168.8 Lost 1.6 Lbs This Week

I lost 1.6 lbs this week, but all of it was lost over the weekend.  Since Monday I've pretty  much maintained this weight of 168.8 (with some fluctuations).  I wonder if it's because Sunday was the only day that I did cardio and nothing else.  I guess it must've been a coincidence this week that the amount of fat I lost weighed the same as the amount of muscle I gained (I don't think it's for any other reason, because I worked pretty hard this week and what I ate wasn't too bad).  I need to lose .6 lbs today in order to meet my monthly goal of 5 lbs for August.

Yesterday for my workout I did the elliptical for 10 minutes, walked for 20 minutes, then went to the muscle works class.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
large kale salad with 1/2 apple chopped, 3 chopped dates, 1/2 box of raisins, balsamic, and olive oil
the other 1/2 apple
serving of beef jerky
glass of V8
nonfat yogurt
3 slices of thin crust pizza
large salad with cheese, croutons, and Imo's house dressing
4 small slices of garlic bread
1 wheat beer
1 light beer
2 glasses of red wine

169.0 St. Louis Style Dinner

I seem to have gained a bit of weight yesterday, but again that may have been because of my lunch.

Today we had cooking club again with John and Lauren.  Lauren had the idea of grilling a pizza, and since she wanted to do it with a frozen St. Louis style pizza, we thought we'd run with the theme and make a salad based on the one from Imo's.  We also made some garlic bread, improving it a bit from the last time (this time we sauteed the garlic first and added some pepper and Italian season).  Jack and I were a bit skeptical about grilling a pizza, but it actually turned out very good!  The crust was extremely crispy.

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

cereal
hardboiled egg
glass of V8
nonfat yogurt
serving of beef jerky
apple
granola bar
smoked chicken leg
medium portion of vegetable salad
3 dates
small portion of pickled beets with crumbled goat cheese

168.8 Last Week of Freedom

Today I am back down to the weight I was on Monday, which gives evidence to my belief that I had only "gained" the weight because of eating a big lunch before going to the gym.  I still need to lose .4 more by Saturday to reach my goal of 5 lbs for the month of August.

Today I found out I will be starting my new job as a lab assistant next Wednesday, a week from today. Until then I will be enjoying my last few days of freedom, because when this job starts my days are going to be loooong.

Yesterday for my workout I did 2 pilates videos, each 30 minutes, adding up to an hour.  Then I went to the gym and did the elliptical for 10 minutes and walked for 20 minutes.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
small seared tuna steak
medium portion of wild rice
apple
5 chicken wings
a few celery sticks with bleu cheese
a few waffle fries
2 light beers
1 fruity shot
a few chocolates
2 small glasses of red wine

170.6 The Hobbit

Any Tolkien fans out there?  I'm a big fan myself, and can't wait until the first Hobbit movie comes out this December (just imagine....me, almost at (or at) my goal weight, watching the movie I've been waiting to see for months!).  I've always been a huge nerd when it comes to The Lord of the Rings, but once trailers started coming out for The Hobbit, I realized I hardly remember anything about it.  I think I was 12 or 13 when I read it, and I need to read it again before the movie comes out!  I know I have a copy somewhere at my parents' house.  Anyway, today I came across a wallpaper generator online which lets you take the poster above and turn it into your desktop wallpaper or cover photo on facebook.  I was happy to discover that because I had previously tried to make it my cover photo and it just didn't work.  Here's the link to the wallpaper generator.

I seem to have gained almost 2 lbs yesterday, but I think this is probably at least mostly due to the fact that I did pilates and had a pretty heavy lunch before going to the gym and weighing myself.  Yesterday for my workout I went to the body pump class then did the elliptical for 10 minutes, walked for 20 minutes, and ran half a mile.  Here's what I ate:

granola bar
mango protein shake
1/2 avocado
nonfat greek yogurt
small portion of leftover kung pao chicken
2 small tomatoes with salt
small seared tuna steak
small portion of wild rice
small salad
some chocolates from a box that Jack gave me for our anniversary
small glass of red wine

