fitness

Demand and Dinner

/ foodsweatandbeers / 7 Comments

Good evening folks, I hope none of you are still as sweaty and gross as I am.  But if you are…. I salute you.

After my lunchtime post where I showed you my advanced icing techniques, my ankle actually started to feel a little better. I spent the day in a long meeting, taking care of business, and then tidied up my desk to show off for the new employee tomorrow.

This might be the most normal it has ever looked.

If you take a closer look, you’ll notice a McCormick’s Italian Herb blend, a toy dog wearing a fruit hat, and my iPhone got a text! A rare opportunity to look at my life, behind the scenes. Cherish it, y’all.

After work, with my ankle feeling up to snuff, I hit up Zumba (considering my favorite instructor was there, I had to do it.)  I’m glad I did, as I rocked it out.

Woo, baby.

I specifically remember the track where my HR reached 180 because, in the midst of panting, I glanced over at the watch and was like WHOAH! My ankle’s feeling a little sore now, but during the class I actually felt pretty decent.  It was a packed class, lots of total newbies, but everyone handled their business and rocked it out.  The energy was awesome, the music was perfect, and we even did an all-arm track to Carry Out by Justin Timberlake.  I’m sore, but in the best way possible.

Following the gym, I received word from the beau that he was going to be late for dinner, so I made the executive decision to go shopping.

In case you didn’t get the message, my 24th Birthday is Next Wednesday, August 24. That’s right, one week and one day away.  Feel free to shower me with sexy presents like beer and sports bras and Norts (Nike shorts, for the folks who aren’t familiar) and all the like.  Or packages, or tweets, or email love.  Or just buy me a cocktail and compliment the tiara I’ll be wearing on my big day and, more than likely, the night of the HLS cocktail party.  I’m needy like that.

Now that we all are on the same page for what I was shopping for, you might understand that Nordstrom Rack was at the top of my list.  Since my feet are huge (size 12-13), any store that carries my size is somewhere I frequent.  And today, I finally got lucky.

Sam Edelman, you've done good.

I’ve been looking for a pair of sandals with this single long strap.  Though these weren’t the silver I hoped for, the gems and spikes on the back…. I felt like Lady Gaga when I put them on.  And then I found my birthday dress.  Which just so happened to have little white streaks in it. The price was a little steep, and there was a gem missing, so I asked the man at the front if there was another one, or if I could get a discount.  I couldn’t get a discount, and he almost wouldn’t sell them to me….  and then he told me they were the only size 12 Sam Edelman sandals of this style AT ANY NORDSTROM RACK IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY!!!!!

I left, one pair of shoes richer (and a few more bucks than I wanted to be poorer…. but they were shaved about halfway from their original pricetag…. I’ll chalk it up as a win.)

With my birthday outfit success warming my heart, and my zumba class rumbling my tummy…. I headed home for dinner with the beau.

It was clean, it was fast, and it. was. tasty.

Grilled chicken covered in Frank's Red Hot and Laughing Cow Blue Cheese, steamed veggies, and a Diet Cherry Pepsi

Sweet Moments Caramel Delights

Now, it’s time to finish The Adjustment Bureau, shower, and sleep, sweetly and hopefully for a long time.  So. So. tired.

Do you get yourself birthday presents?  How about special birthday outfits?

I pretty much always do.  And rest assured, I’ll be rocking a tiara that day…. hard.

Surprise Date Night!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hello out there in TV Land! (or internet land. All the lands.)

So I finished the day at the office, and realized that the minor pain that I had in the front of my ankle was turning into a more major pain.  My pipe dreams of doing AbSculpt followed by BodyPump turned quickly into just an AbSculpt (not too much action on the ankle there, right?)

AbSculpt was hardcore today.

For 26 minutes (only really about 22 minutes of working it), that’s NTS (Not Too Shabby – Cedar Rapids). Then, after work, the beau and I decided to pick him up a little apron for a grilling gig he has this weekend (for his company picnic, he’ll be the guy flipping burgers for families and friends!)  Lucky for me (and hopefully him, too!) it turned into an impromptu date… My favorite kind!

