Yeah! It's Friday!!

Just a super quick post as I actually have time to work on my class project today and I want to get as much done as I can...

Weighed in this morning to 179.6 so that's good. Still up from where I was about a month ago but it's been 3 weeks since I've weighed. I'll keep eating well and running and I know that I'll get down a bit more.

I ordered a new swimsuit from Land's End and it came in the mail. I love it!!

The shirring across the middle really does help to camoflauge my lumpier bits and from the back it looks like a retro 50s style suit. It's really awesome!!

Today's Plan:

Activity: 5.5 mile run at lunch, 20 minutes yogaBreakfast: Hungry Girl's Oven Baked Omelette, 1/2 cup oatmeal with 2 Tbsp flax and 1 apple

Mid-morning Snack: Fruit from yesterday

Lunch: 1 Tilapia fish loin, Tomato and Mozzarella salad over Spinach, Cherries

Afternoon Snack: 1 mini Luna bar, 1/2 cup Kashi Cinnamon Harvest squares

Dinner: ??--out somewhere--if I follow my eating plan for the rest of the day and get in my run and yoga, I'm letting myself have whatever I'm craving at whatever place we go to

Have a great weekend!

I ran 7 miles!

Yesterday at lunch instead of doing my 5.5 mile run, I went 7 miles!!! I didn't run the whole thing, I took several good walk breaks in the middle but I still went 7 miles!! I am freakin' awesome!! As you know, I planned on doing 5.5 miles but when I got to the Lincoln Memorial (my halfway point on the 5.5 mile route), I thought to myself, "I want to keep going. I want to do 7 miles today." So I did!!! I went to Arlington Cemetery and turned around, which means I ran into another state yesterday!! I'm such an awesome runner that I ran not only in the district but also in Virginia!! Granted, I was only in Virginia for about 5 minutes but still, it's cool!! (Can you tell how freakin' excited I am by the 19843 exclamation points I put in that paragraph?)

Anyways, I still didn't get to work on my project for my class yesterday. :( (Totegirl, the class I'm taking is "Financial Statements and Analysis". I really like the class. I want to go into the finance area and while I hated finance in college--it was just computing numbers using formulas--this class is much better because we don't just learn the formulas, we learn what the numbers mean and how to analyze them. Our project is to analyze the financial statements of a public-traded company and write a paper and do a 20 minute presentation next Thursday.) Seriously, as soon as I was going to start working on it, people came by wanting to talk about this pharmaceutical project for work. And they gave me a list of stuff they wanted yesterday and a list of stuff they want today. My plan for today is to get that pharmaceutical stuff out of the way early this morning and then start working on my project. I must get some of it done today or I won't get it finished before next Thursday. Part of the list of stuff the work people want is a timeline for how long I think it will take to finish the project and I'm putting into the timeline my project for class (since I'm technically taking it for work) and letting them know that I don't plan on working on the work project until my class project is done and turned in.

And, on that note, I'm going to get this work stuff done while I've got a lot of momentum this morning!!

Today's Plan:
Activity: 5.5 mile run at lunch, 20 minutes yoga (in my office)
Breakfast: Hungry Girl's Oven Baked Omelette, 1 whole wheat tortilla
Mid-morning Snack: 1 banana, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1/2 cup strawberries
Lunch: baggie of peppers, carrots, and tomatoes; 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with 2 Tbsp pumpkin and 1 serving Kashi granola (leftover from yesterday's uneaten afternoon snack)
Afternoon Snack: 1 kashi oatmeal dark chocolate cookie, possibly a mini Luna bar depending on how late I'm at work
Dinner: leftovers--I think I'll have pork tenderloin, corn, green beans and asparagus
*Looking over this, there's not enough calories so I think I'll hit Starbucks here in an hour or so and get an iced latte and maybe a fruit/yogurt/granola parfait.

Test Results

I went for my run yesterday at lunch and it was so humid outside!! DC has very humid summers but this was my first run in about a year with all the humidity. I definitely felt more drained after than I usually do but I also haven't ran 5.5 miles in about 2 weeks so it's hard to know how much was the humidity and how much was the time between runs. Anyways, I still did it but I'm 100% sure I'll need to get some form of hydration belt or bottle for my runs, particularly since it will only get hotter and more humid. Today, however, it's much cooler outside and it's sprinkling a bit so as long as it doesn't downpour, I'll be going again today.