168.8 Body Pump Videos

I've been going to the Body Pump class every Monday for the last few weeks, and today I realized that this will probably be last one I get to go to because of starting my new job.  I looked online to see if I could find a video, and youtube did not disappoint me.  Although I could not find a whole hour-long video, I did find a playlist which includes 10 videos, 5-6 minutes each.  The first and last videos are warm-up and cool-down, and each one inbetween consists of one song during which you target a certain muscle group (each of the videos is from a different gym/instructor, and some of the videos are pretty bad quality, but it was the best I could find!).  I found out today that Body Pump is always the same; every 3 months they come out with a different choreography, and wherever you go in the world the class will be taught the same way.  Interesting!  I need to buy some dumbbells so I can start doing this at home.  Here's the link to the youtube playlist.

I lost 1.2 lbs yesterday!  I wonder if this might be due to only doing cardio, no muscle training.  The month ends this Friday and I only need to lose .6 more to meet my goal of 5 lbs this month.  For my workout yesterday I did the elliptical for 20 minutes (levels 12-15) then walked for 25 minutes.  Here's what I ate:

1/2 avocado with egg, poached
mango protein shake
nonfat greek yogurt
slice of leftover lasagna
chips and salsa
large bowl of spumoni ice cream

170.0 Amazing Restaurant

Me at the Sydney Street Cafe in St. Louis

This is my 100th post!  I forgot to post yesterday, but it was my 2 year anniversary with Jack.  To celebrate our anniversary we wanted to go to a nice restaurant and a friend of Jack's told him that the Sydney Street Cafe was very good.  Once we looked it up online and found out that ZAGAT had given it a review of "extraordinary to perfection," we knew had had to try it.  When we got there, lots of things looked great on the menu and I knew I'd have a hard time deciding.  I noticed there was the option of the "chef's tasting menu," but it sounded like something elite and expensive so I ignored it.  I'm glad Jack asked our waiter about it, because it turned out to be a surprisingly affordable 5 course meal with wine pairing.  We decided to go with it and were not disappointed!  In fact, almost every dish that came out just completely astonished us with its exquisite deliciousness, uniqueness, and attention to detail.  The chef was an absolute genius.  Here's what we had:

Course 1: King Salmon Crudo garbanzos, pickled rhubarb, puffed rice, and cream cheese gribiche
Course 2: Foie Gras & Strawberries torchon with a peanut butter crunch, strawberry salad and sorbet
                  Lobster Turnovers with a tomato brandy reduction
Course 3: Pan Roasted Redfish Ham hock and ginger dumplings, broccoli, preserved lemon, and a ham-hock broth
                  Halibut Dairyless creamed corn, crawfish, butttermilk panna cotta, and sauce nantua
Course 4: Rabbit Rissole Crispy rabbit rissole, kohlrabi and cucumber slaw, rabbit bratwurst, peach chutney, and kohlrabi kimchi
                  Missouri Lamb Trio  Slow roasted lamb shoulder, ragout of rib and neck, chop with beet risotto, cheese curds, and jus
Course 5: Summer Berries Goat Cheese Mousse, Brown Butter, Tender Pistachios, Cheesecake Puree, Raspberry-Beet Sorbet
                  Dark Chocolate Turtle Brownie with Pecan Brittle and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

It was the best meal we've ever had, hands down.  Nothing else even comes close!  All right, here's the breakdown of the last couple days:

Friday I went to an hour-long pilates class.  There actually wasn't a lick of pilates in it, but it was a great (and very difficult) workout that worked a lot of muscles.  I'm still sore!  After that I did the elliptical for 6 minutes, walked for 20 minutes, then ran half a mile.  Here's what I ate:

granola bar
muscle milk
1/2 avocado
glass of V8
large portion of leftover candied sweet potatoes
medium portion of fried oysters
about 6 ounces of a 12 oz. prime rib (I cut off all the fat)
side of green beans with bacon
6 Bud Lights
1 fruity shot
small portion of pickled beets with goat cheese

Yesterday I did a 20 minute pilates video then another 40 minute one, adding up to an hour.  Here's what I ate:

2 biscuits with sausage gravy
5 course dinner with wine pairings
3 cocktails

170.4 Lost Only .6 Lbs This Week

I gained weight yesterday, and I know it's because of what I ate for dinner.  Jack and I made Kung Pao chicken, the same recipe we used a few weeks ago.  I think it would have been fine if we had just had that with some lo mein, but Jack decided he also wanted to make a peanut ginger sauce with chicken to go ontop of the lo mein.  Even though I had pretty small portions of everything, I felt very full and heavy after all that.  And guilty, too!