After we scampered in and out of Wal-Mart, one apron richer, we were inches away from a Jason’s Deli, a spot I’ve never been in my whole life. Ry was pretty surprised, I guess it’s a fairly common place known for it’s muffalettas, a New Orleans delicacy.  But tonight, I wasn’t feeling the fluffy bready treat, I was feeling a little lighter fare.  They just so happened to have a whole section of the menu dedicated to just that!

Savvy Chicken Salad, sign me up!

Chicken Salad with some corn chips

I enjoyed the Savvy Chicken Salad Wrap: Organic wheat wrap with lower sodium chicken salad made with almonds and pineapple, roma tomatoes, red onions, and leafy lettuce. 

It was a little sweeter than I normally like my chicken salad, but I threw some of those corn chips in the wrap and a little bit of the salsa, added some salt and pepper, and perked it right up.  Ry went for a different option:

Hot Corned Beef and Pastrami

I’m pretty sure his sandwich ate my sandwich earlier in the day. He enjoyed it though, and I enjoyed a nibble or two.

Seeing as we were in the neighborhood…. I couldn’t help myself.  Tutti Frutti!!

A little more crowded than yesterday.

And if you’re wondering, yes I got froyo two days in a row.

Sorry I'm not sorry. Not even sorry for my crazy face.

And now…. we’re enjoying Cedar Rapids, thanks to the people at Neflix.  And maybe… I’ll even enjoy this beer to my left.

The Wrong Side of the Bed

/ foodsweatandbeers / 15 Comments

Good evening friends! You made it through Tuesday, congratulations!  I made it too, but barely!

See, the thing is…. this morning I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

This was my bed setup my Junior year of college.... Neon room? Heck yes. Half consumed bottle of Riesling on the desk? Duh.

See, I didn’t get to sleep until late last night, my own fault, I know. But when I woke up extra early this morning…. I was really off my game.  The result? A grouchy girl.

RAWR!!

Every single thing seemed to annoy me.

Forgot cheese for my salad? Anger.

My emails at work coming in slow? Fury.

This driver’s park job?

WHO DOES THAT?!

Rage blackout.

I knew it was a problem when not even my perfect salad from lunchtime was making me feel better.  So I took matters into my own hands, and spent the rest of the day trying to do all my favorite things that make me happy.

I dropped some packages off at the post office which, coincidentally, was right next to my favorite frozen yogurt spot, Tutti Frutti.  I mean, no harm in stopping by, seeing how long the line was, right?

Completely. Totally. Empty.

Well, at that point, what option did I have, really?

My little day-changer!

Yup.  A mini-cup (about $2.30 worth of froyo) did the trick.  And then, after work, my favorite zumba class and instructor!  It was killer, sweat pouring all over.

And an ab track thrown in at the end! Well-rounded, she definitely is.

And then, for dinner, my favorite method of cooking fish:

Blackened Cod, complete with Cajun Seasoning!

I used a buttload of the McCormick Perfect Pinch Cajun Seasoning which I’ve been putting on everything lately. It has cayenne, thyme, garlic, salt, and paprika in it all in one dash! I paired my piece with half a bag of steamed broccoli and cauliflower and Ry and I split a few fancy beers he got in a birthday pack.  None really worth noting, though, but I’m sure I’ll find one soon to write about in a review.

Basically, after watching an episode of Alphas (my newest favorite Sy Fy show) and splitting some Haribo gummy bears for dessert, I’m feeling a lot better.  In fact, I might even hit the hay early tonight…. but I’ll make sure I get to sleep on the right side (which, for me, happens to be the left side of the bed.)

What do you do when you’re having a lousy day to get your spirits back up?

How do you sleep in bed? On your side? On your stomach? On which side of the bed?

Garmin FR60: The Perfect HRM for an Everything Exerciser

/ foodsweatandbeers / 6 Comments

Good morning y’all!!

After confessing to my Secret Snack Hoarding yesterday, I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my chest.  To combat that newfound lightness, it only made sense to talk about something else that goes on my chest! (well, at least partially).

The Garmin FR60: The Little HRM That Changed Everything

I actually was lucky enough to win this bad boy last September from a blog…. that I don’t even remember, because last September I spent most of my time on my Tumblr blog CaseInPoints, and didn’t understand these crazy “wordpress” blogs… Oh, how naive and young I was (says the word-presser of like, 66 days).

