What Fuels Your Fire?

Still Sick....

2011-07-28T18:48:00.001-07:00

It's been almost 2 weeks since working out.

So much time away from work. So many tests. And the Dr.'s still don't know what's wrong with me.

And to top it off...now I have a bad cold/sore throat/fever to deal with. Yay.

A delay in my fitness goal. Just what I needed......

Busy July so far....

2011-07-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July weekend....

Saturday was Elsie's Grad Party in the afternoon, then David's last summer BBQ at his Issy pad for the rest of the evening....

Sunday was spent at Keith and MinhTri's place. A little pre-4th get together to just eat, hangout, and catch up =)

On the way home, we stopped by Sunset Hills Memorial in Bellevue to check out the Traveling Vietnam Wall Memorial. The Opening Ceremony was at 1pm. We didn't arrive till after 10pm, and volunteers were still reading off the names of all the soldier's on the wall.

When you hear the history of the war, you're told that "thousands of lives were lost"....

But it wasn't until seeing this wall and all the names engraved on it that it really hit me just how many. How many families lost a son/daughter. A husband/wife. A father/mother. A friend.

Yes, majority of the names are those of men. But what many may not realize is that there were also military women who died in the Vietnam War. Someone even left a list of canines that were lost in the war as well.

4th of July we stayed in and rested since the rest of the weekend was spent not at home =P

We did walk down to the Commons to at least catch the fireworks show.

July 8 was Bring Your Daughter and Son to Work Day. I brought my nephews again. This year we did Geocaching, decorated sugar cookies, and Lijee played this soccer kick thing a couple times - all stuff the boys didn't do last year.

And of course they played computer and video games over at the Visitor Center and bought goodies at the Company Store. =)

That Saturday was a busy one! Woke up early for my last Chiro appt., then headed to MinhTri's early so I could make my pasta salad dish to bring up to Lake Steven's for Kathy's Bridal Shower.

Thank you Captain Dennis for hosting Ms. Kat's shower at your beautiful home! And of course for letting us play on your jet skis and driving us around the lake on your awesome boat.

Can't wait to play on the lake again. This time we'll bring some testosterone for you to hang out with! LoL

Into the second week of July. Went to Crossfit Monday and Tuesday....still on a good streak!

Or so I thought.

Woke up Wednesday feeling "off." I planned on making it to the 630pm WOD then planned on heading over to Gena's to BBQ and catch SYTYCD. But I was feeling really fatigued for some reason. So I decided to just go home and rest. I ended up passing out.

Thursday, I wake up with a slight pain in my right side and lower back. And it's not the same kind of pain you would feel from sleeping in a bad position. =\

As the day progresses, the pain gets worse. Again, I feel fatigued by the end of my day.

Pain + fatigue = no crossfit. Again.

Ugh.

Friday...the pain is just bad. Every movement. Every deep breath. Hurts. Thank goodness my Dr. had an opening in the afternoon.

Gave a urine sample. They found traces of blood. Great.

So they drew blood to run some tests to see if I have a kidney infection. Left the Dr.'s with a prescription for antibiotics IF I have an infection.

Doctor's orders? Take my meds. Drink lots of water. Heat pack 4x a day. And REST. Rest from working out. And recommended I NOT do Warrior Dash.

Dammit =\

Well, Saturday came and my side still hurts. Certain movements still hurt. I know I SHOULD rest and let my body heal (whatever the heck is wrong with it), but......

I really want to do this Dash!

So....I pop 1000mg of ibuprofen first thing in the morning to see if it helps with the pain. And it does! Well...enough for me to be active without wincing in pain.

On the way to North Bend, the pain in my side starts coming back. So I wait till we get closer till I pop another 1000mg of ibuprofen. I know this is probably not good for my kidneys but...

I don't want to back out.

And I'm glad I didn't. The dash was a blast! We started together...we ended together. =)

Here's some pictures, but you can see more here.

The other's got to rest when they got home, but not me I had Kathy's bachelorette party to get to! I missed dinner, but I wanted to at least make it out to the bar hopping part.

Although there's been so many Faileo eating weekends, I have kept up on the no drinking part.

So....this was a sober night for me. But we kept Kathy nice and tipsy at least =)

I met up with the girls at Lucky Strike. Then MinhTri and I headed downstairs to McCormick's to get some coffee in her. Headed back to Lucky Strike to find that 3 of the girls called it a night and left. So the four of us left headed over and ended the night at Munch Bar/Dueling Piano Bar.

Two more weeks till the big day!!!

Since I pumped my body with too many drugs Saturday and did not rest as I should have, I'm feeling the after math. Pain is lingering. Ugh. So today....I really do rest.

I've been laying on my butt all day. I haven't cooked. Haven't cleaned. Nada.

I hate being unproductive. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate lazy days. But...I don't like doing that ALL DAY. But, I think I need to.

Two days left of meds. And sooner I can make myself feel better...the sooner I can get my butt back at the Box!

There's 3 more runs/challenges to do this year, so I need to get my butt back in gear!:

Oct 1: Hell Run

Oct 29: Gladiator Rock 'N Run

Nov 27: Seattle Half Marathon

Who wants to play?!

May/June Update

2011-06-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

I swear every time I start "working" on myself...something goes wrong.

Finished Crossfit's "On-Ramp" mid-April. The last 2 weeks of April were just too busy that I couldnt make it in as often as I liked.

May - had a weekend getaway to San Fran with two of my fave gals, Z & MinhTri! The weather wasn't too bad. Windy sunshine...at least it didn't rain!

We walked around the Wharf, explored Saulsalito (cute town btw), and checked out some touristy sites like Alamo Park (Full House), and the crooked street, and Fisherman's Wharf. We HAD TO GO to Thanh Long's. Last time I was brought there, I was too sick to enjoy the food.

So this time around, the Roast Crab and Garlic Butter Noodles were AWESOME!!!

After a weekend of drinking and eating, I planned on getting myself back into running, going to practices and playing in our flag football games, and Crossfit at least 3x a week.

Well, I went to practice. We scrimmaged with another team that was on the field.

I got tackled. HARD. So hard I blacked out for a few seconds before I came to. The inside of my bottom lip had my bloddy teethprints. Headache from hell. Bruised kneecap. Aching neck and back.

Went to my Chiro and PT, and boy was I off. So....all activitiy put on hold till body was healed.

Ugh.

So no activity in May. Just PT and Chiro.

I decided no more football for me. I'd rather just run more and hit the gym than risk getting blindsided like that again.

So now comes June....

and my PT/Chiro give me the go ahead to start up my workouts. FINALLY.

To get myself on the right track, I put myself on a 7 week Paleo Challenge and get to my "box" 3-5 times a week. If work allows, I run 3-4 miles during lunch time. I wouldn't do this if there weren't showers on campus!

There are quite a few celebrations in June where I go Faileo...but that just means I worked extra hard to make up for eating bad:

First Saturday...Lijee's 9th Bday

Second Saturday...Elsie & Sheila's Graduation @ UW. Traffic was a b*tch!

Third Saturday...Valerie's Baby Shower.

Fourth Saturday...BDAY BBQ up in Everett (an MS colleague)- Pick up B from Edmonds train station - head to his sister's in Bothell to hang out with J and finish the give-aways for Made's baptism.

Last Sunday...Madelyne's Baptism - Reception at Thai Kitchen. Continue the party and more eating at sleepy Zamora house till it's time to bring J to the airport. =(

Considering there were a number of Faileo weekends in June, within the first 3 weeks of starting the challenge I dropped 5 lbs. and 1.25" from my waist =) Woohoo!

So far so good....and no injuries/sickness. Yet...

June was still pretty hectic with graduations, parties, and especially work. BUT...I somehow managed to find time to make it to Crossfit at least 4 times a week and I am loving how it makes me feel!

Oh my clavicles....

2011-04-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

I have officially burned out my legs. Two days in a row with squatting included in the workout.

My left shoulder feels even worse today. Any forward/back left/right movement send this painful pinching feeling down my arm. It clicks with any up/down movement. So I was not looking forward toward the Cleans and Burpees.

Today's WOD: Gypsy Cab

First we warmed up with an 800m run, then...

AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) in 20 minutes of:

10 Hang Squat Cleans (145lbs)

10 Burpees

10 Wall Balls 14lbs

Average rounds logged (103 users): 5 rounds

I did 4 rounds + 8 HSC's

I need to work on my cleans. The bar kept landing on my collar bone and now when I press along it (mostly the left side)...I notice a dent/dip/bruise. Oh man. No bueno.

First 3 RDS I did the WOD unmodified. But I guess Laurie noticed my constant wincing and quick shoulder massages after getting up from burpees.

So come my 4th round she modified the burpees with Star Jumps (still killer on the legs), and halfway through the Wall Balls she changed out my Med Ball from 14lbs to 12 lbs.

I won't be able to see a PT till Monday afternoon, so until then I'll need to modify push-ups, pull-ups, thrusts, burpees.....

Thanks Laurie and Kristina for another killer day and for helping me with my HSC form. I know I still need to work on this. That bar shouldn't be landing on my dang clavicle! No more dents =P

Dirty Doubles

2011-04-18T23:03:00.000-07:00

AFAP with NO breaks in between.

Are you kidding me? Maybe...HOPEFULLY...later I can accomplish this. But for now, I needed to take a few seconds here and there. Especially between pull ups and push ups.

2 Rounds of:
30 Squats
20 Pullups
200m sandbag (30lbs) run - 40/30# - 1x

2 Rounds of:
30 Situps
20 Hand Release Push ups
200m sandbag (30lbs) run 1x

2 Rounds of:
30 Double unders
20 Box Jumps 24/20"

Finish with…
800m Run

My time -24:55

Fastest time:

MEN - 11:20

WOMEN - 13:18

Can we say AMAZING? Inspiring. I was dying after the first round of pull ups. It will take time for me to get this under 20min but I'm just glad I survived without puking!

Oh DD....I hate you...in a good way =P

Phys Ed

2011-04-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

Still not 100% better so another day of lazy nothing. But we did go to night mass for Palm Sunday, then headed to ProClub to do today's WOD:

REPS: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3

DB Thrusters (15lbs)
KB Swings (20.4 lbs)
Sit-ups

Finish with 800m Run

TIME COMPLETED - 22:56

For a good time call Fran @ 21-15-9.......

2011-04-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

Graduation Day of On Ramp!

I hot tubbed some more Thursday night. Rested all Friday night. So this morning, I'm feeling 95% better! FINALLY.

And thank goodness too because today we ended On-Ramp with FRAN.

What is FRAN?

21 Thrusters
21 Pull ups
15 Thrusters
15 Pull ups
9 Thrusters
9 Pull ups

Except with our WOD today, Joe added in 200m runs. Which I'm glad was added in because it gave us a chance to "rest" the arms. So today's FRAN for us was:

200m run

21 Thrusters
21 Pull ups

200m run
15 Thrusters
15 Pull ups

200m run
9 Thrusters
9 Pull ups

All Crossfit exercises are done as fast as you can, so you try to blitz through Fran, without pausing, resting or in any other way taking a break. But in my case...yeah right.

I had to rest a few seconds every 5-6 Thrusters, and every 3-5 pull ups.

My time - 23:19.

Thanks Joe and Laurie for showing us the ropes and keeping us motivated these past 2 weeks.

Looking forward to officially starting the pain come Monday!

....................................................................................................................

I was going to head to Seattle for my cousins daughter's baptism afterwards, but my mom said by the time I would make it out there ppl would be leaving. So...I missed.

Sorry Jamie & Rodney =(

So, I head over to the sports field over by the Commons to watch our Football Game. Pink Team (the team I signed up for but have yet to attend any practices or games =P) won!

Try to throw the football around with B for a bit but....SOMEONE sucks at throwing a football.

And it's not me. Let's just say...I have an "injury" from attempting to play catch. =(

Swollen (possibly sprained) finger.

Great. One thing after that other.

2 week migraine.

2 weeks of vertigo.

Flu.

Sinusitis.

Sprained finger.

What's next?

Can I just be UNBROKEN for awhile please?!

Suck it up.....

2011-04-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday I hot tubbed it for about a good hour to help sweat out this sickness so I can make it to Wednesdays class. There's only 2 classes of On Ramp left. I HAVE TO GO!!!

The soaking and all the lazy resting I've been doing (after work) is slowly paying off. I feel good enough to keep up today. Or so at least I hope!

Laurie (our other coach) went over HPC's with me since I missed Monday. I picked up fast =)

She then proceeded to go over Push Up Rows with all of us.

So the WOD for us this evening?

3 RDS:

15 Pull Ups

10 HPC (45 lbs)

8 Front Squats

10 Push Up Rows (15 lbs)

20 V-Ups

My time - 23:19. I am DYING! Lots of coughing. Still hard to catch my breath, but at least not AS BAD as last Saturday and not as weak as I was still feeling on Monday.

Thanks for the push, Laurie!

Sinus Infection + Meds + No food + Crossfit =

2011-04-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

.....NO BUENO.

SATURDAY MORNING:

I didn't want to be a no-show so I went. I felt ok. Well...better than I did Friday. But, having not eaten anything all day Friday but Ramen and a lot of juice/water, attempting the WOD Saturday was NOT good.

WOD:

400m run

15 KB Swing (20lbs)

15 Wall Balls (14 lbs)

20 Walking Lunges

I did 1 RD. Started to get dizzy. Started getting white flahses before my eyes. So I rest a bit. I walk the next 400m vs. running it. Still dizzy.

I do the KB swings. Slowly bust out the wall balls. REALLY LIGHT HEADED.

So I sit outside for maybe a good 7min or so...till the worlds stops flashing and spinning.

Let me at least complete a full 2 RDS.

So I walk in and finish the 20 lunges.

FAIL.

2 RDS of 3 in 19+ min.

Note to self: dont crossfit when you're 1) sick and on meds, and 2) haven't eaten a thing in 2 days.

SUNDAY: still sick. still feeling fatigued. s

till coughing up wonderful "things."

SEXY.

MONDAY: Sinusitis is still kicking my butt, so I miss out on Monday's On Ramp class =(

Guess tonight they went over Hang Power Cleans (HPC). Will need to catch up on Wednesday (hoping I feel good enough to even go).

Beginning Crossfit Series

2011-04-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

Monday marks the 1st day off joining Crossfit. The beginning series -which consists of 6 classes over the course of 2 weeks - is a a set of required classes designed to introduce newbies to the fundamental movements and concepts of CrossFit.

So Monday night, Joe (our coach) went over the history of Xfit, the goals of Xfit, and correct form for: air squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.

The "WOD" he created for us to do this evening was:

200 m run

Then sets of 21-15-9 of:

Squats

Push-Ups

Pull-Ups

End with another 200 m run.

My time: 10:19.

TUESDAY:

Sick =( Never fails. There's a trend here. Everytime I start to get on a healthier track...my body says "screw you" time for the flu. GDS.

WEDNESDAY:

Day 2 of Xfit Beginning Series.

I still feel pretty off, but I don't want to miss the 2nd class. What a loser!

So I go. The first 40 min was reviewing more moves. We each go over proper form of doing deadlifts. Next, we move on to Ring Dips.

Holy crap....HARD. I can barely hold myself up without shaking uncontrollably. Now you want me to do a tricep dip?

I've got A LOT of work to do before I get here. So modified move? Twice as many box dips.

Still difficult...but at least doable.

So the WOD Lori created for us this evening:
AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) in 20 min:

200m run

10 Push Press

10 Box Jumps

10 Box Dips

I got in 5 full reps and ended with one last 200m run...with 3 seconds to spare.

Thursday:

I feel even worse, but I suck it up and go in to work. By the end of the day, all I want to do is curl up in bed and rip my head off. Feels like someone punched me in my nose. I'm hot/cold. Fatigued.

I don't want to have to wait till the morning to call my PP and schedule a time she can see me, so I head to Urgent Care. Fix me please!

Sinusitis....

Great. So I fill the 2 prescriptions and head home to pass out.

Can I just STOP getting sick already?!

FRIDAY:

Doctor's orders....stay home and REST. So, here I am. Home. Sick. In and out of sleep. Still trying to get work done. It's FINALLY a nice, sunny, DRY day. Perfect to go for a run. And where am I?

IN BED =(

Tomorrow is day 3 of Xfit's Beginning Series Class. I don't want to miss any. So I'm doing absolutely NOTHING but resting and drinking lots of fluids in hopes I'll feel good enough to go to class tomorrow.

So....back to sleeping.

"Blood is replaceable. Sweat is expected. Tears are optional."

2011-04-02T00:36:00.000-07:00

I know I've been gone, but there really wasn't much to talk about.
A migraine started up on Superbowl Sunday and the sucker didn't go away for 10 days. And the vertigo didn't go away for another 2 weeks.
I gave myself another week to make sure my head was back to normal before going back to the gym. I HATED being inactive for so long. BUT....

I'm back on my feet! There's been a lot of changes at work too.
Let's just say that now...I have better work/life balance. =)

So here's a quick recap of the past few months.....................

JANUARY:

Karen's 29th Bday @ Divine Movement. What better way to celebrate her last year in her 20s than by Pole Dancing?
I LOVED IT!
To become an instructor is on my bucket list =)

FEBRUARY:
Oliver flew in from Chicago to board for the weekend. Day 1: Stevens & Tiki's in Kirkland. I drank waaaay too much...so I didn't make it to Crystal the next day.

Day 2 of Oliver's visit was me staying in to recover...ALLLL DAY. My K-bruther, Eugene, was in town so I ended up hanging out with my "A-team" bruthers and crew. Their must-go-to spot when he's in town? Sno Casino. Boy does he love gambling! =P Me...I'd rather shop! So after spending a couple of hours watching everyone lose, we FINALLY finish off the night in Sno's Club.

VALENTINES DAY: MARRAKESH
Sharing food - eating with your hands - belly dancing - and this is during my wonderful migraine =\
Couldn't drink because of the medications I was on. It was hard to fully enjoy the evening but...I made the best of it as best I could.
The dancing... killed me. But I really don't plan on returning to this place so might as well suck it up and dance!

MARCH: So many celebrations this month - and I didn't have my camera for all of the outings =(

To kick-off the month...
Madelyn Grace joins the world with Big Sister, Alexis!

Next is MinhTri's 3?th bday: Din @ Monsoon East. Got kicked out after a few hrs. Drinks at Munchbar. Eventually got kicked out again. WTH? Ended the night at Lucky Strike. And of course...never fails...she fell asleep. In the club. =P

Manang Carlen's 33rd Bday @ Long's Provincial. My fave drink there: Spicy Watermelon Martini!

The bday girl wanted to walk over to Night Lite (interesting dive bar) next for their cheap, strong Long Island's. As you can tell...goal to get her drunk...MISSION ACCOMPLISHED thanks to Elsie's (in blue) idea to "race!" LoL

After she puked into a cup...we rushed out of there and walked over to SHOWGIRLS.

Well...can't take pictures in there but what I can tell you is that she yacked some more in front of the stage! Oodles of noodles. SORRY GIRLS!!! Party foul.

But man was the rest of the night COMEDY!

Happy Birthday Manang Carr....thanks for entertaining us =)

More March celebrations.....

Parents 40th anniversary AND my Mom retired. We celebrated with a low-key family dinner at Melrose Grill in Renton.