Next week I start my new job as a lab assistant.  I'm not sure if it will be strictly 9-5, but it will probably be about 8 hours a day, which means it's going to be a bit harder to find time to work out.  There's a location of my gym inbetween the lab and my house, so I think I will stop by there every day after work.  My days are going to be looooong.

Yesterday for my workout I walked half a mile, went to the muscle works class, did the elliptical for 10 minutes, then walked for 15 minutes.  Here's what I ate:

slice of zucchini bread with butter
glass of carrot juice
large glass of V8
half avocado, sauteed pepper slices, and slice of cheese on "skinny" wheat bread
small portion of kung pao chicken
small portion of lo mein with peanut ginger chicken sauce
a few sips of red wine

170.0 Size 12 in Bridesmaid Dress

Excited about my size 10 in Target clothes yesterday, today I headed over to JC Penny's to try on the bridesmaid dress and see if I fit into the 12 (I was a 14 when I tried it on last in KC a couple months ago).  Alas, the 12 did fit!  A bit snug around the chest but perfect everywhere else.  I think it's safe to assume I could be a 10 by the time of the wedding (mid-November).  In case anyone's wondering, I didn't expect to already be a 10 in the dress based on the Target clothes because I always have to go a size up in dresses (mainly because of my chest).

Today I made a really yummy sandwich for lunch.  I bought some avocados at the store today and also picked up a few different varieties of peppers from our garden.  Recently I got a package of "skinny" wheat bread from Aldi (imagine a hamburger bun but flat and thin--only 100 calories).  I sauteed a bell pepper, banana pepper, and a few jalapenos in some olive oil, then piled them onto the bread along with half an avocado and a slice of cheese, then added some more oil to the pan and made a grilled cheese sandwich.  It was really good, even better than I expected!

I'm still not losing as much weight as I'd like, but at least I'm losing steadily instead of yo-yoing.  Actually, I think it's just because I'm gaining a lot of muscle mass which is counteracting my weight loss.  Especially in the last couple weeks, I've noticed that I look pretty toned and muscular.  And even though I haven't been losing much weight, every morning I look in the mirror and think I look a little thinner.  I wonder if the difference might be that lately I've cut back a bit on carbs and started feeding my muscles the protein they deserve for working so hard!

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

slice of zucchini bread with butter
glass of carrot juice
glass of V8
medium portion of leftover candied sweet potatoes
2% greek yogurt
muscle milk
small salad with cheese, croutons, and fat-free ranch
burger with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mustard on kaiser bun
2 Coors Lights

170.2 Tight Size 10

I have great news--3 months ago I bought some business casual clothes at Target, mostly size 14 (at that time, the clothes were pretty tight so I was a tight size 14).  Today I went and exchanged them, expecting to be a size 12.  Well guess what--I fit into size 10!  The size 12 pants/skirts were too big in my waist.  The 10s were a bit snug in the waist and pretty tight looking around the thighs/butt, but I think in another month's time they will fit perfectly.  Unless--UNLESS--and here's where it gets weird--I discover I've made a fit switcheroo.  All my life pants were always fine in the waist and big in the butt/thighs or fine in the butt/thighs and tight in the waist.  Today it seems like things were fitting the opposite.  If this is the case, I'm either going to start having a hard time finding clothes that fit, or I'll have to buy clothes that fit in the thighs/butt and get them taken in at the waist.  That would be weird for me!  PS, the pants that were tight in the thighs didn't make me look fat, they made me look hulkish.  This is because I've built up a lot muscle in my legs, mainly from the muscle works class I think.

