OMG... double digits!

So I weighed myself this morning and it reads 99.8lbs w/ clothes on! Hmmm... must be the water weight coming off or something.. lol.. jk :P But, OMG!!! And with clothes off, it's 99.0! I'll enjoy the moment while I still can, at least for right now anyway. Now, let's see how long this will last. I swear, I've been eating a bunch of bad food lately... and I know I didn't record last week's weigh in cuz I forgot to weigh myself last Monday. Not just that, when I did remembered to weigh myself throughout the week it was giving me readings like 102.8, 104.. even 105! I know, that's a lot... so, yes... I don't know. I'm still weary of this number you can say, just cuz it's too good to be true. We'll see how the rest of this week's mini weigh-ins are like and of course, for next week as well. I'm really hoping I do good... 'specially for this new upcoming year. It's almost here! Oh, of course, could it be because I worked out 3 days in a row... not just any typical workouts, but a 4 mile run, 10 mile bike ride and then another 4.6 mile run? Who knows...

Alright, more later I guess. :)

i need a rest day...

Oh man, my body needs a break, badly. Today's run of Lake Merced was tough. I felt like my body was super heavy throughout the entire race. I just wonder if it was from the constant physical activities I've done over these past few days, plus all the unhealthy crazy holiday foods I've been eating. Anyway, it was tough, but Mark and I made it. Our time wasn't too bad... did it under 42 minutes, so that was good. Of course we thought we were on pace to do it under 41 minutes, but somehow there just wasn't enough steam at the end to get it in. Well, we still did great though. Seriously, during the entire run I felt like giving up, but I somehow I keep telling myself I couldn't let Mark down. I couldn't just stop or slow way down and tell him to just go ahead without me... he wouldn't let me do that, I just know it. I mean, because he knows I can do it and I'm just being lazy. Of course if I really couldn't do it physically he would understand and it'll be fine. But of course, I know I'm just being lazy if I slow down... cuz I so know I can do it.

Lalalalala... anyway, on Friday we ran a new course. It was down Hillside, passed Serramonte to Lawndale and back. Boy, that was tough. I mean, it seemed like it took forever to get to Lawndale... but somehow we made it and turned around. The second half is always so nice and goes by way quicker.

Yesterday's physical activity was something new. We went for a bike ride.. me, on my new bike of course! About 90 minutes worth of cycling... not bad. Of course it wasn't super hardcore or anything like that, but there were some hills in it... so that was a bit tough. Now, today... after tonight's run... I just feel a bit warn out. Today is a total rest day, for sure. :)

Oh... 2009 new year's resolution coming soon.... that's it for now.. more later. :)

Christmas came and went....

...and it was FABULOUS! I had a lot of fun this Christmas despite a little drama here or there. Mark and I did really great with our shopping, getting it done early and just pretty much trying to relax during that last week. Anyway, we all went ice skating last Saturday and had a lot of fun... totally puts you in the Christmas mood/spirit. OMG, it sure was cold though! No snow, but COLD!


mark & laura ice skating @ union square :)


me (on the right, that is) ice skating @ union square :)


yes, my cruiser bike i got for christmas :)

So I guess I had been a good girl this year cuz Santa (aka Mark =P) got me some pretty neat stuff. And for my big gift I got an Electra 3-speed beach cruiser bike. I'm really going to put that to use. Of course it'll be a bit tough riding in the crazy San Francisco/Daly City streets... but I say it should be fine. Whenever I come upon hills that are too steep, I'll just have to walk it or something. Well, we're going biking today... so that should be fun.. I'm excited. Anyway, we'll see about navigating through or around those hills... so yes, stay tune. :)

Oh, another gift I'm super excited about is my tennis racket. Mark took me out to play tennis Christmas day... it was fun! I didn't even realize I was decent at tennis. I told Mark I was terrible at it.. and he just kind of wanted me to try it anyway. Well, I told him the last time I remembered playing tennis was like 9 years ago... and I was suck at it! This time around, I think I did pretty good. Mark and I were able to rally a several times, and even played a mini game. Of course I never won any game, but I did managed to get a few points. Other than that... I sucked, but hey... that just mean I have room for lots of improvements! :) So yes, I think we've got next year figured out. More running, biking, tennis and of course, hiking! We really need to get back into hiking. Oh yes, as a "i should totally make this my new year's resolution" kind of thing, I really need to learn how to swim. So if I could somehow get to that and really make an effort to find a pool, and have someone teach me how to swim, I think we'll be set. I would absolutely love to complete a triathlon one of these days. I really want to do it. I'd like to think that if I can somehow swim/stay afloat, I can totally try distance swimming. We'll see.

Okay, that's enough. More in the new year.. maybe. :)

half-marathon, etc.

So I've been pretty consistent lately with my running. Thing is, I still can't get myself to run longer than 5 miles or well, more like 4.75 miles at a time. It just sucks. For some reason, I'm just not mentally prepared to run longer than 50 minutes or 4.75 miles, etc. So for now, I can honestly say I am so not ready for that half-marathon this coming February 2009. The thought of finishing a half-marathon feels wonderful, but I'm just so not ready for it mentally. Physically, I really do think I can do it... it's just that I feel it's more mental than physical.

Well, today's the 11th, I still have until early January to decide. I think the deadline to register for the Kaiser Permanente half-marathon is like January 10th or something... so maybe by January 5th or so, I really should make up my mind on whether or not I'm going to run that half marathon. First, I know I just need to get in some 8-9 mile runs and see how I feel. Maybe I should try doing that before Christmas. Or maybe the next time I run I should try to go longer than 4.75 miles. I know I've been working on my speed/pace lately. I'm getting better at it and is able to sustain the pace, but it's still tough. Yesterday I did the Lake in under 42 minutes. I remembered the first time I ran the Lake... I think I finished it in 53 minutes and something seconds. My pace was more like a 12-something minute pace. Yesterday, my pace was 8:49 a mile. It's just crazy... to see that I've improved my Lake time by over 10 minutes!

Overall, I'm just really impressed with what I've accomplished so far. I could totally remembered back in mid-July after my birthday and telling Mark that I was going to attempt to run again. I was so out of shape. I haven't ran in months, years even! And to see where I am today, the physical (positive) changes it's doing to my body and health, it's just great! Anyway, I know I really would like to complete a half-marathon one of these days. I just hope 2009 will be the year... but to get there, I know I have to really prepare myself mentally for all that running. I know that if I put the effort and just do it, I can run that many miles and complete my first half-marathon!

All and all, we'll see. I guess for now if I can gradually add some extra distance or minutes to my runs, that would be great! We'll see. :)

running really makes a body feels GOOD!

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I absolutely love running now. Of course, it's still hard to get up, get out and run (every now & then).... but the after-feeling feels wonderful that you just have to... just do it!

Well, I've been running (on/off) for about four months now... let's just say since late July after my 24th birthday. I've already noticed that I'm getting curves in my legs that I've never really seen or noticed before. They're not just any kind of curves, they're cool-looking muscle curves like... "OMG, my legs are fit!" kind of thing. Pretty neat, I say. And also, my abs are flattening themselves without me even having to do a single sit-up. But of course, I really need to get those strength training workouts in. It's a must-do on my list. Just have to do it!

