Status Report

I think Ryan is going to end up working for Apple – if his affinity for iPhones and iPads are any indication.
So it’s been 2 weeks since I joined WW – one week since I actually weighed in.   I’m currently on Week 2  Day 2 of the “Warm Up to 10k” training. 

I feel better – but I’m not sure I look any better.   The scale seems to be moving pretty slowly this time around.

I think the best thing about being “on program” so to speak is that I feel more in control.   Which is important for me – given the fact that I often feel like I live in chaos. 

All of my possessions were once housed in under 400 sq ft of space.   Now I am blessed to live in a rather large home.   But in that home are also 5 other human beings.

Subsequently – I can’t always find what I’m looking for.   There’s a black hole somewhere in this house and there are multiple things living there. 

Most notably the brand new Cooking Light cookbook I got from my mom for Christmas.   I may have had a bit of a meltdown about this over the weekend.   It really does ruin my day though – when I can’t find what I need when I need it.

Speaking of Christmas gifts – another thing that is helping my weight loss cause is my new Nike+fuel band.    You can ask Dave how important making my goal each day has become.  I have been known to move my arms back and forth repeatedly while in bed just to make goal.   Silly as that seems – that’s the point.   To set a goal to be active each day.   Only once since I’ve worn this band have I been woefully under goal.  

Yesterday I went to the gym and ran for 5 solid minutes.   (This is in addition to the intervals I ran on Week 2 Day 1 of the 10k thingy).   I wanted to quit but really only the first 3 min were tough.     It reminded me that I used to run all the time.

I used to really like running by the East River.   I would run to the South Street Seaport and then walk back up Broadway.   By the time the weather gets warmer I should be in shape enough to find a place to run around here.   

I’m happy that we’re going on vacation in a few weeks.  I’m not happy to have to get in a bathing suit but it will be nice to get away.    Cross your fingers that my baby Moose is feeling better by then.    He’s on his third round of antibiotics since October. :(

Anyway – that’s about it.  Nothing much new and exciting. 

Last night I made what had been my father’s favorite dinner – roasted turkey breast.   Thanksgiving in January.    It was pretty spectacular if I do say so myself.   I’m hoping to do a recipe/cooking post sometime this week.   I’ve got a few different meals planned.   

To any of you still checking in - stay tuned!    And thanks for reading!

Cravings

image found on  burgerbusiness.com

I am not one to say I’d never eat fast food.

Even at my heaviest fast food was not my problem.   Sure, I’d cure an hangover with a number 3 from McDonald’s with a large fountain Diet Coke and when on road trips wouldn’t dare kid myself that I’d have the salad but it was not a daily, hell it was probably not even a monthly thing.

Until I got pregnant.

At some point near the middle of the second trimester I became Wendy’s bitch.   Part of this was logistics.   In order to get to and from Stop & Shop for groceries, in order to go to my OBGYN, in order to visit the chiropractor or get a prenatal massage to try and battle sciatica (more on that later) I passed by the home of my “red-headed friend”.    And I got myself a Spicy Chicken Sandwich Combo – medium, with only lettuce on the sandwich.

And more times than not – a Frosty for dessert.

Despite this habit – which at it’s height had me there daily and knowing the drive-thru cashier by name  (not quite but close) I didn’t gain that much weight during my pregnancy.   Sure – I was 30 lbs up before I got pregnant but I gained approximately 22-ish lbs all told.    I’ve lost about half that and kept it off.

The other 10?   And the original 30?   They’re sticking around.

I had plans – big plans for losing the weight.  Breastfeeding will make the weight slide right off!!!  I’ll walk with the baby every day!!   We’ll go to Mommy & Me Baby Bootcamp!!!  

My baby is a giant – clocking in at almost 20 lbs in his 5th month.   8 of those pounds were gained from birth and with me nursing him exclusively.    The last 4 weeks we’ve cut back to me nursing 2-3x a day and supplementing formula (and now first foods 2x a day).   All breastfeeding got me was a baby who’s thriving and some ugly ass bras.  