I had a very frustrating day at work yesterday (which only served as a reminder why I need to get another job!!). When I was gone on vacation I got an email asking me to do some additional work on one of my projects. So yesterday I started in and spent all day working on this additional stuff. I sent an email to the economist "in charge" of the project asking her a question about the work she wanted done. She sent me an email back saying "So-and-so did that while you were on vacation." GRRRRRR! You couldn't have sent me an email telling me not to worry about doing the additional work?? I only found out because I asked you a question?? Really?? I'm not mad that someone else did the work. I'm mad because there was no common courtesy extended to me. Politeness tells you that if you send someone an email asking them to do something for you but then someone else does it, you should send an email or notify the original person and tell them not to worry about it! I'm especially ticked because I spent most of the day yesterday working on it when I have a project due in my class next Thursday that I could have been working on instead. I have another project for work to be working on but it can wait until my stuff for my class is done. I'm really in no hurry to make anyone else's life easier when they don't do the same for me. Bad attitude? Yes. Wrong attitude? Not sure. Okay, rant over.

Last night I was so munchie while I was cooking dinner and even after dinner. I ate 3 pieces of banana bread that I had not planned as well as some pretzels. Today I'm going to eat a more substantial afternoon snack and that should help hold off my pre-dinner munchies better. Also, I'm implementing a new "rule"--I can snack while I'm cooking dinner but I can only have carrots or other veggies. Also, yesterday was the first day we woke up at 5 in almost two weeks so I was more tired during the day which, for me, always leds to not-great food choices.

I had my physical at the health unit yesterday and we went over my blood and urine results. The only thing that was out of range was my potassium...it was high by .4. The doctor didn't seem to think it was anything to be worried about but just to keep an eye on it during future blood tests. (She said it would only be a concern if my sodium was out of whack too but my sodium level was fine.) My total cholesterol was 193 which is at the upper part of the recommended range but my HDL (good cholesterol) was at 93 which, according to the doctor, is one of the highest numbers she's seen for HDL. Most people's is around 40 or so. My LDL (bad cholesterol) was 70something but well below the recommended high number. The doctor did hear a soft heart murmur but she's the first doctor to ever tell me that and she could only hear it when I was sitting up and said it was insignificant. So, all in all, good results!

Today's Plan:
Activity: 5.5 mile run at lunch
Breakfast: 1 serving Hungry Girl's Oven Baked Omelette, 1/2 cup oatmeal with 2 Tbsp ground flax
Mid-morning snack: 1/2 mango, 1/2 banana, 1/2 kiwi, 1/2 orange, 1/2 cup strawberries and blueberries
Lunch: 1 Tortilla factory Sun Dried Tomato wrap with 1 laughing cow wedge and 4 slices pepper turkey sandwich meat; 2/3 cup peas; Salad with spinach and green peppers with 2 Tbsp ginger pear dressing; 15 cherries
Afternoon Snack: 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt mixed with cinnamon, 2 Tbsp pumpkin, and 1 serving granola
Dinner: BBQ Beef Sandwiches (recipe from "Clean Eating" magazine), sauteed green beans, roasted potatoes, and salad

Shopping weekend

I had a good weekend. We didn't have any plans...we thought about going somewhere but since we just came back from a trip, we decided to save our money and just hang out at home. Saturday Stephen had an appointment with the chiropractor so while he was there I went to Target and just browsed around (Stephen's much more of a get in and get out type of Target shopper and I like to look at their clothes and shoes). I did have to get some things for the apartment and I also picked up a pair of shorts and some cute sandals. Then we went to the outlet mall and I picked up a cute skirt, a short sleeve sweater, and a green cardigan at Ann Taylor, a black short sleeve cardigan at Gap, and 3 cheap books at Books-A-Million. I tried to find pics of the clothes online but since I bought them at the outlet mall, I'm not having any luck.

Sunday we went to the regular mall and I got some new makeup at Sephora (love that store, I could've been in there for hours but Stephen said he felt like he was losing his "man card" by being in there so long). Then we went and saw the new Indiana Jones movie...it was really good!! I don't remember much about the first 3 movies, I know I saw them but I don't remember any of the details. But the 4th movie is good and you don't need to remember the other 3 to understand this one. Then we went home and had a simple supper and watched "Resurrecting the Champ" on Netflix. That movie was good too!! It's sports-based but not completely about sports at all.

Then Monday we got up and did our laundry. We ran the usual weekend errands and then hung out in the apartment watching TV and NCIS on Netflix. Last night we grilled out and had chicken and tomato skewers with a hosein-BBQ dipping sauce, corn on the cob, salad with balsamic strawberries, and peach and pineapple skewers with a cinnamon-vanilla yogurt dipping sauce. It was a yummy, yummy meal!! All in all, a good weekend. A little too much spending of money but I'll just have to watch it for June.

We didn't go for any bike rides since my bike is in the shop (still!!) but we did do a lot of walking around malls and so forth. I'll definitely be going for a run today!! I made a new running mix and I'm excited to listen to it.

I have an appointment at the health clinic this morning and I'll get the results of my blood and urine tests from last month. I'm excited to find out what my cholesterol is and hear what the doctor has to say.

