Food and Exercise 37

-hemp oatmeal w/ 1 tbsp sunflower seed butter (260 cals)

-a few chips with guac/salsa (and a tiny bit of this disgusting thing they tried to pass off as queso, but besides looking like cheese dip the similarities ended there) (255 cals?)

-a giant "cosmo" margarita made w/ patron and a splash of cranberry juice (guessing 600 cals? could be way off either way)

-1 and 3/4 regular margaritas (300ish cals)

-1 vodka soda (60ish cals)

-part of an order of calamari (175 cals?)

-small greek salad (200 cals?)

-activia light blueberry yogurt (70 cals)

-water (over 100 oz) (0 cals)

tentative total: 1920ish calories

So, I lied last entry. I did have more than one margarita. Oops. If it makes you feel any better a couple hours later I got a killer headache that last all nite. Sigh. 

What happened was, we went to Friday's and I was looking forward to it all day. It SUCKED. Their emails/website said you'd be greeted at the door with some mardi gras flair and appetizers were 5 cents each from 4-7 and the new blackberry margarita was making its debut, we had that coupon I told you about for the free chips and dips etc. Sounded like a pretty good plan, right? Ugh, or not. The dips were seriously TINY, which I don't care about (hey, it's free), HOWEVER it took like 30 minutes to get to us. WTF? The place was DEAD and it's not like any of it had to be cooked! My Mom joked that they probably went to the mexican place nearby and asked for their rejected food. The chips were really stale too. Plus, they didn't even have the margarita! Well, I didn't ask, but it wasn't advertised (a blackberry long island iced tea was, but that's it. Weird...). My Mom encouraged me to ask, but with our horrible service already I wasn't very enthusiastic. I figured at best they'd just offer to make up a blackberry marg recipe, so I decided to just try the cosmo one. A little sweet for my tastes, but it was pretty good. Since the chips took FOREVER the manager came by and told us dessert was on her. Sweet! (no pun intended). We were planning on getting the pumpkin cupcakes to go anyway. I felt kinda weird tho since neither of us were that hungry we decided not to order anything else, so all we were paying for is the drinks. Oh well. OH, and they kept telling us appetizers were half off for mardi gras. UM, they're half off for happy hour every day??? The email said 5 cents! I heard the people at the table in front of us ask about that and their (good) waiter had to check it out (WTF? how do they not know any of this?), but they, of course, honored it. My Mom wanted to get some at this point, but I felt kinda cheap already haha idk I shoulda taken advantage of it, but I didn't want to wait even longer, so I suggested we move the party elsewhere :-P. (And just as an FYI, the cupcakes were tiny too. No wonder they give you two to an order! I gave my brother one and told my Dad he could have a BITE of the other. Yeahhh....he ate most of it and ALL the frosting. Rude!).

After a little deliberation we decided on this margarita bar/restaurant called Red's. They're kinda shifty w/ their prices (their website lists happy hour margaritas as $3...yet when you go there they say $5.... and 3/4 of the time they charge you full price anyway. WTF?), so my Mom asked the owner about it (since we found out he was sitting right behind us) and ugh she was already tipsy and was just being loud and crazy and embarassing me lol. It's a long story all she said, it was funny but sooo unnecessary and just..god...WHY? haha. On the way there I was hungry, but once again, as also happened at Friday's, once I sat down I just wanted a drink, didn't feel like I needed much food. My Mom had no idea what she was doing (half tipsy half hyper, apparantly), so she ordered guacamole and forgot about it lol b/c it was only $2 or so on happy hour (usually $8!), so I couldn't resist the calamari ($3! usually $10, I think). BAD!!! She also got a hamburger, but we ended up taking most of the food home. They also said they were gonna give us a free marg to make up for her having to pay extra all of those times, but of course they didn't. I hate that place, but she loves it, so oh well. I wanted a fancier or "healthier" (read: less caloric) drink, but since only the house margaritas are on happy hour as far as I know, and they're not made from a mix + they're small I just got one of those. Then I (probably stupidly) switched to vodka. I was gonna have another vodka (glad I didn't..), but my Mom had only drank a few sips of her margarita and we were almost ready to go, so I just finished that. 

UM and our bartender thought I was 14??? Well, he believed me, but he said he had to see my ID before he served me b/c I look 14, but I should appreciate that. 14?! Riiight.

My brother went on his first official date last nite (aww), so that's cool. We had to help him find out how to get to her house, how to get to the movies, etc from her house, and back again. After that I decided I should probably eat something, even tho I was still only a bit hungry, but felt I could use a little nutrition. Hence, the salad and light yogurt. I wish that yogurt was organic tho, ugh. I always feel creepy after eating something with chemicals and especially hormones/antibiotics pumped into it. Ick. Anyway..

