combine and microwave (I put it in for 1:45)

Stir in 1 tbsp peanut butter

I pour on about 1/4c milk and it is , but you can probably already tell that since I eat it every day!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Yeah, Amy, I threw out ds' Christmas candy last week just in time for him to get Easter candy! That would have never happened in my childhood. Good for you for making them eat the serving size. I don't think I knew what a true serving size was until I hit about 25.

Staying on budget with house repairs is always a challenge but I bet you can do it!

Good job with food, hope your lunch went well.

 

[toystoryduo]

You are doing a great job, Amy! Keep up the good work!!!

That recipe for chocolate oatmeal sounds yummy! Do you mind me asking what brands of Oatmeal and Protein Powder you use?

I hope you have a wonderful day ahead!

 

[lovinaz]

I decided to sleep in this morning instead of working out... But I've already worked out 3x this week and plan to get to the gym tomorrow. And maybe on Sat morning I'll do a workout DVD. I have only done 1 TurboJam workout! I need to do some more... I do plan on taking them with me and working out in my hotel room next week, since there are no weights required for the cardio workouts and I get bored with the treadmill at the hotel (plus it's bad enough all the big wigs are going to see me in a bikini, I really don't want to chance one of them seeing me all sweaty in my workout clothes! )

Food has been pretty darn good! I have not really been snacking at all, which I think is helping me tremendously. The weight is flying off lately, I have no idea why, but I'm loving it! I did sneak a couple treats from DD's basket yesterday, but then I had her put it in her room, so no more temptation!

This weekend will be spent on painting the rental (still need to primer the 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and hallway!). We are paying someone to completely do the master bath with a tile shower, etc. And remove the popcorn ceiling in the main living areas. I can feel the whoosh of $$ leaving my bank account!

For Wednesday:
B: chocolate oatmeal
L: romaine salad w/marinated chicken chunks, feta cheese, 2 pita triangles, very little dressing
S: celery-n-hummus (2tbsp); 1 mini Reese's cup, 2 peanut M&M's, 1 small caramel egg
D: broiled flank steak w/mushroom sauce; zucchini; HC fudge bar

E: 45min treadmill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amy, I have still had Halloween candy at Easter time in the past... I'm sure my kids hate it! But they are used to it, and they know complaining gets it thrown out earlier, so they stay quiet... I also make them count chips, etc. I think it's a good habit to get them into when they are young!

Tracy, I use Quaker Oats (the old fashioned kind, not instant) and the protein powder is the Hi-Health brand. Can't remember what it is called, but it is their store brand. I really love the stuff! In fact, we are almost out of peanut butter and I will probably have to eat something else for breakfast this weekend (I hate going to the store during the week).