Today's Plan:
Activity: Run at lunch (5.5 miles)
Breakfast: 1/2 cup skim milk (in iced coffee), 1 light whole grain english muffin with 1 laughing cow wedge, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup strawberries and blueberries, 1 serving Hungry Girl's Oven Baked Omelette
Mid-morning snack: mini Clif bar; pineapple chunks, 1/2 pear, 1/2 kiwi
Lunch: Huge salad with spinach, romaine, tomatoes, peas, peppers, cucumbers tossed with 2 Tbsp ginger pear dressing; 2 slices Nature's Own Double Fiber Light Bread with 1 Tbsp peanut butter and 1 Tbsp peach jelly; 15 cherries
Afternoon Snack: 1 slice homemade banana bread
Dinner: Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, Asparagus, Brown Rice, Salad
Dessert (if needed): fruit dipped in light chocolate syrup

Okay, I know I've only had to work two days this week but I am so unbelievably excited for the 3 day weekend! It's ridiculous!! The pools at my apartment complex will be opening up but it's only supposed to be around 80 degrees which is pretty chilly to be jumping in water. I want to go for a few bike rides but my bike is still at the shop. :( I have to call about that today since they've had it for almost 3 weeks now. We don't have any plans for the weekend but I'm sure we'll grill on Monday and there should be some great sales so we'll probably do some shopping. All in all, it should be a pretty low-key weekend which sounds so good right now! I just have to make it through today!!

I went for a run yesterday and it felt so good! I didn't do any running or working out when we were on our trip and my legs were ready to stretch and hit the pavement. I may go for a run or walk today or I may just do some yoga...we'll see what I'm feeling like.

I'm ready to get to the grocery store and get some good food for meals next week. We ate out soooo much on our trip and my body is tired of all the processed, sugary crap. Bring on the fresh fruits and veggies!! Today I'm going to work on my menus and plan for next week. I didn't weigh in today b/c I was scared of what the number would be after no working out and eating nearly every meal out for the last week. I'll weigh in next Friday.

Well, I've got work to do and a class project due in two weeks so I better get some things accomplished today!! (Plus it will make the day go by faster!!)

Have a great weekend!

Pictures from Trip

Hey everyone!! I'm finally back from vacation. I should've been back to work yesterday but Stephen did something to his back getting off the plane so we went to the chiropractor yesterday and he's having X-rays done today. The trip was good. For many reasons, I haven't had a great time the last few trips we've taken back to Oklahoma or Texas. I'm catching up on all your blogs but logged in to reader this morning to find over 500 unread posts so it'll take me a couple of days. Here are some pictures from our trip:

This is Stephen and me at the Texas Rangers game...our seats were 3 rows from the field!!

This is Stephen, me, and Stephen's friends Van and Kelle at the Rangers game.

Stephen and me at my grandma's house.

Me, my dad and his wife Connie.

Stephen and me in front of the Mickey Mantle statue at the Sunday OSU v. OU baseball game at Bricktown Ballpark.

I'll have more of an actual post tomorrow!

A Hop, Skip, and Jump Away

Today's my last day of work before leaving on my trip tomorrow morning! I'm excited to be away from work but not really too excited about the trip. We're trying to see a lot of people when we're back so our schedule's jam-packed and we're not staying in any one place longer than a night. Plus there's going to be a LOT of eating out and I've been struggling with my eating so much lately. I'm bringing lots of snacks and bars to stash in my purse since we're going to 3 baseball games and I'd rather have a Clif Z bar than a hotdog anyways. (Don't get me wrong, I love a good hotdog cooked on the grill but hotdogs at most ballparks aren't that good.) I am taking my running stuff and I am going to try my darnedest to squeeze in some runs or walks while we're there. It will be good to see everybody but I really hate going back to Oklahoma or Texas with Stephen because between the two of us, there's too many people to see and someone always ends up feeling short-changed.

I did some yoga last night and today the weather is sunny and warmer so I'll definitely be doing a run at lunch. I've missed it so much (running and warm weather)!! Since I've been getting to work at 6:30 I've decided to eat 2 smaller breakfasts in the mornings instead of my usual bigger breakfast and mid-morning snack. It's roughly the same amount of calories but splitting them up more evenly. Hopefully, this will give me some better fuel for my runs...worth a shot anyways.

Today's Plan:
Activity: 5.5 mile run--may try for 7 today, we'll see what the weather's like
Breakfast 1: 1 english muffin with 1 tbsp jam and 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
Breakfast 2: 1/4 cup oatmeal with 1 banana, cinnamon, and 1 tbsp peanut butter
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Roasted Turkey Breast, 1 cup peas, 1 1/2 cups green beans
Afternoon Snack: 1 Clif Z bar
Dinner: Subway--6 inch sandwich and apples
Evening Snack: 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with 1 banana and flax seed

Have a great week everyone and I'll be back next Wednesday!!