I'm not losing as much weight as I'd like.  I have to lose 1.2 lbs between now and Friday to reach my goal of 169!  Yesterday for my workout I did the elliptical for 10 minutes, walked for 10 minutes, then went to the piloga class.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
hardboiled egg
medium tomato with salt
2% greek yogurt
slice of thick-cut prosciutto
chicken spinach mushroom lasagna (frozen)
medium serving of pickled beets with crumbled goat cheese
chocolate dipped cookies
glass of milk

170.4 Piloga

Today I went to a piloga class, which I didn't enjoy as much as pilates.  I'm not the biggest fan of yoga, and this class was at least 70% yoga, 30% pilates.  I much prefer the classic pilates moves.  Perhaps Tuesday can be the day I do a pilates video at home.

Thankfully, I lost a whole pound yesterday!  We had another "cooking club" last night, and this time we grilled.  While Jack and John grilled some steaks John got at an Italian meat market, Lauren and I made some great candied sweet potatoes and garlic bread from scratch.  The meal felt decadent, but it was pretty small portions (except for my splurge on the garlic bread).  Yesterday for my workout I went to the body pump class then did the elliptical for 10 minutes and walked for 20 minutes.  Later I did some ab exercises.  Here's what I ate:

slice of zucchini bread with butter
glass of carrot juice
small portion of beef jerky
nonfat greek yogurt
glass of V8
8 oz. filet mignon with small amount of "steak butter"
medium portion of candied sweet potatoes
3 slices of garlic bread
3 Coors Lights

171.4 Goal For This Week

Goal: lose 2.4 lbs by this Friday.  That's .6 lbs a day between now and then.  I should be able to do that!

Yesterday for my workout I did the elliptical for 10 minutes and walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes.  Here's what I ate:

handful almonds
2 servings beef jerky
large can of Arizona green tea with honey
small frozen custard
4 small slices of pizza
glass of Naked juice
glass of red wine

171.6 Flat Tire Mystery Solved

On Friday afternoon Jack and I went up to the farm.  We went to a BBQ restaurant for dinner with his parents and friends then sat around a fire back at the farm.  One of the family friends, Ann, happened to start telling me about how recently she and her sister took a ride on KT trail and not only did both of them get flats, but they passed a group of about 6 people, all of whom had flats.  She said she found out it was caused by a certain type of tree in one area of the trail which had been raining down thorns because of how dry it's been this summer.  So I wasn't too far off track when I thought it was because someone had been throwing nails onto the trail!  I'm glad I know about the thorns now so I can avoid that part of the trail.  I wonder how many people have been stranded because of this?

By the way, almost everyone who was up at the farm commented that it looked like I had lost weight.

On Saturday morning Jack went squirrel hunting with his dad and I spent the afternoon on a raft in the lake.  That evening we drove up to Columbia to visit a few friends and went to a great English pub style restaurant called 44 Stone.  Then today we finished up our weekend by stopping through the Festival of the Little Hills, an annual arts and crafts festival in St. Charles.  Jack and I bought a green chili soup mix which we had gotten last year and really liked.

On Friday my workout was the pilates class.  Here's what I ate:

slice of zucchini bread with butter
glass of carrot juice
2% greek  yogurt
a few strips of beef jerky
handful of almonds
grilled chicken breast on hamburger bun with lettuce and tomato with side of fries
1 BBQ rib
a few bites of mashed potatoes and gravy
chocolate bar
5 light beers

Yesterday I did not workout.  Here's what I ate:

veggies with a couple tablespoons of dip
2 slices of bologna and 1 slice of cheese on wheat bread with mayo and mustard
handful of whole grain crackers
slice of cheesy garlic bread
2 lamb sliders (small lamb patty between 2 pita triangles with tzaziki sauce)
1/2 pork belly sandwich with avocado and egg
small portion mashed potatoes
hardboiled egg
2 ciders, 1 porter, 1 stout, 1 wheat, and 2 Coors Lights

171.0 Pilates/Lost No Weight This Week

Well it seems that even though I tried my darndest to lose weight yesterday, I still gained weight.  I had a very light meal for dinner and ate nothing more even though I was still hungry afterwards.  Later, after laying in bed for a couple hours without sleeping, I realized I was never going to fall asleep with my tummy rumbling so I went for a midnight snack.  Perhaps eating so late is the reason I gained the weight.

