Go Dragon Princess!

1. Eat out less then 20 meals:  I'm pretty proud to say I didn't eat out on Friday.  Because seriously, wait until you guys see what I did on Saturday...  15 total meals out.

2. At least 25 days with a 750+ calorie burn:

     Breakfast: oatmeal w/almond milk, banana & brown sugar = 290 calories

     Lunch: apple, mini babybel light, strawberries & greek yogurt = 274 calories

     Dinner: turkey & swiss on a sandwich thin with pretzels = 434 calories

     Snacks: vodka = 257 calories

     Totals: 2594 burned - 1255 eaten = -1339 total burned, 15 days total.

Joe got a mini babybel bag for free when we bought a pack of laughing cow wedges.  Aren't they so cute?  They're pretty much just like string cheese only not stringy.

3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes:  Friday didn't start out so great exercise wise, we skipped our 6am run because it was crazy hot & humid, 85 degrees at 6am!  I really wanted to make up the 2 mile run so I packed a gym bag.  Some time in the late afternoon I got an email from Kat asking if we were interested in going out to Atlantic City that night.  I was kind of interested in going but knew that would lead to drinking and all its empty calories so I made the big girl choice to not only do my 2 mile run on a treadmill but to also take group power, by myself (Christina & Joanne had a birthday party to attend)!  680 minutes total. 

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  Steps were no sweat what with my run and then all the walking around the casinos.  12671 steps.  18 days total. 

5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of house work:  I didn't have a lot of time for cleaning once I made the decision to go out.  By the time I got home from the gym it was almost 7:30 and Mark/Kat were picking me up around 9pm to go out.  I jumped in the shower, made a quick sandwich for dinner and was back out the door.  12 days total.

We started the evening at the Racebook at Borgata, it's by no means a fancy bar, smoking is allowed (yuck) and it's pretty much full of dirty old men, but they have 3 big screens full of horse races running and all you have to do is place a $2 bet and they give you a drink ticket; you then take said drink ticket to the bar for top shelf drinks, hello, awesome deal!  This was my first time there but I'm sure it won't be my last, Joe's going to love this place (he wasn't able to join us because he was helping a friend move after work and by the time he got home we were already out).

Kat and I would pick a few horses depending on which names we liked, Mark would buy the tickets, we'd get drinks, watch the race then repeat the process when our drinks were empty.  It was so much fun!

After a little while we got the call from Shana & Bill that they had finally arrived at the Tropicana.  They were excited to go to A Dam Good Sports Bar because they have $5 40s.  This is great for the guys because they get a lot of beer for a low price but we vodka drinking ladies end up paying more.  Luckily we'd already knocked back a few at the Racebook so we didn't mind sipping slowly.

We hung out for a few hours then headed for food (more on that on Saturday's post since technically we're now in to Saturday morning not Friday night).  I made sure to write Joe a message on the bathroom wall, take a picture & text it to him before we left.  Seriously more places should have chalkboard walls...maybe I can convince Joe to let me paint one of the office walls?!?!

social butterfly

1. Eat out less then 20 meals:  I was pretty sure I would be eating dinner out on Thursday.  I had a hair appointment after work and was planning to stop and visit Lorie/Alayna, in the past this would have obviously equaled a stop at Wendy's.  What I hadn't planned for was a lunch date with Kat; she was working at an office near by and suggested we meet for lunch, we decided on Formica Bros in Northfield.  Luckily Joe ended up cooking dinner so I was still even in the end, and the panini I had for lunch was totally worth it!  15 total meals out.

2. At least 25 days with a 750+ calorie burn:

     Breakfast: oatmeal w/almond milk, banana & brown sugar = 290 calories

     Lunch: tomato, mozzarella & basil panini = 345 calories

     Dinner: cheddar wurst & corn on the cob = 620 calories

     Snacks: 0 calories

     Totals: 2103 burned - 1255 eaten = -848 total burned, 14 days total.

3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes:  I did not work out on Thursday.  As I mentioned before I had a hair cut scheduled for right after work and then I stopped at Lorie's to visit & meet Alayna.  She is such a pretty baby!  We hung out for about an hour & a half before more family started to show up & took a cue to head home.  I'm really going to try to stop over at least once a week.  598 minutes total. 

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  I was pretty low on steps when I got home.  It was already after 8pm and crazy hot/humid out so I really didn't want to take a walk on the bike path but I needed more steps then ShopRite usually uses.  Thankfully I have Joe & Nicole because they played along & didn't complain when I decided to try to get all my steps by walking every aisle in the grocery store.  10646 steps.  17 days total. 