Our mild winter turned into a Sahara-esque summer and so risking heatstroke from walking is not really an option.   The annoying thing about new mommies groups (which I admit I researched and didn’t attempt to go) is that they are all for SAHM and meet during weekday mornings.   It’s annoying.

In the last 3 weeks I’ve started a routine of sorts.    I took my first post baby Zumba class and didn’t die.   Ryan’s daycare is close to the Y and so my new routine (when working from home) is to put on workout clothes and drop him off then head to the gym.

So far my eating hasn’t caught up to my exercise schedule.   I’m still craving ice cream and won’t lie.   My last tryst with Wendy was sometime last week.   But I’m committed to running a 10k with Jen in the fall and am tired of crying every time I look at my closet.   I’m thisclose to being at a size where conventional stores are no longer an option and I SWORE to myself I would never ever let that happen again.

So far my workouts are incline walking – 30 minutes at about a level 12 (out of 20) which puts me at the highest at an 8% incline on the random program.     Next week I plan to start Couch25K again and Dave talked today about joining Weight Watchers with me.  

I know I can do it.   I’ve done it before.  Starting the exercise before the ‘diet’ is actually a good thing for me.  The more I work out – the less I’ll eat…eventually.

For now I’m stating here and now a moratorium on Spicy Chicken Combos.    My BFF at the drive-thru will have to learn to get along without me.

Very Vegetable-y

I’m trying not to jinx it – this renewed passion for eating better and exercising.  Maybe it’s the fact that half my summer clothes don’t fit.  Maybe it’s the two dresses my mom bought me that I can’t zip up all the way.   I’m not going to analyze it too much.  I think that’s what gets me in trouble.

Anyway for the last few days I’ve been making vegetables more of a part of what we’ve been eating.  Steam them or grill them and add some spices and done.

I love pasta – but pasta doesn’t love me so much.  I wanted to try something a little bit different.  My initial idea was Shrimp w/Cannellini Beans but we were out.  I have been threatening to make my own hummus one day so we had lots of chickpeas.  In an effort to eat less pasta – I subbed orzo.You basically throw all the ingredients in a pot – even the pasta and simmer away.  For the record I always steam my broccoli and then throw it in at the very end so it doesn’t over cook.   Plus I threw in some spinach.Simmer simmer.  I will definitely make this again. The other day I had a sandwich for lunch.  It was turkey and cheddar w/spinach and hummus and honey mustard on Nature’s Promise Flax and Whole Grain Bread. You can now go back to your regularly scheduled program.

Dinner on Tuesday was my attempt to get the kids to eat more vegetables.  2 out of 3 children approved. Dave got me a new charger for my DSLR battery.  He’s so….great. :) I basically sauteed onions, garlic and peppers in a little olive oil and soy/teriyaki sauce.   I used a Newman’s Own Sesame Marinade and grilled a steak, sliced it and put it on the side.  I added shrimp to the stir fry mix, some broccoli and spinach and brown rice.  DELICIOUS. Last night Dave and I had Caprese Salad.I know.  I’ve never made that before. :)   I also grilled some chicken – marinated in white wine, lemon juice and Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Served with Alexia Sweet Potato Fries and Grilled Asparagus.

In other healthy living news - we are joining the gym tomorrow – I’ve been weaning myself off Diet Coke.  It’s not easy and I’m not sure subbing Crystal Light is actually doing me any favors since they are pretty much sweetened the same way.   My goal is to drink more seltzer and less soda.  White wine spritzers instead of gallons of Pinot Grigio.   On special occasions Vodka and Soda w/a splash of cranberry.  Like that.  You know.  Baby steps.

Aaaaaand that’s all I’ve got – EXCEPT the story about the Dave and the bug in my apartment.

Probably not the best to tell after I show you all that food but I’m afraid I’ll never get to it.

SO.  I got home on Friday last week to find a huge bug near my front door.  I mean HUGE.  Like all the bugs in Manhattan morphed into one giant bug.

OK.  I might be exaggerating but it was definitely big.

Anyway I got one of Dave’s sneakers and tried to kill it but it scurried into the bathroom.  In a total novice move I tried to spray the bug with bathroom cleaner.  It was then it decided to go live in my closet.