I went to the pilates class today and it was great.  It made me realize how inflexible I am!  Like I said before, I used to do pilates all the time years back and I was much more flexible back then.  I would like to get back to that state.  The other day, I found this 20-minute Windsor Pilates video on youtube.  It's the same one my sister Katie and I bought together back in high school and did so often.  It brings back memories!  I'm going to start doing this at home at least once a week (there are other 20-30 minute pilates videos on youtube too); all I have to do is hook the laptop up to the TV, make some room, and pull out my yoga mat!  :)

Now for some bad news: my "reward dress" came in the mail the other day and I'm going to have to return it.  It is RIDICULOUSLY small.  If I didn't know what size it was, I would've guessed XS.  Even at my goal weight it wouldn't fit me because it looks like it's made for a very petite/short/small-boned person (aka not me!).  I can't exchange it for a bigger size because they were already sold out of the size large.  I will just have to keep my eye out for another new years dress!

Yesterday for my workout I went to the muscle works class.  Here's what I ate:

0% greek yogurt
glass of V8
apple
package of cream cheese crackers
bowl of lentil soup
glass of Naked juice
midnight snack: hardboiled egg, handful of shredded cheddar cheese, 3 spoonfuls of almond butter, and a glass of milk

170.8 Over-ate, Still Lost Weight

Thankfully I lost some weight yesterday--.8 lbs.  I actually expected to have gained weight because of everything I ate (and drank) last night at our "cooking club."  I really overdid it on the donuts--they were soooo good, but it was way too much sugar.  In fact, I felt sick afterwards.  I tried to cool it today, so hopefully tomorrow I will be somewhat close to my goal end-of-week weight (ideally 169 lbs).  For my workout yesterday I did the elliptical for 20 minutes, walked for 25 minutes, and ran half a mile.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
small glass of carrot juice
bottle of Muscle Milk (protein shake)
roll with olive oil and balsamic
1.5 braised chicken thighs with skin
roasted root vegetables
about 3 donuts with glaze and cinnamon sugar
3 glasses of red wine
1 glass of white wine
large glass of milk

171.6 Oh No!

Ouch!  What's with the weight gain?  I think it's because I had way too many carbs yesterday, especially with the bread and soda.  I will try to limit that the rest of the day today.  Tonight Jack and I are having "cooking club" with our two friends John and Lauren.  We were psyched to find other people who like to cook, so we decided to make it a weekly thing to get together and cook for each other.  Tonight Jack and I are making chicken canzanese (one of my favorite chicken dishes!) and trying out homemade donuts for dessert.  John and Lauren are bringing the side.

Yesterday for my workout I went to the 45 minute spin class then did a bunch of crunches when I got home.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
glass of Naked juice
nonfat cottage cheese
apple
granola bar
roll with oil and balsamic vinegar
grilled cheese sandwich with tomato, basil, and mozzarella on sourdough bread
orange soda

171.0 Spin Class

Today I went to the spin class for the first time.  It was a pretty good time; I sweat a lot (a lot more than regular biking, once you remove the heat variable) and we were going "uphill" pretty much the whole time.  I think I still prefer biking outside though; it's a bit nicer to be able to see the scenery change around you.  And I always get an adrenaline rush when I start to go really fast!  I may still go to this class once a week, or just keep it in the back of my mind until winter comes.