Anyway, I'm still working on those runners' legs.. and 'em sexy calves. I know it'll take even more hard work and consistency, but I'll get there one of these days. And if I don't ever, just because of crazy genetics, that's okay too... as long as I know I can sustain a decent pace running and feel okay afterwards. :)

Alright, what else? Oh, we got our Christmas tree this weekend. It's all decorated and there's even presents under the tree now! Thing is, Christopher's getting into everything! So we really have to tell him no... I mean, he's still just a baby.. okay, more like a toddler, but he doesn't totally understand everything. Anyway, I'm just super excited for Christmas. Christopher's going to have a blast opening up his presents come Christmas morning. I really have a feeling he'll enjoy the wrapping papers more than the gifts. LOL, actually, we'll find out. :) Ahhh, the holidays, it's wonderful! Absolutely love Christmas, can't wait! :)

Btw, I weighed myself this morning and the digital scale reads 101 lbs! Now, I also weighed myself on Mom's (the old one Mark and I were using months before), and it reads somewhere in between 99-100 lbs. Not bad.

Okay, more later.

the holidays

Just a quick entry this time.

So last Thursday was Thanksgiving. It was perfect! The turkey was cooked in time, the 2-hour recipe that Mark tried last year. There were so many yummy food.... it was just all so good and perfect! I absolutely love this time of year. Anyway, now that Thanksgiving is done and over with, Christmas is next on the list. Mark and I started on our Christmas shopping this past Saturday. Mark totally does not like that whole Black Friday, Day-After-Thanksgiving shopping bonanza, so we usually wait until the weekend to start our shopping, etc. Well, it's only the Monday after Thanksgiving and we've already got about 50-60% of the shopping done. Now, we just have to really focus on our kids and ourselves. We still have two whole weekends to do that, so I really think this year we're on the right track to a stress-free Christmas eve (unlike last year, running around at the last minute trying to get anything last minute.. it was crazy!!).

All and all, I'm really excited for this Holiday season. It just seems extra special this year. We were the first house on the block to have our Christmas lights up. The following night, the two houses next two us put up their's. So now if you were to drive by our block, you'll see we've got the Christmas spirit. Ahhh... it's just so pretty. I absolutely love it! :)

Okay, more later. :)

last week

Oh yes, I've been so busy last week that I haven't had the time to jot this down on here. Anyway, I got laid off last week, Monday, Nov. 17 to be exact. The way the current US economy is along w/ the way the company I was working for was heading, I wasn't surprised to get the walking papers last week. Everyone in my company got it, so. So yes, I now have the opportunity to just kind of hang out until I find another job. I've already filed my unemployment papers and all that good stuff. I just have to make sure I do/get all the necessary stuff in to start collecting my unemployment dough.

Okay, so yes, more about last week. Well, after my layoff on Monday, I had some side projects that I had to do and get down by the end of the week. Boy, did it take a while. I literally spent almost all evening Wednesday, all day/evening Thursday and almost the entire day on Friday to work on these projects. It was like my booty was glued to the computer chair the whole time. I barely stepped away from the computer to use the bathroom or eat! Crazy. I know, usually when I'm really deep into a project, I barely take breaks to do other stuff, just cuz I just want to get it done. Anyway, of course, I did take little breaks here and there... so it wasn't that bad! Overall, I'm glad I got them done. Let's just hope the end result is good. I'm really keeping my fingers cross. But hey, if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. :)

Now, because I was so busy w/ these side projects, I didn't really have the time to stick to my running schedule. So on Friday afternoon as soon as I finished the last bit of things, I got out of the house and ran! I ran the Lake on Friday and did pretty good. I wasn't trying to beat any previous time, but instead to just run/keep a decent pace. At the end, I recorded a 44:52. So to date, 44:52 is my best Lake time. I doubt I'd do that again, or if I was to... I really would have to run at a steady/faster than usual pace and keep it up. We'll see, I guess. I do know I've been getting lots of practice on this Lake course and my body's used to it... so I'm not super surprised if I do improve on my time.

Okay, what else... oh, I ran on Saturday morning w/ Mark doing his new route around the house, about 3.2 miles. It was a tough course. It only took us about 32 minutes, but OMG, it was brutal! Lots of slight incline/hills here and there, especially towards the end.. ahh! It was just tough. I don't think I will be looking forward to that route again anytime soon... but then who knows. We'll see.

Yesterday was the DSE Great Highway 4 Miles race. Mark and I both ran it and we did pretty good. I accomplished the goal I set up for myself... to run it under 40 minutes. I did it under 38 minutes, which isn't bad at all... so I'm quite impressed. I think Mark said he did it in like 36 minutes or something. We'll see what our actual time is when they post the results later this week.

All and all in regards to running, I like to think I made up for it with three consecutive days of running. Today, I'm debating if I should take a break and rest, or go out and run. I'm pondering w/ the idea of possibly doing two laps of the Lake... so it would be about 9 miles or so if I do it twice. I've never ran longer than a 10k before, so two laps around the Lake would be a real milestone and accomplishment. I don't know... we'll see. :)

Oh, btw, I weighed myself this morning... lost a pound I think. The digital scale says 102.8.. that compared to last week's 103.8.. I guess I did lose a pound. Yay! Now, I just have to do good this week cuz it's Thanksgiving this Thursday and I know I will be eating all those yummy food and be baking lots of goodies. Ahh! Can't wait... love the Holidays.. especially Christmas. It's going to be soooooooooo merry and FUN! :)

Alright, that's it. More later.

yesterday's race

Mark and I finally ran another race! Yesterday was the DSE Polo Fields 5K Race. We've never ran this race or course before.. except for about 1/3 of the course (which is between mile 1-2, the opposite direction). Our route is a bit tougher than theirs I think because you have a slight incline the first 1/4 and also towards the finish versus theirs, having the incline only between mile 1-2 and mostly downhill or flat, all the way to the finish line. Anyway, I'd like to say because of the easier route, my 5K time was fantastic! I think I clocked in at 29:35.. under 30mins like I had hoped I would do. But I also think it wasn't just because of the route, but that I've totally improved on my timing lately. Last week I ran Lake Merced twice, the first in 47:08 and the second in 45:29. That's the same route, on two different days, with two different times... so I say I did pretty good. Oh, also, I clocked in my best mile to date from the race. That was unbelievable! I was just super suprised when I checked my Nike+ thing to see how my pace at the 1-mile marker was and it told me I was doing a 8-something minute pace, ran 1.02 miles for 8-something minutes! I checked at the end of the race and it said I ran that first mile in 8:37! That's definitely a new personal record. :) Of course I doubt this will happen again anytime soon just because I hate going at a faster pace than my overall pace... but we'll see. Let's hope I improve and do better on my timing. In the meantime, I have to really train myself mentally to run longer (time and distance-wise)... if I ever want to finish a half-marathon/full marathon one of these days. :)

For now, I just need to keep running and of course, get geared up for another race this weekend, the DSE Great Highway 4-Mile Run. I hope I do well. It'll be mostly flat, I think, so yes... hopefully okay?! =/ We'll see, I guess. Anyway, I'm just super excited for it! Ahhh! :)

Alright, now onto the whole weight-loss thing. I don't think I'm doing too well. I bought a new digital scale, a much better one I think from Macy's and returned the WW scale I had previously purchased from BBB. This morning I checked my weight and I read 103.8lbs. Of course, I have definitely put on some weight... because a few days before it was reading 102lbs. Anyway, today will be the start of keeping track of my weight on this new scale. Let's hope I improve on my eating habits and do good. I know I did terrible this weekend w/ Priscilla's 16th bday BBQ and eating out last night w/ Mark at the Olive Garden. :P

Okay, more later.

running

So far, I've done okay regarding my half-marathon training. I know I didn't stick to the training schedule just because I felt I could run a little more. This week, for both runs, I did Lake Merced. And both times, I improved my time from the previous Lake run. I'm really proud of myself for doing that. Anyway, let's hope I keep this up.

