Planning Ahead

Tomorrow I am not going to eat healthily. Ok, that isn't the right motto to have, but considering it's Mike's birthday and I'm taking him out to dinner, I just know it's going to be hard to stick to my calorie plan.

Eating out isn't an impossible task if you can use iPhone apps to track calories or plan on what to eat in advance, but it's hard to pass up on some of the best-tasting goodies for the better-for-you options.

Since I'm not a big barbecue fan, and Mike is, I'm taking him to Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ at the District in Henderson for dinner. I know he'll enjoy chowing down on BBQ ribs and cornbread muffins, but it's a bit trickier for me because I don't like BBQ sauce. So instead of problem being that I don't know what the better option is for me, I also have to deal with the majority of the menu being slathered in tangy sauce ... not my ideal situation!

I decided to really think about this in advance and use the online resources available to figure out an option that's tasty and acceptable for my waistline. I know it'll be higher in calories than my standard dinner, but this way I can actually work backwards and save a few calories on breakfast and lunch. Unfortunately I can't find nutrition information anywhere for menu items for Lucille's so I have to use information from other sources to at very least, ballpark the calorie amount. It's situations like this that I wish I was a seafood fan because the smoked salmon actually sounds yummy. The dish is served with creole rice and steamed veggies - maybe I'll have to break out of my shell and give that a try.

Well, I think I might go with what I know, a salad (doctored a bit to reduce the fat and calories) or the steak with steamed veggies and an unloaded baked potato. No matter what I do, I know it's going to be higher in calories and fat than I would really want, but for my hubby's birthday it's definitely worth it. Maybe I'll just workout a little harder before work or balance out my calories the next day. After all, sometimes it's okay to splurge a little!

Hungry at the Table

My schedule, in general, is always out of whack. I don't work a typical 9-5 with Saturdays and Sundays to spend as I please, and most often I try to fill my hours off the clock out of the house. My most consistent schedule lately has me off work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so I spend the mornings playing poker at the Mirage.

Since I'm usually sitting for the long-haul (up to 8 hours) the biggest problem I run into is what to eat and how to avoid running to the nearby eateries (BLT Burger, Carnagie Deli & California Pizza Kitchen). Even though all of those restaurants are delicious, they are AWFUL for not only dieters but everyone. A sandwich from Carnagie Deli could feed the entire state of Rhode Island for a day and the $20 BLT burger has more calories than my entire day's allotment. I could run across the street to McDonalds, Chipotle or Panda Express, but let's face it, those options aren't the best either!

So this is what I've started doing -- don't worry I don't bring a lunch box. I've been running to the gym in the morning and eating breakfast. I try to eat a big enough breakfast to tide me over for a few hours, but I know a big bowl of Special K and fruit could never keep me satisfied until late afternoon! So, just like when I go to work, I pack a couple of granola bars or crackers and I eat every couple of hours. On weeks when the oranges are tasty I even pack one or two if those. It's been working out pretty well except I'm starving by 5 pm and force M
ike & I to eat dinner really early.

It may sound crazy, but one of the hardest aspects of playing poker and losing weight isn't the food options or even the immobility, but it's the beverages. Whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic, the drinks are free when you play so I tend to consume more soda or anything than necessary. I dont drink alcohol very often when I play but I'm pretty sure two strawberry juliuses are unnecessary.

But, for now it's Friday, my Tuesday which means I'm back in work mode and back to a normal routine. Work, a healthy choice meal for lunch, cereal & fruit for breakfast, a workout and dinner with the hubs tonight.

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekends while I'm slaving away at work, lol!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Eat That Bin Laden

So I was writing a blog to post this evening about my shitty lunch experience at Panera Bread when the news about Osama Bin Laden being killed sent shockwaves around the world. Suddenly, my petty lunch incident seemed so ridiculous as reflections of the tragic events of 9-11 and the deaths of thousands of men and women of the U.S Armed Forces flooded my mind. I deleted my entire post (after all I'll still eat at Panera in the future), and changed it to this...

It's been 11 long years of cat & mouse. Thousands of innocent men, women & children and thousands of military men & women have died because of him and plans he put into action. God bless our troops, and thank goodness that bastard is dead.


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Change My Mind

I've been thinking a lot about my dad's weight loss & my best friend's parents weight loss & the Wizard jogging & various other people in my life who have recently made major changes in their daily routines to change their health for the better. A couple of months ago I made the same commitment (or re-commitment as it may be) but i've been pretty flakey about the whole thing. See, I'm being brutally honest here. Yes I've started eating better and yes I'm tracking my calories, but I haven't been strict about it. I've even been hitting the gym much more regularly but it wasn't until last week that I had a REALLY good workout. So this morning as I laid in bed wide awake before 6 am that I realized why -- I wasn't fully mentally committed.

If I'm going to make this work I need to fully commit my brain. I can't let the calorie counting go just because I'm on vacation or skip the gym because I worked late the night before...excuses will get me nowhere. Using that new found mental clarity, I got out of bed before 7 and went to the gym. Not only did I get in a good chunk of time on the elliptical machine, a 20-minute weight set for my back and legs and some ab work, but I jogged on the track. I set a goal for myself on the way to Las Vegas Athletic Club that I would jog 2 full loops on the track. That seems like nothing at all for most of you but between my weight and bum foot it's a huge fete. Not only did I successfully jog 2 laps, but I did 4. Small steps, but steps in the right direction nonetheless!