I seem to have gained a pound yesterday, but they may just be because I weighed myself pretty late in the day, although I did have a couple drinks last night as well as cake and ice cream.  Yesterday for my workout I went to the hour-long body pump class, then did the elliptical for 5 minutes, then walked for .7 miles and ran for half a mile.  Here's what I ate:

slice of zucchini bread with butter
leftover roasted chicken leg and wing
nonfat greek yogurt
apple
4 small pieces of breaded venison
small portion of cole slaw
1 glass of red wine
1 wheat beer
slice of lemon cake with a scoop of ice cream

170.0 Body Pump

Today I went to a class at the other location of the gym called "Body Pump."  I expected it to be pretty much the same as Muscle Works, and in general it was, but with some key differences.  First of all, I was immediately thrown off even before the class began because the weights for the barbells were labeled with kilograms instead of pounds.  I didn't know what the conversion was, so I picked up the 5 kg ones, which didn't feel that heavy to me.  Well, I was dying in this class, for two reasons: 1) 5 kg is 11 lbs, plus it turns out the bars also weigh a couple lbs, and 2) we did WAY more repetitions of each exercise than in the Muscle Works.  Other than that, I really enjoyed the class.  The instructor was really nice and full of energy.  She somehow got the workout perfectly choreographed to the music, so that when we were really going hard, the music was more upbeat, and we would finish a set just as a song was ending.  She was really good!  Tomorrow I'm going to try out the spin class.

Yesterday for my workout I did the elliptical for 20 minutes and walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
small glass of Naked juice
leftover pasta and veggie bake
orange soda
2 jalapeno poppers
a bunch of small chocolate dipped cookies

170.4 The Other Gym Location

I went to the other location of the gym I go to today, because I was planning on going to the spin class. Well it turns out the class was cancelled, but I was amazed at how much nicer this gym is than the location I've been going to!  It's about 3 times bigger as well.  Even though it's a bit further away, I think I will start going to this location a lot more often.

Since the spin class was cancelled, I just did 20 minutes on the elliptical then walked for 25 minutes on the treadmill, which is the same workout I did yesterday.  Here's what I ate yesterday:

cereal
leftover fried chicken breast and wing
1 biscuit with honey
small portion of mashed potatoes with gravy
few sips ginger beer
small hot fudge banana concrete
Coors Light

170.4 Reward Dress

In much the same way that Cherise Kelley, in her blog Size 12 By St. Patrick's Day, bought a dress to wear on St. Patrick's Day for when she reached her goal weight, today I bought a dress to wear on New Years 2013 for when I will have reached my goal weight.  I got the last size medium they had, so I'm glad I bought it when I did (I've had my eye on it for a while now).  It's a bit revealing, but I know that once I'm down to my goal weight, I'll feel confident enough to show a little skin!

I've been doing the elliptical for the past few days now (I would bike but I still have a flat tire) and I'm starting to like it again.  Today I noticed that I'm feeling it more in my abs than I did before.  Interesting!  Tomorrow I may try out the spin class at another location of the gym I go to.

I didn't each much yesterday because Jack got his wisdom teeth out and couldn't eat.  It was a mixture of not wanting to cook just for myself and not really feeling hungry anyway.  For my workout yesterday I did 20 minutes on the elliptical then walked 20 minutes on the treadmill.  Here's what I ate:

slice of zucchini bread with butter
0% greek yogurt
chips
mini double fudge cookie dough blizzard from DQ

171.0 Lost 2.4 Lbs This Week

Looks like I lost 2 lbs yesterday!  That number might be a bit inflated since I didn't go to the gym until 5 pm today and all I had eaten up to that point was a slice of zucchini bread, but...oh well.  It shows the fried chicken last night didn't do any damage!

More good news--I found out earlier today that I got a job!!  Finally!  I will be working as a lab assistant at a chemical company and will hopefully be starting 2 weeks from this Monday.  The gym I go to has several locations all over St. Louis, so I was looking at locations closer to the job so I could go right after work or on my lunch break.  Turns out almost every other location has a MUCH better group class schedule than the one I go to.  The other ones have spinning classes!  And just way more options throughout the day for people with different schedules.  I might start going to a class a day!  I've been enjoying the Muscle Works class more and more.  In fact, recently I've upped my weight on the barbell from 7.5 lbs on each side to 10 (I started out at 5)!