I called Dave.  Told him to leave work immediately and come kill it.  Then I ran out of the house and went to Old Navy.

I came back, huddled on my bed biding my time.  By around 3:30 I couldn’t take it anymore and went out for another walk.

FOR THE RECORD – my apartment is ONE ROOM.  Just one.  In the 6 years I’ve lived in NYC I have seen about as many bugs and nothing this big unless you count the Palmetto bug that stowed away in my luggage on a trip back from Florida.

(Dear The South – You are not kidding anyone with that fancy name. A roach is a freaking roach. Love, NYC)

Suffice it to say there is not room for me and any sort of critter in that small space.

Dave comes by after work.  He roots around the location of the bug for a bit and finally admits defeat.  Laden with various bags and boxes (You don’t think for ONE MINUTE I am leaving any garbage in that place) we get on the elevator.

Dave shrieks like a schoolgirl man in great distress.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he says “but I think the bug’s in my pants” 

I glare and say  “NOT FUNNY”.

Until I realize he is not kidding.

I am such a wimp at first I won’t even follow him down the hall to the laundry room so he can drop his drawers to find the thing.  Then I decide to go be lookout because HELLO I don’t want him to be the creepy pantless guy in the laundry room.

I have never seen a pantless guy – creepy or no - in my laundry room btw.

So he still can’t find it and gets dressed.  We head out to the sidewalk.

Moments later we see the bug from hell casually crossing the street.

Apparently it had jumped to another location while Dave was trying to find it.

Moral of the story – Dave is stronger than me because I would be in a freaking mental ward at the moment if it had been me rather than him with the bug in my pants.

PS – Thank the Lord for skinny jeans.  They are virtually bug proof.

The end.

For the birds

There are creatures living in our stove vent. 

Baby birds have taken up residence so that every time I cook I feel like Snow White.   Our backyard is like a scene out of Bambi.  I knew there were deer ‘round these parts but we also have:

Bunnies

Chipmunks

Your requisite squirrels

A groundhog named Chester* who lives under the shed

Birds (in the oven vent and elsewhere)

A fox named Lefty*

* I had no part in naming these animals.

Dave’s kids used to have a hamster (no longer) and a guinea pig (no longer) and a Golden Retriever named Genevieve (who is alive and well and curled up sleeping near me – I like her a lot).   I’m iffy on rodents you see.

I mean…I am not someone who would like to give a mouse a cookie.  I don’t want to be nice to mice.

($10 if you got the Ally Sheedy reference)

SIDENOTE:  Speaking of Ally Sheedy – I am reading If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster right now.   If you ever liked or enjoyed a John Hughes movie it’s pretty much a must read. 

I simply don’t like critters.   These birds are freaking me out a little to say the very least.

So – let’s see what else is new.   I am trying to find shoes to match the bridesmaid’s dresses.  Did I show you the dresses?  They are kind of hard to see in this picture.  They have spaghetti straps and pockets (!!!)  I kind of want one myself.   They’re dark blue but not exactly navy or royal.

 My dress is BEHIND that dress but you can’t see that till much later.  :)

Plus ummm….Dave reads this blog.

This is the current shoe contender.   They have a heel but are not too high.  They come in a size Mora could wear.  I am not loving any silver shoes but these are the best of the bunch.  I think they could be cute but we’ll have to see.  PS: Any ideas or shoe suggestions would be welcome in the comments. :)

There’s Zumba tonight.  I weigh in again on Thursday.  I don’t think I’ve gained anything but I’ve not lost much either. :(   I might take a break from going to M because it’s less helping and more hindering me at this point.  This whole wedding planning thing comes with weird pressure.  It’s all good – it’s full of people wanting to do nice things for me – but I don’t know.  I’m a tad bit stressed. 

I’m also perpetually sad.  It’s been months since we lost my dad and I still can’t quite believe he’s really not here anymore.  It’s not consciously constant yet it’s always there.  Yesterday I went to the supermarket to pick up a few things.  They had rhubarb in the produce section.

