176.8 Lost 2 Lbs This Week

Whoops!  I forgot to blog yesterday.  I was waiting until the evening, but then I got busy with packing my stuff and getting ready to go back to STL.  I can't believe I lost 2.2 lbs while I was in KC!  I did much lighter workouts than usual and I feel like I ate a lot.  I think I might take today's weight as my end of the month weight, since Jack and I are going to Columbia this weekend and I won't get to weigh myself tomorrow.  So, I lost 5.4 lbs this month.  Not as much as I was hoping!  I was going for at least 6.  Oh well.

2 days ago for my workout I did the Denise Austin muscle toning video.  Here's what I ate:

granola cereal
hardboiled egg
1/2 small banana
small slice of salmon
couscous and quinoa mix
steamed carrots
tiny dinner roll
red grapes
ice cream sandwich

Yesterday for my workout I walked for an hour and 15 minutes with my mom and Katie.  Here's what I ate:

granola cereal
hardboiled egg
turkey and swiss sandwich with avocado, spinach, light mayo, and mustard on toasted whole grain wheat bread (soooo good!)
frozen yogurt with boba, mochi, and strawberries
"5 orange soup" (my mom's creation, with carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, and orange juice)
grilled cheese sandwich
1 wheat beer
mini cherry mash
chocolate sucker

? More Dress Shopping

Today my mom and I went to a couple more stores to see if we could find any other bridesmaids dresses we liked.  We didn't find anything else, so we decided to go with one we found yesterday.  It's very pretty and sort of hard to describe, but here goes: it's sort of orangey-pink colored, with a gold sheen.  It has a v-neck with about 2 inch straps and poofy roses on one side of the neckline.  The bottom part is sort of like a pencil skirt and ends about 3 inches above the knee.  I think gold heels would look very nice with it (that was actually my dad's idea!).  Because I will continue to lose weight and drop dress sizes, my parents are going to go ahead and buy the 14 that fits me now, as well as a 12 and 10 (the wedding is in November).  I'm so glad they are understanding about that because sometimes when you alter a dress it just doesn't look the same.  Happily the store we got the dress from has an indefinite return policy.

Today for my workout I did my mom's Denise Austen muscle toning video (on VHS, hehe).  It was a lot better than I thought it would be!  The heaviest weights my mom had were 6 lbs, so I didn't think I'd feel the burn much, but Denise did fewer types of exercises with more repetitions, so I really was hurting!  Throughout the whole video she says motivational things, like "Yeah!  Keep going!  You're gonna look great!  You're gonna have sexy arms and a sexy butt!  I'm so proud of you!"  It sort of made me laugh but it also helped.

Yesterday my workout was walking around the mall.  Here's what I ate:

hardboiled egg
large banana
hot dog wrapped in a biscuit
1/2 turkey sandwich and 1/2 chicken salad from Panera
a few bites of broccoli cheddar soup
strawberry ginseng smoothie
homemade brownie

? Size 14

Today I went bridesmaid dress shopping with Megan, Katie, and my mom.  I was a size 14 in most of the dresses I tried on, whereas I was a size 16 when I last tried on dresses almost 6 weeks ago.  The fact that I've gone down a dress size makes me feel great!  I didn't expect that because I haven't really felt like my clothes are much looser on me.  We found a few dresses that we all like and are trying to decide on.

I didn't really work out today, but we shopped for a total of about 4 hours (ugh!) so I walked around the mall a lot.  Yesterday for my workout I went to the Muscle Works class.  I ate a lot yesterday, maybe because of the travelling (I'm always sort of afraid I'll get hungry on the bus or something).  Here's what I ate:

cereal
1/2 spinach wrap
hardboiled egg
large slice of leftover salmon (the last of it!)
nonfat greek yogurt
granola bar
sweetened iced tea
1/2 ranchero burrito
2 slices of raisin bread (goshdarnit, had to eat those after the burrito b/c it was so spicy!!)
8 oz. horchata
large glass of almond milk
homemade brownie

179.0 KC Here I Come

I gained .2 lbs over the weekend.  Not too bad, but I was hoping to continue the trend of losing weight on the weekends.  Oh well, weddings only happen every so often!