Next up....St. Paddy's Day = My Birthday.

Dinner and drinks at Lucia's in Kirland. Another drink at Time Out and a photo-op with a Leprechaun. Ended the evening with more drinks and dancing at Tiki's. Thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate with me and buy me shot after shot! It was tough getting up the next day but I made it in on time for my morning meeting =P

Following weekend - we did another joint bday celebration - Mng Carr, Me, and Mish (who didn't make it) at a ceramics painting place in UVillage, then ended it with good food and wine at Mamma Melina's. Definitely a place to go back to!

And the following weekend...Mish's bday @ Blush. Interesting & entertaining sober night.

Lent season also began in March (9th), so I decide to give up: alcohol and candy.
Yes...I drank on Manang Carr's and my bday. Celebrations. You can =)

The first couple weeks were difficult...not being able to have that glass (or 2) of wine after a long day.

Oh CW...how I miss you. See you in 23 days!!!

With my migraines not acting up lately, and no alcohol in the diet, what better time than now to get my gut back in the gym!?

With a girl trip coming up in May, I MUST get myself in gear. The solo workouts and group classes at ProClub just aren't keeping me motivated. The constant rain doesn't help either with my running. And no...no treadmill. Last time I tried running on the treadmill, it messed up my shin's for weeks. Not doing that again.

Two weeks ago, we checked out NWCrossfit in Bellevue. The WOD they created for us made me yack.

3 Rounds of:

200 meter row

10 burpees

10 box jumps

10 wall balls

10 sit ups

All the friends/cousins are at King's Crossfit in Renton, but NWCrossfit in Bellevue is more convenient as far as location.

We have to wait a couple weeks before the next Fundamentals class so we drop in at Imperial Crossfit in Kent last Saturday, where my bro and his wife work out at.

That WOD had me hurting for DAYS.

The warm up alone killed me more than the actual WOD! Thanks for having us Allen =)

WARM UP
4 Rounds of
8 Air Squats
8 Lunges
8 Jumping Air Squats
8 Jumping Lunges

WOD
5 Rounds of
400m Run
20 Box Jumps
20 KB Swings (53/35)
20 Sit Ups

Can't breath, Can't move, Can't get enough!!!

Officially starting with NWCrossfit on Monday. Excited. Anxious. SCARED. This is gonna suck...but I'm looking forward to it!

I also signed up for Flag Football League @ work. Why? I don't know. But I think my team's name is HR VIOLATIONS. How appropriate.
I've yet to go to a practice or join in on a game. Prior commitments already planned! Sorry. Maybe next week.

Upcoming runs to prep for: Beat the Bridge in May. Survivor Mud Run (MAYBE) and Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in June. Disneyland Half Marathon in Sept.

After 4 years of living in Sammamish, we've decided to sell the house. But finding time to schedule a deep clean and other schedule other misc. repairs around the house have been tricky.
Too much to do.

Running. Crossfit. Football. Work. Prep house. Vacations. How am I supposed to fit in Pole Dancing?!

Home sick....

2011-01-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

I was up most of the night coughing. =(
Here I am home again. At least I can work from home. And thank goodness for that because there is SO MUCH to do. And I feel bad having to forward some of my load to the other 2 ladies on my team. Do what you gotta do, right?

Brian went to see the doc today to make sure he doesn't have what I have. Which he doesn't. Instead he has Acute Bronchitis. He got a Z-pack and doc gave him the ok to workout still.
Lucky.

Geez. Sick house. Will definitely need to wipe down and disinfect this entire house when I feel better.

So with our "Biggest Loser" challenge, we're using LOSEIT! to track our workouts and meals.
Pretty neat app. This is available for iPhone users. I need to find this for Android.

Back to "resting".........................................................

Happy New Year!

2011-01-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

I know I've been MIA for almost 2 months.
So what have I been up to since the last post? Let's see....

Snow days...eating...Thanksgiving came along. Which means more eating!
The week after Thanksgiving I went to CT & NY for a week.
3 days in Stamford, CT with my friend Alsu and another 3 days in Brooklynn/NYC with my sistamare Cat!

Absolutely loved loved LOVED the east coast (despite their bone chilling weather)!
I swear I lost weight while I was on vacation- what with all the walking everywhere...and quickly.
Thank you ladies! Can't wait to get back out there for round 2.

It didn't take long for me to gain the weight back though.
Lots of work to catch up on. Then dealt with being sick. MSIT Holiday Party (drinking and eating). Indoor rock climbing for Mel's bday. Mom's retirement party (more bad eating). Thinh & V's wedding (more eating)! Holiday shopping. More holiday shopping. Christmas with the families. Harry Potter/Seattle adventure with Sistamare Cat, Virg, and Ruby (more eating). NYE (more eating). Jen & G's babyshower (more eating)! Throw in a few happy hours in there too (more drinking and eating).

Surprisingly I've only gained 5lbs with all the drinks and food I've been shoving my face with!

At the babyshower, 5 of us decided to start our own weight loss challenge.
Me, Brian, Mel, Bryan, and Thu.
$100 buy in.
Whoever loses the most % of body fat starting today till the end of March.
Check in every week with our progress.
$500. That should keep one motivated right? Well....yes. BUT.....

Well...I went to the Doctor today. FINALLY. And I say FINALLY because I have been on and off sick since the week of Christmas. I was at my worst last week. So the verdict?

Strep throat.

Doctor's orders: Take the antibiotics. Lots of liquid. Lots of rest. Absolutely no working out.
DAMMIT.

I'll have A LOT of catching up to do when I am FINALLY 100% healthy.
Dinner tonight: Chicken soup. Hurricane Popcorn for a snack. M&M's and a handful of Hershey Kisses. Way to start off the week! =(

Snow Day 2.....

2010-11-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

Another iced-in day working from home. At least we have food and stocked with wine! LoL
This staying in is NOT good for my "diet"......

BREAKFAST: Turkey Loco Moco

Snow Day 1....

2010-11-23T23:30:00.000-08:00

Been stuck indoors, working from home, all day. ALL DAY.

Can you say "cabin fever?"
Well at least Rhonda and I were able to venture down the street to Safeway to pick up some food.
Forgot my cousin lives down the street, so we picked her up on the way back home so she wouldn't be stuck at her place by her lonesome. Last night's dinner:
Rhonda's Sweet & Spicy Pasghetti

I roasted an elephant garlic mixed w/butter, and a balsamic cream, and meditteranean EVOO. Served with French Bread, kalamata olives, and smoked gouda cheese.
YUM! Lynda brought over a Honey Whiskey. SMOOTH! No chaser needed. I think I have a new fave shot (sorry Patron...I need a break).

3 shots each of the Whiskey...which was followed by Rhonda and Lynda finishing what was left of bottle #2. A shot and a half each........

which Rhonda followed with.....

it wasn't even 8PM! LoL. The night continued with more........

Needless to say, we slept well....and EARLY =)

Oh snow day.........

20something & Sheila's Bday

2010-11-20T23:59:00.000-08:00

Before the nights festivities begin, I went to the gym to do SOMETHING productive.
Squeezed in 45 min. of arms and abs and 30 min of cardio on the elliptical.

2osomething @ Fremont Studios
Lots of wine to "taste" (some good and a lot of not so good wines) and many wonderful food samples!
I think I've "tasted" at least 10 wines. One wine in particular I "tasted" 3 times! LoL
This event lasted only till 10PM, but it was fun. Different. A wide variety of ages (older than 20something =P) and people.

After 20something, Karen and I headed to HG for Sheila's Bday (and Joe's).

Karen and I left before HG closed and headed to Purple Dot for some much needed food food!

Long night...good convo. We "discovered" some interesting things with our pasts.

More proof that Seattle is just TOO DAMN SMALL!!!

Didn't get home till almost 5AM.

T minus what?

2010-11-18T23:05:00.000-08:00

Between work and studying...making time for the gym has been almost impossible.

Monday and Tuesday? Forget it. By the time I left work, I was either too tired and needed the energy to study. OR...
Like Tuesday...I drove to the gym but...because of my busy day and forgetting to eat...I was too light headed and dizzy to work out.
Can you imagine? Me on the elliptical...and then passing out mid-step?
Yeah...probably not a great idea. So after putting my car in park and sitting there for like 15 minutes to see if the dizziness will "pass," I decided to go home.

I DID go yesterday at least, even though I didn't get there till after 8PM.
BUT...I did work out at least. Worked on arms, some legs, and abs. It was a little past 9:30PM by the time I finished and I still had a lot of work to catch up on, not to mention cook for today's potluck.
So...I skipped cardio. *sigh*

Lawrd knows I NEED to get in some cardio. Bad. Doesn't help that I've killed like 3 bottles of wine this week already. =\
Oy.
Bloated. I really need to quit ... er... calm down with the drinking. Right?
Maybe keep it to 1 bottle a week. Unless of course it's split between other folks then...... =)

Today I had WAY too much carbs.
Kim-Chi Fried Rice - Pasta w/olives and mussels - Lemon Rice - Red Velvet Cake - 1 (yes...only 1) glass of Chardonnay.
I was planning on going to the gym after work for a good hour of cardio but...
let's see...it's 7:50PM right now and I am STILL in the office.

And my brother and family + Cali some visitors are on their way over.
No gym tonight. Again.
Tomorrow maybe? We'll see.....

T-minus ...just give it up and try to at least maintain where I'm currently at.
.........................................................................................................

11:04....Family is still here.
Been chatting. Drinking. More chatting. Decided to get started on making my pumpkin crunch to bring to work.
3 glasses of wine. Sleepy.........

2010-11-17T23:07:00.000-08:00

Team morale event today: Kaspar's Kitchen.
FUN!

We made:
APPETIZERS
Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls with Miso Aïoli

SOUPS
Spicy Ginger Carrot Bisque with Cilantro Cream

SALAD DRESSINGS
Ginger Rice Wine Vinaigrette

ENTRÉE
Roasted Quail with Merlot Risotto Stuffing Paella

STARCH
Light Southwestern Gnocchi Roeschti Potatoes (Shredded Potato Pancakes)

DESSERTS
Molten Chocolate Marshmallow Cake

Amy and I stopped by BK to grab some breakfast. We weren't sure if breakfast would be served so we picked up some hashbrown bites and pancake sticks. =)

BUT...they did have freshly made scones. And wine. And coffee. And tea.
My breakfast: BK on the road, then a cup of green tea and a cougar pour of merlot!

After Kaspar's, Amy and I walked around downtown to do some shopping.
Walked off the food and all the wine!

Happy Birthday Krystal.....

2010-11-12T23:58:00.000-08:00

Bday Dinner for Krystal @ Monsoon East in Old Bellevue. This place is wonderful! Definitely a place to visit....often.

After dinner we headed to 520 Bar & Grill for one more drink.....

Headed over to Jerome's to catch whoever was left for his housewarming.

Had more wine. 2 or 3 more glasses?

Got home around 3:30am.......

Too tired to go upstairs. Hello couch =P

NYC....T minus 21 days

2010-11-11T21:32:00.001-08:00

BREAKFAST (9ish): Blended Protein Shake
SNACK (12ish): Protein shake & handful of raw almonds/walnuts
LATE LUNCH (4:30ish): Lean pocket - Chicken & Artichoke

I did make it to the gym, but I only did legs. No cardio.
Again....starvation took over. And I have a lot of reading to do tonight. So...home earlier than usual.

DINNER: Ground turkey w/cabbage, asparagus, jalapenos, and mushrooms.

How exciting.

Time to study............................

Oh ya! BTW....
Those "7lbs" I thought I gained? When I weighed myself, I was bloated, had a couple glasses of wine, was wearing all my clothes, and had my shoes on.
I'm still at 131lbs *whew* =P

15-20lbs to go....still. Since February. It's just not going ANYWHERE =\

NYC....T minus 22 days

2010-11-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

Another busy day but I'm trying to be better with eating SOMETHING...

BREAKFAST (9ish): Oatmeal and 2 bottles of water
LUNCH (12:30ish): 1 Costco Teriyaki Ckn Breast, 4 small pickles, and a plain salad.
2 more bottles of water
ANOTHER "MEAL" (4ish): Progresso Low Sodium Minestrone Soup and Green Tea
More water.....

Went to the gym...but only did 35 min of cardio on the elliptical.
Starvation took over.

DINNER: Sushi Mojo!
Agedash tofu - Salmon slider - Spicy Tuna cali roll - and my fave...Spicy Ahi Pasta

23 days to NYC...

2010-11-09T22:20:00.000-08:00

Crazy busy day.

BREAKFAST (9ish): Quaker's Choc Chip Granola Bar and a bottle of water
No snack. Not even water. I made a cup of green tea.... didn't drink that either.
No time.
LUNCH (3ish): Some baby corn, artichokes, half a cup of grilled chicken, and 1 boiled egg from the cafe salad bar. Took me 2 hrs to somewhat finish this small helping of food.

I did stop over to "Samm-J" for a quick drink to Krystal's bday =)

Reading in the bathroom stall? ........................

DINNER: Microwaved TRADER JOE'S 99% FAT FREE BEAN & RICE BURRITO.

Too tired to cook. And would much rather be using that "cooking" time to study.

Ok....back to studying.........

Countdown to NYC....

2010-11-09T00:33:00.000-08:00

T minus 24 days to NYC!!!
Now you KNOW I am going to EAT on vacation! A couple places I absolutely NEED to go?

http://www.serendipity3.com/
http://www.noburestaurants.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/grays-papaya-new-york-2 (yes...they DO have a turkey dog. WOOT WOOT!!!)

So...let me lose some weight before I pack on some more!
2 lbs a week for the next 2 weeks? Lots and lots of CARDIO and really watch what I eat.

BREAKFAST: Green Tea and a blueberry bagel
3 bottles of water (23.7 oz bottle)
LATE AFTERNOON SNACK: 2 bags of chips - I really need to quit with this!
2 more bottles of water
BEFORE GYM (5ish) - 1 Costco Teriyaki Chicken Breast
1 more bottle of water

WOTD: 3 sets

Lat Pulldowns (50lbs) - 20 reps

Lat Side Raises (10lb dumbbells) - 15 reps

Chest Fly (45lbs) - 15 reps

Reverse Fly (40 lbs) - 12 reps

Seated Tri Pushdown (90lbs) - 15 reps

Bicep Curl (1o lb dumbbells) - 15 reps

ABS: 3 sets

Swiss Ball Exchange from Feet to Hands - 15 reps

Oblique Crunches (both sides) - 30 reps

CARDIO: 30 min on elliptical (weight loss setting)

Calories burned - 315

DINNER: Egg white omelette w/mushrooms and pico de gallo

And I had a handful of more chips (Kettle Low Sodium BBQ)

2 more bottles of water

Congrats Matt & Julie!

2010-11-07T22:45:00.000-08:00

Started the day with Dim-Sum @ Noble Court!
nom nom....
Tasty, sodium filled Chinese Food! Love it.... =)

Picked up Alsu in Woodinville and headed home to start getting ready for the Wedding.
Well....first we killed a bottle of wine and finished off the rest of my smoked Gouda!

Wedding Reception was at http://www.georgetownballroom.com/.
They showed the video of their ceremony in Hawaii....
It couldn't have been any more perfect =)

CONGRATS MATT & JULIE!!!

Food at Reception: Veggies and dip, some cheese, 2 slices of pizza, and a salad. And of course...more WINE! I think I had 3 or 4 glasses the entire night. And no water =P

We stopped by Taco Bell on the way home. I have my usual Caramel Empanada, and Rice & Bean Burrito.

Geez...this isn't helping. Oh did I mention....I've gained 7 lbs this past week and a half =(

*sigh*

Still no time to workout....

2010-11-06T23:29:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY:
Picked up Alsu from airport. Met up with Tasha at Issy Coho for lunch. Alsu's friend was not home and DID NOT have her phone on hand so we walked around the highlands for awhile before dropping down at Caffe Ladro so I can log on and get some work done.
Lots to catch up on with work.

Went to the gym but ended up only doing a quick full body workout (45 min) and only 15 min of cardio (I was STARVING)!

FRIDAY:
Moving started today. Stayed at work late. Had some wine and cheese with MT & Millie as we worked.
Dairy and wine...bloated...but oh so delicious.
Headed down to Muck for Mom's bday dinner at 7:30 (dinner was supposed to be AT 7:30).
Late. =\

All you can eat King Crab. YUM! I ate all the legs on my plate...but I didn't make a 2nd trip. I was getting pretty full already, and I still had a 2nd plate of other food.
I'm a waste of $ at buffets......

I ate 2 of those pasta thingies, just the skin of the fried chicken (DUH....the best part!) and a couple bites of the potatoes.

I had to leave SOME kind of room for dessert!
Which...I only had taken a bite or two of each as well.

SATURDAY:
BREAKFAST @ noon: Panda Express! Fried Rice and Sweet & Sour Soup. The ONLY things I like from P.E.

Went to SWAC in W.Seattle for my nephews football games...and both of their teams won! WOOT WOOT!
Congrats Lijee and Devin. Next...PLAYOFFS =)

Ran some errands then off to the Bell Square for a Bang Trim @ 7.
And of course...did some shopping. Found me a dress at Arden B for Matt & Julie's Hawaiian Themed Wedding Recep for Sunday...$5! Ahh yeah!!! Talk about a good deal =)

Ended the night with dinner at Boom Noodle. We had the Edemame Puree, Ahi Tacos, and I had Kimchi Ramen.
Mmm...sodium. So bloated.

No improvement......

2010-11-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

Insomnia.
Stress.
Exhaustion.
Spread too thin.

I'm starting my days with protein shakes but....
the rest of the day have consisted of chips, more chips, candy, more candy, and a small plate of salad stuff - but that's usually not till towards the very end of my work day.

Haven't made it in to the gym this week either.
Although...today...I DID go for a 4 mile walk during lunch.
But then... ruined it my munching on 2 bags of M&M's, Sour Patch Kids, and more chips.
Damn halloween candy.

And today is my Mommy's and Alex's 2nd Bday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

But you know what that means -
CAKE! Or in Alex's case...CUPCAKES! nom nom nom....
Red Velvet =)

Back from MIA.....

2010-10-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Yes I am STILL here and STILL working on me. Or at least I have been trying to.
So since my last update, things have been pretty busy.

Had a wedding on Saturday, Oct 23rd. Then ended the day hanging out at my brother's house. All of my sis-in-law's family was over with their kids and they all carved pumpkins.
For HOURS.

I was still in my wedding clothes and just didn't feel like getting dirty. So I watched:
How to Train A Dragon, Ip Man (AWESOME btw), and Legion.

That's A LOT in one night!

That following Sunday the boys had a football game. Which I tried making to but the weather was so crappy and traffic was hell. I sat on 520 for what seemed like forever (probablyl because I had to pee so bad)!

After almost 2hrs on the road I decided to just exit Southcenter so I can use the bano.
And then....shop! Might as well make good use of my time since I am down south!
So I picked up some clothes for work and headed to Lovers to put together a couple Halloween outfits!
The day was at least productive!

Following work week...
I DID make it a point to go to the gym regardless of how late I got out of work. Cardio almost every day - even if that was the ONLY thing I did at the gym. Got a couple good full body workouts in too.