5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of house work:  I didn't spend a lot of time at home so I really couldn't tackle much cleaning.  Plus Joe got home from work before me & took care of most the the easy jobs.  12 days total.

Five for Friday ~ 7/22/11

1. We spent the whole weekend together & didn't bicker (at least I can't remember us bickering).

2. You ran the first half of the 5K with me even though you could have run faster by yourself.

3. You pushed me to do my long run when I really didn't want to.

4. You surprise me by making the crazy recipes I send you.

5. You cleaned the shower (bet you didn't think I noticed).

April 2005 - my 24th Birthday

Outfits of the Week ~ July 18-22

So weighing in on Monday is not a significant enough threat to keep me from misbehaving on the weekend.  I weighed in last Friday at 135 then again on Monday at 138 and now a Friday later I'm back to 135.  Although last weekend may not be the best jumping off point; when Joe and I are off together I tend to throw caution to the wind, eat more often and cheat regularly.  I may try it again for a few more weeks but I'm thinking that I'll be sticking with Fridays.

Monday

I got a few pairs of new pants from The Limited & New York and Company because everything I had was saggy in the butt.  I know, I know, first world problems, wah my clothes are too big! But it's really frustrating to constantly have clothes that don't fit.  Anyway, my packages were delivered over the weekend so I was excited to start wearing pants that actually fit this week!  The mustard colored ruffle sweater and dark brown pants are from The Limited, my brown cami is from New York and Company and the tan peep toe heels with a giant bow are Jessica Simpson from Macy's.

Tuesday

I'm a little disappointed because some of the pants I got from New York and Company are a little more casual then I had hoped.  But hopefully if I pair them with nicer tops they'll still pass in my business casual office.  This entire outfit, the blue shirt, white cami and almost white pants are all from New York and Company.  The shoes are blue & white striped wedges from Naturalizer.  It's hard to find an things to wear them with without looking like a sailor.

Wednesday

Wow my boobs look huge in that sweater!  I've been a little bummed because I've dropped a few sizes with all this weight loss but from the looks of this shot apparently I shouldn't be concerned!  The short sleeve purple sweater & grey pants are both from The Limited, faux pearl necklace from a Premier party (it's called First Lady, for some reason that always makes me laugh) and the shoes are Steve Madden from Macy's.  They may look familiar because I have them in nude & love them so much that I decided to grab a pair in black as well.

Thursday

I've had this patterned pencil skirt from The Limited for a while now but can never figure out what to wear with it, I'm a little bummed because now that I've figured it out it's almost too big!  While I was searching through my short sleeve shirts I came across this one from Ann Taylor Loft which is pretty much the exact shade as a color in the skirt.  It's actually a blousey top with an elastic bottom but it's long enough that I could pull the elastic under my butt and make it look a little more fitted.  I got a lot of compliments throughout the day and was super comfortable which is always a plus.  The shoes are the nude pair of Steve Maddens from Macy's I talked about above, love them!

Friday

It's crazy hot & humid here in south Jersey.  In fact I didn't even have to wear a cardigan at work on Thursday!  Anyway the minute Joe and I stepped outside to take my morning picture the lens fogged up!  He tried to clean it a few times but it just kept happening.  I figure it helps add to the effect of just how hot it is out!  I still brought a grey cardigan to work in case...  The denim ruffle collar dress is from Ross and the grey heels are Hive & Honey via Piperlime.

a bad day = wine

1. Eat out less then 20 meals:  I didn't eat out again on Wednesday!  I did have some Rita's when I went for a walk with Nicole but it's not a meal so it doesn't count :-)  14 total meals out.

2. At least 25 days with a 750+ calorie burn:

     Breakfast: fruit smoothie (strawberry banana, my best one yet!) = 201 calories

     Lunch: apple, grapefruit, greek yogurt & 100 calorie grahams = 336 calories

     Dinner: frosted mini wheats & a peach = 258 calories

     Snacks: m&m's, tangerine/vanilla gelati & red wine = 491 calories

     Totals: 2682 burned - 1286 eaten = -1396 total burned, 13 days total.

3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes:  I worked out twice on Wednesday!  Joe and I started with a 2 mile run at 6am.  It went well even though it was crazy humid.  I've asked Joe not to push me quite as hard to go faster, it was really making me start to hate our runs.  I know it's better for me to try to run faster but when it's so hot I get discouraged.