Today I am leaving for Kansas City, where I will stay until Thursday night.  My sister Katie is in town from Wisconsin and Megan wants us all to go bridesmaids dress shopping together.  Also, since I might be starting my new job next week, this might be my last chance to go home for a while.  I will not be weighing myself for the next few days, since that did not work out very well last time (my parents' scale is broken).  I will, however, continue to blog.

Yesterday I did not work out.  Here's what I ate:

2.5 scrambled eggs
2 slices bacon
1 slice toast with butter and jam
2 mimosas
leftover brat with bun, sauerkraut, and spicy mayo

? Lazy Sunday

Our table at the wedding (minus Drew, who took the pic)

It was a fun but rough weekend, and Jack and I felt very lazy today.  When we got up, we made breakfast then watched an old western film called Rio Bravo while drinking mimosas.  If I hadn't done laundry today, I probably wouldn't have even seen the sunlight.

The wedding last night was lots of fun.  The food was excellent, but the DJ was terrible (only wedding I've ever been to and didn't dance).  It didn't matter though because the company was great.  From left to right in the pic is Ben, Nikki, Andy, Jack, me, Mike, Emily, and Brian.  Andy's girlfriend Claire was unfortunately unable to attend; I was disappointed because she cracks me up!

Yesterday, because I was crunched for time before the wedding, I did an abbreviated workout of running for 1.25 miles, walking for .5 miles, then running again for .5 miles.  Here's what I ate:

hardboiled egg
banana
granola bar
wedding food:
chips and dip
caesar salad
breaded shrimp (lots of it because it was amazing)
steak
roasted veggies
1 slice wedding cake
2 mousse dessert cups
1 mini cupcake
many drinks of many varieties

178.0

Not much time to write right now, I need to get ready for the wedding!

Yesterday I did my regular workout with a total distance of 5.35 miles (ran 1.25 miles).  Here's what I ate:

cereal
bratwurst with bun and ketchup
hamburger (no bun) with ketchup
chips
2 chicken wings
1/2 spinach wrap
a few fries
more chips
many light beers

178.8 Lost 1.2 Lbs This Week

Grrrrr, why did I have to eat those wings and pizza late last night??  I know that's why I gained .6 lbs yesterday.  I was really hoping to have lost at least 2 lbs this week.  Oh well...

Tomorrow we have a wedding to go to, and a few of Jack's old friends are in town for it.  This afternoon Mike and Emily, whose wedding we attended in Seattle last April, are coming over for BBQing.  I'm excited to see them and for the rest of the weekend!

Yesterday I ran 1.25 miles, walked .25 miles, and went to the Muscle Works class.  Here's what I ate:

hardboiled egg
a few pieces of salami
apple
medium sized slice of salmon
nonfat cottage cheese with cracked pepper and sage
orange
2 small slices of pizza (the square kind)
3 chicken wings
salad with cheese and italian dressing

178.2 Officially Lost 10 Lbs

Hurray!  I lost the weight I gained the past couple of days, and then some!  I have officially lost 10 lbs since I started this blog (actually 10.4).  That is great considering the fact that starting out I only foresaw losing about 5 lbs by now.  Here are the changes I've perceived so far:

--lost 10 lbs
--went from being able to run .5 miles to 1.25 miles in one stretch
--went from level 9 on the elliptical to switching between 11 and 14
--in the muscle works class, went from 3 and 5 lbs on dumbbells to 5 and 8 lbs, and 10 lbs on barbell to 15 lbs.
--lost inches all over my body (how many exactly? won't know until my next re-assessment)
--look and feel healthier and fitter
--have gotten comments from people about my weight loss, even those who don't know I've been trying

All of this makes me feel great!  I can't wait until my re-assessment with Sophia to see how many inches I've lost this month.  I think it will be on July 6.