Along with going to the muscle works class yesterday, I also did the elliptical for 20 minutes.  Here's what I ate:

0% greek yogurt
3 dates
hardboiled egg
fried chicken thigh and drumstick
1 biscuit with butter
medium portion mashed potatoes and gravy
small portion cole slaw
about 1.5 servings sour gummy worms

173.0 Losing Weight To My "Potential"

So at my re-assessment last week Ashley was all like, "You're not losing weight to your potential.  Next month I want to see an 8-lb loss."  Which is all well and good, and I know that she's right, but I'm sort of ok with my 5 lbs per moth--at least for now, when it's my initial monthly goal.  The thing is, I'm ok with losing weight relatively slowly as long I have a net loss each month, if it means that I feel like I'm eating (and drinking) the things I want to.  I prefer that to losing more weight but depriving myself of things.  Remember people, I'm a foodie!  I think I'm doing pretty well for someone whose go-to cookbook is Cook's Illustrated.  Obviously I'm trying to make healthier choices, trying to delete chips and cut back on dessert and the like, but when I roast a chicken to perfect crispness on the outside and moistness on the inside, you better believe I'll be eating the whole chicken leg, with the skin on.  Speaking of that, I'm about to have fried chicken for dinner, because Jack is getting his wisdom teeth out tomorrow and wanted to have a really good "last meal" beforehand.  Whatever.  It's been a while since I've had fried chicken.  But I don't expect to be at that end-of-the-week weight I wanted to be tomorrow.

Well that's enough ranting!  Unfortunately I gained .6 lbs in the last 2 days.  Maybe because last night Jack and I and our friend John went to a sports bar and I had a reuben with fries and 2 beers.  Actually I didn't make the healthiest choices yesterday in general.  My workout was an hour and 20 minute bike ride followed by a 20 minute walk.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
large tomato with salt
slice of zucchini bread with butter
reuben with fries
2 light beers
lemon bar
glass of milk

? Why So Many Flat Tires?

Today I went for a bike ride.  I rode on the trail for half an hour then decided to turn back.  5 minutes later I realized I had a flat tire!  To make matters worse, I had really been booking it and had ended up pretty far out on the trail.  I considered walking my bike back but quickly reconsidered when I realized it would take at least a couple hours (and I had to get back for a phone interview!).  So I slowly rode back, hoping it wouldn't do any damage to the wheel.  It took about an hour to get home, not the end of the world.  I ended up biking for a total of an hour and 20 minutes and walking for about 20 minutes.

I didn't weigh myself today because I didn't go to the gym.  Yesterday I was 172.4 and I'm hoping to be 171.4 by Friday.  Yesterday I wasn't able to go to the piloga class because the instructor did not show up, so instead I did some ab exercises while I watched the olympics that night.  Here's what I ate:

3 dates
a few sneaks of dough while baking zucchini bread
apple
slice of zucchini bread with butter
2 beef au jus sandwiches on wheat buns (I overate and was too full afterwards.  Whoops!)
large salad with cheese, croutons, and caesar dressing

172.4 No Piloga :(

Sadly, the piloga instructor did not show up today, so I did not get to try it out.  I don't want to not exercise at all today, so I think I'll just do some ab exercises in a bit.

The good news is, I lost 1.2 lbs yesterday!  Not really sure why.  Yesterday for my workout I went to the muscle works class.  Here's what I ate:

nonfat greek yogurt
leftover slice of pizza
apple
2 white castle burgers (they are small, like sliders)
a few fries
pasta and vegetable bake
lemon bar

173.6 Slight Gain the Past Few Days

The damage from not working out the past three days is a .2 lb weight gain, which in my opinion is not too bad.  Today I went to the muscle works class and tomorrow I am going to try out the Piloga class.  I want to be a "triple threat"--strength, cardio, and flexibility/balance.  I did Pilates in high school and I really enjoyed it, plus I got pretty good results from it.

Here's what I ate yesterday:

cereal
glass of V8
8 oz. pom juice
a few pickle slices
1 date
chicken/cheddar/green chili soup (or as I like to call it, the 3 CHs)
tortilla chips
slice of apple pie
small chocolate bar

? Lotsa New Cookbooks

Today I went to the St. Charles book fair, which was basically a huge room filled with all kinds of books donated by the library and private individuals.  I bought a few works of fiction but didn't really the patience to comb through the rows and rows of them.  I did, however, spend quite a bit of time in the cooking section, and got a bunch of new books including Chinese, Mexican, and African cookbooks and cooking light book.