Anyway, I had been jonesing and lusting after these so-called “HRMs” for a while before I was lucky enough to win one, and thought they were only for hardcore runners.  I saw the giant 310XTs  of Triathletes and the 305‘s of racers, and thought “I don’t run… I don’t bike…. But I wanna know.”

I wanted to know:

  • The length of my exercise
  • My average heart rate during different classes like BodyPump (or Pilates…. where I think my heart actually just stopped beating and  took a nap.)
  • How many calories I truly was burning

I noticed a lot of variety when I used machines like ellipticals, and had no clue what I was burning in a group fitness room.  It was very important to me, when I was deeply engrossed in my weight loss journey, to know exact numbers, and I hated not knowing.  But that all changed.

BEHOLD! My first tracked workout!! (from September of last year, wow!)

What you see is what I normally post regarding my workout.  That is a graph track of my HR throughout the near-hour of class, featuring the average HR on the left as well as the Max HR.  You can also change what type of workout you did on the top left, but I didn’t really utilize that option.  I did all this on Garmin Connect which I set up when I first received the FR60.

The Whole Kitten Caboodle

These are the three pieces that I use to track and upload my exercise.  These are the only three pieces of my package that I received (other than the online program) that matter to me, FR60 wise.

The Wiggity Watch (and my attractive left wrist.)

This is the piece I look at the most, the watch.  I was lucky enough to win a cute purple one, which is great because purple’s my second favorite color (after green.)  I heard this HRM is water resistant, but have never tested it.  One thing to note is the FR60 is NOT GPS-enabled. If you’re looking for a HRM that is, you may have to look into spending a few more doll-hairs. On the Garmin Website, you can buy the FR60 package for about $200 and that includes a foot pod (which is an accelerometer, better suited for runners I think.)  But my package just came with the three pieces (no pod.)  Just to get what I got, though, it runs about $129.  The watch is smaller than the big’uns I’ve seen others wear and honestly, I’ve worn it as a watch before (not with anything nice, but out and about definitely.)  It’s also very comfortable to wear and doesn’t slip, even at my sweatiest.

I'm with the Band!

The band that goes around my chest has only ever bothered me a few times, once I realized that you can NOT have it set too loose on your body (or else you’ll be adjusting it more than a strapless bra at your cousin’s wedding.)  Every now and then, when I’m doing ab work on my back, I’ll have to shift so that the adjustable part doesn’t sit on my spine.  Other than that, it’s great.  You can wash it with soap and water (and even throw the removable strap into the wash) and it fits so nicely that most of the time, I forget it’s there.

Sneaky little bugger

It’s the ANT stick, though, that puts it all together. Your link to Garmin Connect, and the only way you can pull your data from your device!  Once, I lost this.  It’s very small, the size of any jump drive, and I absentmindedly didn’t put it in it’s little trunk next to my bed…. never saw it again.

I caved and bought a new one on ebay for about 15 bucks (they normally sell, separately, for $50!!), because I just couldn’t deal with not knowing.

And now…. you know!!

Also, I have a feeling that, if I wanted, I could use even more functions on this bad boy but honestly…. it gets all the jobs done that I need.  As a gym rat, but not much of a runner, this is great for me AND if I wanted to become a runner, I get a foot pod and VOILA it’s set for that!

Do you have any questions about the FR60? Thinking about getting a HRM?  I’m an open book!!

Do you have a HRM that you love?  Which one? (I always like to stay hip on the HRM knowledge)

Pilates: A Play by Play Breakdown

/ foodsweatandbeers / 16 Comments

Hey all, and happiest of Mondays!

I’m not a huge fan of Mondays, especially after an excellent weekend (Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ on Friday, so much fun and celebrations on Saturday and Sunday).  If it has to be Monday, though, at least it can be a Monday featuring a delicious Fajita Salad!

Leftovers: A delicacy

I took the leftovers of my On the Border fajita meal and made a salad with all these goodies:

  • Spinach base
  • cheese
  • salsa
  • reheated Fajita fixins (onions, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and chicken)
  • Tomato

It was fantastic. I chased it with a chocolate Vita Top with a bit of marshmallow fluff (trying to recreate a s’more flavor… decent).