Yesterday I did my regular workout with a total distance of 5.2 miles (ran 1.1 miles).  Here's what I ate:

cereal
medium sized slice of leftover salmon
2 carrots
apple
1/2 cup or so of leftover fried rice
3 leftover lettuce wraps
a few pieces of leftover grilled squash
pistachio ice cream (I made it myself by grinding up some pistachios with a mortar and pestle, sprinkling them over vanilla ice cream, then mixing it up a bit with a spoon.  It was good!)

179.8 It's So Hot Out!

At 96 degrees today, it was sweltering in St. Louis.  At about 2 pm I decided to sit outside and read for a while in order to get some sun, and I ended up sweating profusely.  It wasn't very long before I couldn't stand it and had to go inside.  Shortly afterwards I went to go work out and felt like I had less energy than usual; I think this was probably because of the heat.  I still got my whole workout in though!

I gained .2 lbs yesterday and I have no idea why.  Maybe I ate too many beans (they did have bacon and brown sugar in them)?  Maybe the chocolate milk did it?  Anyway, I'm going to try to have a healthier dinner tonight so I don't find myself back in the 180s tomorrow.  Yesterday for my workout I ran for 1.25 miles, walked for .15, and went to the Muscle Works class.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
medium sized slice of salmon
salad with zucchini and light italian dressing
apple
bratwurst with wheat bun, mayo, hot sauce, and sauerkraut
large portion of baked beans
big glass of chocolate milk

179.6 White Tea

     

Pictured above is an iced white/jasmine tea mix I had in the morning a few days ago (the other picture is of me and my friend Chelsea from when she came to visit the weekend before last).  Recently my mom told me she had heard that a good way to kick start your metabolism after you wake up in the morning is to drink a glass of ice water before you eat anything.  Jack also told me recently that he heard that white and green teas boost your metabolism, helping you burn up to 200 calories a day.  I thought I would mix the two philosophies and have a glass of iced tea in the morning every day when I wake up!  Chances are, it doesn't actually work, but I have nothing to lose because I like iced tea anyway and it gives me a nice caffeine boost in the morning.  Green tea is a little too bitter for me, so I've been using white tea every day, adding a little bit of flavored tea or other kinds of tea to spice things up.  Examples are: jasmine, ginger peach, acai green, apple, honey ginger, and raspberry.  Every night I make the tea in my french press, then let it sit in the fridge overnight.  Then in the morning I just pour it in a glass over ice.  I actually think I've been losing a little more weight since I started this regimen!

I gained .8 lbs yesterday, probably because of the fattening and salty dinner I had last night.  I did my regular workout yesterday, with a total distance of 5.15 miles.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
2 carrots
apple
chicken stir fry from Trader Joe's
fried rice from a chinese restaurant
3 crab rangoon from a chinese restaurant
2 pork/veggie lettuce wraps from Trader Joe's

178.8 Losing Weight Over Weekends

For the past three weekends, I have kept up with weight loss as opposed to gaining weight over the weekend and having to lose it again the next week.  Remember what I said in a previous post about "2 steps forward, 1 step back?"  Well I don't think that's a problem for me anymore!  I think I've gotten better about what I eat and drink on the weekends, plus most weekends I continue my workout instead of "taking a break" like I was doing before I started this blog.

Yesterday I did not work out.  Here's what I ate:

hardboiled egg

4 leftover pork tenderloin medallions

glass of juice

3 slices of tomato with salt

small slice of grilled salmon

wilted lettuce salad with bacon

a few slices of grilled zucchini and summer squash with garlic olive oil

glass of lemonade

? Cooking With Our Harvest

Grilled zucchini/summer squash and wilted lettuce salad with crumbled bacon

I didn't go to the gym today so I didn't weigh myself.  I didn't exercise at all because I felt so lazy all day.  I did do some work around the house, including cleaning and laundry, and made dinner with Jack.  Jack went to the garden today and came back with lots of treats--including our first tomato!!  It was very good.  We grilled some salmon (a huge slab of it actually) and squash shown above, and I made the salad by pouring hot bacon grease mixed with red wine vinegar and sugar onto the lettuce and mixing it up.  Then I crumbled the bacon on top.  I know it's not the healthiest way to eat lettuce, but it was delicious and it's a recipe that's been in Jack's family for generations.