Once again I did not work out today.  I feel pretty bad about this, but I did spend the day cleaning our apartment which I suppose burned some calories.  Tomorrow I will get back on track but my bike has a flat tire so I may not be able to ride again until I get that fixed.  I may do the elliptical instead (I've had a pretty long break from it and it doesn't sound so bad).  I did not work out yesterday.  Here's what I ate:

4 pastry crisps
large glass of apple juice
1/2 slice of leftover pizza
4 dates
hot dog with bun and bbq sauce
kettle corn
small portion of pasta salad
2 gooey butter cookies
16 oz. beer
a few bites of a DQ blizzard Jack got

? Rain! Finally!

It's raining here right now, and it rained this morning as well.  Our garden will be so happy!  I also love when it rains late at night or early in the morning so I can lay in bed and listen to it.  It's so peaceful!  A few days ago I actually found this website, which plays rain sounds, and listened to it all day because I was so sick of the draught!

I didn't post yesterday but I wouldn't have had much to say anyway.  Like today, I didn't know my weight yesterday because I didn't go to the gym.  I did some ab exercises today, but other than that I didn't work out today or yesterday.  I have felt very lazy.  Thursday I went to the muscle works class and rode my bike to the gym and back (a pretty short ride).  Here's what I ate:

2 pastry crisps
small glass of apple juice
leftover bratwurst with bun and mustard
nonfat cottage cheese
3 bites of a lemon bar
penne with pieces of steak and cream sauce
sweet corn from a can
ice cream

And here's what I ate yesterday:

2 pastry crisps
chunk of bread with butter
small salad with cheese and dressing
1/2 slice of pizza
chips
Sobe coconut water
lamb curry with peas
butternut squash risotto with cheese
ice cream

173.4 Re-Assessment

I was a little shocked to see that I had gained 2.2 lbs yesterday, and then I realized that for the past couple days I had weighed myself wearing sandals whereas today I wore my gym shoes.  Out of curiosity I weighed each pair and found a 2 lb difference.  So I guess Tuesday I really should've been 174 and yesterday I really should've been 173.2.  I guess I haven't really lost as much weight from biking as I thought.  :(

I had my re-assessment today!  I love seeing how many inches I've lost.  Here it is, and once again I list my measurements, followed by how much I've lost since last month, followed by how much I've lost total.

shoulders: 43.75/-.75/-4.75
chest: 41.75/-.25/-1.75
waist: 37.75/-1/-2.25
hips: 40/-1.5/-1.5
thigh: 21.75/-.25/-.75
arm: 11/0/-1
BF%: 31.5%/-1.4%/-3.5%

Yesterday I biked for 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
leftover pasta with red sauce and cheese
apple
2 bites of a lemon bar
Kung Pao chicken
small portion of lo mein noodles
nonfat butterscotch pudding

171.2 Lost 5.6 Lbs in July

Oops! I made a mistake.  I used my weight yesterday as my end-of-the-month weight, forgetting, I guess, that yesterday was still a day in July.  Therefore the weight I lost yesterday still counts for July.  So I lost not 4.8 but 5.6 lbs. last month, after losing another .8 lbs. yesterday.  I lost that weight even with drinking lots of wine and eating a hefty dessert yesterday, so..clearly biking is the form of exercise for me!  Tomorrow is my re-assessment; I'm excited to see what my corresponding inch loss is.

Tonight Jack and I made Kung Pao chicken using a recipe from our Cook's Illustrated cookbook.  It was really good, AND super fast and easy!  Our only complaint was that it wasn't spicy enough (we added about 10 dried chili peppers but maybe it didn't cook long enough to give them a chance to impart flavor).   There's a ton of other stir fry recipes in the cookbook that I'm really excited to try out now.

Yesterday I biked for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Here's what I ate:

2 mini toaster pastry crisps
glass of apple juice
hardboiled egg
9 dates (I can't get enough of those!)
lamb curry with potatoes
small portion jasmine rice
naan
slice of caramel apple pie with large portion of ice cream
4 glasses of red wine