I'm sad Ron/Mike were below the yellow line on Biggest Loser last nite. I want Tara to win (tho I'd be OK w/ Mike), but I really wanted Ron and Mike to make it all the way together. Fucking Helen. I really do not like that bitch. :). She better get third. And I think that was so dangerous and plain STUPID to make them all do a marathon. I felt so bad for Mike not being able to run, but they really put them all in danger, especially Ron (and Mike, considering his condition). Not cool. I can't believe even Jillian hasn't run one!

Oh and out of curiosity from the hijinx yesterday I weighed myself this morning. I lost another lb. I'm not gonna officially count it since I forget the exact number, but haha HOW? Hey, I'll take it! :)

exercise:

7 min treadmill @ 4mph, 8 min @ 3.5mph, 10 min @ 3mph, & 5 min @ 2.5mph

I woke up TWO HOURS earlier than I needed to (about 30 min earlier than usual for a Tuesday, but I already have enough pts for an A in statistics, so I decided not to go anymore). I couldn't fall back asleep, so I hopped on the treadmill. I only had about 20 minutes I could really fit in to my schedule, but I kept wanting to go longer. I figured if I kept going slower it'd just be an extra long cool down lol. Tho I did jog a little during fast parts of the songs I was listening to, even at the slow speed of the treadmill. Shh. And again, it was all on a slight incline. 

K, I've blabbered on looooong enough.

XO,

Amanda

Food and Exercise (!!!) 36

A lil disheveled after run numero uno :)

-banana cheerios in almond milk (165 cals)

-brown rice wrap with pesto chicken salad and hummus (320 cals?)

-medium skim iced latte with blueberry flavoring (well, I asked for skim, I have a sneaking suspicion it wasn't, but I'm probably wrong. I get paranoid about that a lot lol) (135 cals?)

-1/2 bowl of tempeh, tofu, veggie stir fry in a peanut sauce with soba noodles (340 cals)

-water (over 100 oz) (0 cals)

-1 organic chocolate truffle (55 cals)

-pineapple + frozen grapes (90ish cals)

tentative total: 1105 calories

Exercise: 

40 min jogging on treadmill (10 min @ 3.3mph &10 min @ 4.0mph//20 min @ 3.5mph)

YES I WORKED OUT. For real. WHAT? I was tired of my ass just sitting in a chair all afternoon, so I alternated b/w walking and running (yes, 4mph is pretty much running for me. I'm very slow lol), so I jumped on our treadmill. I promised myself just 20 minutes (but usually when I say that I go beyond it) and 20 minutes is what I did. UNTIL a couple hours later I thought why not just go again? I was in the mood, so what could it hurt? So I kept a stable, in between pace this time (alternating between speed walking and jogging, but keeping the same treadmill speed) and did another 20. Both times I did this I had the treadmill set on a slight incline. I hate to say it, but for a minute there the second interval of going 4mph (I split them up into 5 min sections) was a little rough. I wanted to quit early and go back to 3.3, but I didn't let myself. My chest hurt and I was home alone, so I was hoping it was just asthma and I wasn't going to die of a heart attack with no one around (yes, that's the kind of stuff I think about....), but surprise. I made it :-P. 

IT FELT SOOOOOO GOOD. I hope I keep it up! It's always interesting to me how the first workout after a hiatus (no matter how short) is either hellacious or amazing. Yay for amazing. I was DRIPPING sweat the first time. Gross. 

Haha SO not flattering, but you can see some of the sweat on me & this is AFTER I splashed water on my face and upper chest/neck area (and dried it..)

Oh, and I was wrong. I did lose weight. Only 1.2 I think, but I'll take it! I'm hoping if I work out and eat well consistently this week I'll drop a bigger number (I'd be happy with 3, but would really like 5-6 lol). 

Tomorrow, being Cinco De Mayo, is going to present some problems, but nothing out of control. I think I'm going to hit up Friday's after school. I have a coupon for free chips and queso/salsa/guac. They're also unveiling a new blackberry margarita I'd like to try. If I eat a good breakfast and light snack for "lunch" like I'm planning, hopefully a handful of chips and dip and a marg won't do too much damage. I'll keep my actual dinner quite light and if I partake in more than one alcoholic beverage I'll balance it out with water + stick to vodka and club soda after the initial marg (it's my fave anyway..) and not have a ton at that. It's dangerous territory for weight loss, but it's real life and real life is about making better choices, not rearranging your life. Kinda. I know I don't have to go, but..I want to. :). 