But honestly…. that’s not the point of this post.  This post is about Pilates. Before, I did a Play by Play of a Body Pump class. And I continue to do Body Pump because honestly, it’s a good time and I like it lots.  I figure it’d be nice to give a play-by-play of a class that I truly and absolutely have no interest in taking again.

Pilates: A Play by Play Breakdown

I was super-pumped to try Pilates with some of my coworkers this past Saturday.  I think, even more than the class, I was pumped to wear some of the clothes that look like what I saw all the Pilates kids doing at my gym.  I did the best I could to model my outfit after all those Pi-ladies.

Long tank top, bright sports bra, form fitting leggings

I was rocking the Under Armour ‘Shatter’ Capris that I got at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and they were SO comfortable.  The picture doesn’t do them justice, I think, as it was placed on my table and self-timed…. but they rock.

Anyway, I got to the studio and it looked…. exactly like what I thought it would look like.

Soothing colors, random balls, carpet... the whole nine yards.

Before I knew it, the class was getting started.  I chose a funky little tye-dye yoga mat, and was ready for whatever the instructor was bringing to the table.

LET'S DO IT!

I knew that it was going to be tough, though, when she mentioned that the free class was because she was trying out her first time teaching an advanced class.

Uh oh.

First, she talked about breathing. And then, demonstrated it.  It truly sounds a lot like the breathing you’d hear in a Lamaze class (you know… hee hee hee, hoo hoo hoo, in and out).  I tried my hardest to focus on this all class.  You’ll see how that got me into trouble soon enough.

I’d done a few pilates-esque exercise classes in the past with AbSculpt, but this was different.

THIS was an "easy" move

I've seen swans in my life.... this is not what they look like.

We also did this one.... a bunch of times.

Lest we forget this little jewel.

Throughout it all, we were supposed to be thinking about our breathing, thinking about our abs, and considering other thoughts like where the sun was and pulling our bellybutton to our spine.

It was just too much for me to think about trying to get a workout.  And honestly, I really don’t think I even got one.

My FR60 actually stopped working due to lack of sweat and too much moving around.

A few times, I felt light-headed because I was so busy focusing on my abs, I forgot my breathing, or vice versa.

Clearly, what this class proved was:

a) Pilates is not for me and

b) Be ready to multitask when taking this class!!

I am not bashing pilates by any means, and I think that some folks are totally meant for it…. Those long, lean, flexible folks get my respect.  And maybe even a bit of my envy.

Go on with your bad self, Gwyneth!

In the meantime, though, I’ll keep my workouts fast paced with blaring music and the possibility of being kicked in the face or dropping a weight on my toe (Danger is my middle name.)

Except when it comes to these Pilates Torture Devices.... Then my middle name is "No Thank You."

NOTE: To check out the sweet source of my pilates pose images, or sexy Gwyneth, just click on the image… it’ll take you there!

Have you ever done pilates?

How about a workout that you thought you’d like and ended up not being fond of?

IPA Day, Birthday, Thursday

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

Good afternoon to you all and TGIF so, so much.

It’s been a long week, a full one, and a busy one! In fact, yesterday I was so busy that I had no time to write even a single post.  I’m sure you were all very disappointed, so here’s what you missed!

23 years (and one day) ago, this little man was born:

RyBaby!! So pensive over pizza.

It only made sense to start celebrating the day of his birth with a treat specially requested by the beau himself.

Cafe du Monde Beignet mix!!

While these were easy enough to mix, I realized moments after pouring that I was missing two key ingredients for the process:

  • Powdered sugar
  • A rolling pin

Neither of these could be substituted (well, I just really needed a rolling pin anyway) so at 7:40 am, I rolled up to Harris Teeter, looking classy as all get out in a dapper oversized t-shirt and boxers, unshowered and wiping sleep from my eyes. I’m sure everyone wanted to be my friend.  A quick purchase later, and a REALLY difficult amount of rolling the dough out, followed by a minor grease burn, with Ry’s help, we had…. BEIGNETS!

Mm.... Greasy fried dough!

They may not have been exactly like the ones we ate in NOLA, they were darn tasty.

During my lunch hour, instead of coming home for some No Pants time , I went to the gym, knowing full well I’d have no time to go after work.  A sweaty three miles on the elliptical were chased with a quick shower and then a delicious, yet slightly unfilling, meal.