I think I was pretty successful at the beer festival yesterday.  I drank a little more than I had planned to, but definitely not as much as last year and certainly not as much as most people around me.  My favorite beer was the Vanilla Cream Ale from Exit 6 Brewery in Cottleville.  I had tried it before, but only realized how truly great it was when I compared it to all the other beers.  It tastes like you're drinking ice cream!

Yesterday I did my regular workout with a total distance of 5 miles.  Here's what I ate:

hardboiled egg
leftover bratwurst with mayo and hot sauce
nonfat greek yogurt
2 bites of festival bratwurst
many beers
parmesan dill popcorn
chocolate dipped cookies
potato chips

179.0 Brewery Festival

Hurray, I'm in 170s land!  Hopefully not to return to the 180s ever again.  And, I've lost almost 10 lbs (178.6 would make it 10).  Since I've lost 2 lbs in the last 2 days, I'll go ahead and assume I was 180 yesterday, meaning I lost 2.4 lbs last week.  That's about what I need to be losing per week to meet my 8 lb goal for the month (which I probably won't meet anyway since I didn't lose any weight the first week).

Today Jack and I are going to the annual St. Louis Heritage Festival, which is the biggest brewery festival of the year,  including all breweries in the St. Louis area.  When you get there, they give you a sample glass (about 5 oz. I think) and you can go from booth to booth, sampling as much beer as you want.  When you're trying to lose weight, this is one of those days when you need a plan!  I know last year when we went, I really drank about as much beer as my body could hold, but that can't happen this time or I'll be back in 180s land tomorrow.  I told this to Jack and he protested, saying I needed to "get my money's worth."  I think that's a gluttonous cognition which leads to no good in any walk of life, not just food and drink.  You should never take more than you need or want, just to get your money's worth!  So anyway, I will try to truly "sample" the beers, without going overboard by trying to chug them down.

Yesterday for my "workout," I scraped paint for a couple hours.  Here's what I ate:

hardboiled egg
1 slice banana nut bread
nonfat greek yogurt
2 carrots
apple
crispy chicken sandwich from McDonald's
8 oz pom juice
2 light beers, 1 stout
potato chips

? I Feel Healthier

Unfortunately I didn't weigh myself today because I didn't go to the gym.  So I won't know how much weight I lost this week, but it was probably only a couple pounds at the most (if anything!  Who knows, maybe I gained weight yesterday).

Today I planned on repainting the door frame outside Jack's parents' office, but I didn't get very far.  I had to scrape the paint off first, and I had never done that before.  I was sort of confused about it in the sense that I thought that all the paint had to be scraped off.  After laboring on that for a few hours in the 90 degree heat and getting practically nowhere, I gave up!  Later Jack told me you only have to get the flaky parts off, so I will finish the work on Monday.  Anyway, although I didn't officially work out today, my arms got pretty tired from scraping and I also felt like I was using other muscles in my body, so I consider that a workout.

Despite not having lost much weight yet this month, I generally feel healthier and fitter and think I look a little better too.  A few people have also commented that it looks like I've lost weight.  So maybe it is just that I am gaining muscle mass!

Yesterday for my workout I ran 1.25 miles (!), walked .25 miles, and went to the Muscle Works class.  Later Jack and I also took a short bike ride to the garden and back.  The garden is doing so well; we think we will have tomatoes in a couple weeks!  Here's what I ate yesterday:

hardboiled egg
1 slice banana nut bread
salad with carrots, zucchini, and dressing
apple
2 chocolate kisses
parfait from McDonald's
leftover bratwurst (no bun) and spicy mayo
2 beers (one light)
handful mixed nuts
butter pecan ice cream

181.0 DJing Tonight

Tonight Jack and I, along with a few other people, are DJing at the Lounge.  Nothing too special, just playing a few records.  I'm excited though!  This will be my first time doing this sort of thing.