Breakfast for the week still consisted of a Protein Shake (the Costco one) and a Honeycrisp Apple.
2-3 cups of green tea throughout the day.
I had salad twice this week from the cafe downstairs

Another day was lunch at Purple with Jason - belated birthday. 2 glasses of my fave CW, STONIER Pinot Noir, Sauteed Prawns w/Shoestring fries, Grilled Beef Tenderloin Skewers (Um...Jason obviously), Baked Brie, and we split a Lobster Mac n Cheese.

I can't go to Purple and NOT have the Lobster Mac!!! And my Stonier.....

Another day was lunch w/Dave...we headed over to Matt's Rotisserie & Oyster Lounge over in Redmond Town Center.

So of course I have to have some Oysters on the Half Shell (which he hates) all to myself, a glass of CW, and an Ahi Salad. Yum!

Friday.....

HALLOWEEN PARTY!!! I killed a bottle of Merlot BY MYSELF - in the span of almost 2 hrs. Drive up North to MT's place. Get dressed. She pours me a glass of this Chocolate Vodka w/Kahlua. Not bad. But...having downed a bottle of CW earlier, I KNOW this is not going to sit well later.

And it didn't. We get to the party and I DON'T need anything more to drink. We danced. Mingled. Saw someone from my team at this party (AWKWARD).

I think we headed back to the house around 1:30AM. BUT....we're locked out! Locksmith said he would be about 20min. Um yeah....

Over an hour passed and still no locksmith. So I decided to try and break in to their house with my credit card. After a few swipes and jiggles....

TADAA!!!

Damn...I should have done this an hour ago. Oh well. We're in. I'm tired. Not gonna try and drive home.

Saturday....I'm SUPER LATE to Lola Trinig's 90th Bday Celebration out on Beacon Hill. 3 hrs late actually. Oh well...better late than never!

GD Hangover. So of course...since I AM down south where else do I go? THE MALL!!! Picked up random stuff for myself, bday prezzie for Alexis, and some Joollibee =) Oh Peach Mango Pie how I heart thee!!!

Today the sun is out so - after some much needed cleaning in the kitchen and a load of laundry - I drive over to Northbend. Maybe I'll find something for my mom's bday prezzie out there. Nope. Nada.

J sees I'm "green" =P So I run a few more errands before heading over to his place to meet up with him and Maybelle. Take care of some stuff. Check out the new pad (Avalon Towers).

I WANT TO LIVE HERE. The view is BEAUTIFUL. The "lounge" area and fitness center.... awesome!

So after the tour we head out. Now I'm at Panera in DT Bellevue to study. I order a Tomato & Mozza Sammich w/Creamy Tomato soup and a small bag of chips.

Will head out of here in another hour and go to the gym. Do a quick full body workout and at least 30min cardio. My stupid shin still hurts so still no jogging. I've been alternating between doing MANUAL workouts, the INTERVAL workouts, and LOSE WEIGHT workouts on the elliptical. I need to do SOMETHING until my shin splint goes away.

I DID lose 3 lbs since my last update. So I must be doing SOMETHING right despite all the CW and eating out I've been doing.

Ok....time to study!!!

Still here....

2010-10-20T23:55:00.000-07:00

and still working out!

I've been very busy at work and occupied with other things lately.
But a quick recap since last Wednesdsay:

I hurt my left shin running on the treadmill. It didn't help that I ran 5 miles the following day (even though it was outdoor).
And it definitely didn't help that I still ran the MS 5k on Friday. And I still went to the gym afterwards.
Sunday....went to church late. Had lunch and hung out watching football and reading the Sunday paper at the sleepy Zamora house. Hit the gym. I worked on legs avoided any lunging though). Cardio: elliptical for 40 min.
Monday - Hit the gym again. Did a little of everything. BTW...the leg is still hurting.
Cardio was on the elliptical for 35 min, set to do INTERVALS. Level: 7. Less impact on the bum leg.
Tuesday - Still limping, but I go to the gym to do arms and abs. I forgot to pack socks so....no cardio.

Today: I probably shouldn't have. Wait. Let me rephrase....I KNOW I SHOULDN'T HAVE...
But I go for a run with Tim anyways. It was either that or the Kirkland Stairs of Hell with Jerome and his buddy. How can I NOT do anything when it's nice out still? I want to enjoy the cold sun while we still have it!
Well...I wouldn't have made it out to Kirkland in time so I opted for the run.
It hurt the first half mile...but I ran past the pain. It's when we got to 2.25 mile mark to turn around, that killed me.
We stopped to stretch a bit. Retie the shoes. And that's when the pain just started shooting up and down my left leg =/

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUCH!!!!

But, it's getting dark fast, so I run despite the pain. For 2.25 miles, my left shin is throbbing. Burning. Aching. We couldn't get back to campus fast enough!

4.53 aching miles.
TIME: 48:47
PACE: 10:45 min/mi
CALORIES BURNED: 452

Well....I ran off the bag of M&M's and roll of Rolo's I ate earlier. Horrible. =P

And I wonder why I can't get rid of my belly fat? *sigh*
DINNER: Left over chicken sotanghon sissy made the other night.

Day 14 AGAIN

2010-10-13T12:41:00.001-07:00

BREAKFAST: Blended shake but no PB (all out)
LUNCH: Skinless rotisserie chicken from the cafe and side of salad
Green Tea

It's another beautiful sunny day, so definitely going for a run today. No more treadmill running for me. I tried that last night and it hurt the hell outta my shins! So hoping my run outside won't be too bad. My left shin is still pretty sore. =/

Off to a 4 hour meeting now.....................................................................

Interesting Quote......

2010-10-13T00:43:00.000-07:00

....and relatable:

"I loved him. He needed time to think and that was ok- he was worth waiting for... and waiting for... and waiting for. Finally I realized I had waited away my life for an answer he had already given me: Had he loved me back, I would not have had to wait." - Anonymous

Day 13 Again

2010-10-12T23:29:00.001-07:00

BREAKFAST: Blended shake w/PB

My day was pretty busy that I didn't notice to eat lunch till almost 2PM. Mind you, I had my shake around 9AM. Not good.

LUNCH: Grilled Salmon from the cafe, along with the grilled eggplant and cucumbers w/Edameme Hummus I made last night.
Another Green Tea.

I try to keep up with the "better choices" and have fruit for a snack a couple hours laterSo far so good. I head over to another bldg to set up for an All Hands Meeting.
There's veggies and dip. Ruffles and Sour Cream. Tortilla Chips and Salsa.
Should I have a snack...I SHOULD opt for the veggies.
But oh the salty chips and creamy sour cream sound so much better.
After trying to fight the cravings for about half an hour, I finally gave in and had a handful of Ruffles w/sour cream.

UGH. I really need to start carrying a protein bar or shake with me EVERYWHERE I go. Giving in to junk food cravings is not helping the cause!

The meeting lasts about 1.5 hrs. I head back to my office, where MT dropped off some CW in my fridge while I was at my meeting.

Since Tim bailed on our jog today, MT and I took a much needed break from our crazy day and had some "juice" and more chips. REALLY not helping the cause!!!

I don't get to the gym till a little after 9PM. And I'm hungry. BUT...with the snacking I let myself do today, I NEED to do SOMETHING to at least balance things out.

WOTD: 3 Sets each (except for the abs)

ValSlide Reverse Lunge w/8lb med ball - 10 reps each leg

ValSlide Side Lunge - 10 reps each leg

ValSlide Curtsy Squat - 10 reps each leg

Squat w/18lb body bar - 15 reps

Lying Hip Abduction - 15 reps

Lying Hip Aduction - 20 reps

ABS: Pyramid

60 Regular Crunches

50 Bicycle crunches

40 Vertical Leg Crunches

CARDIO: 30 min on Treadmill / 4.0 mph / Incline 15

DINNER: 1 baked Tilapia Fillet and Green Tea

Let's see if I do better tomorrow............................

Day 12 Again

2010-10-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

BREAKFAST: Blended shake w/PB
Green Tea

My old coworker, Manang Belinda, that I haven't seen since summer called me and is in the East Side (she's from Fed Way). So I meet up with her for lunch at SIMILAN'S Thai Restaurant.
This lady...ALWAYS has the most hilarious stories about her kids and herself! In trying to make a "healthier" choice, I ordered the Cashew Nut Chicken Dish with no rice.
I drank A LOT of water to get full since there were only like 5 or 6 SMALL ASS pieces of chicken...AND NO RICE =/

Back to work...I have more green tea and water.
........and more green tea.
So that's 3 cups of Green Tea today....CAFFEINE.

SNACK: Costco trail mix.
I AM STARVING. The trail mix isn't cutting it.
I gave in to my cravings and had half a bag of Cheetos (the small lunch bag...not a big bag).
SMH.

A lot of work to do today so I didn't make it to Ab Class or to Kickboxing like I was hoping to.
But I still made it to the gym to do SOMETHING at least.

WOTD: 3 Sets each
Lat Pulldowns (50 lbs) - 20 reps
Dumbbell Side Lat Raises (10 lbs) - 15 reps
Dumbbell Alt. Bicep Curls (10 lbs) - 15 reps

Dual Cable Chest Press (17.5 lbs) - 20 reps
Dumbbell Tri Kickbacks (15 lbs) - 15 reps
Tricep Rope Extensions (20 lbs) - 15 reps

ABS
Hand to Toe Crunch - 20 reps each side
Frozen bicycle Crunch w/18lb body bar - 12 reps each leg
90 degree Crunch w/18lb body bar - 12 reps

CARDIO: Only 15 min on the elliptical.
Starving. =\
Maybe I should have eaten that protein bar on the way to the gym.
Oh well...I'll get in 5 miles - at least - tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't rain!

DINNER: Grilled eggplant and Persian Cucumbers w/Edemame Hummus.
6oz. skinned rotisserie chicken.

10/10/10

2010-10-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Considering I had that horribly delicious meal past midnight @ Shari's, you would think I would make it to the gym to do some MUCH needed cardio.

NOPE.
Didn't even make it to church today.

Got up. Cleaned up a bit. Put away SOME laundry.
Made my blended protein shake.

Got in a 2:30PM hair appt. @ 7 Salon in Bellevue Square.
MUCH NEEDED HAIRCUT!
First time there and I gotta say...the experience was great and the they did a good job.
It's a bit "pricey" here but...they got the job done right.
So...I think I've FINALLY found my spot =)

It's bruther David's Surprise Bday Dinner @ Ginza in Bellevue.
He tried to spoil Sheila's plan, but he was still surprised and happy nonetheless!

DINNER: 2 different rolls, but they both had Jalapeno's in 'em. YUM!
DESSERT: Sheila made an AWESOME fruit tart from scratch.
Homemade crust. Custard was perfect. And topped with Starfruit, Kiwis, Strawberries, Blueberries, and I think there were raspberries on there too.

Great dinner. Always good company. And with these guys...ALWAYS hilarious stories =P
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRUTHER!!! Enoy the last year of your 20s................

Also today...
My supre nerdy buddy - Matt - got married today!
CONGRATULATIONS MATT & JULIE =)

I say nerdy because 10.10.10 ==> Binary Code.
101010 = 42 in binary code
42 is the natural number following 41 and preceding 43.
And accodting to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 42 is the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything".

NERDY huh?

Day 11 AGAIN

2010-10-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

It's chilly today. Not too bad of a hangover this time. I stuck with JUST wine. No mixing...didn't want a repeat of LAST WEEKEND =P

BREAKFAST: Top Ramen. Bad I know. But it's cold this morning...and it just sounded really good.

I missed the 10:30AM Kickboxing class. BUT...I will head to the gym today. I have another night of drinking ahead of me. Celebrating Nanci and Dee's anniversary over at Chopstix up in Everett.

So I need to get in some cardio and weight training in before heading out. My motivation? Reminder? .................COSTUME!!!

It's 2:22PM right now. Going to get in a light lunch and head to the gym. WOTD to be posted later.........................................................................................................

WOTD: 3 Sets each

Squats w/18lb Body Bar - 30 reps

Side Lunges on Bosu Ball - 20 reps

ValSlide Reverse Lunge w/6lb med ball - 15 reps

ValSlide Curtsey Squat - 10 reps

ValSlide Side Lunge - 10 reps

ValSlide Leg Curl - 20 reps each leg

Vertical Leg Crunch w/6lb Med Ball - 30 reps

ValSlide Plank Push Outs - 10 reps each arm

ValSlide Spider Climb Push Up Combo - 10 reps each leg (Don't know what exactly to call this. I'm in push up position with a slide under 1 foot. As I stretch out my leg out horizontally, I do a push up at the same time)

Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks (15 lbs) - 20 reps

Side Lat Raises - 15 reps

Front Lat Raises - 15 reps

Dumbbell Oblique Side Bends (15 lbs) - 25 reps each side

Lying Side Oblique Crunches - 25 reps each side

Starving and late for the party by the time I finish everything. So I go shower and get ready and we leave the gym by 6:45PM. We head to Sushi Mojo for dinner, then up to Everett!

I have my usual faves @ Mojo: Agedashi Tofu and Spicy Ahi Pasta. YUM!

AND they have a new plate: Salmon Slider. Can we say BOMB.COM?!

For dessert we split an eclair.

TOTAL DRINKS @ CHOPSTIX: 3 Vodka Tonics and 1 Vodka on the rocks

I think we were there for at least 2.5 hrs.

Oh and...I got called out to dance on the damn stage twice. =P

We're pretty hungry again so we end up at Shari's for a late night dinner. I finish:

Half of my Belgian Waffle (YUM!), 1 piece of wheat toast, and a cup of Green Tea.

So delicious...but this REALLY needs to stop! LoL

TGIF

2010-10-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

BREAKFAST: Blended shake w/PB
Green Tea

LUNCH: I headed down to the cafe for another sammich like yesterday's =)
Green Tea AND CW =P
And another cup of CW.....
.....and another cup of CW.

Day iS FINALLY over and I head over to Melting Pot Bellevue to meet up with my girls: Sissy, Gena, her homegirl Rachel, and Kat and 2 of her friends.

Us colored folks were getting SUBSTANTIALLY too loud and were told to keep it down...Substantially. Whatever.

Other than that, we had good food...fun company...entertaining conversation...and a hell of a hook up thanks to Rachel! Ahh yeah BUDDIE =)

I think we killed 4 or 5 bottles total ....for only $37! SAWEET!

Not to mention 3 different orders of fondue and 1 order of their dessert fondue, Ying-Yang.
THAT shut us ALL UP...Substantially. LoL
Great entertaining evening. Never a dull moment with these ladies!

Day 10 AGAIN

2010-10-07T23:47:00.000-07:00

BREAKFAST: Blended shake w/PB
SNACK: 1 Laughing cow wedge on 2 ak-mok crackers w/turkey deli meat
LUNCH: Sandwich from Cafe - (only ate half of it for lunch) Grilled chicken w/roasted veggies, jalapenos, and pepperoncini's on grilled ciabatta bread w/pesto spread and provolone cheese.
Oh and I guess I should also add that I had a cup of CW. =)

I'm feeling kinda lazy today, but Tim finds me for our weekly run.
If he didn't come get me I might have just skipped on cardio today. So I guess....

THANKS TIM for keeping me on track! Today we ran:

DISTANCE: 5 miles (we walked the last .03 miles)
TIME: 52:17
PACE: 10:27 mi/min
CALORIES BURNED: 502

Okay...I have some energy in me to heaad to the gym and work on some upper body and abs.
MUST! COSTUME GOAL!!!

SNACK BEFORE GYM: Cup of berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries) and a Protein Bar.
AND WATER!

Okay....it's a little past 7PM. I need to get my workout plan together then head to Pro Club!
..........................................................................................................

AB WOTD:
3 Sets each

Still Bicycle Crunch w/18 lb body bar - 12 reps each leg
90 degree Crunch w/body bar - 12 reps
Russian Twist w/4lb Med Ball - 20 reps each side
Standing Oblique Crunch w/15lb Dumbbell - 25 reps each side
Plank - hold 1 minute

Vertical Crunch - 30 reps
Oblique V-Ins - 15 reps each side
Leg Raises - 15 reps

This took me an hour to complete. I was going to soak in the whirlpool a bit but it was already 9:15ish PM. Tired. Hungry. And I still need to get in some reading. So I head home.
Well..Safeway first to grab some grocery. Then home.

DINNER: The other half of my sandwich from lunch earlier.
Water.
3rd cup of Green Tea.

Shower.
I'm beat. Good night!

GIVE Site Party

2010-10-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day. It's our Campus wide GIVE Site Party with 73+ Non-Profits on site. I, along with a handful of other folks have been planning this event for the last 2 months. And happy to say...it was a HIT! =)

(Ab class guy @ Pro Club!)

As far as what I consumed this day....here's how my day went:

BREAKFAST (9am-ish): Protein Shake and a banana

Ran around all morning and afternoon in preparation of the event and worked during the event.

During the 3 hours of the party, I did manage to squeeze in a handful of popcorn and 4 cups of wine........

OLE!

I didn't leave the office till past 8:30PM. Catching up on emails.

My plan was to head to the gym to get in some kind of workout but "Lynden B. Johnson" was by his lonesome. So we hung out at the most haole-ist bar in Issy: GasLamp. He couldn't go home yet since the GF was having a girls night in! ha!

Shot a couple games of pool. Well...he played well. I scratched pretty much all night.

DINNER: Bar food. A basket of Sweet Potato Fries (yum!) and a glass of Pinot.

Home. Passed out.

Day 9 AGAIN

2010-10-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

Woke up not feeling 100%. Had a sore throat. My head just felt off. Dizzy when I stood up and walked around. Ugh. This is not going to be a good day.

BREAKFAST: Premium Protein Shake Green Tea
SNACK: 2 bags of chips (Lay's BBQ and Ranch Doritos). Hey...I'm not feeling well. I want comfort food ok?!

LUNCH: SmartOnes Microwave Food - Ravioli Florentine. I know frozen food isn't the best choice, but for those days I just don't feel like cooking, this is at least a better choice of frozen food versus something like "Hungry Man. "

In the next couple of hours I have a few bite size Snickers candies, 1 small packet of Plain M&M's, and a small bag of Skittles. Oh and...another cup of Green Tea.

HORRIBLE.

So...I offset this with a run. I still don't feel that great but, with all the crap I been eating since Friday, I NEED to get in some kind of workout! Tim and I run the first half mile then stop to do some sit ups. I do 50. He did a few more after I was done.
We continue running. Total cardio today:

DISTANCE: 5.38 miles
TIME: 1 hour
AVG SPEED: 5.3 mph
AVG PACE: 11.1 min/mi
CALORIES BURNED: 426 Calories

Not bad! I burned off those 2 bags of chips from earlier! LoL Think I'll head to the gym to get in some weights..............................................

WOTD:
3 sets each
Squats w/18lb Body Bar - 25 reps
Side Lunge on BOSU Ball - 20 reps
Forward Lunge w/15 lb dumbbells - 15 reps
Opp Hand to Toe Crunches - 20 reps each side

Tricep Dumbbell Kickbacks (12 lbs) - 20 reps
Dumbbell Bicep Curl (10 lbs) - 20 reps
Dumbbell Front Lat Raises (5 lbs) - 15 reps
Lying Bent Kneee Raises (lower abs) - 25 reps
Bosu Ball Oblique Crunches - 20 reps each side

I snacked on 5 fortune cookies while I cooked. Hey....I HAVE THE MUNCHIES OKAY?!