I know that doing the tough things right away in the morning gets them out of the way, but it's the getting going and doing those tough things that sucks. Now that it's 9:30 and I'm blogging and watching the Price is Right with my husband (yes he DVRs it), I am so happy that I went to the gym super early! I feel awake, I feel motivated and in general I just feel good. I guess all those people telling me to do the tough stuff first weren't lying!

As for the rest of my day, I unfortunately have to work. The good thing is that I'll be staying mobile almost all day. I'll also get to eat a healthy choice meal for dinner and avoid snacking! I think the hubs and I might even go to a movie after work tonight. Looks like a good Saturday to me!




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Location:Las Vegas

A Royal Wedding

So most of you may not know this, but I'm in love with London & all things Great Britain. I lived there in college, honeymooned there last summer, named my dog London and gave the Underground symbol tattooed on my back. I've never felt more at home than I did in London.

So, since today was a momentous day for Prince William, Catherine Middleton, their families and all of Britain plus it's commonwealths, I just wanted to say congratulations and I wish I could have been there to see this event in person.

Enjoy your fruitcake and chocolate biscuit cake!


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A Minnesota Escape

In the past five days I have eaten some of my favorite things. I had a cupcake from A Piece of Cake, mac n cheese from Noodles, a home-cooked meal by my dad and munchies by relatives on Easter. It has been absolutely delicious and delightful. Mind you, I didn't say it's been wonderful for my waistline, but the risky calories were 100% worth it.

When I got my work schedule for this week last Thursday I had more days off than usual due to the store being closed for the Easter holiday. I decided to take advantage of those days off and take an impromptu trip to Minnesota to spend a few days with my family and closest friends. I think it was just what the doctor ordered for me (and completely surprising my parents was a bonus!). As I described it cheesily to my seat-companion on the plane back to Vegas, "the trip was a little dose of happiness for my soul." If you've stopped laughing at that, I can tell you that it's true. I haven't felt that calm, relaxed, unstressed, happy and comfortable here in Las Vegas in a long time. Minnesota brings me back to my roots and reminds me what's most important in life -- family & friends. I can't wait to some day move back and be surrounded by those people more consistently.

With that being said, whenever I go home I don't pay much attention to what I'm consuming because I'm usually only there a few days and I figure I can work it off when I get back. It's true, I can, but I think during my next trip home I should just stick to counting calories and not worry about working off any ounces gained. Between last Thursday and today, I gained one pound. That isn't too bad at all, but it is a gain instead of a loss. I also didn't do anything athletic at all. My soul was definitely taken care of, but I didn't pay any attention to my body! Come to think of it, between the black flats and a pair of boots, I didn't even bring any shoes I could have gone for a long walk in!

Mike and I have another trip planned to Minnesota on June 30. We're lucky because we get to celebrate our one-year anniversary (a couple days late) with our friends and family. I'm hoping that I'll pay more attention to my waistline and also make an effort to go for a walk in the mornings or maybe hit the gym with my dad when he goes. Speaking of my dad, he's dropped nearly 40 lbs working out and eating better and looks amazing! My best friends parents have both also dropped a lot of weight using the Seattle Sutton food program and look amazing. They are really inspiring for me.

I don't work until 4 p.m. today and my plan was to literally relax all day, write a little and catch up on my DVRd TV programs, but I think after getting these few things off my chest I feel more like going to LVAC and getting in a good workout.

I hope all of you had a good Easter holiday and are enjoying Spring wherever you are.

Blog Neglect ...

I haven't purposely not written anything on my blog for a few days because I'm off my plan, but I basically ignored social media in general for a bit. I checked Facebook sporadically and avoided regularly posting to Twitter because I simply needed a break away from everything. Don't you ever reach a point where you don't want the whole world knowing exactly what you're doing, when you're doing it? That's what I was feeling ...

The last few days have been pretty difficult in terms of dieting and staying motivated. I haven't gained any weight, but I haven't dropped the normal handful of ounces either. The reason is simple - I haven't been moving around! I know it was my "weekend" but I have been so lazy! The most movement I've taken part in was a photo shoot for a friend on Tuesday evening. That simply isn't enough for my diet or my health in general. Now before you think I've just sat on the couch watching TV, don't worry, that isn't the case. However, most of what I have been doing has involved sitting. :-(

So what can I do to keep myself motivated on those days dedicated to relaxation? I really don't have an answer for that. The only thing I know is that I need to get back into a precise exercise pattern. When I was at the peak of this program before my wedding, I stuck to not only my diet/tracking/blogging plan, but I had specific exercise goals each week and I stuck to them. The base of those goals is Extremely simple ...keep moving for 30 minutes every day. This goal could be as simple as taking a walk with the husband, doing pilates, a long day of housework, etc., but truthfully that isn't enough to help me reach that June 1 goal. So I think I need to add a new exercise plan as well. This plan is also easy - make it to LVAC 3 times a week.

Going to the gym 3 times a week doesn't seem like much, but for someone who's barely been going at all (certainly not on a regular schedule), this often is a lot and will make a big difference. The hardest part will be convincing myself to go each time.

Really, how in the hell did I get back to this point? When I was doing this before I got myself to the point where hitting the gym was habit and I actually enjoyed it. In reality, it's a good stress reliever! So when did I stop going on a consistent basis and lose my gusto for it? I really hate these wild ups and downs.I need to find that happy balance, and that is exactly what I'm struggling with. Figuring out my eating and tracking is a huge part of the battle, but it's time to establish the boundaries for the other half - exercise. The good news is, it know I can do it, after all I've done it before, right?

Any pointers for me would be great if you have some. How do you stay motivated?


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