You may have seen in my Youtube video today that I bought sunbutter which is a nut/seed butter made from sunflower seeds. I can't wait to try it tomorrow! 

I still can't believe how little meat I've been eating, how little I've missed it (not that I'm trying to ever completely give it up), and how I'm still getting seemingly adequate amounts of protein without even trying. Nice!

This blog has really helped me a lot too. Sure, I haven't had any major losses yet (well, I did lose the 4 or 5 or so the first week if I'm not mistaken), but I definitely think "would I want to write this down?" before I eat anything. Very good for me. 

XO,

Amanda

BTW, almond milk is pretty good! A litttle sweet (but I vaugley remember hating the unsweetened chocolate, so I can deal w/ a little sweet), but overall tasty. Maybe I'll like it even more with a blander cereal, since the banana cheerios are already sweet. Yay for trying new things. 

Food and (no) Exercise 35

-black coffee x 2-3 (0 cals)

-veggie egg white omelet w/ a lil feta (250 cals?)

-english muffin with a little butter and jam (240 cals?)

-crispy potatoes w/ ketchup (200 cals?)

-water (over 100 oz) (0 cals)

-activia light blueberry yogurt (70 cals)

-creme brulee almonds (170 cals)

-1/2 serving of mango aloe vera juice (35 cals)

-plain frozen yogurt with strawberries (90 cals?)

tentative total: 1055 calories

Looks gross, but it was really good lol

I keep forgetting to weigh myself before I eat in the morning. Hopefully I'll remember tomorrow. I doubt I lost tho since I'm not exercising :(. I really really need to get myself back in the habit. Especially after school is out, b/c then I have NO excuse. Plus, my trip is less than a month away. Obviously I'm not gonna make it anywhere near the 25lb mark like I hoped, butttt that doesn't mean I can't still get more toned and look as good as possible in the time I do have. 

The yeast I've been eating is finally catching up to me and making my tongue hurt again. DAMMIT why am I so senstive to yeast? NOT FAIR. All the fiber is really making my stomach look smaller, so due to vanity I'm probably not gonna stop eating it unless it gets really bad, but we'll see. *knock on wood*. 

So, I just went downstairs and noticed a new item on our counter that my Dad bought today. Creme Brulee flavored almonds (as you see from my foods I ate today list). Sound amazing right? Oh, they are. They're also basically just almonds covered in sugar, corn syrup, artificial flavorings and preservatives aka everything I try to avoid. NOT COOL. He doesn't need to be tempted by that shit either, he's getting a stern talking to once he gets off the phone LOL. 

My goal this week is to make it to 100oz of water every single day. 

XO,

Amanda

Another Week of Meals

Not that I really followed it last week, but I found the planning v. helpful regardless (b/c a.) I tried to work with groceries we already had & b.) I didn't buy a ton of stuff and then waste it, like usual). So, here is my verrry tentative plan of meals, snacks, & desserts for Mon-Fri. The weekends are even harder to predict, so that's why I don't bother. Oh, and I don't eat "real" lunch on Tues/Thurs, b/c I'm usually in class from 12:30-5, so I have to pack easy snacky things to eat either on the run or in class. I'm almost done tho! I may even not go to Stats anymore (I already have an "A"--woohoo), but we'll see. This is my last real week of classes and next week I have finals. Then I just have to apply for graduation and I'm allll doneee. Crazy!

Monday:

-Breakfast= banana cheerios with almond milk and coconut milk yogurt 

-Lunch= pesto chicken wrap & fruit

-Dinner= tempeh & tofu stir fry with veggies and soba noodles all in a peanut sauce

Tuesday:

-Breakfast= oatmeal & cashew butter, coconut, and goji berries

-Lunch= akmak crackers, string cheese, apple slices

-Dinner= chili's guiltless grill item (and let's be honest....vodka)

Wednesday:

-Breakfast= cereal (kashi heart health maybe?) and milk (organic skim or almond depending on my opinion of the almond) with coconut milk yogurt

-Lunch= pesto chicken wrap & fruit

-Dinner=fish with artichoke dressing, veggies, and quinoa

Thursday:

-Breakfast= oatmeal & cashew butter, coconut, and goji berries

-Lunch= akmak crackers, string cheese, apple slices

-Dinner= fake chicken parm and polenta

Friday:

-Breakfast= cereal (fiber one shredded wheat?) and milk with an activia yogurt

-Lunch= pesto chicken wrap & fruit

-Dinner= chicken with artichoke dressing (if it's any good) with brown rice and veggies (altho we may just go out...)