Trader Joe's Chicken Tikka Masala

However, when I did what I normally do with tikka masala and rice (jam it all together for a mixed up tasty mash), it looked more like this:

Not exactly a lot of foods...

This frozen meal felt more like an appetizer. And I’m DESPERATELY craving real Indian food now (hear that, Ryan?  are you reading?)

After work, I was FINALLY able to participate in one of my (new) all-time favorite holidays!

We had a great night planned at Rockfish, and it was packed! Great company, a great brand rep from Peak Organic Brewing Company, and, let’s not forget, a great beer!!

Peak Organic's Hop Noir

From the brewer:

Hop Noir is a delectable Black IPA, dripping with piney, aromatic Centennial hops. The malt base is dark and rich, anchored by organic black malt. This provides a strong foundation for the extravagant kettle hopping and dry-hopping that this beer experiences. Enjoy with a night-light.

My thoughts?

This beer was a WELCOME change of pace from the other super floral hoppy IPAs I’ve enjoyed all week (like Monday’s double IPA lineup!)  The words I’d use to describe the beer would be malty, smokey, and dark! It was sort of like a campfire burn taste, but there were enough hops in there that you could absolutely tell it was an IPA. Black IPAs are pretty new to me, so I was stoked on this one.  We even had a few ladies from Girls Pint Out come to join in the fun!!

Oh yeah, then we came home and split an ENTIRE pepperoni pizza.

I’d say it was a bangup birthday, all around.  This weekend will be more exciting celebrations, one of the highlights being Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ tonight in Cary.

What are you doing this weekend?  Any fun plans?

Everyone’s in Crisis!! Better do a Beer Review…

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and a happy Hump Day!  Normally, I love Wednesdays, mostly due to the changing of the sales. But there weren’t too many excellent sales today, and so I just putzed around.  Lunchtime was great, as I bared my soul and told you all about No Pants Wednesday (and every day, for me). I was happy to hear how many of you hate pants as well. To all you pants lovers… there’s hope for you still.  After work, I got dolled up in my workout gear, and hit the gym.

I'm workout Barbie!

Tonight, I’m on call for a crisis line. This could either mean nothing, or it could mean a lot of stressful calls. Unfortunately, tonight, it meant a lot of stressful calls. I checked in for my shift at 5pm and then hopped into an AbSculpt class. The teacher this week was that same instructor from the last week I took the class, the pilates queen, and so it was a different vibe of workout. We did some leg circle things, and some nice inner thigh workout that I loved.  I made it through the 26 minutes of the workout no sweat (well, false, some sweat, but you know what I mean.)

Then, it was time for BodyPump. I love taking the ab class before BodyPump, if only to be able to have a jump start on the “good spots” for Pump (which is always a packed house.)  In the middle of Pump, though, I received my first crisis call of the evening, right before the tricep track. I ran out of the fitness room and to a secluded section of the gym, only to return after the 12 minute call (aka right in the middle of the lunge track.)  Even though it was a choppy workout, it was a good one (nice to get some strength training in there after all my cardio).

Work it, now!

After working it, I got TWO more calls, leaving me a little worse for wear in the stress zone. Luckily, the beau took the wheel and cooked up some ground turkey, perfect for a taco salad (what else is new, right?)  I didn’t snap a shot, but it looked a LOT like this:

Deconstruct your meals into salads!

Recycled picture, just imagine that salad with less tomatoes and no avocado, and more salsa and pepper. Either way, it was fantastic.

In honor of #IPADay, we’ve been enjoying quite a few IPAs this week, and tonight, I figured “Why not?!”

Fort Collins Brewery Rocky Mountain IPA (with a fun elephant!!)

The Fort Collins Brewery Rocky Mountain IPA  is described by the brewer as:

An IPA by definition is liberally hopped and higher in alcohol. We made Rocky Mountain IPA by dry hopping for an intense floral aroma and adding a generous helping of malt to create a backbone stable enough to support the characteristic bitterness of the beer.