I lost 1.2 lbs yesterday.  I ate what I would consider a normal amount of food, but I was really hungry throughout the day and had to hold myself back from eating more before dinner.  Jack seems to think the reason I haven't lost too much weight this month is because I'm gaining muscle mass.  I would like to believe that, but I also need to watch what I eat!

Yesterday I did my regular workout with a total distance of 5 miles.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
2 slices leftover pizza
2 carrots
a few slices of salami
1 slice banana nut bread
bratwurst with wheat bun, sauerkraut, mayo, and hot sauce
2 wax peppers stuffed with cheddar cheese and wrapped in bacon

182.2 Homemade Pizza

Jack and I made a pizza last night with ingredients from our garden, and it was so good!!  I would post a pic if I had taken one.  It had salami, goat cheese, basil, zucchini, and hungarian wax peppers  (the last three ingredients were from the garden).  We also made some "zucchini chips" by breading slices of zucchini and baking them in the oven.  Those weren't very good because they burned.  :(

Yesterday for my workout I went to Muscle Works class and ran a mile.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
leftover pulled pork (the last of it!)
hardboiled egg
nonfat greek yogurt
1 slice banana nut bread
3 slices homemade pizza
a few zucchini chips
1 glass homemade lemonade

182.4 Weightloss Plateau?

Have I hit a weightloss plateau or have I just been letting some things slide lately?  As of today, I haven't lost any weight since the beginning of the month.  I should have lost almost 4 lbs by now in order to meet my monthly goal!  In the past week or so, I've sort of fallen back into the bad habit of eating chips and other not-so-healthy snacks when I get hungry inbetween meals, instead of healthier options like carrots and apples.  I've also been having desserts like cheesecake and cookies here and there and have had wine a few times (which I believe may really be the bane of my existence--I drank it last night and gained 1.2 lbs).  I'm going to start kicking it into high gear again and make healthier choices, as tough as they may be sometimes.

I did my regular workout yesterday with a total distance of 5 miles (ran .9 miles).  Here's what I ate:

banana
iced coffee with milk
pea soup with potato chunks and bacon
hardboiled egg
2 servings sweet potato chips
a few pieces of focaccia bread with olive oil
pork tenderloin medallions with mushroom cardamom sauce
garden salad with cheese, croutons, and caesar dressing
1 slice cheesecake
2 glasses red wine

181.2 Rainy Day

I much prefer sunshine to rain in general, but we haven't been getting much rain here in St. Louis, so today's rainy, blustery day felt like a treat.  It felt like a great day to sit in a coffee shop and do homework, so I grabbed my book, my computer, my new neon orange rain jacket, and my Starbuck's gift card, and did just that.  Once there, I was pretty productive; the only downside was that my grande iced coffee made me a little jittery (coffee affects me more now that I hardly ever drink it).

As I stated in yesterday's post, my workout yesterday was a bike ride with Jack.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
grilled lambchop
1 BBQ rib
green beans (the kind that are a little more fattening)
corn on cob with butter and salt
raw veggies
1 slice homemade apple pie with whipped topping
3 or 4 mimosas

? Peruvian Restaurant

I didn't weigh myself today because I didn't go to the gym.  Today for exercise I went on a bike ride with Jack, although it wasn't as strenuous a ride as I usually take and we made stops along the way to go into little shops and look at views of the river and such.  After our ride we went over to his parents' house for some barbeque then did some work on the garden.  We were able to pick some peppers and a zucchini!

Yesterday my college friend/roommate Chelsea came into town from St. Mary, Kansas, and Jack and I met up with her, her boyfriend, and a couple other friends at a Peruvian restaurant downtown called Mango.  I thought the food was very good, but Jack wasn't a fan because they used a lot of cilantro in their cooking (a few years ago he ate so much cilantro that he developed an aversion to it).  I drank a little more than usual last night, which led to drunk junk food eating once we got home (sigh).  I'm sort of glad I didn't weigh myself today!