Alright, now regarding food choices, so far... haven't totally stuck to the whole healthy thing. My calorie count has been quite awful. I think last night I ate about 2400 or 2500 calories. So yes, I really need to buckle down and focus more on that. Also, I know I need to add some strength training workout to my schedule. I was doing that a week or two ago, but I've put that on hold for now. I need to pick that up again.

Okay, more later. :)

training for my first half-marathon?! =/

Today is the first day of a brand new thing. Well, it's more like.. I'm restarting again, except for with a slightly different purpose. I really want to be able to run a half-marathon and survive it, so this week is the first week of a 12-week training I will put myself on. Yeah, I know, silly me. But yes, I really want to do well. So for now, back to hardcore calorie counting, every step counting (putting my pedometer to use again), and exercising.

Starting this week I will attempt to make running a habit again. Kaiser Permanente is having this half-marathon this coming Super Bowl Sunday. I think it's like the first weekend of February of 2009. Anyway, I've decided that I will train for that and make it my first half-marathon. Who knows if I will really run the race, but I just want to train for it. So yes, starting this week I will gradually train my body to eventually run 10+ miles. Yikes! I know!

So here's the run down on this training schedule:

Week 1: run 8 miles total, 2-3-3
Week 2: 11 miles, 3-4-4
Week 3: 13 miles, 4-4-5
Week 4: 15 miles, 4-5-6
Week 5: 16 miles, 4-5-7
Week 6: 18 miles, 5-5-8
Week 7: 20 miles, 5-6-9
Week 8: 22 miles, 5-7-10
Week 9: 15 miles, 4-5-6
Week 10: 23 miles, 6-6-11
Week 11: 20 miles, 5-6-9
Week 12: run 5-4-RACE!

OMG.. lots of mileage. Let's hope I stick with it and do good. Well, first off, I WILL stick with it and I WILL DO IT! :) Wish me luck! :P

Okay, write more later. Stay tune. :)

Alright, just some quickies. Bought a new scale. It's a WW digital scale. Current weight, 104.8 lbs... goal weight, 95-100 lbs.. waist, 27".. below belly, 32" ... ahh! I know, good luck. :)

election day

Today's Election Day. Yes, not just any kind of election day, but a presidential election day. Mark and I got out early this morning and voted. Of course, being the democrats that we are, OBAMA-BIDEN got our votes. Anyway, we'll find out by the end of the week who our next president of the United States will be. Let's hope it's OBAMA! :)

Alright, now... my weight-loss/exercise stuff... so far, doing okay. Still keeping up with my 30 Day Shred DVD. I'm already noticing that I do have ab muscles underneath all that excess icky fat and skin or whatever. You know, the belly baby pouch. I'm just hoping that in time my tummy will get back to normal (okay, not totally of course... u know, pre baby.. but decent). I'm really hoping it'll firm up decent enough again. Let's hope so.

Umm... what else? Oh, still trying to count my calories. Not doing so great in this department, but trying. Alright, that's all for now. :)

quick update

So far, so good on that 30 Day Shred video. I've done it twice this week and OMG, it's intense. Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll do it again tonight, but we'll see how things go today. If I don't do it, that's okay.. I wouldn't be feeling too bad. I've worked out Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. I ran 4.75 miles yesterday along w/ the video workout, so I feel pretty good. Plus, my body could use a rest (if I don't do the video workout tonight). We'll see. :)

Now, regarding food.. it's still a bit tough. But I am counting my calories. I have yet to eat 1200 or so calories. Lately, I've been around the 1500-2000 calorie count. Yesterday I had about 1550. Couldn't really help it, there's too much baked goods in the house. Mum made an apple pie for Dad's birthday on Tuesday... so I've been having leftovers. Plus, I baked some cookies last night.. had about 2 of them, so. Anyway, I know... I have to be good... even with the holiday season right around the corner, and yes, not to mention all that Halloween candy this weekend! Ahhh! (Actually, I'm not sure if we'll have be getting much candy this year.. P and L are kind of big to go trick or treating now and Christopher's not big enough yet... plus Mark won't be home to take them cuz he's working). Oh well, we'll find out come tomorrow night, I guess. Anyway, back to my whole weight/exercise thing, let's hope I do well. :)

Alright, more later. Stay tune. :)

this morning's run

Mark and I decided to run my first 5k course this morning. Due to lack of enough time before Laura's soccer game this morning, we decided on a course that was close by. This course starts literally across the street from our house and goes up the hill on Guadalupe Parkway. Anyway, the first half of the course goes uphill while the second half is all downhill. All and all, we both did very well, I think. I definitely improved my time by a bit... but not as much as I'd like. Either way, it was still an improvement. I guess I just didn't realize how grueling it is going uphill the first part of it.

Oh, I ran yesterday, but only did 2.1 miles. Turned out I didn't get to the park with enough time to run the intended amount I had hoped to. So instead, I clocked 20 or so minutes at 2 miles, etc. Not so bad. :) But what's not so great is I ate 1800 calories yesterday, boo me, I know.

Alright, enough for now. More later. :)

working out again...

So I did the third workout (Level 3) from 30 Day Shred. Previously, I've done Level 1 and 2... so today I decided I would try Level 3. Anyway, I don't think it was too bad. I like to think my fitness level is pretty good, so I can keep up with all three levels really. I can say, however, that the DVD is sure challenging... even if you feel like you're super fit. It's intense and will keep you moving the whole time. Overall, I really like the idea that I can do a full body workout with warm ups and cool down in under 30 minutes. Plus the fact that it's a circuit kind of thing so it keeps everything not so boring and different. Again, like always, we'll see how everything turns out in the next few weeks or so. I'm really hoping I do good. So far, so good.

I started this on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Skipped Wednesday's and Thursday's workouts because I was so sore from Tuesday's. Plus on Wednesday, I ran 3.1 miles... so I figured it was okay if I didn't do it. Anyway, I have a 3+ miles run scheduled for today. I figure since I'm going to pick Laura up from soccer practice, I might as well get there early so I can go for a run. Give me 45 minutes or something, give or take 5 minutes. I'm sure I can put in at least 3 miles... if not more. I know almost every time I run it feels pretty icky the first mile in... but I also know once I pass that hump I can run on and on.. until who knows when. Again, let's hope I do good when I go out in a bit. :)

Oh, I know I've stopped jotting down what I eat... just cuz I've gotten too lazy at it. But what I have started doing is what Mark does. He writes down every calorie he eats. So instead of writing the actual food, etc.. he just jots down how many calories, etc. It's really helped him take off that 25 lbs sympathy weight he put on when I was pregnant. I know he was at like 203, now he's down to 177-180 lbs. Pretty good, I say. Anyway, so yes, I'm doing what he's down... writing down my calories for each day. So far today, I've only consumed 640 calories. Still have dinner to go... so hopefully all is well. My EOD calorie goal is 1,200 to 1,300 a day (for now anyway). I weight has been stuck at 102-103 for the past few weeks (weighed myself this morning... the meter reads in between 102-103), it's okay... but just kind of annoying. I have yet to hit that 100 or go down to double digits, so let's hope a few minor changes will help.

Alright, enough said. More later. :)

blah blah blah....

Just a quick update:

Christopher turned ONE this past Sunday, Oct. 19. So that means I'm officially a whole year postpartum, no excuses for this belly pouch, fat, etc right? Anyway, still working on it. Started 30-Day Shred the other day... so we'll see. Stay tune... :)

Alright, work... still just chillin' at the moment. Keeping my options open though... :)

Okay, that's all for now!

i need a new job!