In my opinion, this is a quality beer (shock shock, another from Colorado) worthy of trying during IPA day (or any day). It was poured into a glass with very little head, coming out a dark orange/brown color.  When I smelled it, I initially smelled the hops (typical with an IPA) but I also thought I smelled some sort of cinnamon or dark spice.  The taste was a little malty, which is why Ryan liked it, and why he wasn’t so turned off by the floral tastes (think Bell’s Two Hearted, that’s what he’s not a fan of, but which I am a big fan!). The only part that I didn’t like was the mouthfeel (hee hee that word always makes me chuckle). My mouth felt sort of dry afterwards, almost like a bitter friction on my tongue which I am not too fond of… Still tasty, but probably wouldn’t go outta my way to get it in the future.  Unless I’m in a fun elephant mood. If that’s the case…. Maybe.

But maybe then, I’ll just watch these funny elephants.

Do you have any plans for IPA Day?

Are you excited for any beer related events? How about any other weekend fun?

I can’t wait for this weekend (which unofficially starts tomorrow!) Peak Brewing Hop Noir glass night tomorrow at Rockfish, then Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ this weekend!!

Zum-bad to the Bone!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 23 Comments

Hey hey y’all!

I’m feeling absolutely FAN-tastic after a killer workout at the gym. I was so stoked for today’s Zumba class because my favorite instructor was back from summer “break” (aka her son or daughter was on a swim team during the EXACT time of my Tuesday zumba classes.) I love her because she just jumps right into things, stays high energy the whole time, and mixes up the music.  In fact, today we did an awesome track to, of all things, a country song!

It involved a lotta belt buckle holding, and a lotta kicks but, most importantly, a lotta shaking it. I get the feeling that my instructor might be a little bit of a country girl herself… There’s a twang in her voice and she held onto that “belt buckle” a little too well to not be….

In fact, she kind of reminds me of some sort of hybrid between:

Kristin Chenoweth's looks and Southern cuteness

Erin Heatherton's shaped (yet still feminine) abs

Beyonce's Bootylicious moves!

It’s truly the perfect storm of Zumba. Her abs are so toned that it makes you wanna do any of the moves she does in hopes to get em, and her moves are so fun you forget when you even started.

Oh, did I mention it’s a killer workout?

756 sexy calories burned

She also tossed in an arms-only track to Justin Timberlake’s “Carry Out” that left my arms shakey.

After having not exercised in two days (and one of them was mostly spent feeling sorry for myself), it was so crucial to get right back into it.  I feel like a new woman. Only sweatier.

I guess it’d only make sense to shower, really complete the process of “new woman”ification.

Do you Zumba?

I Zumba on the reg, but honestly I tend to use it as a “gimme” workout… except with this instructor.  And even though I have a super cute Zumba shirt, I’m not a zumba-holic…. but I saw one girl today wearing a Zumba tank top, a Zumba skirt, and Zumba SHOES!

Ready to take it to the next level? ZUMBA SHOES!

In case you’re in the market for these bad boys, check out McCarley Fitness aka the first website I found that offers them.

Do you have special outfits you wear for particular workouts?

I’d never wear my Zumba shirt to a BodyPump.  Faux pas, I think.

 

Baby’s Day Out: Grown Woman Edition

/ foodsweatandbeers / 7 Comments

Happy Friday night!!  I hope everyone’s weekend is getting started off right!!

I took the second half of today off from work as my shark week was getting the best of me, and I needed some R&R.  After getting some nutrients in my body and laying on the couch for about 2 hours, I was getting a little stir crazy.  It was time for an adventure.

Remember that film, Baby’s Day Out?

Baby Bink!

Well, basically, Baby Bink flies the coop and experiences some crazy baby shenanigans in the big city.  My day was exactly like that.  Minus the crooks and the gorilla and the city. And I’m not a baby so I can drive, not just crawl around.  Other than that…. the same.

First up, Old Navy.  I knew that today and tomorrow, all their swimwear left was only $4.  Alas, the pickins were slim (as in…. hideous pieces that it’s no wonder no one picked them up.)  I started to venture in the direction of the clearance section but, considering I was still feeling a little under the weather, the mere sight of the clearance rack chaos was overwhelming.

UGH, too much work.

Sometimes, I’m fully in the mood for sale hunting. Today was not one of those times.

Up next, I figured I’d swing by whole foods to take advantage of their one day sale on salmon. When I got there, I was promptly told that they were fresh out. AGHHHHHHHHH!