DINNER: Garlic sauteed tofu & shrimp w/mushrooms and baby bok choy in a thickened reduced sodium chicken stock mixed with oyster and soy sauce.

Monday Monday....

2010-10-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

I got up at 5AM today in order to get to work by 6:30 to get the campus set up for our GIVE Kick-Off.
And those that know me KNOW that it's almost IMPOSSIBLE for me to get up AND out of bed before 8AM!

Event went well. The rest of my day was just super busy catching up on email and other last minute things for our big Non-Profit Site Party on Wednesday.
I'm exhausted by noon.
I've been on the go since I got up this morning. I haven't had a real meal.
Munched on a "too sweet" NutriGrain bar in the morning.
Had a cup of green tea like 3 hours later.

I munched on WAY too much candy throughout the day. I don't even think I ate lunch.
Hmm....did I?

Left work around 4PM. Got home and ate my left over Kona Kitchen: Mochiko Chicken, Mac Salad, and some White Rice. Nom nom nom =)

And what's the worst thing you can do right after eating? Sleep.
I did. Took a quick nap and just stayed down for the rest of the evening.

DINNER: Sodium filled Udon.

Back to Church....

2010-10-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

Haven't been to church in over a month. And of course...30 min late. Ayyy......

Today was a busy day. After church, had to go Costco to pick up stuff for a work event.
Of course, I have a churro. =)

From Costco, we head down to Southcenter for one of my cousin's surprise baby shower at OSF. But that's not till 4pm. We have 2.5 hrs to kill. I still need to buy a prezzie so we go to Nordstrom Rack. I pick up a cute Juicy onesie, a teething toy, and a container to keep baby formula in. Of course...all pink!

That took me all but 20 minutes to pick out. I spend the next couple of hours shopping for...ME!

We make it over to OSF ON TIME as the invite said. Everyone else...LATE =P
Shoulda known better. Filipino time! LoL

I should have ordered a salad or opted for wheat pasta and no cheese but...
I don't. Instead I order:

Oh. I forgot to mention. As we were waiting for everyone else to arrive, I had a glass of Cab from the bar =) Just ONE.

I need to get up by 5AM tomorrow. Wonderful. =\
Kickboxing tomorrow. Kickboxing. More cardio after that. And Maybe some abs too.
Need to work off this weekend!!!
And I want to wear WHAT for Halloween? LoL
Might have to change to something else with more coverage!

The morning after hangover.....

2010-10-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a useless lazy day. Other than Sissy's errand up in Northgate and picking up food at Kona (YUM!)

I fell asleep...er...PASSED OUT on the cold hardwood floor. With my club clothes still on. Locked in the bathroom. SHAME.

It wasn't till after 10AM that I FINALLY crawled out of the bathroom. Yes....I CRAWLED. Sissy took my damn picture for proof of my shame. Thanks. Thanks.........

Head is still spinning. Nausea still lingering. But I manage to stomach some Top Ramen. I have to. I'm empty. I've yacked everything up. EVERYTHING.

I don't see my purse anywhere in the house so I go outside to check Sissy's car and I see my trail I left from last night. FML. SMH.....

Because yacking up my spine all night in the parking lot AND at home wasn't embarrassing enough...leaving behind a barf bag and my shoes in the driveway for the neighbors to see just adds to my shameful night.

The appetite slowly started coming back later in the evening. Saturday was just a lazy, poor food choices kind of day. Here's how it went:

MORNING: Top Ramen

"LUNCH": McDonald's Fries and an Apple Pie (mind you...I haven't had McDonald's since December last year)!

KONA KITCHEN for DINNER: Mac Salad, Gravy Rice, and Mochiko Chicken.

PAPA MURPHY'S late DINNER: 2 larg pizza's (Spinach/Mushroom Alfredo Pizza & Chicken Bacon Pizza), Cheese Bread, and root beer.

Oh Friday Night.....

2010-10-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

BREAKFAST: Blended shake w/PB
LUNCH: Spicy Chicken Teriyaki and Salad (no rice)
So you see...I started the day off on the righ foot. Until AFTER I had my chicken. It was downhill from there.
Those that were at lunch...you know why =P And thanks! LoL

I don't get home from work till after 9pm. No time to rest even for just a little bit. Sissy and I are going out to Republiq over in Sodo. So as I get ready, I start my prefunk w/this FROST vodka I picked up in Chicago.
Eh...it's not too bad but I think I'll just stick with my Grey Goose!

The evening was fun. Great music. Fun company. Saw some old friends. Some guy at the bar thought I would like being whipped over his shoulder like a cavewoman.
WTH? Who the hell does that? *smh*

Some poor schmuck paid for our last round of shots! LoL
The bar was pretty busy so since I was already up front ordering a drink, this guy behind me asks if I can order his drink and he'll pay for mine. So what do I do?
"Sissy what do you want?!"
I ordered 4 drinks plus that guys 1. "Cheers! Thanks! Bye!"
RUN AWAY........ LoL

Again, I just don't know when to say when. I could have done without this last round of drinks.
By the time we get to the car....

YACK! YACK! YACK!

Oh lawrd =/

Day 8 AGAIN

2010-09-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

BREAKFAST (9AM): Banana and Shake
SNACK (11AM): Peach FAGE

Since it's such a nice day AND we have a morale event later this afternoon, I decided to go for a run:

DISTANCE: 4.5 miles
SPEED: 5.7 mi/hr
CALORIES BURNED: 473
TIME: 47:07

I really need to work on my speed. 10.46 min mile is 46 second too slow. Let me work on doing a 10 min mile... then I'll work on cutting down to a 9 min mile.

LUNCH: Sauteed Chicken w/Chives & roasted veggies
NutritionPer serving (CHICKEN) :244 calories; 9 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 72 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 26 g protein; 0 g fiber; 679 mg sodium; 334 mg potassium.

Recipe can be found here: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sauteed_chicken_breasts_with_creamy_chive_sauce.html
Finished inhaling my lunch in about 15 min (and yes, I felt sick after). Off to morale event. Let's see just how much junk I let myself have...if any.
..................................................................................................................

I held off snacking for an hour and a half and just had bottled water. But, I started getting hungry so I gave in and had some Ruffles and onion dip. =\ Darnit.

Morale event cleared out by 5. Went to the gym for Kickboxing class (different instructor from Monday). She was.....okay, but I'll stick with Monday's Kickboxing instructor. Think Thursdays will be running days, then gym for strength training.
This instructor did some weird combos and weird abs exercises. My right leg cramped up all of a sudden during the last 10 min of her ab workout, and I layed on the ground in pain...holding my leg...IN PAIN.

I sat in the whirlpool for a good 20 min or so and kept my cramped leg right in front of the jet to "massage" it. Kinda helped. Kinda.
And of course, as usual, after the whirlpool, I fall asleep in the lounge. =P

Get home a little after 10PM.

DINNER: Wheat pasta w/asparagus and steamed chicken in red sauce.
This tasted...HEALTHY. Bleh.

Day 7 AGAIN

2010-09-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

BREAKFAST: Banana and a Protein Shake

I have food for lunch today but...I don't feel like any of it. Passing on chicken. Passing on the roasted veggies. Passing on the sashimi/chap chae. Instead I opt for a high sodium content crappy lunch. Hot soup just sounds good today.

Maybe I'll eat the other stuff before heading to the gym today.

.........................................................................................................

So...since Tough Mudder is sometime next year (still TBD), I need a closer deadline for something to keep me motivated and on track. So what better motivation than squeezing into a skimpy Halloween outfit?!

Guess I better stay on top of those ab workouts, cardio cardio cardio...and lay off the crap food. I'm sure it would help if I laid off the alcohol some too. We'll see how THAT goes.

30 days to slim down the jabba-the-hut-gut! Can I do it? Don't think I can drop 15lbs in 30 days, but if I can do 8-10lbs I'll be happy. Guess we'll find out come Halloween. So for now...getting into this costume without looking too disgusting is the goal =P

FORE!!!

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK (1:30ish): Cup of berries

Getting my appetite back a bit so I have......

ANOTHER SMALL MEAL (3ish): Salmon Sashimi and Chap Chae. The Tuna tasted funny so I threw that out.

SNACK (6ish) BEFORE RUN/GYM: 2 Ak-Mak cracker's and 1 Laughing Cow Wedge

WOTD:

ARMS: 3 sets each

Bent over Tricep Kickbacks (12lbs) - 20 reps

Dumbbell Bicep Curls (10 lbs) - 20 reps

Side Lat Raises (10 lbs) - 15 reps

Front Lat Raises (5 lbs) - 15 reps

LEGS: 3 sets each

Squats w/18lbs Body Bar - 20 reps

Side Lunge on Bosu Ball - 20 reps both legs

ValSlide Backwards Lunge w/Med Ball (6lbs) - 15 reps

ABS - 3 sets each

Opp. Hand to Toe Crunch - 20 reps each side

Vertical Crunch - 30 reps

ValSlide Plank/Alt Hand Push Out - 10 reps each side

Floor Reverse Crunches - 20 reps

I didn't do any cardio today like I know I SHOULD HAVE. Still not feeling 100% normal since yesterday. PLUS...I'm starving.

DINNER: BAD BAD dinner. Left over KFC hot wings, mashed 'tatoes, and baked beans.

HORRIBLE. I know. After all that talk to get into that costume!

Tomorrow?!

Company Meeting

2010-09-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

Not too much eaten today...but not the best choices today either.

BREAKFAST: A banana (no time to blend and didn't grab a protein shake)
LUNCH: Boxed lunch provided at meeting. I had a Turkey Sandwich w/Lay's BBQ chips, baby carrots, and a bottled water.
Later met up with some folks at Pyramid. Few of us walked over to Jimmy's and downed - in only 10 min - 3 double shots of Patron.

Not good.

We head back to Pyramid and I have a glass of Syrah. Miss D meets up a couple hours later and a few of us head to Jimmy's again.

I have yet another double shot of Patron.

Head back to Pyramid. I have ANOTHER glass of Syrah. Those who know me...mixing of different alcohols DOES NOT sit well with me.

So of course... after it settles in my system...what happens when I get home?

YACK.

It's not even 10pm but...I call it a night. A dizzy, nauseating, early night.

I just never learn.......... *smh*

Oh well...good times!

Day 6 AGAIN

2010-09-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

*Note: Throughout the day I am working on finishing 1 gallon of water...EVERYDAY*

BREAKFAST: I'm rushing this morning so I eat 2 TBSP of PB and drink a Premier Protein Shake

LUNCH: Some ak-mok crackers with Costco Chicken Salad

SNACK BEFORE GYM: Left over of what I had for lunch =P

WOTD: 25 min "Amazing Abs Class" (hardest 25 minutes of my life) followed by 55 minutes of intense Kickboxing.

Starving now...so I pick up my usual Protein Plate from the gym

I have to go to my parents house tonight, so I stop by Uwaji's to pick up some dinner for myself since I know what they have is probably not so....healthy.

I pick up 2 packages of Salmon Sashimi, 1 pkg of Tuna Sashimi, some Chap Chae, and Kimchi Flavored Nori. Yum!

When I get home, I roast up some veggies for the week: Butternut Squash, Zuccinis, Red Onions, and Roma Tomatoes.

I could have eaten more smaller meals today. *shrug* But at least my choices today weren't TOO bad!

Day 5 AGAIN

2010-09-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

My day gets started LATE today. Let's just say by the time I was done getting ready and cleaning up a bit, it was lunch time.

LUNCH: Blended protein shake w/PB

I get to the gym a little past 1PM - in time to watch the Hawks game on the huge screen in the weight room!

WOTD: Upper Body
3 sets each
Bent Over Dumbbell Side Lat Raises (15lbs) - 20 reps
Dumbbell Bicep Curls (10lbs) - 20 reps
Lat Pull Downs (50lbs) - 20 reps
Opposite Hand to Toes Oblique Crunch - 20 each side

Two Arm Dumbbell Bent Over Row (15lbs) - 15 reps Standing Lat Raises (10lbs) - 20 reps
Front Lat Raises (7.5lbs) - 20
Vertical Leg Crunch - 30

On Dual Cable Cross Machine:
Chest Press (15lbs) - 20 reps

Bicep Curl (20 lbs) - 20 reps
Tricep Cable Ext. w/Rope (17.5lbs) - 20 reps

Elevated Push-Up - 20 reps
Bench Dips - 15 reps

By this time I am STARVING. I decided not to do any cardio today since tomorrow is Kickboxing. There will be plenty of cardio and leg/ab work tomorrow!

I run some errands and pick up some things at Costco. I know I shouldn't have but....
I grab a Cheese Pizza from their deli. Mmmm.....greasy cheese.

This is why it's bad to put eating off all day. I get home a little after 5PM and eat half of my pizza along with the left over Chicken Cutlet and Mac Salad from last night. BAD. *smh*
Oh..let's not forget to mention one of my fave

DESSERT: FRUIT TART from Regent Bakery. A mini custard pie lined with chocolate and topped with 2 strawberry slices, 2 kiwi slices, and 2 peach slices. Mmmm.....
I'll work it off at kickboxing? =P
..........................................................................................
It's about 9:15PM now and I'm starving. What to eat? I'm pretty sure I have exceeded my calorie intake for the day. Keep it healthy or cheat some more? Hmmmmm.....

So I opted to just finish off what's left of my Chicken Cutlet and Mac Salad along with a cup of green tea. *sigh*

Ok...see how tomorrow goes!

Early early morning....

2010-09-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

Since I passed out so EARLY last night, I am up at 4am. So here I am...online. And because I barely ate much yesterday and still feeling a little under the weather, I start off my morning with another Cup O' Noodles.

Not the best choice, I know, but hot soup beats a cold protein shake today.

Debating if I should head to the gym now or wait till later in the afternoon. I really have a lot of catching up to do with studying.............
BUT.....I do have to work off the last couple days PFC (Poor Food Choices).
AND I really should start incorporating workouts in my routine to prep myself if I go through with this Tough Mudder

The site suggests that training include these key areas:
Running - CHECK!
Lifting - Need to do more
Healthy eating (most of the time)- I'm not TOO bad but I could be better
Mental preparation - Need to work on this

Each exercise is a 60-second station designed to challenge your heart and lungs as well as your muscles. To prep for this event, it's suggested to do the Get Fit circuit 3 days a week and perform each exercise once, one right after the other, and spend no more than a minute on each one. Do as many reps as you can in that time, then move on to the next station, limiting yourself to 15 seconds of rest in between. Build your endurance to the point where you can comfortably do the circuit twice in one week before Tough Mudder. Make sure to use a weight that’s challenging for the 20 or so reps you’ll be doing for each exercise.

You can use dumbbells, kettlebells, or anything heavy with a handle for most if not all of the exercises below.

Exercise 1: Running Man (Related Obstacle: The Braveheart Challenge)
To get yourself in peak cardio condition, you can either: 1) Get on a treadmill. Start jogging at a slow comfortable pace for the first 5 minutes, then increase the speed to a full sprint for a full minute before reducing the speed back down to a jog for a minute or two. Alternate speeds every minute between jogging and sprinting for 35 minutes.
2) Free run. As you head outside for a jog, choose a point or landmark in the distance that’s reasonably far and sprint to it. Do this 10 or so times throughout the course of your run, paying attention to mixing in jogging and sprinting equally.

Exercise 2: TM PUSH-UP (Related Obstacle: Boa Constrictor)
Start out in a regular pushup position, arms straight, with two dumb bells in each hand. As you push your body upwards, rotate slightly at peak height and bring one hand up behind you so that your hands are in a vertical line.

Exercise 3: THE FIST AND THE FURY (Related Obstacle: Berlin Walls)
Grab a dumbbell, kettlebell, or anything heavy with a handle, and let it hang in front of you. Lower the weight below your hips and let it swing between your knees and legs. Try to keep your core sturdy and straight, explode upwards and swing the weight up to about eyelevel in a fully upright position. With control, do this as many times as you can, spending about 45 seconds on each arm.

Exercise 4: SCISSOR KICK (Related Obstacle: Fire Walker)
From a regular standing position, take one big step forward and lower yourself into a forward stepping lunge. This is the start position – jump and explode off the ground, getting enough air under you to scissor kick your legs and land with your opposite leg forward and ready to crouch down to the lunge position. Keep doing this, alternating your legs on each jump/repetition for 60 seconds.

Exercise 5: BACK ROW (Related Obstacle: Hold Your Wood)
Grab a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells, hold them in front, and bend over, keeping your back perfectly parallel to the ground with your weights hanging below you at each side. Keep your core steady and begin to pull the weights in a controlled manner up to your chest, hold at the top fo the rep, pause, and repeat. Exercise 6: DUMBBELL SIDE LUNGE (Related Obstacle: Swamp Stomp)
Grab your dumbbells and let them hang by your sides. Take a lateral step, stretching your leg all the way to your right, bend forward at your hips, and touch the dumbbells to the floor of the foot at finish position of your lunge.

Exercise 7: PUSH UP + ROW (Related Obstacle: Devil’s Beard)
Grab some dumbbells and assume a pushup position, with your arms straight. Perform a regular pushup, but as you fully extend your arms at the height of the push up, take one dumbbell and bring it all the way to the side of your torso. Lower your arm and descend back ot the start position. Repeat with the other arm. That’s one rep. Exercise 8: LUNGE + TWIST (Related Obstacle: Sweati Yeti)
Grab a heavy object and clutch it tight to the middle of your chest as you stand with feet shoulder length apart. Take a step forward as you would with a normal lunge, but as you lower your body with weight in hand, twist your torso to the right, pause, and return to a full upright position. Do the same with the opposite leg. That’s one rep.

Exercise 9: SHOULDER PRESS (Related Obstacle: Cliffhanger)
Grab some dumbbells or small kettlebells in each hand and spread your feet shoulder length apart as you would for a squat. Bring the dumbbells up to your shoulders as if you were doing a shoulder press. Lower yourself as you keep the weights cocked at the shoulder, as you explode upward from the squat position, push the weights up and above your head.

Exercise 10: DECLINE PUSH UP (Related Obstacle: Kiss of Mud)
Simple, quick, and easy. Get into a normal pushup position, but put your feet on top of an elevated park bench or box, arms extended out in front of you so that your body is perfectly parallel to the floor above the ground. Begin to do as many pushups as you can in the next 60 seconds.

Exercise 11: Quick Feet (Related Obstacle: The Bastard)
Staying in the pushup position, rapidly bring each knee towards your chest, as if you were sprinting in place or pedaling a ridiculously small bike.
Exercise 12: Tough Chin Up (Related Obstacle: Underwater Tunnels)
Just like your old man used to do, hang from a bar with either an overhand or underhand grip and pull yourself up – be sure to try and touch your chest to the bar, or get as close as you can. This will get progressively harder as the set wears on. Remember to do as many as you can for the full 60 seconds. Even if you have to take a slight break, be sure to finish the set.

Exercise 13: Superman Plank (Related Obstacle: Greased Lightening)
Get back into the pushup position you’ve grown accustomed to, placing your forearms on the ground and keeping your core – abs and hips – tight as possible. Hold this position for a full 60 seconds. Exercise 14: Drunk Superman Side Planks (Related Obstacle – Walk the Plank) Get on your side and hold yourself up by left forearm, creating a half triangle between your lats, forearm, and ground. Like a regular plank, keep your core tight – flex if you have to – and hold the position for 60 seconds, then alternate with your right side and repeat for another 60.