Okay, after my post last week about how I've been so exhausted and needed a break... well, turns out a break was given to me (whether I like it or not). My company lost a client, so they had to downsized. I went from a salaried employee to an hourly, 2 days a week employee. Sucks. My pay dropped dramatically! You can say I'm missing out on 65-70% pay. Really sucky, you know? I guess in today's time... everything's sucky.

Oh well, all's okay for now. I just need to start looking for things to do elsewhere before the holidays hit. In the meantime, I'm going to take it nice and slow. So far, so good... really enjoying all my time off, unpaid... unfortunately.

Anyway, stay tune.. we'll see where I am in a month or two's time. Let's hope it's something good and all of this is all a blessing in disguise. I truly believe everything happens for a reason. :)

im sooooooooooo tired!

OMG, I feel like I'm not getting enough sleep these days. I always wake up super exhausted, as if I haven't slept in forever! Anyway, just super tired.

Alright, quick entry. Here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 2 slices turkey bacon (40 cal)
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)

AM SNACK:
- fruit, TBD (100 cal)

LUNCH:
- eggplant w/ peppers + rice (350 cal)

PM SNACK:
- fruit, TBD (100 cal)

DINNER:
- TBD (400 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1045

im baking some more goodies tonight!

So I'm having a baby shower for my sister Yia tomorrow afternoon. Yes, Christopher and I are going to make the trip up to Chico tomorrow morning sans Mark (he'll come later tomorrow night on the Amtrak starlight train). Anyway, for the baby shower, I've decided that I'm going to make some baked goodies. I'm not sure if the girls will be bringing any food or not.. but whatever it is, I'm assuming since I'm the one hosting it, I will be pretty much in charge of all the foods. On the sweets menu will be some homemade cupcakes (decided i'm just gonna do them from the box, not from scratch... chocolate & lemon favor)... but with homemade frosting (vanilla & cream cheese buttercream) that I made up last night (to help speed things up tonight and save time), some brownies (from the box as well, i know.. bad me), some jam thumbprint cookies, sugar cookies w/ icing, and some chocolate chip cookies (all the cookies, made from scratch.. of course!). So yes, that's what's going on the sweets menu.

Now, for real food... I'm thinking if I really have some extra time tonight I might make some of my fave BBQ chicken wings, some tea sandwiches, deviled eggs and buy some of those yummy Hillshire Farms mini sausages. Anyway, we'll see about this menu. Tough thing is transporting all of this goodies... I don't know, we'll find out, I guess. :)

So yes, there you have it.. I have a busy night ahead of myself tonight! And on top of that, I still need to go shop for all the baby gifts. Ahhh.. crazy me waiting until the last minute huh?

Anyway, I weighed myself this morning. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm probably 103 or 102.5.. it was in between the 2 and 3 so I couldn't really tell. I don't have a digital scale at the moment so I'm just guestimating. Oh well.. that's okay. Hey, I don't think I've really gained or lost any weigh, so it's okay for now. Thing is, I just need to make sure I firm up. Oh, btw, Mark and I are going for our run today... we're doing the Golden Gate Park route again. Hopefully it'll be okay, I don't expect to beat my time from last Sunday. It doesn't really matter, I'm not that concern about my time this time... I just want to make sure I have a good quality run where I feel like I'm not burnt out. :)

Okay, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- leftovers: rotissere chicken w/ rice (300 cal)

AM SNACK:
- banana (115 cal)

LUNCH:
- Eating Right shrimp linguine w/ lemon garlic sauce (320 cal)
- french fries (400 cal)
- bread (100 cal)

PM SNACK:
- string cheese (80 cal)

DINNER:
- TBD (400 cal)

EVENING SNACK:
- baked goodies.. all that testing! (500 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 2215

i did horrible yesterday! boo me! =/

Okay, so I've been itching to bake for days... and last night I finally did! I made some brownies (Duncan Hines, unfortunately... was too lazy to make it from scratch) and a totally from scratch homemade blackberry pie. Both were delicious! Of course, Mark's such a tough critic, he's hard to please. First sight of the baked brownies, he automatically went and said, "they're not the kind i like"... like WTH? He haven't even tried it yet! Anyway, he's just hard to please. Oh... I even came out and confessed that I read the ingredients on the box wrong and instead of 1/4 cup water, I put in 1/2 cup water. So when I had to add in the oil, instead of 1/2 cup, I did 1/4 cup. Hahaha.. I guess it turned out okay, I just had to bake it a little longer than the time it said to bake it for. So yes, instead of 38-42 minutes or something, I baked it for close to 50 minutes. Not bad... the overall result was super yummy. Mark eventually admit the brownies wasn't bad so. Plus, I even added some semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips in the brownies to please him cuz that's how he likes his brownies, w/ a bit of chocolatey chips. :P Anyway, icky thing is, it's a bunch of calories for a tiny piece. Of course, I didn't check to see how many servings there were, so I divided the pan into 12 pieces. Turns out one of the 12 pieces would cost you 300 calories. So instead of having people eat 300 calories at a time, I went ahead and divided those 12 pieces in half... so everyone can have 150 calories worth of brownies at a time. :)

Lalalalala... yeah, the homemade blackberry pie was a success. I was cheap on my butter so instead of a yummy buttery crust, I used safflower oil instead. I measured all my ingredients perfectly and the dough came out fine! I swear, this must be the first time I didn't messed up on my dough with this recipe. All and all, everything was great. Only minor icky thing was that I didn't have enough berries (not really) for my 10-in pie pan. Had to use a 10-in pie pan cuz the 9-in pan was being used to hold some cantaloupe. Oh, forgot to take some pictures of my baked goods, oh well. :P

Alright, so yes, I had like almost 2000 calories yesterday. Terrible, I know. I weighed myself this morning to check my weight and I'm pretty sure for tomorrow's weigh in I'm going to be at 103. Hopefully just 103 and not more. We'll see. I didn't work out last night either. I know, bad me. Well, hopefully I'll do something today... kind of need to, you know?

Okay, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- dinner leftover: chicken w/ rice (300 cal)
- bits of homemade banana pancake (50 cal)

AM SNACK:
- banana (105 cal)

LUNCH:
- Eating Right chicken w/ peanut sauce (280 cal)

PM SNACK:
- string cheese (80 cal)
- 1/2 piece of brownie (75 cal)

DINNER:
- tilapia fish w/ steamed veggies & rice (400 cal)
- homemade creamy fudge (200 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1490

i really want to do well

I must say I have to be a little proud of myself. Not only did I do well on my run last night, but I also did my own personal circuit training (about 30mins) and ate reasonably decent. I know it's not within the 1200 limit or anything like that, but under 1400 is pretty good.

So yes, I went for my jog yesterday during Laura's soccer practice. Like I said before about my last few runs, especially the first mile I get so burnt out. It must have been because I was running super fast or something. I know the last two races and this past weekend's run with Mark, my first mile pace was at 8:30 or 8:40 and that was really just burning me out. So yesterday, instead of running an 8:30 or so pace my first mile, I decided to take it slow. Instead, I ran a 10-min mile pace and OMG, what a difference! It felt so good... I felt fine. Even 2 miles into it, I was still doing great... still at my 10-min something mile pace (which is my overall average pace) I felt like I could run forever! I didn't feel sick towards the end or have that urge of wanting to stop with 400 meters to go. Instead, I really honestly felt like I could keep running. Anyway, I stopped at 3.5 miles... about 36 minutes or so. It wasn't too bad. I'm really glad that I decided to try a different approach (or more like what I have done in the past). I know the reason why I was burning out so much before was because I was trying to improve my pace... and turns out, that's really not going to do me any good cuz I didn't really enjoy my run (especially in the beginning and towards the end).