What frustrated me the most was not that they were all out (they’d sold over 600 lbs before 3pm!) but that there was no indication whatsoever.  In fact, they still had their sign up advertising it, which was rude and forced all of us customers, with hope gleaming in our salmon loving eyes, to feel embarrassed as we, one by one, had to ask and be DE-NIED!

YOU SIT ON A THRONE OF LIES, WHOLE FOODS!

In hopes of making the day not a full bust, I went to the one spot that I was sure I would score: Trader Joe’s.  Thanks to an earlier tweet and all the responses from the tweeps, I came home a victor!

Hooty hooooo!

Wine, light kettle corn, whole wheat pizza dough, sweet potato fries, frozen mahi mahi, carrots, Indian foods, light brie (meh, not all it’s cracked up to brie. LOL! GET IT?!) Flax seed tortilla chips (spicy), salsa, pizza suace, soy crackers, seaweed snacks, and a pepper.

I completed my day out with a brief (but HARDCORE) workout for the new release of BodyAttack.  It was AMAZING but I’ll wait to do a full review until I get an actual full class (this was missing 2 tracks).

Not too shabby.

The last track shot my HR up to 187, which I haven’t seen since maybe the last time I did a spin class.  Clearly, she had us working.

Now this Baby Bink is off to watch a movie with a friend and make a pizza.  Perfect evening.

What are you doing this weekend?

What would you do on your perfect day out, alone?

Microwaves vs. Crockpots: A Weight Watchers Metaphor

/ foodsweatandbeers / 9 Comments

Good evening, y’all!!

Today, after work, I took a rest day, as I knew I would.  I spent some time at the grocery store, and came out with a KILLER haul due to sales and bogos.  25 dollhairs for all of this:

Hooray Grocery Goodies!

Well, actually, the box of wine glasses/glass of wine on the left was simply what I was drinking post-grocery store.  I did some cleaning, I drank some vino, and I watched some X-Men and continued to feel like a superhero. It was a true success.

For dinner, we had tacos. Well, I had some taco salad and the beau nibbled some true tacos.  It was a SEXY looking meal.

Delightful!

In the salad:

  • Spinach base
  • 1 roma tomato
  • 1/2 green pepper
  • 1/2 avocado
  • spicy turkey mix
  • salsa
  • low fat mexi-mix cheese!

It was simply the best.

Tonight, I was thinking back on a post I read back in my tumblr days.  The idea was on weightloss and how folks are either microwaves or crockpots.  This post, by the Active Artist, (real name: Alex) basically talked about how different folks lose weight incredibly fast (microwaves) or slow and steady (crockpots).  Please read the post to see his opinion (I don’t wanna sum it up wrong) but here’s my response.

I love this analogy.  I’ve recently been talking a lot about weight loss to my mother, who started my journey with me last March, but fell off the wagon with grad school, five kids, a husband, and a veryyyy busy life to handle. She was asking me questions about losing the weight I did, and how I did it so fast.  However, I just looked back at some old posts and maybe have an addition to this metaphor.

In March, I started my goal to lose weight. By August 12th, I was 181.5, down over 30 lbs.  However, at my last weigh-in I was 172.  This is about 9 lbs since August, which just a month shy of a year ago. So while I lost the initial 30 lbs in what seemed like no time, the last 20 that I’m trying to work on have been like inchworms they’re leaving so slowly.

Part of it may have to do with moving in with someone, and adjusting my eating habits to another person. Part of it may have to do with this newfound freedom of looking good in clothes and feeling great despite not losing every week, because I am eating what I want (admittedly, what I want is often grilled chicken, veggies, salads, etc), and feeling sexy.  But the thing is, I know I can do better.  So here’s my addition:

I think I’m a microwave. A trusty dependable one that’s worked your whole life, only one day, it’s not working. And so your food’s not cooking at all, and you’re confused. Only the thing is, it’s going to end up being something stupid, like it’s not actually plugged into the wall socket.

All I need to do is find that damn plug, and plug back into my weight loss. That, I think, will give my system the jump-start it needs.

And, if you’re not sure, I have mixed feelings about microwaves.

Thanks for reading, I know it was text-heavy.

How about you?  Are you a microwave or a crock pot?

Are you trying to lose weight or are you happy where you are?