Exercise 15: Angelina Jolie (Related Obstacle: Ball Shrinker)
Get in between two chairs, bars, or if at a gym, a dip machine. Grab each bar or handle with each arm and lower yourself slowly and with control, as you push up with your arms try to explode up, lifting your self completely off. Be sure to start out slow until you get used to jumping off and regaining control fo the bars.
Exercise 16: THE TOUGH SQUAT (Related Obstacle: Death March)
Take a dumbbell, kettlebell, or large stone, anything you can find, hold it in front of your chest, stick your hips out behind you, bend the knees, and lower yourself until you’re in a full squat position, take a second and then push yourself back to the start position.

Okay. It's about 7:30a.m. I'm sleepy again. Back to bed.
..........................................................................................

So I never made it to the gym. Ran errands all afternoon with Sissy instead. We didn't finish everything till the evening. BUT...we did fit in an awesome lunch along with a "healthy" dessert!

LUNCH @ Cho-Dang in Paldo World Lynnwood: My usual Korean Seafood Tofu Soup with all the sides. We order some Spicey Fried Chicken from ChickyPub. We've been eating at Cho-Dang for years and we NEVER tried ChickyPub. So we finally do. And OH.....MY....GAWD.

Delish! The chicken had just enough spice to make it flavorful without being too hot. And fried perfectly to give it that crunch but without being too dry. And it wasn't too greasy either.
Little crunchy bites of heaven I must say!

Sissy and I found ourselves confused at times. Spoonful of soup in one hand. Chicken in the other. What do I put in my mouf first?!

Just so happens Mun J, Mike, and Vlad are up North too. So we all meet up at the mall for....
DESSERT: Red Mango! I have a small Pomegranite w/Mochi and Strawberries.

After hanging out with the guys for a bit, Sissy and I get back to our errands. We run around and get things done for the next 4 fours. Before heading home, we pick up....

DINNER @ L&L Hawaiian BBQ: I have a Mini Chicken Cutlet w/Gravy topped with 1 Sunnyside Up Egg (also comes with rice and mac salad).
This used to be a regular on the weekly dinner menu when I used to live in Lynnwood. Here's where some of the weight gain came from!

Day's not over yet! We headed out to Belltown =) 1 drink at B-town Billiards. Stayed here for about 15-20 min or so before ending the night at - where else - O'hanas.
We have 1 more drink there and hang out till closing. Interesting awkward evening. =P

But hey....I actually get in before 3am for once! LoL

Day Of Caring

2010-09-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

I woke up feeling just sick today. Hot/Cold. Coughing up a lung. And we're supposed to clean up a trail today? In the rain? Wonderful. =/

No breakfast today. I just want to stay warm in my bed and rest till I have to get up.
I work from home till it's time to pick up lunch: Jimmy John's sandwiches.
BUT...since I'm not feeling too hot, I pack some hot water in my HK thermos (yes...HK thermos) and a Cup o' Noodles.

I get to the site with the food. Everyone takes a break to eat and relax. Just about everyone is either soaked from the rain and/or muddy. Yeck.
Everyone is refueled and gets back to work. I of course stall for awhile in doing any "yard work" and walk around taking pictures.

Eventually I pick up some clippers and join the crowd in the bushes and clip away.

So I'm working, clipping away for a good 20-30 min at least. I look down and I see a huge spider walking its way up my chest.
My reaction?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! Flicking the spider off me. Arms flinging everywhere. Running up back to the trail.
I'm so done = LoL

Great job to everyone that volunteered today!

After party at Red Hook. Since I don't care for beer....WINE! I have a total of 3 glasses of wine and a small plate of fruit: watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.

Since all I had today was Cup O' Noodles, fruit, and 3 glasses of wine, I could barely keep my eyes open. Needless to say, I'm passed out on the couch by 9:30PM.

Goodness =\ Let's see how tomorrow goes.

I REALLY need to get my butt in gear........

Day 4 AGAIN

2010-09-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

Breakfast wasn't the best choice today but it sure was tasty! Nothing like a Filipino sugary breakfast to start out your day!

BREAKFAST: Ensaymada w/hot chocolate

Today was just one of those days where I "forgot" to eat. By the time I made it down to the cafe, they had already put all the food away and cleaned up the cafeteria =( So my "late lunch" was some ak-mok w/1 laughing cow wedge and turkey deli meat.
GREEN TEA

It WAS raining pretty bad this morning but I had told Tim I'd go jogging with IF it stops raining (thinking it won't let up).
IT STOPPED RAINING.

We get in 3 miles in 30 min. Not bad considering the last time I ran was 2 weeks ago.
I had planned on heading to the gym for kickboxing, and I was headed in that direction...
I even made it into the Pro Club's garage. BUT...I get a text from another friend to meet up for drinks since he had such a long week. So of course.... Gym? Wine? Hmm.......
Wine won =)

Mind you I'm in my workout clothes - and I did just run - so I didn't want to go anywhere "nice." So we head over to http://www.thethreelionspub.com/thethreelionspub.htm in Redmond.
Very chill. Very low key. Perfect!

We start out with an order of fries (which btw....BOMB.COM) and my glass of Cab. I later order salmon and cream cheese and eventually have another Cab.

We play darts the entire time we're there and I gotta say...I wasn't doing too bad for a rookie =)

Final outcome: Myra: 7 / Dave: 6 =)

I'm not doing too well with the eating/drinking/working out am I? *sigh*

Day 3 AGAIN

2010-09-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Again...I started out the day with the best intention:
BREAKFAST: Blended Protein Shake

LUNCH: iSushi w/Teja & Binnie =) This was Teja's first taste of "sushi" and she loved it! Well...conveyer belt rolls at least. We didn't have a lot of time for lunch so we opted for "quick sushi." Real sushi when Teja gets back from her Boston trip!

LATE AFTERNOON MTG: There were snacks...oh my! How could I say no when it's one of my fave "fruits!" At least the iced tea was unsweetened =)

Trained with Jason today: 1hr of upper body. He KILLED my arms today. I headed to Pro Club to get in some cardio - 35 min on Elliptical. Mind you...my legs are still sore from Monday and Tuesday's workout.

After my cardio, I head to the whirlpool and soak for a good 20-30 min. And again, I pass out in the lounge area for a good 15-20 min. =P

DINNER: Chicken salad noodle bowl from Pho Hoa.

DESSERT: Jollibee's Peach Mango Pie (thanks to Sissy again)!

So much for my workout today!

Day 2 AGAIN

2010-09-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

BREAKFAST: Blended protein shake
MID-DAY SNACK: Ak-mak crackers w/2 laughing cow wedges and turkey deli meat.
Green Tea and Water
LATE LUNCH (4pm): Left over chicken adobo and brown rice

I head to the gym for the 6:30 BELOW THE BELT CLASS: 55 minutes of strength training and flexibility through extreme lower body training & core work.
Another great class I'll keep up with!

After class I head to the "dark room" area of the gym and do 1 more ab workout before doing 35 minutes on the elliptical.
I head back to the locker room and spend a good 20 minutes or so in the whirlpool to help relax my muscles. And well...just...relax.
And relax I did. After my soak, I passed out in the quiet area for a good 20 minutes!
NEVER FAILS!!!

Head home and make myself a mushroom & tomoto egg white omelette (with 1 piece of wheat bread - BAD I know) for dinner.
DESSERT: Firecracker popsicle. Yum!

I got home late today. So after I have my dinner and relax to an episode of Glee, I'm too tired to do any studying. I'll get home earlier tomorrow (after the gym of course) and catch up!

Starting Over AGAIN

2010-09-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Day F*cking 1 again.

Food choices were....eh.
BUT...I went to the gym today for 2 classes:

A 25 min Ab Class and a 55 min Kickboxing Class. This is my first time taking these classes with instructor Dawnie-Rae.
I hate her....in a good way =)

The ab class is an intense 25-minutes focused on strengthening your abdominals and lower back.
Kickboxing...I'm determined to do the whole 55 minutes without having to take any breather breaks! She really kicks your butt with kickboxing drills. I felt myself want to throw up a couple times.
Needless to say...I'm hooked!!!

DINNER: Chicken Teriyaki, side salad, and 1/2C of white rice.

Head to my office after eating and FINALLY open up the PHR modules and study/read till about 3am.

First week back from Chicago....

2010-09-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

Lots of work to catch up on and projects to finish = late nights working = no time for gym = bad eating habits = poor food choices.

Oh and....this weekend was spent with more drinking again. SMH.

Friday night: Headed to Bruther David's to drop off table and chairs for his BBQ the next day. I have a drink at his place. We all decide to head to Sno. I think I had 2 vodka tonics and 1 or 2 shots of Patron. Oh and then....we end the evening in China Town.
Salt & Pepper Tofu and Shrimp Chow Mein.

Saturday: My nephews football games. Food I know I shouldn't eat but do anyways?
NACHOS....with jalapenos.
After the game, Nukka and I have a late lunch at Catfish Corner. YUM.
Fried catfish, hush puppies, fried okra, and cornbread. Geezus.
Go home to pick up sissy and plate our dish to bring.

Food choices at David's wasn't too bad. I ate the Spinach Orzo Salad we brought, and bbq chicken bruther made.
BUT...doesn't help that I ate a lot of Sheila's deliciously chewy rice crispy treats.
Oh and...2 large glasses of Merlot.

The night gets better. Sissy and I head out to Lucky Strike for Lyna's farewell party. So of course I have...
1 shot of Patron and 1 vodka tonic.
It's crowded here so we head up to The Parlor.
I have 2 more shots of Patron.

I weighed myself Sunday. FML. I gained 7 lbs.
Must take a break from drinking. Seriously no more hard liquor for awhile. As for wine...
Well - we'll see =P I can't promise I won't have a glass every now and then, but...I'll try and resist for at least a couple weeks.
TRY..........

Monday = Training: Day F*cking 1

Quick Chicago Recap

2010-09-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

Day 2 - 5

Day 2 : I drop off the boys for their 9am tee time and head to Prairie Trail for a 6mile run. Weather was great. Scenery....beautiful. I would have done 8-10 but it was getting too hot out.

Pick the boys up. We head to BW for lunch. I order 8 wings and 2 Vodka Tonics.

Head home. Rest. Then get ready for a drunken night out. We hit up 4 bars: Uncle Fatty's, The Stretch (where we had these awesome yet dangerous ice tea vodka's served in jars), Trader Todd's (karaoke joint), and the 4th bar....nasty jello shot place where some girl bit my "va-gene".....

We end the night with a late night/early morning breakfast @ Elly's.

We pass out at one of Oliver's homey's place. 3 of us on one couch and Oliver somewhere else.
Geezus. Slept in my bar clothes. Didn't brush. Didn't wash my face. Hung over.
Leaving in the morning was like doing the walk of shame but....without the shame =P
This takes us to.....

DAY 3

I wanted pho. Instead, Oliver takes us to this other place - I can't remember the name - but it had a HUGE menu....literally. Food was perfect. My eyes were bigger than my stomach.
I order Korean Seafood Soup and a Vietnamese Tofu Sandwich...AND top it off with an avocado shake.

Get back to Oliver's and we pass out for a few hours. It's their neice's 5th birthday and grumpa's 88th birthday dinner at the "Aurora" house. We have dinner there and hang out for a few hours before heading back to Oliver's to get ready for another night of drunken fun but with more cousins this time.

We end up at a bar called Saddle Up. Enough said there. Country and hip-hop with haole's.
Of course we end the evening with late night eats. And where else other than....WHITE CASTLE. Duh. Can't go to Chicago and NOT go to White Castle. Gawd forbid.....

DAY 4

The cousins golf. I'm home alone with Guinness all morning/afternoon. I did nothing all day.The boys finally get home like almost 3pm I think. We have a late lunch and they pass out.
So I go for a 3.25 mile jog. Thank goodness the weather is nice!

Later in the evening, we head to the Aurora house again for one more dinner with the family.
We sleep at Marc & Agnes's this night.

DAY 5

Since I was left home alone yesterday and did nothing...today is my day! We go to Willis Tower to check out the Sky Deck. Absolutely beautiful =)

Lunch at Al's Beef. Of course the only thing on the menu that I can have are fries. So, again, my eyes are bigger than my tummy. I put in 2 orders of fries WITH cheese dip. I feel sick after finishing 1 order.

We head to downtown for the couple hours we have left for....you guessed it....MORE SHOPPING! =)
I bought more stuff to shove in my luggage.
4:30 rolls around. Time to head to the airport and go home...... =(

Too much drinking and too many bad food choices. My excuse? I'M ON VACATION!!!

See you again soon Chicago =)

CHI-TOWN: Day 1

2010-09-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

We make it to the airport at 8:05AM. They started boarding at 8:10AM.
By the time we get to the terminal....everyone has already boarded. Talk about perfect timing. Last time we missed our flight!

Marc and Hannah Banana pick us up.

LUNCH: Asian Fried Chicken w/Rice and Miso Soup

DESSERT: Green Tea Soft Serve!

We head over to Woodfield to do a few hours of shopping.
DINNER: ALL YOU CAN EAT LOBSTER - $39.95! I kill 3.5 lobsters. Nukka and Oliver...7 or 8.
SICK =\

Finally get to Oliver's house around 10:30PM. Guess what I need to do?
WORK.......

Gonna sleep somewhat early. Looks like we're hitting the gym at 7AM tomorrow.
Much needed. =P

*will post Chi-Town pictures later*

Tuesday/Wednesday

2010-09-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

Playing catch up with work before leaving for Chicago. No time for gym or even a quick run =\

Food? When I do remember to eat...it's not the best choice.
Enough said........

Training - Day 12

2010-09-06T21:06:00.000-07:00

Good day with the fam....but BAD as far as eating goes (what's new?).

Again...didn't get out of bed in time for a "breakfast." Planned to meet up with my brother, Jenny, and the kids for an afternoon at the Seattle Aquarium.

On the drive there I have a banana. At the aquarium I have a tall soy chai.

We wander the exhibits for a good 2 hours.

After the aquarium, Nukka and I head over to Southcenter Mall to do a little pre-Chicago shopping to get some things for his nieces...and himself =P

But before shopping...we eat!

We share a small halo-halo. I have the Arroz Caldo. Nukka has the 2 Piece Crispy Chicken w/Spaghetti, Rice, and some Mushroom Gravy....YUM!

After almost 3 hours of shopping, Jenny calls. The kids are ready to eat and so are they!

So...we FINALLY try Trappers. And yes, it lives up to all the hype my brother built it up to be.

All you can eat for $17.95. I was still full from Chow King so I didn't think I could eat "all you can eat" worth.

I THOUGHT WRONG.

Everything we tried was just AWESOME. I had 4 pieces of Salmon, 2 pieces of Tuna, shared a Firecracker Roll, some other roll, and a Timmy roll. Which is now my new favorite.

This roll is def worth the trip from the Eastside all the way to Covington!

I'm full to the point where I want to throw up, but everything is so wonderful, why stop and not have dessert? Deep fried green tea ice cream!

And I have to say...this was made PERFECTLY. The breading wasn't too thick.Warm. Crispy. Perfect. It had a nice "Cinnamon Toast Crunch" taste to it drizzled with chocolate and caramel.

Mmmmm........

No more eating for the rest of the day. OMG. Way too much food. One more cup of Green Tea (DECAF) and catch up on some work before calling it a night.

Two days before leaving for Chicago. I have a lot of cardio to do before we leave.......

Training - Day 11

2010-09-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

Really late start today. *yawn*
Met up with D, Eugene, and Lawrence over at Thai Ginger in Issy. All the guys have the beef noodle soup...I have chicken of course. Not bad! Will def come here again - even tho they DID serve me LAST =P

Need to flush this sodium out. It's nice out today. Perfect day for a run. I should really hit the gym too. Maybe do another full body workout. MAYBE................................................................

2.5hrs of putting away laundry =\ OMG......over it.

7:15 - I have a snack. 2 laughing cow wedges with Quattro Formaggio Triscuit Thin Crisps.

DINNER: 2 Teriyaki Ckn Breasts and Brown Rice

LATE NIGHT DINNER (12:30AM-ish): Went to Joeys w/David & Eugene. I had:

Yam Fries with Lemon Mayo Dip (BOMB.COM!!!) and Ahi Tacos. NO DRINK! For once.....

Training - Day 10

2010-09-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't wake up in time for a "breakfast" so let's just say my first meal of the day was at least a shake =) I've cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed the downstairs and stairs. So.... GTL time! LoL
Ok....maybe no "T" time. I'm already there. Beyond it..... =P

Going for a full body workout today. WOTD:

LEGS - 3 Sets Each
Squats w/18lb Body Bar - 25 reps
Side Lunge w/BOSU Ball - 25 reps

Val Slide Reverse Lunge w/Straight Arm Lift (and 6lb med ball) - 20 reps each leg

Val Slide Eccentric Leg Curls - 25 reps

UPPER BODY - 3 Sets Each

Lat Side Raises (10 lbs) - 15 reps

Lat Front Raises (8 lbs) - 15 reps

Dumbbell Curls (15 lbs) - 15 reps

Val Slide Push Ups - 10 reps (I only did this on the first set. This killed my arms and was hard as hell!)

Bent Over Tricep Kickback (last 2 sets instead of the VS Push Up) (10lbs) - 15 reps

ABS - 3 Sets Each

Scissor Crunches w/12lb body bar - 15 reps each leg

Leg Up Crunches w/12lb body bar - 15 reps

Val Slide Plank Arm Slide - 15 reps each

CARDIO: 1hr of Raquetball.......................................................................

DINNER: B and I headed over to Mojo-Sushi for dinner. YUM! I had:

3 plates of veggie rolls (there's 2 LITTLE rolls on each plate)

Agedashi Tofu

2 Spicy Tuna Pasta's (I should have just had 1. Eyes were bigger than the stomach...and I felt sick after the 2nd one)

I roll to bruther David's place around 10:30PM. Have 2 Vodka/Pineapple's there. We head to Sno Casino. Had another 2 or 3 Vodka/Tonic's there. Danced. Watched bruthers gamble. Got hungry so headed over to one of the places there that served breakfast. I have the:

Belgian Waffle topped with whipped cream and strawberries and a side of buttered wheat toast. I kill the waffle. Only ate half of the toast.

Watched D and Eugene gamble some more. SMH.

We finally head home a little past 5AM. Exhausted. Good times!

And I thought this was just too funny

Training - Day 9

2010-09-03T23:30:00.000-07:00

I blended today!

BREAKFAST: Protein Shake w/PB and Strawberries
SNACK: Bad...I went for the damn Sun Chips again
LUNCH: Ground turkey w/onions, mushrooms, and jalapenos (how exciting) =
SNACK: Banana and Strawberry Fage

I've downed half a gallon of water and 1 cup of green tea. Why do I still have a craving for junk? Really trying not to give in to opening up another bag of chips or any other junk food in this office! UGH.....

Another beautiful day. I should go for another run. Key word here is SHOULD...........................

Headed over to Sideline in Factoria to meet up with Sissy, Mun, Mike, Moe (his girl and her coworkers), and Dave aka "Token." =P

Oh Dave...."I was born when Lynden B Johnson was still President!"
Damn.