My father was slightly quirky – as am I – I am fully aware.  He often would just be sitting around and ask us inane questions such as “So Kristen.  What do you think they’ll do with the rhubarb this year?”

When I was younger I had no idea what rhubarb even was.  Once I learned what it was I would reply with all sorts of preparations.  It’s a stupid little thing but when I saw those red celery-esque stalks yesterday I really missed him. :(

Last night I did not take pictures as I made turkey chili and it wasn’t too exciting.  Tonight I’m taking (kinda) the easy way out by making meat sauce (homemade) and cheese ravioli (not homemade).  I’ve also made some bread to go along with it.

Have I mentioned how much I love having the ability to work from home?

I caught up on some On Demand stuff last night/this morning.  Oh man.  Friday Night Lights – such a fantastic show.  Real Housewives of NJ – what a train wreck.  I forgot it was the new season of The Bachelorette last night.  Tim – you give Long Island a bad name.  Bentley – you’re a scumbag.   Mask Guy – WTF?

Dave – I am forever thankful I will never have the want or need to go on a show like that.    :)

I always do what my sister tells me to do

Jen asked me to update – so I am.  I will tell you what I did today.

I woke up – ate peanut butter on an English muffin.

I drove to NYC from NJ after whining to Dave about taking a different way than I am used to.

I got to my apartment – did 3 loads of laundry while working.

I ate a grilled goat cheese and balsamic onion jam sandwich with oven fries for lunch.

I love goat cheese.

I took a 3 mile walk along the East River.

I came home – talked to Jen – ran the dishwasher and then showered.

I need to look presentable as I’m off to an industry event at Bouley in the next half hour or so.

My apartment is a total mess – it looks like a homeless person is squatting here.

Ewww.  That doesn’t sound too good.  Mostly I think because I don’t like the word squat.

Jen doesn’t like the word moist – fyi.

You can now return to your regularly scheduled program.

Reasons I love Zumba (and…Brunch)

1) I just like to say the word.  It’s fun.

2) I love people who love Zumba.  Believe it or not (Jen) – there are people who love Zumba more than me.  People who wear Zumba clothes to Zumba class and hang out in the front near the instructor.  Now don’t get me wrong – I might be persuaded to buy this top.

  Or these pants (which are less Zumba-y but still look comfy). 

But really I just like to stand off to the side and do my thing.

3) You never stop.  It’s one hour where you can’t think because you are too busy trying to keep up. 

4) But most of all – the number one reason I love Zumba is because of stats like this.  1hour and 2 minutes = 705 calories burned.

I just wish I could take this class 5 days a week!!!

Lots of stuff has gone on since we last spoke.  My mom threw an engagement party for Dave and me.  It was a good time with good friends and family and lots of good gifts.  :)

It’s difficult having parties now (and honestly all this is difficult) without my dad.  Not only do I simply miss him – he was a master at organization when it comes to preparing for a party.   Still – my mom and Jen did the bulk of the hard work and the result was absolutely lovely.

   We got tons of flowers.   A lot of hydrangeas as those will be our centerpieces at the wedding.  Also – I just love them. Jen made homemade muffins (Blueberry Corn) and Bacon & Cheddar Biscuits (in a muffin shape) Action shot of the egg and bacon casserole and a lovely fruit tray.French Toast and Silver Dollar Pancakes and some Chicken Tenders for the kids – except they were eaten mostly by the adults!   Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit’s BACON! And potatoes! My plate.And then there was dessert.  Angel Food Cake, Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry Bavarian, Strawberry Cheesecake, Berries and Cream and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (made by Dave’s mom)

Looking at all that food is making me think of what I can do today to exercise a little.  It’s ugly and rainy out.  Blech.   Honestly that calorie reading on the heart rate monitor was pretty inspiring.  If I can exercise like that and enjoy it that much there is no reason I should be hanging on to all this weight.

Plus I saw my dress again this weekend.  I really want them to have to take a yard of fabric out of that sucker.

Hope all is well with you and yours.   Be back later.