I did my regular workout yesterday with a total distance of 4.9 miles.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
leftover pulled pork (no bun)
salad with canned carrots and dressing
8 oz. pom juice
1 serving potato chips
glass of homemade lemonade
a few yucca fries
2 small pieces of beef
seafood medley entree (mostly mahi mahi)
lots of little biscuit cookies dipped in chocolate
a few bites of fried rice
7 light beers
3 cocktailes
1 shot

181.4 Yummy Food + Weight Loss = Yay

I lost a pound yesterday, but I don't think it's from eating right!  Jack and I went to a eat at a restaurant/bar that we had been to before at night for drinks but never for food.  We had heard they had great food so we decided to give it a try.  The food was decent, but I don't think it lived up to the hype or the price tag.

Yesterday I did my regular workout with a total distance of 4.9 miles.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
hardboiled egg
2 carrots
nonfat greek yogurt
5 chicken wings
2 jalapeno cream cheese wontons
1/2 order fish and chips (Jack and I split)
1 slice turtle cheesecake
6 Bud Lights

182.4 No Weight Loss This Week...I Guess

I don't really understand why I gained weight yesterday, unless wine is just the bane of my existence (I've gained weight almost every time I've drunk it, although that might be because I usually pair it with unhealthy food).  Or maybe the pulled pork was more fattening than I thought, but I didn't really feel like I ate too much yesterday.  My weight has bounced around a lot this week and I'd like to keep it in a negative linear progression.  I'm not too worried, however, about the fact that I had no net weight loss this week, because this month I'm less focused on the weekly goals and more focused on the overall monthly goal of 8 lbs.

Yesterday for my workout I ran for 1 mile (!) and walked for a mile and a half, then went to the hour-long Muscle Works class.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
2 stuffed clams
leftover salad
nonfat greek yogurt
apple
pulled pork with bun
cole slaw
1 glass red wine

182 I'm Covered in Red Paint

Salad I made last night with lettuce from our garden

Today I started to repaint Jack's grandma's shed, which is right next to our garden.  I painted it red, which was its previous color, but it was starting to look quite rustic (a look I personally like, but it's not my shed).  The paint splattered all over me throughout the process, and by the end it sort of looked like I'd been involved in a murder.  Luckily the paint came off easily and quickly!

Speaking of our garden, last night Jack and I barbequed and had a salad with lettuce we harvested.  It was so good!  I can't wait until the tomatoes are ready.

I was 182 today, but I think that's probably just because I went to the gym much later than usual (the Muscle Works class was at 5).  I did, however, splurge a bit on dessert last night.  Yesterday I did my regular workout with a total distance of 4.85 miles.  Here's what I ate:

granola bar
4 stuffed clams
2 carrots with pesto cheese
apple
2 stuffed and bacon-wrapped jalapenos
1/2 burger bun (had to eat it after the jalapenos--my mouth was on fire!!)
burger with bun, cheddar cheese, mayo, tomato, and lettuce
salad with provel cheese, croutons, shredded parmesan, and homemade dressing
small portions of turtle cheesecake, chocolate tart, and butter pecan ice cream with caramel sauce
big glass of milk

180.8 Re-Assessment

Today I had my monthly re-assessment with Sophia, and the results were good!  Here are my measurements this month, followed by how many inches I've lost since last month:

shoulders: 42.5/-2.0
chest: 43.5/0
waist: 39.25/-0.75
hips: 40.5/-1.0
thighs: 22/-0.5
arms: 12/0
body fat%: 33.8%/-1.2%

Sophia thought this was very good progress, and I agree!

Yesterday I lost the .4 lbs I gained on Jack's birthday.  As far as a goal for the end of this week, since I would like to lose 8 lbs this month, I should lose 2 lbs per week.  That means I should be 180.4 by Friday, to which I am already very close.  For my workout yesterday I did 20 minutes on the elliptical, 20 on the treadmill, then walked .4 miles and ran .75 miles (from now on I will be calling this my "regular workout").  My total distance was 4.85 miles.  Here's what I ate:

8 oz. pom juice
1/2 leftover ribeye
1 carrot
apple
nonfat greek yogurt
2 servings potato chips
2 stuffed clams
2 pieces pizza
8 oz. pom juice

181.2 Jack's Bday

Yesterday I gained .4 lbs because it was Jack's birthday and we celebrated accordingly.  We began the night by going over to his mom's house for dinner; she had cooked fried chicken and made a blueberry peach pie.  Then we went to a few bars with friends and ended the night back at our house, watching old Simpsons episodes and eating junk food.