Food choices went downhill from here!

3 of these (vodka tonic)

A plate of nachos (along with a basket of onion rings and poppers). At least these were shared between 5 people!

We leave the bar around 10 and head over to Top Gun for some Chinese Food (what an even BETTER choice)! LoL

Lots of food ordered. I load my plate up (twice) with:

Salt n Pepper Tofu w/lots o chili sauce (Mikey vs. Tofu....and the Tofu won) *you just had to be there* =)
Veggie Chow Mein - and it's gotta be Hong Kong style
Rice - DUH

Got home around 11:30ish I think. Doesn't help that I pretty much knocked out on the couch shortly after getting home.

Good times...... =)

Training - Day 8

2010-09-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy crazy day with back to back meetings, conference calls, project planning, and working on a number of other deadlines! AACK! So my food choices today weren't at its best.

BREAKFAST: Premier Protein Shake

Farewell "Social" @ noon: 1 piece of Costco's Double Chocolate Mousse Cake (omg...HEAVY)

I ate left over pasghetti that Sissy made last night during my 1PM meeting.

Had another piece of different cake around 3:30PM: White cake w/vanilla cream.
Mmmmm.....fat kid likes her cake =P

And then...1 "Fun Bag" of Skittles
And then...1 Small Bag of Garden Salsa Sun Chips (YUM BTW)

CARDIO: Much needed run! Went for a 4 mile run w/Tim (wakeboarding guy @ work). Steady pace. Ran it in 42 min. Burned about 417 calories. So I guess you can say I ran off the chips and maybe the Skittles? =P

Contemplating going for another 3 miles in Kirkland. We'll see what time I get out of the office. So much to do before leaving for Chicago next week.

DINNER: 2 grilled teriyaki chicken breasts (@ 6oz).
1/2 Gallon of water

Ok. Back to work...... =/ ......................................................................

It's 9:08PM and the lights in the building just shut off. SKURD =\ Going home to finish working. So much for that run. I'll do ABS when I get home..................................

BAD. I gave in to more crap and had a New York Cupcake around 11PM:

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE: Moist lemon cake topped with smooth and creamy raspberry buttercream frosting, sprinkled with a bit of lemon and raspberry sugar and topped with a candied lemon slice.

It's 1:06 AM now. Calling it quits with work finally =\ Time for that ab workout then sleep!

ABS - 3 sets each

Side Crunches (L & R) - 50 each side

Vertical Leg Crunch - 50

Bicycle - 30

Training - Day 7

2010-09-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

BREAKFAST: Strawberry Fage & Green Tea

SNACK: Smores Goldfish (yum!)

LUNCH: 2 tilapias and top ramen (I felt sick afterwards from the soup)

1/2 Gallon of water

WORKOUT W/JASON

Arms and Abs Day - BURN =

Headed to ProClub afterwards. Grabbed a protein plate. Ate and watched some TV in the lobby.

15 min soak in the whirlpool. Little nap. 15 min in the sauna. Showered. Home.

DINNER: Sissy made turkey pasghetti! NOM NOM NOM =) And a glass of white lambrusco.

Ahhh.....

Training - Day 6?

2010-08-31T23:18:00.000-07:00

Goodness. Why bother?

BREAKFAST: Protein Shake
LUNCH: Glass of Merlot and Asian Chicken Salad (barely touched it though)

Back at the office for a farewell drink with MT:
1 Glass of Lambrusco and another glass of Merlot =P

DINNER: Palamino's - Crab & Artichoke Dip and Mushroom & Goat Cheese Flatbread

SMH......

See how tomorrow goes? =P

Training - Day 5?

2010-08-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

After my wonderful weekend of eating and drinks, can I call this day 5?

BREAKFAST: No time to blend. Didn't even grab a shake to go. Got to work and was in back to back meetings till lunch time. So breakfast? A roll of SMARTIES and a Tootsie Pop I picked up from one of the offices I dropped by on my way to another meeting.

LUNCH: Headed to http://www.danubebistro.com/ in Bellevue. It was ok. I wasn't really "wowed" by the food that I'd rush back to bring other people to try. But it wasn't bad I wouldn't go back. I just would not go out of my way to do so. Anyways, I had their Grilled Portabello Sandwich. Eh...it was aight.

Back to work.

Green Tea.

Talking Rain.

And a handful of gummy bears =)

I get to THE NAKED GYM for my session with Jason around 5:45PM.

Leg day again. 1 hr of more burning leg exercises. Afterwards, I go for a short 3.25 mile run in Kirkland. Enjoying the weather and the run while I can since it's supposed to rain tomorrow.

My legs are DYING from Jason's workout that it took me a darn 38min to run this. =\

NOT GOOD.

Sign....I'm not ready for next week's half marathon =\ *sigh*

DINNER: The rest of the veggie chow mein and 3 pieces of garlic chicken.

I know. Bad. But...the Chinese food is gone. Tomorrow.....

We'll see how that goes. MT is supposed to be bringing in Banana Bread AND a cake. OH MY! =P

Bad Weekend

2010-08-29T23:45:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY:
Started out with the right idea by going to the Conditioning Class over at http://www.seattlesp.com/.

Anyone in the Seattle area, I recommend checking them out! I'm in Sammamish, so coming out this way just isn't convenient. I need to keep my workouts on the eastside.
But these guys definitely do challenge you and workout muscles you normally wouldn't when working out on your own.
Jay and Jaison...thanks for the great workout! Ading Karen...thanks for going with me =)

After class, we head back to Karen's condo and chill for an hour or so before walking over to Thanh Brothers for some pho and a cream puff. Then some "fun" shopping after ;-)

By the time I head home it's past 6PM. I'm so late for the bbq that started at 2Pm.
Me? Late? Expected!

No time to cook anything so I pick up some Orzo spinach salad over at Whole Foods. Keep it semi-healthy.
Finally get to Kent a little past 7 - always good times with my "brother's from another mother."
Thank you D & Colomba for another great End Of Summer BBQ! A hit yet again =)

I tried to stick with just the Orzo but... the munchies started getting the best of me.
Rice crispy treats...more orzo...watermelons...candy....more orzo........................

I end up meeting up with Nanci et al. at the Parlor. I was good... only 2 Grey Goose n Tonic's for the night. Tempting to do more but I stop at 2. I stopped. At 2. Amazing! =P

Always a good time with my girl!!!

Get home a little past 2AM and call it a night!

SUNDAY:
I think I got out of bed around 10:30 AM and ate the rest of the orzo and had half of an assagio bagel with cream cheese.

Went back upstairs. Slept till 1PM. Came back downstairs...had a vitamin water and went back upstairs. Slep till 6PM.

Woke up and don't ask me why but I ate Chipotle chips w/jalapeno cream cheese.
Lawrd..... *smh*

What a wasted day. Let's just say I have a lot of working out/working off to do this week. Here's the rest of the night:

I found a Chinese place in Sammamish (which is already amazing) that will deliver.
SMH...... I'm not doing a very good job with this 30 day body makeover am I? =\

Training - Day 4

2010-08-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

I MADE time to blend this morning.

BREAKFAST: Shake w/PB and Strawberries
LUNCH: 3 tilapias (left over from last night) = exciting....
Green Tea

Jason can't make training today so looks like I'm on my own at the gym today. Swimming? Hmm....I need some goggles.....................................................

So ya...I decided to come home and finish working from here. So much to do. I really do have a lot ot catch up on work wise. I really should start studying. And I REALLY should put away all this dang laundry!

Yes....on a Friday night =P Well...I do need to wake up early! Going to pick up Ading Karen nice and early and head over to check out an old KR classmate's new gym in Seattle: www.Seattlesp.com.
He's holding a FREE Conditioning Class tomorrow. See what that's like...and also would be nice to catch up with some old friends I haven't seen since high school/bcc days! Thanks for the heads up, Joni!

It's 6:25PM on a Friday night and I'm still working. Dinner?
Guess.....

VINO!!! =P If anything, this should help me sleep early!

Training - Day 3

2010-08-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

BREAKFAST: Protein Shake (Costco one)
LUNCH (12:30): Went to Lotus in Factoria - tried the Bamboo Noodle Soup (Vermicelli noodle soup with bamboo shoot, fried tofu, veggie ham, and vegetables). Not bad!
LATE SNACK @ SISSY'S OFFICE (3:30ish): I eat the rest of her guacamole chips (yum) and a can of Talking Rain Water
SNACK BEFORE WORKOUT (6:45ish): Protein Plate from the gym snack bar (apples, grapes, wheat bagel, cheddar cheese, brie, and a boiled egg)

WOTD:
ARMS
Dumbbell bench press (12.5 lbs) - 3 sets of 12
Inclined Shoulder Press (same weights) - 3 sets of 12
Lat Pull Downs (50 lbs) - 2 sets of 25
Inclined Chest Press (35lbs) - 3 sets of 12
Cable Pull and Tri Press Circuit - 3 sets of 12
Lateral Raises (10lb weights) aka "Chicken Wings" - 3 sets of 12

ABS
W/18lb Body Bar (3 sets)
Lft leg bicycle stance - 15 crunches
Rt leg bicycle stance - 15 crunches
Both legs @ 90 degree angle - 15 crunches

W/swiss ball (3 sets)
Feet to hand switch off - 3 sets of 10
Hip Extension - 3 sets of 15
Back Extension - 3 sets of 15

R&L
Side Plank Cross Over and Under w/7 lb weight - 10x
Side Plank Hip Touches - 10x
Mountain Climbers - 4 taps, 4 singles to Regular Plank - 30 sec hold

V-sit w/8lb med ball - 3 sets of 12

*Good job mun* =)

Cardio: 40 min
Incline 16; Speed 3.7

DINNER: Parmesan Risotto w/Panko Breaded Tilapia

Happy Birthday Papa and Sissy!!!

2010-08-25T23:59:00.000-07:00

Dinner is supposed to be at the Muck tonight with the family so....

BREAKFAST: Premier Protein Shake and a Banana
Water
LUNCH: Cilantro lime shrimp and a Talking Rain Water
LATE AFTERNOON SNACK (4:30ish) - 1 Laughing Cow Wedge and Crackers

There's still a lot of traffice 405S at 5:30-6PM so I meet up with MT and we finish off a bottle of TJ's White Lambrusco. Which BTW....LOVE IT! Best $4.99 I've spent! There's a red too..which I'm sure we will crack open tomorrow =)

I finally leave work around 7:45 and head to Muck.

I find my dad...and he's on a roll at the slots! My mom... geezus I can't find her anywhere. Butapparently she was "hot" too cuz she found us and had lotsa 20s to show off! "Look at my winnings!" LoL Oh mommy.......

We wait for my brother and his wifey to arrive for dinner, so they continue playing. I watch. I like keeping my monies. I'd rather buy something than gamble. Me and gambling do not mix.

Mun and Jenny arrive close to 9PM. I am STARVING at this point since the last time I ate lunch was around 1:30PM. We head over to eat at 8-Asian. I order:

Agedashi Tofu / Auburn Roll (to share of course) / and Salt & Pepper Squid (to share as well). Oh and can't forget my small Sake!!! Yes, I drank alone. No one cared for Sake. Parents and Mun ordered a bunch of other stuff too, mostly meat dishes so....

I didn't touch those. BUT...I did have some chow mein (I just didn't take the meat). Fave Chinese food? Chow Mein Hong Kong Style. I don't care for any meat or seafood with....I just want the noodles =)
Food was great! Dinner was fun. Good times with the familia. Oh...and the waitress brought out a Green Tea Cake for my dad...also...BOMB.COM!!!

The parents go off to gamble some more. Me, Mun, and Jenny stay at the restaurant and chat more. We must have been on a good one cuz before we knew it...it was midnight!

We go to look for my parents. Find Papa. Of course...no Mom! =P Mun gambles some more... my dad more...FINALLY find my mom... of course she's not budging.

I think we finally leave the casino past 12:30...almost 1am? And the parents were still playing = Goodness.

Today was a good day with my family =) I head to Kirkland's waterfront to just be alone with my thoughts. Reflect on tonight. My family. Seeing how we are together. How my parents are still married after almost 40 yrs. Seeing my brother and his wife and how they are together. As dysfunctional as we can be... we can still manage to come together with love. This just gets me thinking more about my life and where I'm going.....or not going.

Cuz I don't think about it enough already =

Oh panunuts.....

Training - Day 2

2010-08-24T10:43:00.001-07:00

BREAKFAST: Premier Protein Shake (again...no time to blend this morning)
LUNCH MEETING: Phad Thai w/Tofu, brown rice, and a veggie roll (tsk tsk tsk)
SNACK @ sissy's office: Snack bag of Sun Chips (again...tsk tsk tsk)
LATE AFTERNOON SNACK: Peach Fage and grapes

I was supposed to meet up with some folks at http://www.wadesguns.com/ (Tuesday's is "Ladies Day" - half off lane and rental). So as I was sitting in the parking lot waiting for my friend to respond on whether or not she was there yet, I took a self portrait with my phone.

WHAT A CHUBSTER!!! Darn chipmunk cheeks.
Shooting range? Jogging? Hmm....I need to drop this weight already. JOGGING.

Can I drop at least 5 more pounds in the next three weeks before leaving for Chicago? I sure am hell gonna try my damndest!!!

Yes, my legs are sore as heck from yesterday's workout AND run. But, I drive to Kirkland anyways to hit the pavement yet again. Only 3 miles...............................................
I want to enjoy the weather while it's still nice out. I figure I can do indoor activities when it starts getting cold again. Which just might be tomorrow with our wonderful Seattle weather =P
I normally start at the top of Heritage Park (isn't this beautiful?) I can sit here for hours and just stare out into the horizon till it's too dark to even see the trees in front you.

For a short 3 mile run, I turn around when I reach Carillon Point. I usually start my run just before sunset. Not only do you get a cool breeze, but you get to take this in too:

I need to live on the water again. I miss having this 24/7. *sigh*

I get back to my car and attempt to stretch.
Calf stretch....fine.
Quad strech...a little tight but okay.
Hamstring stretch.....forget about it! These muscles are so tight right now I can barely get in a good stretch without my legs feeling like I'm going to rip these muscles into two.
Maybe it's best I cool it on the running tomorrow and just concentrate on upper body strength training.

Got home a little past 9:30 PM.
DINNER: Left over turkey, and 1 laughing cow wedge with crackers.
Decaf Green Tea
Water

Rest for about an hour, do some abs, and call it a night.
I go through FitTV to find an Ab workout.

First pick: Defined Dancer's ABS (13 min)
The idea of this workout incorporates small movements that focus on the core and stretch the obliques without high impact aerobics.
Eh. I really didn't feel like this was much of a workout, so I pick another.

Second pick: 6 Pack AB Burn (15 min)
AND YES DID THIS BURN!
This workout was a mix of upper body toning (I used 10 lb weights) and core strengthening.
Here's how it went:

Torso Twist - 8x

Right Arm Cross Punch - x8
Repeat Knee - x8
Cross Punch & Knee - x8
Center Reach and Crunch - x4
(Repeat same for Left Side)

Cross Stretch (both sides)
Standing cross stretch w/10lb weights (right side) - x4 slow - 8 singles
One 2 count then 2 singles - x4
(Repeat same for Left Side)

W/18lb body bar:
Lift knee to center - x4
Cross over - x4
Cntr Knee - x2; Cross over - x2
Cntr Kness - x2; Cross over - x2

Side Plank w/10 lb weight, holding weight straight up (both sides):
Cross over and under - x4
w/no weight - x8 singles
Regular Plank to Downward Dog (x8)

V-sit & Rotate
X8 Pause at Center
x8 Singles
X4 Center
x4 Singles

Mountain Climbers
x8 w/tap
x8 singles
x4 w/tap
x4 singles

Bicycle
W/pause at center - x8
x8 Singles
x4 Center
x4 Singles

It hurts so good!!!

Training - Day 1

2010-08-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Okay. Today I start with Jason. Excited and scared...because he pushes me till I throw up. Literally.
Yes I've been working out on my own, but he pushes me in ways and works muscles I normally don't concentrate on. Which is a good thing. This is what I need.

I SHOULD post the typical "before" shot, standing in a bikini showing all my imperfections, to compare with my "after" physique but....

I'm just not that comfortable with myself to put THAT up in public. For now, that shall remain for my eyes only. But here's an old picture of when......

I USED TO LOOK BETTER NAKED!!!

Let's make this my "before" shot and see if my "after" can be even better than this!

Here's to Day 1.
Wish me luck........and no throw up!

BREAKFAST (9:20 AM): Premier Protein shake and a banana (didn't have time to blend this morning)
Cup of Green Tea

Late Lunch (4:30 PM): 2 Grilled Teriyaki Chkn Breasts (6 oz) and brown rice

Trained at 5:30 w/Jason for a good hour. He made today leg day! I did plan on running 5 miles today but...after our workout I was only able to get in 3.1 miles.

My legs were dying. Shins were so tight. But hurt in a good way =)

DINNER: Turkey w/pico de gallo, jalapenos, and green peppers wrapped in cabbage.

Seasoning: Vinegar, Low Sodium Soy Sauce, and Pepper.

DESSERT: I needed to get the turkey taste out of my mouth, so I helped myself to a Dreyers Pineapple Fruit Bar.

The sunny yellow bar has the sweet taste of a ripe pineapple, with a hint of extra sugar added. And there are little bits of pineapple chunks. Yum!

Day 14 - HUNGOVER

2010-08-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

Dizzy. And considering I didn't get home till past 5 in the morning... I wake up around 10:30AM and I can't get back to sleep.

Hungry...but I could care less about a protein shake right now. I want pho but I don't want to get dressed and leave the house. Lazy. Can they deliver? I wish.....

So "breakfast" today was a handful of these damn red swedish fish and some sea salt kettle chips. Yay =

It's already 3 in the afternoon. Still haven't eaten anything else. I hate these morning afters. What a waste of a day. I get nothing done. Maybe I'll hop in the shower and do a much needed Costco run......................................

4:45PM - Made it to Costco. HELLOOOOOOO CHEESE PIZZA and CHURRO!!!
We stock up on fruit, chicken, and more protein shakes and bars along with $43.50 worth of GD stamps.

Get home...rest a little and get ready to head to the gym. Mind you...I'm still feeling pretty dizzy from last night's fiasco.
My plan is to just relax in the whirlpool and sauna.
Negative.

I end up going to the pool with Nukka. I haven't swam in forever. 4 years of swimming, and all I can remember doing is the backfloat! I start to freak out when treading water more than a minute. I always failed this test. So I spend half the time in the deep end just trying to tread water. Tiring!
We finally move over to the 4ft deep lap pool so we can do laps. I think we were there for a good hour just going back and forth. Again....
TIRING!
But in a good way. Think I'll need to start getting my butt up EARLY and head to the gym early for a swim. Just another thing to add to my regimen.

Can I really wake up and get to the gym by 6:30 AM? Probably not! LoL
I end the gym with 15 min in the sauna and we head over to Pho Hoa for dinner.

I FINALLY GET MY PHO!!! =)

Dizziness has gone. Appetite is on overdrive though. Which is just bad because after pho, I wanted to head to Safeway next to pick up a fruit tart!
Which...they were all out =/ So instead I grab some raspberry dessert and Nukka gets a donut with sprinkles (ALWAYS WITH SPRINKLES)!