Gym, Tan, Laundry

 

1) I fear I won’t be back here with any regularity until this wedding planning is near finished.  I’m like a dog with a bone.  I can’t leave it alone till it’s done.

Or buried – as the case may be. :)

Today Dave and I are going cake tasting.  Before I walk myself there I am going to go do some C25K at the gym.  

2) I used Kiehl’s Self Tanner on my feet and legs prior to Carrie’s wedding last weekend.  My feet are 2 different colors and I looked like an Oompa Loompa.

3) I have clothes all over my apartment, all over the bedroom in NJ.   I haven’t done a full load of laundry in weeks.

4) I haven’t been in NYC with any regularity.  I have to bring food from Dave’s and will need to go get toilet paper on my way back from the gym before I kill this box of tissues.

5) I have lots to tell you but not too much time to tell it in.  Hopefully  I can catch up with you all tomorrow.

Until then!!

This just in: Diamonds make you lose weight

Hello lovelies.  I am sorry to be MIA for a bit.  This weekend was spent moving some of my stuff from NYC to NJ (eeek!) and at Carrie & Chris’ wedding.  The “City Girls” were chauffeured by this hot guy driving a white 12 passenger van.

But that’s another story.

I am here to tell you in the first week since being engaged I went to M’s and lost…5 lbs.

So basically it’s not that I can’t lose weight – it’s just that I’ve not had the motivation I guess.

I am not motivated today let me tell you.  I went a little heavy on the Malbec last night.

Wedding planning is…going.  I haven’t tried on a dress yet – we don’t have flowers or a photographer or a cake but we’re looking!!

I’m so lazy today and it looks nice outside.  I hope I can find some motivation soon.

I’m going to be making a yummy (light) dinner for me and the fiancé tonight so stay tuned!!

Fun, Food, Flowers, Philadelphia

I haven’t gotten to the gym as much as I wanted to last week – but I’ve done a ton of walking and I’ve been eating better.  There have been some slip ups – but I’m eating half more than whole these days.  I’ve skipped fries in favor of vegetable soup.   These things are steps in the right direction.

Also – it’s been fun.  I mean – look how cute these sandwich thins are!!!

  This is roasted chicken breast, spinach, red bell pepper, onions and fresh mozzarella.  Tomato soup with spinach and goat cheese.  This is what you can do with a can of Campbell’s!Roasted chicken, brown rice, tomato paste, yellow bell peppers, peas, spinach, fresh mozzarella.

Dave and I went to Philadelphia for the weekend.   We spent some time with his parents and some time just running around the city.

I had a lovely time.

On Saturday I had the best pretzel ever at Miller’s Twist at the…. Dave wants to come back for Scrapplefest.  I, unfortunately, have plans that weekend.  Drats!We bought some yummy treats at Di Bruno Bros. Market.  3 types of cheese, homemade pepperoni and soppressata. After a looooooong walk we ended up at Bridget Foy’s. Dave liked these chairs. We started with hummus. Dave and I split this delicious burger – we even left some of the fries.

And also this Mac & Cheese.  We still have some left over.   And it was just as good as it looks.  More even.  It had a potato chip crust!

We walked some more.

 

Then we headed over to the Flower Show.  We were met with a free wine tasting as we walked in but sadly there was nothing special about any of the wines we tasted.  :(   Disappointing.  At one point I told Dave I’d rather stop tasting and wait and get a good glass of wine later.  That’s how mediocre it was. 

The flowers however were pretty amazing.  It had a French theme.  This just doubly confirms how much I need to go to France.  I’ll let most of the pics speak for themselves.         These purses (and pictures) are made with pressed flowers.  So cool. A Bonsai Tree – which was not made by a 180 year old man trained for 5 years – but is a 180 year old tree trained for 5 years. :)     There was also Antique shopping, drinks at the Ritz, a delicious Italian dinner, and a Penn State basketball victory.   And about 6 ish miles of walking throughout the day.

Pretty much perfect.

Stay tuned for some blog housekeeping, such as me flipping a coin to award Cheerios, and the great possibility of a video post starring me and Mora.

Hope you all had a good weekend.  Be back shortly.

I promise. :)