For my workout yesterday I went to the hour-long Muscle Works class then ran half a mile.  Here's what I ate:

1/2 leftover lambshank
roasted veggies
honey yogurt
apple
fried chicken, thigh and drumstick
mashed potatoes
greek salad
pie
6 light beers
2 vodka diet cokes
2 shots
chips
crackers with pesto cheese dip
quinoa with veggies

180.8 Perhaps Carbs Are My Enemy?

I somehow lost 1.4 lbs yesterday, even though I ate a lot of fattening foods.  I also ate way more than usual (I was hungry all day for some reason).  I thought this would result in weight gain if anything!  But perhaps it is just sugar/carbs that make me gain weight, whereas fats don't affect me as much?  I will have to put this to the test.

Yesterday for my workout I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 on the treadmill, then walked for .4 miles and ran for .75 miles.  My total distance was 4.85 miles.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
rest of leftover lambshank (once I cut away the skin/fat, the meat underneath was actually quite lean)
honey yogurt (had fat but was sooo good)
box of raisins
2 carrots with leftover jalepeno stuffing
2 stuffed jalepenos (cream cheese and crab meat)
1/2 ribeye
corn on the cob with butter and salt
butter pecan ice cream

182.2 Long Hike and French Restaurant

Yesterday Jack and I went for a hike on the Lewis and Clark trails in Weldon Springs, MO.  We met our friend Cole there and hiked for 8.2 miles, which took us 3 hours.  There were a lot of hills and some great views of the Missouri river.  We had planned to go camping this weekend but it did not work out for a couple of reasons; this was a great substitute.

Later the three of us met up with a few other friends at a French restaurant called Cafe Provencal.  It was reasonably priced and the portions were actually very large, which was unexpected.  Jack and I each got lamb shank as our entree, and neither of us could eat more than a fourth of it.  It was fattier than I thought it would be, but then again it was the first time I'd ever had lamb shank.

The hike was my workout yesterday.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
2 handfuls pistachios
nonfat cottage cheese
small portions of smoked salmon, smoked trout, and pate on toasted baguette
1 piece of bread with butter
bowl of tomato curried bisque
small part of lamb shank
small part of chocolate tart (to die for, btw)
2 glasses red wine
1 beer

182.4 No Loss This Week, 6.2 Lbs This Month

I still wasn't as low as I was hoping to be today, but 6.2 lbs for the month isn't too bad; it's still more than triple my initial goal of 2lbs.  This shows how one day of messing up (Wednesday in Columbia) can ruin results for days afterwards.  Sometimes after working so hard I let myself throw it all away.  Why do I do that to myself??  This month will be better.  I'm going for a goal of 8 lbs this month.

Yesterday for my workout I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 on the treadmill then walked for .4 miles and ran for .65 miles.  My total distance was 4.75 miles.  Here's what I ate:

banana
4 leftover shrimp wontons
3 carrots
nonfat greek yogurt
7 tortilla chips with queso dip
spinach chicken wrap
cottage cheese
decaf coffee with Baileys and Kahlua
2 Bud Lights
about 8 more chips
3 bites of a bacon sandwich Jack made

184.0 What???

Ok.  There is seriously no way I gained 1.8 lbs yesterday.  My dinner wasn't the healthiest thing ever, but it wasn't terrible and I didn't eat much besides that.  It could be water retention, or maybe the fact that I'm gaining muscle mass?  Anyway, I can't accept this as my end of the month weight.  I'll weigh myself tomorrow and use that number instead.  Is that cheating?  I just can't say that I only lost 4.8 lbs this month when I thought I was going to lose 8.  That's just ridiculous!

Yesterday for my workout I went to the hour-long Muscle Works class.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
nectarine
baked chicken without skin: 2 thighs and 1 wing
small portion mashed potatoes with gravy
cole slaw
3 cookies