What a way to end the day...with junk!
Eh...I figure...tomorrow really is my day 1 of this make over. So in the meantime....

Hellooooooo cake and chips!

Day 13 - Can I stay good today?

2010-08-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

Well...at least till the evening?
No breakfast since I got out of bed late today.

Lunch: Protein shake w/PB and strawberries.

In case you were wondering, these are my shakes/bars of choice:

And for on the go when I don't have time to blend or make food, you can pick this up at Costco:
Protein:Carbs:Calories content isn't as bad as all the other shakes/bars I've tried. As for taste, the shakes don't have that chalky after taste, and the bars are actually pretty good too.

(click picture for a clearer read of the Nutrition Facts)

4PM - Finally off to the gym........

WOTD:
Squats w/18 lb body bar - 3 sets of 25
Lunges w/10lb dumbbells - 3 sets of 20
Side Leg Raises w/12 lb body bar - 3 sets of 20
Straight Leg Raises w/12lb body bar - 3 ses of 20

Lat Pull Down (50 lbs) - 3 sets of 25
Butterfl (30 lbs) - 3 sets of 25
Tri Push Downs (70 lbs) - 3 sets of 20
Dumbbell Lat Raises (10 lbs) - 3 sets of 15
Shoulder Shrugs (15 lbs) - 3 sets of 25

CARDIO: 30 min elliptical

Nukka and I try http://www.florestaurant.com/ for dinner. The place was nice. Very posh. The food? It was okay. Not worth the price though.

I order a small bottle house sake, agedashi tofu, crispy salmon, and a firecracker roll to share.
Nukka had sunonomo salad w/octopus, and their $16 grilled chicken teriyaki.
Umm...I've had teriyaki that tasted just the same for half the price....WITH RICE AND VEGGIE SALAD! LoL
We end our meal with a tempura banana dessert topped w/coconut ice cream.
It was...ok.

Will I come back to this place? Probably not. I'd rather spend my money at Blue C Sushi.
Better yet.... http://www.sushi-mojo.com/!!! They have the best agedashi tofu yet.
And my fave...spicy tuna pasta! BOMB.COM.

We head home and I rush to get ready to meet up with Rosa. I have half an hour to get dolled up....ARE YOU KIDDING ME!.......................................................................

Rosa and I get to Sno. There were a few guys that she bumps into....
Let's just say this is going to be a LONG NIGHT.
The whole night I think I have a total of 3 Grey Goose Vodka & Tonics, 3 shots of Patron, and 1 Jager Bomb.
Hey....I need to keep myself entertained right?
And I was right...this was a LONG NIGHT. I didn't roll home till about 5:30 AM. =

So sick. I don't want to see or taste alcohol for awhile. Ugh.

Day 12 - Wine Tasting or Gym?

2010-08-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

Hmm....so much for my "no wine" for at least a week!
We'll see if I decide to go up to Everett for tonight's event: http://www.sojencellars.com/
I hate being the "6th toe" when everyone else around will be all boo'd up =/

BREAKFAST: Usual protein shake w/PB and strawberries
SNACK: Fage and string cheese
Water..................................

2:43PM and I haven't eaten lunch yet. BUT....I have munched on 2 damn Reeses cups and a Kit Kat.
Stupid regs......Stupid chocholit....
5:15PM - I finally eat SOMETHING... teriyaki chicken. Yay =
Not really hungry....but I know I should eat SOMETHING other than candy. I guess you can call this a LATE LUNCH!................................................................

No Everett...too much traffic and too far to drive to be a 5th wheel. But I do crack open another bottle (yes...I gave in) while I wait for Sissy to get home.
Yum.....I missed you Red =)

Ading Sissy and I head to Alki, but first, pit stop to Trader Joes to grab some snacky cakes....and more wine =)
We pick up some crackers, apricot cheese (which btw..YUM!), her chewy choc cookies, and a few bottles of red and white lambrusco. Good to go!

We get to Alki and chill in the car....snack...chit chat..."drink" =P
I heart Alki. I used to live right on the strip and man.......do I miss it.

Loved watching the sunsets. Loved being by the water. Great place to just be with your thoughts. I miss having this as my front yard.

We try to hit up a store up in Capitol Hill but....no luck finding parking. It was, afterall, a Friday night on the Hill. What was I thinking?

So we head home, but not before picking up some "dinner." Which was....

TACO BELL! LoL

Goodness...my health streak for the day is shot.
We get home a little after 11PM...I pour myself another glass of wine. Have a little bit more cheese. And down my Bean & Rice Burrito.
FULL.

Gawd....gym tomorrow for sure.

Day 11 - Back on Track?

2010-08-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Almost. There's a potluck at work today and I made pancit. You better believe I'm going to be eating today! I just won't over do it ;P

BREAKFAST: Protein Shake w/strawberries and PB
Green Tea
Lunch: So much for not overdoing it! I had 2 plates of:
Pancit
Indian Lemon Rice and some other Indian rice
Thai curry eggplant w/tofu and mushrooms
And to add to the calories...2 Ensymada buns. Sonofa......
Here's an idea of just HOW BAD this bread is:

Oh and....a glass of white wine. Looks like I have A LOT of cardio to do today!...........................................................................................................

4:35PM - Snack before my 4 mile run: 6 pieces of Gim Bahp (Korean Sushi)

WOTD:
4 Mile Run (outside)

ABS: Pyramid Workout (50-40-30-30-20-10)

ARMS: Lat Pulldowns (3 sets of 20 reps)

Tri Pushdowns (3 sets of 15)

I'm unable to do anything more. I'm tired and hungry. Can't concentrate. Can't stay awake. So I call it a day and head home.

DINNER: 6 oz. teriyaki chicken breast and water.

Calling it a night.........

Day 10 - Tough Mudder Epiphany

2010-08-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

I might as well just call this DAY 1 with the way I've been eating/drinking since the weekend. Good lawrd.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/banana
Green Tea
Snack: Trader Joe's Trail mix
Lunch: Low Sodium Progresso Veggie & Noodle Soup and rotisserie chicken (no skin)
Lots of water

So far so good......

So Nukka wanted to do this Tough Mudder thing his brother found. At first I said no because...well...it's dirty. Crawl through muddy waters and run through muddy fields?
Ohhh yuck. The thought of mud getting into crevices....and then drying up.. and then more mud..and then drying up...
Layers upon layers of just pure dirtiness?
Yuck.

Well... in trying to get my "fitness" back - and better - I read up on this thing again out of boredom.
I watch the videos of the obstacle courses.
And there's a part in the video with this guy who's face is half paralyzed from a stroke.
His reason for doing this crazy ass obstacle course: he was tired of doctors telling him what he can't do.
Yes...he did finish.

Needless to say...1) I teared up (geezus crise) and 2) am INSPIRED.
Oh and... I was browsing some of the participant profiles trying to find females that do this...
And there's this one girl -

PATTY BOOM BOOM - 32 yrs old - Female Professional Boxer
This girl's body is sick! Not only is she my age.. she's fit as hell...dammit... I'm motivated!

Ok. Screw my "I don't want to get dirty/muddy" issue. Let's do it!
Curious? Check it out: www.toughmudder.com/events/washington-seattle/

I start training Monday. I was going to only do this for 30 days, but now, I think I'll stick with him a bit longer and have him kick my ass in preparation for whenever this thing is going to be held next year. Oh. Did I mention.....he makes me throw up =P

DETERMINED.

So yes - today I AM going for a run (need to build this back up) and I am hitting the gym.
Speaking of which...

I'll TRY and prep myself for the half in Chicago next month. But if that just doesn't pan out, I'm looking to do another one here in Sammamish come October: www.evergreentrailruns.com/oct-23rd-lake-sammamish-half-marathon-and-marathon
It should be pretty flat. So it's PERFECT!

I WILL do a second half before the end of this year. And with a better time than my last one.
I have to!!!

............................................................................................

Went for a 3 mile run. First run in almost 3 weeks. Time? Horrible. 32:38.

No gym. Forgot I had a potluck tomorrow. So I headed over to Uwaji's to buy some Pancit Canton and Sotanghon, and other stuff for my pancit.

Dinner: Salmon Sashimi w/Lemon and Salt wrapped in Nori, and some Chap Chae. Oh and...no wine tonight! Aren't you proud? Water and more water....

Ending the evening with a 20min Val Slide workout.

Day what?

2010-08-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Again...started out with the best intentions.

Breakfast: Protein shake w/PB, strawberries and banana
Water
Lunch: Ceviche salad @ Coho
Late afternoon snack: String Cheese

Met up with ading sissy after work at Factoria Mall to pick up some prezzie's for her Manang Sissy and X.
We head to Target...I get my usual popcorn. I love Target popcorn!!! Salty buttery goodness.
End up eating at this gyro place for dinner. I have a falafel gyro and fries (BAD I know).

We head home after, change, and off to hike the Powerline Trail. It's 8PM by this time, and I'm thinking we can hike up 1.5 miles and get back down before it gets dark.
WRONG! LoL
Again....NOT PREPARED!!!

We do a total of 5 miles in about an hour. Not bad for speed walking it.
So I'm not feeling too guilty about the gyro and fries from earlier. But then of course...
I kill that workout by swinging to 7-11: LARGE SLURPEE and a bag of these fire doritos (yum!).

Horrible. Just horrible.

Get home.... cut up the rest of the gouda to just get rid of it already.
And end the evening with the a glass of wine.

Sigh.

We'll see how tomorrow goes. =

Day 9 - Still snacking......

2010-08-16T15:26:00.001-07:00

Ran late this morning so I didn't get a chance to mix up a protein shake for breakfast.
I'm 5 minutes late to my 10AM meeting.
I don't get to eat my Peach Fage for "breakfast" till 11AM.

Get back down to my office....
RUFFLES!
Yes...I give in and pour some chips onto a plate.
SALTY SNACK!!!

I've been carrying around a 1 gallon jug of water the past week, but I'm not doing a very good job finishing it.
However, I AM trying to drink as much as I can today so as to "curb" my appetite.
Yeah....that's not workin!

A couple hours pass and I'm hungry again.
Ruffles or raw almonds?
Trying to get back on track... I go for the almonds.

I'm not satisfied.
More water....

Another hour passes and I finally eat my lunch:
Left over salmon and a plain romaine lettuce salad.
More water.
And.....more water.

Yes I have the full of liquid feeling, but it's just not curbing my craving for junk food right now. Ugh...see what happens when you have no appetite for weeks?
BINGE.

And who am I kidding? I KNOW as soon as I get home I'm cracking open the Chardonnay and having more gouda and bread!
OHHH YEA =P

Workout? I had every intention to. But then I got home. Laid down for a bit. And guess what....
SLEPT! LoL

When I got up, I let my cravings take over and so dinner was more:

Gouda
Baguette w/Balsamic Cream and Moroccan Balsamic Vinegar
Kalamata Olives
2.5 glasses of wine

And of course.... passed out after the wine!

Day 5-8: Bad eating and no working out

2010-08-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

I barely ate for a couple days. But when I finally did - smh - horrible.

And to top it off, I didn't work out once. Unless you count dancing and wading in a shallow wave pool for a couple hours.

Thursday: Playing in the lake Wednesday didn't help with this lingering cold. I woke up feeling worse. But oh so worth it! Just no appetite whatsoever today.
Breakfast: Protein Shake
Lunch: Half of 1 fresh veggie roll
Dinner: Few spoonfulls of veggie soup

Just no appetite today =/

Friday: Appetite is still barely there. Well.... for food at least.
Breakfast: Protein Shake
Lunch: Protein plate from Starbucks (Apples, grapes, brie, cheddar cheese, and some kind of fruit nut bread)

For dinner, I meet up with Mhadz (my old roommate from Beacon Hill days!) and we head to Purple Cafe in Bellevue.
I do a Flight of Pinot Noir and we share an order of:

Sauteed Prawns and Shoestring Frites and
Baked Brie w/apricot preserves, caramelized onions, candied walnuts, grapes and housemade crackers

For dinner I order my usual fave: Baked Lobster Mac and Cheese!!!

Of course, by the time it came out I was full from the appetizers. But I took at least 2 small bites.
Dinner was good. Catching up was good. We bump into a couple other friends at the restaurant, so we end up all hanging out and catching up. Of course, I finish my flight pinot by now. So I order a glass from my flight: Stonier Pinot Noir. Yum!
My glass was huge, which means the pour was quite generous =)
We didn't leave till some time after 1 AM.
It was nice catching up.
.......................................................................................................

Saturday: I woke up early to head to a 10AM funeral service up in Everett. =(
MT and I are there almost 2.5 hrs.
We head back to MT's house to pick up her hubby to come to the burial. While we wait for him to get ready, we have a few bites of assorted pastas we picked up at QFC and a couple glasses of wine.
The three of us head to the cemetary to witness the burial and extend our condolences one last time to the family.
Headed back to their house afterwards and we chit chat for a couple more hours...with yet again... more wine!

I finally get home around 6 PM - I think. It was such a long and emotionally draining day that I knock out on the couch for a couple hours.
I am supposed to head to Mpulse @ Tulalip Casino by 8:30/9 PM to meet up with Nance and MT, but I ended up falling asleep again =P
WHOOPS!

Finally left the house around 10 PM, It took an hour to get up north. Holy CRAP this place is deep! I knew it was up there but damn.... an hour?!

So obviously - I didn't have dinner. Last time I ate was in the afternoon right before the burial.
But what do I have at the club anyways on en empty stomach in a span of 2.5 hrs?
Three Grey Goose & Tonics!!!
Needless to say...I was on a good one. LoL

MinhTri - Me - Nanci

On the way home, I stop by Jack in the Crack. Hello..... buzzed AND starving!!!
And oh what a lil piggy I was. On the drive home, I down curly fries and a 7 piece order of jalapeno poppers.
I get in at almost 3 AM. Too tired - and full by now - to eat my chicken burger.
......................................................................................................................

Sunday: I had every intention of sleeping in till noon, but get woken up early with a phone call. I don't fall right back to sleep - so what do I do? I eat my dang burger! hahaha
Damn.... see what happens when you A) don't have an appetite for days, and B) are hungover.

I finally get my lazy butt up around 1 pm to do some much needed cleaning. MUCH...NEEDED...CLEANING!

And it's a dang 90+ degrees. No A/C in the house. Sweating. Dying.

Head over to the Renton waterpark around 4 PM to meet up with Nance and her kids for a bday party.
What a perfect way to cool off for the next couple hours!
Snack? 2 Chicken taquito's and a sugary Hi-C pink lemonade.

I get home around 7 PM - change out of my wet clothes - and lounge.
And lounge.
And lounge.

Nothing to eat in the house so I head to Safeway to pick up something "healthy" to make for dinner. Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.

I do pick up some fruit, Fage, and some romain lettuce. I do pick up salmon.

But I also unfortunately grab a baguette, kalamata olives, smoked gouda, and 4 bottles of wine to add to my stash.

Snack before dinner: Some slices of Smoked Gouda, Kalamata Olives, and a "few" slices of the baguette with EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar.

Oh...and can't forget a glass of Chardonnay!

I'm full.

Dinner would have been: Salmon topped with basil pesto and capers, and a side salad w/a balsamic vinaigrette. I plate it, thinking I'll eat some anyways.

Nope. Full from my pre-dinner snack. But...I do have room for another glass of wine before calling it a night =)

Day 4 - Wakeboarded!

2010-08-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

MinhTri - Millie - Tim - Yury - Me

Today's workout and "diet".....SHOT!

I started off the morning on the right foot with a protein shake w/PB and strawberries.

Got to Vasa Park early. Set up a bit. Ran to Safeway and Rite Aid to pick up some more stuff.

By the time I get back to the park, the caterer was set up and the boat was ready to go!

Millie and I decide to "test" the boat before more people show up.

As we near the shore, I see the boat and.....

WAKEBOARDS!!!

I've always wanted to try and what better time than now?! Unfortunately, the guy driving the boat was not very good with direction or teaching.

So my first attempt...fail. On his part. Boat died.

Second attempt...fail. On my part. I tumbled.

I decide to wait till Tim - the "pro" - shows up. If anyone can teach me he can! So we just go around the lake for awhile before heading back to land.

By the time we get back, it's lunch time:

Potato Salad

Pasta Salad

Grilled Chicken burger w/mustard, tomotoes, pickles, jalapenos, and only the bottom bun.

2 glasses of wine

Tim eventually shows up. MinhTri finally shows up and I talk her into wakeboarding with me and Tim =) YES!

He gave us a quick "land" lesson of what to expect and how to react. This little lesson actually helped.We finally get our turn on the boat and away we go! I gotta say....Tim is AWESOME out there! Makes it seem so effortless.

MinhTri goes next...and she stands up on the second try. Good job! She tried like 6 or 7 more times but it was a no go.

So I go next. First try... flop. Second... nope. Third......

YES!!! To my surprise....I'm standing. Then amazingly I'm able to turn my board and ride.

THIS IS AWESOME! I'm going....and going....and going....

But my forearms get tired so I motion to stop.

I'M HOOKED! Next purchase......WAKEBOARD.

Hope the weather keeps up till next weekend cuz I'm definitely down to rent a boat for the day!

Before we knew it it was 4pm - picnic over. Bye bye boat. =(

We walk back towards our shed... the caterer didn't leave any of the salads or fruit. Ugh. STARVING.

..................................................................................................

I promised a friend I'd meet them at Lucky Strike for a WWW event from 5-7.

I don't get there till about 6:15. Still starving. But what is the first thing I do? Head to the bar and up a drink. Ciroc Coconut on the rocks. Good quick buzz.

Find my friend.

Finally get to order some food:

Salmon bites w/mashed potatoes (and yum...I haven't had potatoes since last Thanksgiving).

Shrimp Baguettes

Another drink

I head home.... pick up some sushi and a bowl of miso soup for a "real" dinner.

It's 1:11AM and I'm starving again. Guess I'll just "fill up" with water and try to get some zzzzzz.

Day 3 - Still sick......

2010-08-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

I still feel like crap. Stupid cold won't go away!
Taking Vitamin C. Taking my Multi-Vitamin. Getting rest.
2 weeks being sick......I HATE IT!

But.... forcing myself to still go the gym regardless - this probably isn't helping huh?

Well since I was unable to workout yesterday, I'm hoping to not work so long today and squeeze in the workout I had planned for last night.
..............................................................
Breakfast: Protein Shake
OJ and Water
Snack: 1/2C Anti-Oxidant Nut & Berry Mix from Trader Joes
Lunch: 1C Turkey Picadillo (minus the olives)
more OJ and Meds
Green Tea
Late Bad Snack before gym: Artichoke & Jalapeno Dip w/Bread Chips

WOTD:
Concentrating on abs and upper body today since my legs are still shot from Sunday's side lunges.
This is a long ab workout. Resting period to be no more than 1-2 minutes in between each set.
No crazy machines. No balancing on a swiss ball. No extra weights. Just sticking with the basics till exhaustion!