Alright, so my coworkers at work are doing this whole gym and Weight Watchers thing. It's really tempting, but I'm still trying to see if I can succeed with doing my own thing. I would love to join in on the gym stuff... but I figure, if I could just keep up with my usual runs during the week and keep counting calories, I'll be okay. It'll be very similar to what they're doing. Anyway, bottom line, I just need to really tone up... so gotta get those strength training exercises in. Period.

Well, we'll see where all this goes in due time. Stay tune. :)

Okay, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 slice turkey bacon (20 cal)
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)
- 2 pieces of leftover dinner turkey sausage (60 cal)
- 10 oz fat-free milk (110 cal)

AM SNACK:
- banana (105 cal)

LUNCH:
- Lean Cuisine parmesan crusted fish (290 cal)

PM SNACK:
- string cheese (80 cal)

DINNER:
- rotisserie chicken w/ broccoli, salad + dressing & 1/2 cup rice (500 cal)

EVENING SNACK:
- brownie (450 cal)
- slice of homemade blackberry pie (300 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1930 -- did terrible! :(

running again today

Yeah, it's Tuesday again. Getting off work early so I can meet Laura at soccer practice this afternoon. And during her practice, I'll be doing my jog. Hopefully it won't be too bad like last week. Seriously, I'm still feeling that icky feeling of running that first mile. After the first mile hump, then it starts getting easier... but still, it's a bit tough.. seriously. Anyway, hopefully all will go well today. We'll see. :)

Oh, Mark's staying home today because he's taking Christopher for a quick checkup. For about a week now Christopher's had this rash all over his back and has spread onto his tummy, neck, head and face. At first we thought it was a heat rash cuz last week was so hot, but then came last Thursday, Mark noticed a slight fever and the grouchiness in Christopher just told us it might just be something else. Mum thought it might be roseola which babies 6 months and up usually get... but then the symptoms doesn't quite match up. Lalalalala... long story short, Christopher's finally going to see the doctor today. Hopefully it'll just be something simple like chicken pox or who knows what and we can all get over this in due time. :)

Alright, so yesterday I was supposed to do my first official DVD workout of that 30 Day Shred. Well, I didn't. BUT I did make up my own mini circuit routine. It wasn't too bad. I found myself getting hot and sweating 2-3 minutes into my routine. Overall, I say it was a success... I mean, I actually did something! Oh, and doing all of it while watching the Steelers beat the Ravens in overtime on Monday Night Football. Yeah, so not bad.

Okay, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- dinner leftover: chicken stir-fry w/ bp & onions + rice (350 cal)

AM SNACK:
- kiwi (75 cal)
- mini snickers (50 cal)

LUNCH:
- Eating Right orange glazed chicken w/ broccoli & rice (300 cal)

PM SNACK:
- banana (105 cal)
- string cheese (80 cal)

DINNER:
- turkey sausage w/ small side salad + dressing & 1/2 cup rice (350 cal)
- 2 big marshmallow, plus mini melted scraps (75 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1385

Planned Workout: jogging... hopefully at least 3 miles?! okay... 40mins?

official start! :)

So like I said last week, I'm officially starting my 30 Day Shred today. I haven't done the workout yet, but I totally plan on doing that tonight when I get home from work. I really, really, want to do well, or at least, try to stick to something... and it's only for 30 days, so I have to at least try and do it. I know I'm always terrible, especially at starting things and then eventually just getting side track, etc. Although I can proudly say I am still sticking to running... just not so often as I did during the summer for a few weeks.

Anyway, speaking of running, Mark and I did our planned jog around Golden Gate Park yesterday. We started by the Polo Fields, ran down MLK and around to JFK and back... to the Polo Fields parking lot. It wasn't so bad... a quick 3.1 mile jog. Of course, Mark's pace is much faster than mine, so he finished his in 27 minutes. I did mine under 32 minutes. So overall, we did good.. met our goals, etc. Mark really enjoyed this jog so I think we're going to do it again. We've decided that one day out of the work week we'll go jogging after work before actually going home. I know that once I get home, I don't really feel like going out again. So anyway, that's what we've planned for this Friday. Let's hope we stick with it.

Oh, we went to the movies yesterday after the 49er's game. Saw Eagle Eye, wasn't too bad. I liked it.. Mark did too. I'm glad we finally got out and watched a movie. It's been a while since we've last seen something at the movie theatre.

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- dinner leftover: spaghetti w/ pasta sauce, garlic bread (350 cal)

AM SNACK:
- orange (100 cal)

LUNCH:
- Lean Cuisine chicken teriyaki bowl w/ veggies & rice (250 cal)

PM SNACK:
- banana (105 cal)

DINNER:
- chicken stir-fry w/ bell peppers & onions + 1/2 cup rice (350 cal)
- apple crumble (225 cal)

EVENING SNACK:
- apple crumble w/ ice cream (325 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1705

holding off for now...

Yes, I've decided that because I am still sore, especially my arms, I'm going to hold off on the 30 Day Shred. I will restart it on Monday. Hopefully by then my body will have recovered and everything will be fine. Anyway, we'll see how things go. :)

Alright, today's weigh-in. I weighed myself this morning and I think I've lost 1/2 pound. Not bad I guess. So I'm now down to 102.5. Almost back to my pre-baby weight. But here's the thing, I really don't care if it's 102, 100, or 105.. whichever, all I really want is to lose some inches. I know I still have quite a few to go... so I'm just really hoping the strength, circuit workouts will help out.. and of course, not to mention, the running. Hopefully all will be okay. My ultimate goal is to look GOOD and lean by my 25th birthday next July... so we'll see. :)

Okay, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)
- 2 slices turkey bacon (40 cal)
- cup fat-free milk (90 cal)

AM SNACK:
- orange (100 cal)

LUNCH:
- 2 street tacos, chicken/veggies with gaucamole, beans, lettuce, salsa, etc (500 cal)

PM SNACK:
- kiwi fruit (75 cal)

DINNER:
- TBD (350 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1230

---------------

UPDATE: i ate soooooooo much tonight! made some cc cookies, had like 4-5 of them tonight, plus 2 ice cream cones! i know, crazy... way too much. eww, better luck tomorrow.

lake merced race results

Okay, turns out Mark didn't run the lake in 33 minutes. He did it in 39:39... which is still amazing! He improved his pace by almost a whole minute... from 9:35 to 8:48, which is incredible! I on the other hand improved my pace as well, from 10:50 (from the last race) to 10:25. My official time for Lake Merced? 46:56... not bad eh? Considering the first time I ran the race... like ever, was in 53 minutes. Anyway, we're planning on running a 5k by ourselves this weekend in Golden Gate Park. Hopefully all goes well. Alright, more later. :)

day 4, measurements, etc

Okay, so I was bad yesterday. I didn't do my workout. Hopefully I can squeeze it in today before Back to School Night tonight. We'll see.