Snacks: high fiber english muffins with cream cheese and jam, fiber one bars, fruit, carrots/celery and hummus, celery and cream cheese or celery and nut butter with raisins, frozen veggie bites, yogurt bowls with fruit and granola, pizza wraps, flax seed and quinoa tortilla chips with salsa and 100 cal guacamole packs, etc.

Desserts: chocolate vitatops/vitamuffins, plain frozen yogurt with fruit, rice pudding with chocolate chips, chocolate peanut butter soy ice cream, etc.

Food and (no) Exercise 36

Yesterday...

-banana cheerios with organic skim milk (175 cals)

-double fiber english muffin with cream cheese and strawberries (160 cals)

-3/4 of a bbq chicken wrap (450 cals?)

-sweet potato fries (200 cals?)

-mixed fruit cup (100 cals?)

-double vodka soda (125 cals)

-plain frozen yogurt (75 cals?)

-water (0 cals)

tentative calories: 1285 calories

They have corn syrup in them so I *sniff* may not buy them again, but those banana cheerios are FREAKING DELICIOUS.

XO,

Amanda

Food and (no) Exercise 35

-fiber one strawberry granola bar (140 cals)

-double the fiber whole grain english muffin with light cream cheese & strawberries (180 cals)

-activia blueberry light yogurt (70 cals)

-almond flavored yeast-free puff pastry twist (60 cals)

-plain fat free greek yogurt with 1/2 cup fiber one frosted shredded wheat and a few strawberries and a bit of cinnamon (215 cals)

-6 soy cheese and whole wheat pizza bites (180 cals)

-black beans and rice (175 cals)

-veggie chili acting as taco meat on a fat flush tortilla with veggies and fat free greek yogurt with a drizzle of ranch (250 cals?)

-1/2 serving of organic blue corn tortilla chips and a 100 cal pack of guacamole (175 cals)

-water (over 100 oz)

-frozen grapes, fresh pineapple, and 1 kiwi (95ish cals?)

tentative total: 1540 calories

I was really snacky/hungry ALL DAY. I don't mind going over calories too much, since I ate basically all healthy food. I'm sad tho-- I've checked two stores for my favorite Fiber One carmel cereal and they don't seem to have it anymore. Wtf? They had all the other fiber one cereals, but that one is sooooo good. I got banana cheerios to try (my third cereal purchase this week lol) and some almond milk to try. I wanted cereal and milk soo badly for lunch, but we were out of milk at the time (hence the yogurt and cereal). Obviously I've been eating more yeast, but so far my body seems OK with it in moderation *knock on wood*. I'm only adding a little bit because a lot of the higher fiber products contain it. I'm a little annoyed with myself for some of the fiber products, since they have a few products in them I prefer not to eat (preservatives etc), but they're overall good, so I'm letting it pass for now.

I took a short nap today. Argh I HATE naps, but I just could not stay awake. I thought this tired business was going away!

T.G.I.F.

XO,

Amanda

P.S. Dancing Through Life is doing a book giveaway, check it out it looks great:

http://maintenancewithashley.blogspot.com/

Food and (no) Exercise 34

-small mug of hot water with lemon juice (0 cals)

-hemp oatmeal with dried plums (275 cals)

-5 akmak whole wheat crackers (110 cals)

-water (over 100 oz) (0 cals)

-club soda (0 cals)

-fiber one mocha granola bar (140 cals)

-vegetarian chili with soy crumbles and beans with greek yogurt and chopped red onion (250 cals?)

-organic blue corn tortilla chips to dip in the chili (120 cals)

-1/2 of a vitamuffin top (50 cals)

-sugar-free rice pudding with dark chocolate chips (125 cals?)

-one cup of frozen grapes (60 cals)

tentative total: 1130 cals

I accidentally left my snack (except the crackers) at home. Good thing I wasn't very hungry today anyway. 

Also, as much as I rave about that oatmeal, it's pretty bland sans nut butter. Kinda disappointing! Still really good texture, but def worth the extra calories to have the cashew butter to make it one of my favorite breakfasts ever. On it's own it's nothing special, sad to say.

After school I went to the store again and loaded up on Fiber products. I wonder what the cashier thought LOL.

I was invited out to dinner w/ a different cousin tonite, but opted to stay home instead. Probably for the best. It gave me a chance to film my chili for Youtube (lol) and stay far away from the liquor I would have inevitably consumed. 

Nothing else to report.

XO,

Amanda

Probably should have taken a pic of the veggie chili before covering it with chips LOL