Workout #1: Reverse Pyramid Sit Ups
A reverse pyramid is a technique in which you start with the highest number of reps and with each set you decrease the reps.
Set #1: 50 reps
Set #2: 40 reps
Set #3: 30 reps
Set #4: 20 reps
Set #5: 10 reps

TOTAL = 150

Workout #2: 10 Sets of 30 Sit Ups
Oblique Crunches - 5 sets
Leg Raises - 5 sets

TOTAL = 300

Upper Body - 3 Sets of 15 reps
Front Raise
Lateral Raise
Lateral Pull Down

I ended up putting in booty exercises too =P
Squats w/12 lb body bar - 3 sets of 30
Hip Flexors w/12 lb body bar - 3 sets of 25

Cardio: 15 - Short I know....I was STARVING
15 incline / 3.8 speed

Spent some time in the whirpool and sauna afterwards too. Relax my muscles and try to melt away this cold once and for all in the sauna!

Snack @ gym: Protein Bar

Dinner: Omellette w/pico de gallo (4 egg whites/1 yolk)

Day 2

2010-08-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - Protein Shake and a banana
Green Tea & Cold Meds

Lunch - Turkey meatloaf w/steamed butternut squash and grilled portabello drizzled with White Truffle Oil

...more OJ and cold meds that just don't work =(

Bad Snacks:
Small bag of Shrimp Chips (yum!)
Kettle BBQ Chips

Let's hope the rest of the night goes better...minus all the crap snacks!
.................
Ended up working a 12hr day. By the time I got home I was just too exhausted to do anything.
I don't think I even ate dinner.
Tired. Still sick. Downed some Nyquil and passed out.

Day 1

2010-08-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA for quite awhile - with many ups and downs - since my last post.

I had ballooned up to a whopping 150 lbs! The biggest I have ever been - and will I ever let myself get again.

This weight gain was a result of so many things...

Layoff + career change + HUGE pay cut + depression + confusion + school = NO MOTIVATION to make time for myself or to even care to.

Positives in the last 12 months?
Graduated with my MBA in Oct 2009.
Started a "lifestyle" change in December and lost 17lbs in 3 months - but I've plateaued since.
Hired on as an FTE at Microsoft in March 2010 (2 days before my birthday)! Not my life long career - but foot's in the door and time to start networking and studying for my cert to get into my true passion ... HR.
Ran my first half marathon in June in 2:31:15 - Seattle Rock 'n' Roll
Was a Bridesmaid (as always) at one of my BFF's wedding in Texas in late July - haven't seen her in 2 yrs.

Eloise (MOH) - Zahania (Bride) - Me - Rosa (Bridesmaid)

As of today....I have 30 days to prepare for another half marathon - 14th Annual Chicago Half!
Goal for the Seattle RnR was to finish in 2.5hrs. So I was 1min 15 sec over...I'm still happy with it.
Goal for this next one? Shave off 15 min. Can I do this in 30 days?

I've been out of commission since returning from Texas - thanks to a sore throat, fever, and wonderful cold/cough I just can't seem to shake =(

Yesterday was my first workout since coming back from Texas. I hate losing momentum.
Cardio - sucks.
Strength training - weak.
Doesn't help that I'm still stuffy and coughing up a lung in between reps.
But... I'm going to keep at it and hit the gym again today.

Giving myself a 30 day challenge to not only prepare for another 13.1 mile run, but to do some much needed overall toning.
I guess you could say I'm trying to get my "in my 20s" physique back... if not better!

Can I do it?
I guess we will see.
The hardest part of all this isn't so much making time for the gym.
It's .......GIVING UP WINE! And the oh so wonderful cheeses and breads that pair so great with it.
Come to think of it - going wine tasting this next Saturday.
Guess I better squeeze in an extra day of intensity to compensate what I'll be consuming Saturday.

So yesterdays workout I will count as just a warm up to the next 30 days challenge.

Day 1 - Sunday, Aug 8
Starting Weight: 130.7 lbs / 24.1 BMI

Breakfast - Protein Shake w/PB
Lunch before gym - Wheat tortilla wrapped grilled chicken w/pico de gallo, and 1 laughing cow wedge

WOTD: Shoulders - Legs - Abs - Cardio / 3 set of 15 reps
SHOULDERS:
Shoulder Press
Lateral Raises
Rear Delt Raises
Shrugs

LEGS
Squats w/18lb Body Bar
Side to Side Lunges w/9lb Medicine Ball

I didn't do anymore leg exercises as planned after the side lunges. Either I did it wrong, or I should have done it without the med ball for starters. I pulled something in my inner thigh and any kind of squatting/lunging was just too painful.

Great. Set back?

ABS - 25 reps each
Bicycle
Laying Leg Raise
Plank - 1 minute

CARDIO
15 min elliptical

15 min treadmill: 15 incline/ 3.8 speed

Meal before church:

6 pieces of Salmon Sashimi w/wakame salad and nori

3 pieces of spicey ahi

Came home and continued reading "Eat,Pray, Love"....

Now I'm craving wine =) And bread....

So I bake a baguette, roast a garlic clove, and mix it with my Moroccan Balsamic Vinegar & Date Balsam Cream. Dee-lish.

So bad....but oh so wonderful.

Not only is it carbs w/butter and wonderful balsamic oils... but I'm having it before bed along with 3 glasses of red wine.

We'll see how Day 2 goes ;)

I give up.

2009-03-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

...

Day 10.

2009-03-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

Well as you can see...I've been doing great. =/ Ugh.
So much for losing more weight and for "work/life balance." Lately it's been work work work...followed by homework homework homework. Sigh................................

I TRIED to eat well by pre-packing "protein" snack bags for the entire week for all three of us.
And if/when time permits, I'll cook up lunch to bring to work. That doesnt happen much. Sometimes I'm too busy to even eat lunch. I'll have the snack bag, and get so busy that I don't even notice I've missed lunch.

Turning 31 in six days.....and STILL not happy where I am... with work... in life...physically...
The ONE thing I should be able to have control over and I can't even do this right.

There's just not enough hours in the day to do my work, homework, take care of me, and have ME time. sigh.....

Can't seem to sleep early enough to wake up early to hit the gym before work.
By the time I leave the office, I'm too exhausted to even do an hour of cardio, and I'm crunched with time in getting my postings/homework done for the evening.
Weekends....well... that's spent catching up on the papers I just don't have time to even start during the work week.

And you wonder why I choose to have a shot or two every now and then of whatever is strong enough to knock me out quick. =/

OH. BTW....I've gained 5lbs. =(

Day 2

2009-03-03T12:17:00.001-08:00

I'm even more stuffy today. Fatigued even tho I did sleep early. Cold even tho I AM dressed warmly. Dammit.

Late breakfast:
Protien snack bag: 1 egg, 6 crackers, 1 Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese Wedge
8 cans of oj throughout the day

Got home 5:30ish
Ate a bagel with jalapeno cream cheese then cooked up a totinos pizza. Mmmm....

So not on the right track. Sick Myra = Comfort food!!!

Expense report.... Nyquil....Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2009-03-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

8:30am - Oatmeal and a cup of green tea

11:20am - 1 hard boiled egg,

6 ritz crackers w/1 wedge of Laughing Cow swiss cheese

32 oz G2 (forgot my water bottle - DANGIT!)

I'm really starting to feel sick (dangit Liam strikes again!!!) That child is FOREVER sick or has the damn "just sniffles." And it never fails....his "just sniffles" ALWAYS kicks my ass into a damn fever/flu. So now instead of having my grilled veggies for lunch I have....

8 cans of oj (sugar)
1 Nong Shim Kimchi Soup bowl (yay sodium)

horrible....just horrible.

Get home early. Dinner for sicky me?

Arroz Caldo.

Had a bowl of Pumpkin ice cream and a crushed sugar cone while sissy ate her dinner.
Finish up my paper. Down some Nyquil.....

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Lost. Plateaud. Gained. Disappointed.

2009-03-02T01:56:00.002-08:00

It's been months since I've been online updating my "results" AND on track with getting myself together.
Stats is over (yay!) but this class I'm in now is pissing me off because my learning team are a bunch of procrastinating, bad grammar-horrible spelling idiots.
Grrr I say.........
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..................

There has been a shift in my job as well...and I find myself working 10+ hrs a day AND occasionally logging on on the weekends.
And what for? With the recent announcement of more layoffs and knowing that there is no possiblity of converting to an FTE.... it can get depressing.
Especially on the real EMO days.

And to top things off, someone that seriously lacks social common sense and respect for the present STILL insists to make their presence known. STILL insists on making sure that past "memories" are not forgotten.

ANNOYED.
Whatever.

So I can't control stupid people.
I can't control my learning team.
I can't control my job stability.
And the one thing I WAS controlling - and pretty well too - I lost control of these last 2 months. =/

I need to be able to control SOMETHING in my life...
So starting tomorrow... back to eating better and downing that darn gallon and a half of water daily.

New goal - 15lbs in a month and a half.

I've stocked the fridge with a healthy snack and roasted veggies to last the week.
For Lent, I've given up candy, chips, fried foods, and fast food.
As for working out at the gym..... that's the hard part.

I can't wake up at 5am to work out before work because I stay up late finishing up on homework or catching up on work work.
Working out during "lunch" is a no go because, well....I rarely even take a lunch break. My day is THAT busy.
And after work, especially depending what time I actually leave the office, I'm exhausted AND I need to get home and log in to class.

Whether I eat dinner or not doesn't really matter to me, but there's other folks that might want dinner.
I'm so tired. I work too. I'm tired too. AND I have to squeeze in school and homework in my already long day. I have to selfish now, and not worry about what's for dinner.
We can all fend for ourselves.

So..... here's to taking control again in the ONLY thing I can have control over.
Daily food log to begin tomorrow!

KEEP ME ON TRACK =)

All I want for Christmas.......

2008-12-04T17:11:00.001-08:00

1) A permanent FTE job (really.....I want a career) please!!!

Really though.....

With Christmas rolling around, and being so accustomed to buying and receiving all these presents from friends and family, it's difficult to NOT participate in the shopping rush.

I admit...I went shopping on Black Friday. Heck, I even went shopping with sissy last night (and took advantage of a few sales)! Could I have done without? Yes. (I like shopping ok?)
I do feel a bit guilty indulging my retail cravings...... and although I have purchased things for myself and am shopping for close friends and my family....

All I ask this year for my Christmas present is..........
Nothing. For me at least. As much as I love STUFF....
I don't really "need" anything. I have a job (for now). I have a roof over my head (for now). I have the means to buy enough food. I don't really "NEED" presents this Christmas.

So.... if you're wondering what you could get me for Christmas... do this instead:

Donate food and/or baby formula/food to Northwest Harvest (http://www.northwestharvest.org/Events/Food_Drives.htm). So many families can't afford to buy themselves or their family enough food for the week.
I just read a story today about a couple who could not afford to buy any more baby formula to supplement what they were already receiving from WIC. So they figured to make the formula last longer, they would water it down. Little did they know that this was actually harming the baby more than it was helping.

"Jerri Moss of Tampa had been watering down her 5-month-old baby’s formula to make it stretch further. Last week, she said he curled up in pain and stopped breathing. Emergency room doctors say he had water intoxication and that if he had gone one more hour without treatment, he would have died. Too much water can basically lower the sodium content and lower the ratio of other electrolytes in the blood and that can lead to seizures and other problems. It can even be fatal."
http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/35496879.html

So many people can't provide themselves or their families with basic necessities anymore because of today's economy. It breaks my heart knowing there are so many who once could.... but cannot today.

I may not have much money myself.....but I like to believe that I can do enough to help even just 1 person. 1 family.
Fortunate to work at a company that is big on giving, I've been able to coordinate a food drive and a Giving Tree where folks have the opportunity make someones Christmas wish come true this year.

That's what you can do for me this Christmas. Give to someone else that needs "it" more. Be it food, clothing, or a toy.....
Give to the food bank.... to a shelter..... buy a gift for a foster child or a struggling family/single parent.

I'm blessed with "just enough." And that's a good enough gift for me. =)

Somehow I DID IT!

2008-11-29T15:17:00.000-08:00

I wanted to fit into a pair of jeans that I purchased small as my "motivating" clothing piece. I haven't had a chance to work out in 2.5 weeks, except for the one morning me and sissy worked out a few days ago.

I still watched what I ate.

So Thanksgiving day rolls around, and even though I haven't done a good job in keepping up with my work outs, for sh*ts and giggles I decide to try on the jeans.

HOLY CRAP THEY FIT!!! Still a bit of a muffin top going on but THEY BUTTON!
When I first got them, the button and the hole was a good 2 inches apart. (Sad huh).

THEY FIT!

Once I'm done with this class come Monday, hopefully I can get some time to work out regularly.

Yay.....they fit =)

Back from being MIA.....

2008-11-18T01:35:00.000-08:00

I got off schedule the past 2 weeks. One week, I was caught up in the birth of Alexis. So spent time with the Zamora/Martelino family.
The next week I had a horrible headache that turned into a migraine that last 2 days. I've been feeling light headed and dizzy since.
So although I didn't make it to the gym, I still did pretty good in not eating bad.

Worked out with Rhonda after work today. Still didn't feel right. Head still feels weird. Light headed... dizzy.... I just feel off still.
Didn't really have a work out plan...we just did stuff =P Half hour weights then half hour cardio.
I just couldn't do anymore. =/ WTH is wrong with me? *sigh*

See how I feel tomorrow......

2 Birthdays today...

2008-11-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my Mama and.......

Welcome to the world Alexis Martelino! The proud parents welcomed this pretty lil girl this morning at Evergreen Hospital (she almost made an appearance on 405!).

No gym in 3 days...

2008-10-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Horrible! Just horrible. Last time was Saturday.
Sunday... hung out at the Zamora's then home to bring sicky some food.
Monday...homework.
Tuesday...I was just feeling sluggish. I drove towards the gym with the intention to go and workout. Got home...ate my Turkey Sammich from Jimmy John's and fell asleep within an hour =P. *sigh*

I didn't have breakfast today. I ran out of oatmeal yesterday and I forgot to bring more for today. So just had water. Sad =/
Lunch - Turkey meatballs and 1/4C wheat pasta.

Met up with Sissy Rhonda at the gym...been a long time since our last workout together!
Did some arms, abs w/medicine ball and 45 min of cardio.

Got a 7am meeting tomorrow and still need to do 1 more posting so......
G'NITE!

Week 4

2008-10-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Started class last week, so been trying to figure out a good schedule/routine so I don't miss the gym too much.

Didn't get to work out last Thursday. I was exhausted Friday cuz I barely slept the night before. I DID go in on Saturday and got an hour of cardio in...so yay for that.

Saturday night went to the Parlor for Robelyne's 30th bday. Good tams. SOMEONE puked all the way home....AND THIS TIME IT WASN'T ME!!! =P

Sunday... had lunch at the Zamora's house with Janelle and G. Chilled there for awhile then back home to the sicky one.

Finished up my postings for the day and tried to get started on my assignment that's due frikkin' tonight! =P EEEEK!

Gym today? We'll see.....

Breakfast - Usual oatmeal & V8

Lunch - Frikkin cold in my office so I'm giving in to having a hot bowl of Nong Shim Kimchi Soup =) Mmmmmmmmm......AND LOTSA WATER

Dinner - Spicey ahi poke, brown rice, wakame salad

Didn't go to the gym today. Bad I know. But I have an assignment to get in tonight and I haven't even started it yet! =/

Another 3 lbs....

2008-10-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Weighed myself this morning and lost another 3 lbs...yipee! Still can't see much PHYSICAL difference but hey... I'm getting there right? AT LEAST I HOPE SO.

9:15 - Usual bfast: Oatmeal, V8, Water

MORE WATER

Not really hungry today..... stuff on my mind.
Left work an hour early since there was nothing to do, so i just logged on and WFH for another hour to get in my 8 hrs. It was blah day so I helped myself to a:

1 Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cone
Dinner - Korean noodle soup (I'm freezing)

MORE WATER.

More homework.......

10.22.08

2008-10-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

9am - Oatmeal, V8, 32 oz Water
MORE WATER
Lunch with Mel @ Maggianos
We split the Chicken Pesto Pasta (still didn't finish that), calamari (hella left over) and a couple pieces of bread w/evoo & balsamic vinegar
MORE WATER

GYM - 1 hr cardio and some legs
MORE WATER

Ate din pretty late - 2 pieces of Turkey Meatballs in red sauce.

Did a posting....called it a nite.

Back In Class....

2008-10-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Didn't work out today. Things came up with work plus it's the first night for my next class, Enterprise Risk. I have quite a few chapters to read tonight.

9:30a.m - Oatmeal, V8, & 64 oz. Water
SNACK - 2/3C Chex mix
3:15p.m - Wheat thins & 1 Lite Laughing Cow Wedge
...I had some more stupid Chex mix...out of boredom not hunger. I need to cut this bad habit too =/
6:45p.m - Korean noodle soup with an egg

Dinner wasn't healthy today. I was freezing all day at work (and I had my jacket on all day) and freezing when I got home...I needed something HOT!

Off to study.....g'nite!

Week 3

2008-10-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

9:30a.m - Oatmeal, V8

Drank 64 oz of water

1:50pm (Snack) - 2/3 C Chex mix (130 Calories) and another 32 oz of water
4:40p.m - Another 32 oz of water (1 gallon!) and Turkey Sloppy Joe w/wheat pita

Heading to the gym in an hour so...I NEED FOOD! Do an hour of cardio today...

30 min run / 30 min Elliptical

Do a little of everything today: Abs / Arms/ Legs

Goal is to fit these damn jeans before Thanksgiving. I have about an inch to go....:

Another Wknd In....

2008-10-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

Liam woke up at 5:30am.... so of course I got up with him. He was WET. So had to change his heavy pee'd in diaper =P We played for a bit then gave him a bottle around 6:30. He went back to sleep shortly after finishing that up (thank gawd!).
Woke up again by 8:00, and Liam's Uncle called to pick him up....NOW.
So I get dressed and meet up with his Uncle. Lil monkey is gone =(

Brian wanted breakfast so I pick up Jack 'n The Crack. I had:

Breakfast - French Toast sticks (with no syrup) and some hash brown bites (bad i know)
I drank a lot of water...I don't remember eating lunch =P

I head to the gym (Yes I went on a weekend!) to get in some cardio and weight training.
Did some much needed grocery.

Snack - Handfull of raw almonds on the way home
Dinner - Brian wanted Papa Murphy's again so I picked up a delite Chicken & Artichoke w/Mozza Cheese. I only had 1 slice. I filled up on salad and lots of water.
Dessert - Skinny Cow Cone
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday

Breakfast - Bowl of Cereal
Lots of water
Late lunch (4p.m) - Turkey sloppy joes on a 1/2 a wheat pita and salad

Went to church....

B wanted fast food so we hit up McD's after church (bad again...ugh)

Dinner - McDooDoo 1 Honey Mustard Snack Wrap w/Grilled Chkn and some damn fries =/ (this isn't helping me)
Dessert - Sugar Free Jello Cup with low fat/sugar whipped cream
MORE WATER the rest of the night

Another weekend coming up....

2008-10-17T09:14:00.001-07:00

9:30a.m - Oatmeal, V8, and Green tea
Lunch - Korean Tofu Seafood Soup
Dinner - Wheat pasta w/chicken and brocolli in lite mushroom sauce
And drank 1.5 gallon of water during the whole day to keep me "full."

We had Liam for the night so didn't get a work out in today.

Cutie....