Alright, so I got in some quick measurements this morning. I know, kind of embarrassing, but here they are:

Below Bust: 26"
Waist: 26.5"
Tummy: 32.5"
Panty Line: 31.5"
Hips: 34.5"
R Thigh: 20.5"
L Thigh: 21"
R/L Calf: 13"
R/L Arm: 10"
Neck: 11-1/8"

OMG... I know, terrible. Let's see if I'll ever see a 24" waistline. :)

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- dinner leftovers: chicken stir-fry w/ rice (400 cal)

AM SNACK:
- large banana (125 cal)

LUNCH:
- Eating Right chicken w/ peanut sauce (280 cal)

PM SNACK:
- orange (100 cal)

DINNER:
- spaghetti w/ veggies (230 cal)
- cup fat-free milk (90 cal)

EVENING SNACK:
- chicken kabob (250 cal)
- Twix candy bar, 1 stick (140 cal)
- Crunch candy bar (220 cal)


TOTAL CALORIES: 1735

Planned Workout: 30 day shred dvd :) <-- decided that im gonna wait til monday to restart. i'm still very sore from earlier in the week, especially my arms. :)

day 3 of 30

So like I said yesterday, I went for a run/jog during Laura's soccer practice. Jogged for about 32 minutes or so.. about 3 miles. Not too bad. One thing I did noticed about me is that I'm still not quite there yet. It's like for some reason my heart's not super fit yet. I feel like I'm still struggling a bit. Maybe it could be that I'm trying to improve on my pace or something... but I can definitely feel the push every time I try to go faster. I don't know... just need more practice at this or something. Anyway, I'm just super proud of myself for sticking to it and actually jogging the whole 3 miles. Initially I had planned on jogging 3.8, but since I didn't run the actual course I had mapped out and instead improvised, it only worked out to about 3 miles. I guess that's okay.. considering during a good chunk of my run yesterday I kept battling with my head telling me to just slack off and walk... but this other voice inside said to keep going, which I did.. and finished the run (w/out walking). Anyway, we'll see how my Tuesday runs turn out to be as the soccer season progresses. I've made a decision that I will take Laura to every Tuesday practice and during those practice days I will run to kill the 80 minute practice time. Good luck to me, I guess. :)

Alright, so yesterday was day 2 of 30 for the 30 Day Shred. I did plan on doing the workout, but after my run, I decided that I was going to give it a rest. You see, Mark and I did that race on Sunday... and we both woke up Monday super sore! I was sore all day Monday but since I wanted to checkout the DVD, I did the workout instead anyway... instead of giving my body a break. Well, after the Monday workout, I woke up yesterday still sore... and after my run yesterday, it was just like... ahhh! Let's just take a break. Anyway, I'm much better today, so no excuses on not doing the workout tonight. I really want to do well, so I'm hoping I stick with it. I did pretty decent yesterday on my eating.. although, kind of bad in the fact that I didn't really eat a whole lot. Hopefully today won't be too bad, whether it's low or high. :)

So, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- dinner leftovers: chicken w/ tomatoes, onion, etc + rice (300 cal)

AM SNACK:
- medium banana (105 cal)

LUNCH:
- Eating Right chicken w/ plum sauce + rice & veggies (310 cal)

PM SNACK:
- large banana (125 cal)

DINNER:
- chicken stir-fry w/ bell peppers +rice (400 cal)
- cup fat-free milk (90 cal)
- 2 ice cream cones (450 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1685

Planned workout: 30 Day Shred DVD, level 1 :) -- i didnt do it. bad me, i know.

day 2 of 30

Alright, so last night after Christopher went down (to bed), I pushed PLAY and did my first workout of the 30 Day Shred. As you all probably know or as mentioned yesterday, it's a circuit workout, so it's pretty much just go, go, go! Boy was it tough. I mean, I'm usually pretty good w/ these workout videos, just cuz I have like a whole bunch of them (crazy huh?!) But yes, Jillian really doesn't let you stop. I mean, you're constantly moving from one move to the next. I really enjoyed it actually. I like the fact that all the routines are easy to do.. I mean, routines that I've done in the past before. I like how the cardio portion really lets me rest (especially after an intense strength routine/s). Overall, it wasn't so bad. Of course, I started on level 1, so yes. We'll see how level 2 and 3 are like... maybe I'll do those sometime later this week or early next week. I guess for now I'll stick to level 1 just a bit longer (a few days) and see how I do. If it gets a bit boring or if I think I should move on to the next level, I probably will. Anyway, I still haven't done today's session yet... will probably do that tonight. Oh, I have a run schedule for today after work. Getting off early to take Laura to soccer practice. Utilizing that hour slot for my run. I was going to do a 5-mile run, but I think I'll just stick to the shorter 3.8-mile one instead. I'm not sure how much time I'll have... considering I'll arrive at practice a bit later than usual so I won't really have a whole 80 minutes or so.. etc. Stay tune. :)

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 2 french toast w/ syrup (325 cal)

AM SNACK:
- Twix mini bar (75 cal)

LUNCH:
- Eating Right lemongrass chicken (230 cal)

PM SNACK:
- medium banana (105 cal)

DINNER:
- chicken stir-fry w/ tomatoes, onions, ginger, sweet peppers + 1/2 cup rice (350 cal)
- cup 1% milk (130 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1085

UPDATE: total miles ran >> 3 miles for about 32 mins... not bad :)

30 day shred, weekend race, weigh-in, etc

So I got the DVD in the mail this weekend for Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I'm super excited for it. I'm going to start it today when I get home from work. I previewed it this weekend and it doesn't seem so bad. It's got 3 levels, easy, intermediate and advance or whatever... and only 20 minutes each. So 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. That's not bad. So it's like a circuit training kind of thing. I just hope I'll stick to it. I mean, it says 30 days right...? So I guess stick to it for 30 days, a MUST do and see if I can do it? Who knows.

Anyway, yesterday was the Lake Merced Half Marathon/4.5-mile Run. Mark and I did the 4.5-mile run. OMG... I'm still feeling a bit out of it for some reason. The run was a bit tougher than before. I guess it could be that I haven't really been keeping up with my runs. Lately, I haven't really been running apart from just racing. Since the Nike+ race, I haven't really ran (practice)... and raced twice since then. I don't know... I think I did okay though. I definitely improved on my time, from the previous time I ran the lake. Mark's time was waaaaay good, assuming it's the correct time. We're waiting to see the official results to make sure. But if he's correct, then wow! He said he ran the lake in 33 minutes. Compared that time to the last time he ran/walk it (cuz that was all he could do then), it's just astonishing! 33 minutes?!!! Wow! His previous time on this course was 47:10. So if you think about it, that's 14 minutes he cut there! That's like a 7:20 mile pace or something. Anyway, we'll see what the official results say. Interesting to see though. :) I'm just super proud of him... I mean, he said he's not even a runner.. and to do this good? Plus, just compare this run to the first couple that he did... it's just amazing!!

Btw, I weighed myself this weekend cuz I missed the weigh-in on Friday. I'm still the same... at 103lbs. So haven't really gained or loss any. I know I haven't really been keeping up with my food journal.. so yeah, not so great. But let's hope w/ this whole 30-day shred thing, I'll try to keep up with it. We'll see. :)

Alright, here's what I ate/plan to eat for the day:

BREAKFAST:
- leftover dinner, spaghetti w/ ground turkey pasta sauce (350 cal)

AM SNACK:
- Special K's breakfast bar (90 cal)

LUNCH:
- Pazzo side salad w/ balsamic dressing + 1 piece of bread (250 cal)

PM SNACK:
- medium banana (120 cal)
- 6-7 peanut M&M's (75 cal)

DINNER:
- chicken stir-fry w/ tomatoes, onions, lemongrass, ginger + 1/2 cup white rice (350 cal)
- cup 1% milk (130 cal)
- rotisserie chicken breast w/ yorkshire pudding, a couple steak fries, steamed green beans and 1/2 cup rice (450 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1215

racing again this weekend

Mark and I will be running another race this Sunday. Again, it'll be part of the DSE running club little races they have almost every weekend. Last weekend we ran the Stern Grove 4-mile race and OMG... it was tough. It was the first race both of us did that included hills! That last hill was super grueling. I had to stop for the first time in a race, and that I hadn't done in like forever... since I've started racing again. Anyway, this weekend's race will be at Lake Merced which both of us have ran at least once before. To be exact, I've done it three times and Mark's done it twice. Our last times for it was under 50 minutes... so we're hoping to do better this time. Mark's race time for Stern Grove was 38:22... so if assuming he keeps his pace, he should be able to complete the Lake Merced 4.5-mile race under 44 minutes. And for me? Well, I ran Stern Grove in 43:20... which is a few seconds slower... so let's hope I stay within the 48-minute range to keep up w/ my current pace.