Later on that evening I headed to step class at the gym.  It was just as confusing as I remember but I was dripping sweat when I left as usual which is all I need to keep going back.  Of course now that I'm starting to get a hang of the routine the instructor is going to switch things up in a few weeks so I'll be totally lost again!  598 minutes total.

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  It's so funny how some days I try so hard to get all my steps in and others I blow them out of the water.  By the time I got to work I was over 5000, by the time I got to the gym I was at 7000 and by the time I went to bed I was at 16596 steps.  16 days total. 

5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of house work:  I didn't have the most fantastic day at work and I'm so happy that I have great friends to help cheer me up.  Kat emailed & called me during the day to help me power through which was extra nice since she knows the politics of things around my company.  Nicole showed up at my house when I got home from the gym and offered to go to Rita's for a snack & gossip.  And Joe had a bottle of wine ready for me when I sat down to relax on the couch.  Needless to say I didn't worry myself with cleaning the house that night.  12 days total.

I never drink anymore (too many calories) so one glass is all it takes :-)

running in the rain

1. Eat out less then 20 meals:  I didn't eat out at all on Tuesday but Joe did make a beautiful dinner for us.  He's been burdened with a ridiculous amount of time off he needs to use so on top of our vacation in August he's taking a week in September and a few days here and there.  It's so totally not fair but at least I get delicious meals like pot roast with basil mashed potatoes!  14 total meals out.

2. At least 25 days with a 750+ calorie burn:

     Breakfast: bacon, egg, tomato & laughing cow on a sandwich thin = 310 calories

     Lunch: hamburger helper w/broccoli = 353 calories

     Dinner: pot roast, green beans & mashed potato (+ a little piece of salmon) = 478 calories

     Snacks: frosted mini-wheats and m&m's = 252 calories

     Totals: 2157 burned - 1393 eaten = -764 total burned, 12 days total. 

3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes:  I almost didn't get to work out but for my good buddy Nicole.  We had been meaning to do her C25K workout but the weather was really iffy.  We finally just decided to go for and ended up getting rained on!  Not to mention the thunder & lightning we watched as we started out.  She's a great friend for joining me!  516 minutes total. 

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  Thanks to Nicole I managed to get them all.  We even wandered over towards ShopRite after our run because we were having such a nice time chatting.  We walked past Rita's and I guess Jack thought we were going to stop, when we didn't he had a mini meltdown; it was sad & funny all at the same time.  10415 steps.  15 days total. 

5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of house work:  I honestly can't remember if I cleaned up or not so I'm going with not.  12 days total.

fail blogger

Even though I accomplished all my goals for the day I'm feeling like a super failure because I took ZERO pictures.  I couldn't believe it when I hooked my phone up this morning and there were no new pictures at all.  Sorry!

1. Eat out less then 20 meals:  There was a slight possibility that we'd be having dinner at The Library but I stayed strong and had leftovers instead.  14 total meals out.

2. At least 25 days with a 750+ calorie burn:

     Breakfast: fruit smoothie = 156 calories

     Lunch: orange, cheez-its & greek yogurt = 299 calories

     Dinner: hamburger helper w/broccoli = 353 calories

     Snacks: frosted mini-wheats, cheddar rice cakes, skittles & twizzlers = 315 calories (I did a lot of snacking trying to fill up my calories but just couldn't get to 1200 for some reason.  I am glad to finally finish off my movie candy so it's not staring at me begging me to eat it anymore though.)

     Totals: 2280 burned - 1123 eaten = -1157 total burned, 11 days total.

3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes:  I have been putting off the "long" training runs for my 5 mile race in August.  It's so funny to think of them as long when I was doing 8, 9 & 10 miles during the winter!  Anyway, I made Joe promise to do 4 miles with me on Monday night and he stuck to his word but I just wasn't feeling it.  I think it's because we've been doing shorter faster runs lately and I was scared of keeping up that pace for a longer distance.  When I whined to Joe about it he said no sweat we could just run slower.  I have to say once we got moving I felt great, and we weren't even moving that slowly!  464 minutes total. 

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  I easily conquered my steps again on Monday, a "longer" run will almost always do it for me.  11203 steps.  14 days total.  

5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of house work:  Even though I passed on dinner at The Library, Joe still decided to meet his friend for a few drinks after our run.  I spent my time wisely, playing on facebook.  I also did 3 loads of laundry and cleaned up the downstairs :-)  12 days total.