Anyway, I'm really hoping I do better this time. I mean, I should be familiar with the course... so hopefully that will help me?! I don't know.. I just know I'm a bit excited for it. Oh, Mark finally got running shoes... yes, FINALLY! He's been racing/running in his casual Adidas shoes. It's really funny cuz if you look at everyone's feet on race day, you can spot him out. He's like a sore thumb w/ his casual shoes.... while everyone has proper running shoes. :P

It's amazing, I can't believe he's really running with me. Mark hates running.. has always despise it just because. But what we've discovered after a few races is that we both love the after feeling (well, not literally right after cuz you feel sick and wanna puke after having just ran who knows however many miles).. but you know, the feeling after that. You really feel like you've accomplished something great. It's like climbing Mount Everest or something. I don't know how to explain the feeling quite exactly, but all I can say is... it feels fabulous afterwards. It's this crazy euphoria feeling.... something like that, I don't know. We both love talking about how we did on our runs, so it's great. I'm really glad Mark's doing this with me. He's been super! :)

Alright, enough said. Stay tune for the results this weekend! :)

Here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today (i know i haven't been keeping up with this or haven't done that great lately):

BREAKFAST:
- 1/2 cup brown rice (110 cal)
- lean ground pork w/ cauliflower, quick stir-fried (160 cal)

LUNCH:
- something from Pazzo (450 cal)

DINNER:
- TBD (350 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1070

i lost some weight?!...

Today's weigh in. So weird, I've been doing terrible these last couple of weeks. Anyway, I got on the scale this morning and it read 103. So I guess I'm 103... a 3-pound weigh lost from last week? Strange... but I guess I'll take it. I'm almost back to my pre-baby weight, just not my pre-baby figure yet. Ugh... I really need to get going on that weight training thing. I need to get my old figure back at least.. or look even better than before the baby!





Anyway, a friend of Mum's brought over a bunch of bananas the other day. Since the bananas were starting to brown, actually, some of them were already super brown, I decided to make use of it. Yesterday I came home to a house smelling delicious... Mum had made some banana bread. Alright, anyway... so yes, to use up some of the browning bananas, I made some chocolate banana cupcakes. Boy, I didn't realize the recipe was going to make so many cupcakes. I swear, I think it was at least 36 or 40 cupcakes in all! Anyway, I haven't frosted them all just yet. I want to try this new frosting recipe I found on this one site, so hopefully it'll turn out. Mark's a tough critic... he likes his icing a particular way. He hates meringue buttercream (which I absolutely love!) So I have yet to please him.

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- last night's dinner: spaghetti w/ turkey meat sauce (300 cal)

LUNCH:
- chinese chicken chow mein (800 cal)

DINNER:
- tilapia fish w/ less refined white rice + steamed veggies (300 cal)
- chocolate banana cupcake w/ icing (400 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1800

$8 for butter?

I can't believe the price of food's gone up so much! Last night when I stopped at Costco to pump gas and pick up a rotisserie chicken for dinner, I decided to check out the prices of their butter. OMG! Can you believe it? It's now $7.99 for a thing of butter that contains 4 one pound (cut up into quarters). And if you want the kind that's not cut up into quarters, just 4 one pound blocks, it costs even more?! Wait, maybe less... actually, I think less for 20 or so cents less. Anyway, fact is... I can't believe butter's costing an arm and a leg. It's finally decided to join the rest of the other gang I guess... you know, gas prices, milk, ice cream, any dairy products?! Who knows?! I remembered when I used to get them at Costco for $4.99. I don't know.. the way things are going these days, I think my $4.99 days are long gone?! Oh yes, don't get me started on bread. It's ridiculous. Thank goodness I don't really eat bread, but then I guess it does kind of suck that my mother-in-law and everyone else around me eats bread... so we still have to buy some every now and then. Eww, I know. Ahhhh!

Anyway, enough said. Just sucks, that's all. I can't experiment as much as I'd like to w/ my crazy baking recipes, just cuz at the moment I'm kind of broke and can't afford to waste any ingredients. Ahh, I know... oh well.

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for the rest of the day:

BREAKFAST:
- rotisserie chicken (250 cal)
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)

LUNCH:
- 1/2 cup brown rice (110 cal)
- 2 oz salmon (90 cal)
- steamed broccoli (30 cal)
- 1-1/2 pieces of teriyaki chicken from Whole Foods w/ a bit of brown rice (450 cal)

DINNER:
- spaghetti w/ turkey meat pasta sauce, two slices of buttered bread, salad (600 cal)

EVENING SNACK:
- 1/3 chocolate banana cupcake w/ buttercream frosting (130 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 2085

Update later. >> UPDATE: ate too much.. oh well.

i'm still doing horrible! ahhhh!

Alright, I think I ate about 2,500 calories yesterday. I'm not even going to update my entry for yesterday.


shepard's pie made w/ ground turkey :)


my first attempt at Vietnamese BBQ pork

Anyway, here's what I ate last night. Pretty bad huh? Well, Mum made shepard's pie. I know the picture doesn't do her dish any justice, but boy was it yummy. After that I wanted to try out this Vietnamese grilled pork recipe. I searched all over the web for the recipe (which I did find it easily... there was just too many variations!). Anyway, I finally settled on one. The overall verdict? Meat looks yummy, but didn't taste anything close to the real thing. I guess it was because the meat got a bit burnt and you could really taste the bitterness from the burn... or who knows?! Oh, but when I woke up this morning and smelled my T-shirt that I cooked the food in, it actually smells very similar to the real thing... so I don't know. I guess I cooked the meat too long and messed it all up (or it could be my marinade). Oh, plus next time whenever I do decide to attempt to make this again, I'll have to pound the meat or something to make it tender.

Alright, here's what I've eaten today/plan to eat for the rest of the day:

BREAKFAST:
- small portion of leftover Shepard's pie w/ ground turkey & steamed green beans (250 cal)
- 1 scrambled egg w/ 1 slice turkey bacon (95 cal)
- 1 handmade raspberry pie w/ chocolate coating (300 cal)

AM SNACK:
- medium orange (100 cal)

LUNCH:
- french fries (300 cal)
- 1 scoop chicken apple salad (175 cal)

DINNER:
- rotisserie chicken breast/wing (300 cal)
- 1-1/2 cup rice (250 cal)
- steamed broccoli (30 cal)

CALORIES: 1800

Oh, Mark's going to go jogging with me after work tonight... so I'm excited. Not a long jog, just a quick 20-min one or something. That should be okay, I say. :)

UPDATE: mark and i didn't go jogging tonight. got a bit lazy. we jumped rope outside in a back yard for a bit. quite a workout.. should've gone jogging instead. :P

yummy baked goodies :)

Guess what?! I did get to bake last night. Christopher was such a sweetie pie, he went to bed early! Lately he's been pretty crankly in the early evenings, but last night, he wasn't too bad. Anyway, after Mark put him down to bed, I got started on my baking. I made a pound cake and tried out a new pie dough recipe. The dough turned out perfectly so I decided to make hand pies instead of an actual pie. The verdict? Everything was fabulous and delicious. Of course, my hand pies weren't as sweet as Mark would had liked it (he's got a very sweet tooth... loves everything extra sweet, unlike me who's the opposite!).


my first attempt at pound cake -- using martha stewart's recipe :)


delicious raspberry hand pies -- so yummy! :)





Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)
- 2 slices turkey bacon (40 cal)

LUNCH:
- 1 sausage (265 cal)
- 1/4 cup brown rice (55 cal)
- some steamed green beans (30 cal)
- Whole Foods: 1 piece of chicken teriyaki, 1 bali chicken wing, 3 pieces of rosemary potatoes (450 cal)

PM SNACK:
- 1 raspberry hand pie (200 cal)

DINNER:
- homemade Vietnamese BBQ pork over rice (400 cal)

TOTAL: 1515

Update later. :)

i feel like baking tonight!

The last week or two here in SF the weather's been scorching hot! Anyway, just yesterday the temperature dipped or should I say went back to its usual temperature/weather, etc. So since it's back to its oooogly cold foggy weather, I can bake again! I definitely took that opportunity yesterday and cooked some yummy foods, plus baked some delicious brownies! Of course, as always, they turned out super yummy.



Here's a photo of what I had for lunch yesterday. Chicken teriyaki w/ brown rice & veggies. :) It was sooooo yummy; the teriyaki sauce I made turn out just right! Even Mark (who despise brown rice) said he would eat brown rice in this dish!

Anyway, I really want to bake tonight. I just hope Christopher will be a good boy tonight so I can bake... and not have to watch/babysit him too much! I think I'm going to make a raspberry pie and some pound cake. I know Mark will enjoy the pound cake (since he really does not like pie, any kind of pie.. period!). Alright, stay tune... hopefully I'll have some cool photos to show!

Oh, I almost forgot, because I forgot to weigh myself last Friday, I remembered to weigh myself this week. Stepped on the scale this morning, it read 106. So I guess I'm back up. Ahhh! I really need to get back into counting calories and working out. I know I really need to run. MUST RUN! Hopefully I can squeeze in some run sessions this week. We'll see. :)

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- brown fried rice w/ lean ground pork (330 cal)

LUNCH:
- brown rice w/ lean ground pork & cauliflower (350 cal)

PM SNACK:
- 1 small banana (95 cal)
- mini snickers (40 cal)
- 1 brownie w/ half cup 1% milk (205 cal)

DINNER:
- lean pork tenderloin w/ rice noodles, stir-fried (400 cal)


EVENING SNACK:
- 2 raspberry handpies (400 cal)
- 1 slice of pound cake (200 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 2020

Update later. :) >> UPDATE: I ran for 20 minutes tonight! Not bad, getting back into it again. :)

vietnamese food for lunch today

OMG, I'm absolutely so full right now! Alright, still doing terrible. Ahh! I just remembered, today's weigh-in. Oops, I totally forgot to weigh myself this morning. Alright, must do that tomorrow. I know I gained some weight back this week. I've been so off my eating thing.

Anyway, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for the rest of today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)
- 2 slices turkey bacon (40 cal)

LUNCH:
- pho w/ chicken breast (400 cal)
- 1 shrimp cake (100 cal)

DINNER:
- Vietnamese BBQ pork w/ rice (750 cal)
- 2 shrimp cake (200 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1565

Update later. :) .... UPDATE: did okay. kind of sucks, haven't ran lately. need to run!

laziness

I'm getting a bit lazy these days to jot down what I'm eating, etc. I know I've been kind of off this whole food journal thing, just because. I know I have to get back into it, trying to eat healthy and do good. Ahh... just a bit tough at the moment I guess. We're getting free lunches all week this week at work, it's too irresistible to resist yummy good food... that's FREE! Anyway, I know I didn't do so great yesterday. I probably had about 2000-2500 calories yesterday.. let's hope I do okay today. :)

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- salad w/ boiled egg + italian dressing (150 cal)
- 1 slice turkey bacon (20 cal)

AM SNACK:
- 1/2 cup Kashi Crunch cereal (95 cal)

LUNCH:
- Thai spicy eggplant w/ chicken, bellpeppers & basil (400 cal)
- 1 cup rice (200 cal)
- 2 spring rolls w/ peanut sauce (250 cal)
- 3 chicken skewers (200 cal)

DINNER:
- leftover lunch
- side salad w/ peanut dressing (150 cal)
- 2 spring rolls w/ peanut sauce (250 cal)
- 3 chicken skewers (200 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1915

Update later. :)

------------

UPDATE: I know I ate too much. Let's try again tomorrow.

withdrawal

I miss LA. This past weekend was such a blast, I still cannot stop thinking about it. I really had a lot of fun. It was just Mark and me... hanging out together, no kids.. just doing whatever our little hearts desire. Let's see, what did we do in LA? Well, it was our first time there (I know, silly huh? Of the many times we've been down in SoCal, we've never really bothered to stop in LA)... anyway, saw the Observatory in Griffith Park, Hollywood sign from the Observatory, the Walk of Fame stars, Chinese Theatre and Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highlands... and drove around looking for Valley Oak, Jeff Lewis (of "Flipping Out") house. Turns out it was in the Hollywood Hills (nice houses, hilly neighborhood... definitely not my cup of tea).. and of course, it was in the "gated" part of Valley Oak Drive so we didn't get to see it. Oh well, it was still kind of cool trying to find where it was, navigating it using the $5 map we bought at CVS Pharmacy. All and all, LA was a lot of fun.. the Nike+ race turned out super fantublous... everything was super neat! Oh yes, we stayed at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown LA... very nice place, w/ a great view on the 30th floor... so yes, it was very luxurious, sort of, you can say. Also in LA, Mark and I also visited this apartment where his parents and him lived for a short while back in the early 70's. Turns out the house still looks very much the same, nice and all in this great neighborhood off of Los Feliz.

Lalalalala... I can't wait to go back to LA, especially the beaches to just hang out. Venice Beach was very nice. Love it! :)

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)
- 2 slices turkey bacon (40 cal)
- 1 slice whole wheat bread, toasted (100 cal)
- 1 tbsp plum jam w/ 1 tsp butter (60 cal)

AM SNACK:
- 1 medium banana (105 cal)

LUNCH:
- CA sandwich w/ chicken, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes + potato salad & a few french fries (890 cal)

PM SNACK:
- 1 cup Kashi Crunch cereal (190 cal)

DINNER:
- sausage w/ rice & steamed green beans (350 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1620

Update later. ;)

nike+ human race 10k

Quick entry for now. More later.

We survived it! My official race time: 1:07'37" -- not bad eh? Mark ran it in 1:06'02"... pretty good. I'm just soooooo proud of us. We did it not only in under 75 minutes, but under 70 minutes!!! Yay for us.. and boy, I tell ya, LA was a blast! There were so many runners participating in this race. I believe almost 13,000 runners... quite the scene, pretty sweet actually. Kanye West was pretty good at the after race concert. Alright, more tomorrow. Night. :)

weigh-in today

I lost 1.5lbs! Yay!!! It's funny... I kind of do look forward to weigh-in days. Of course I've been off my "supposed" routine lately. I know I'm supposed to be running/eating less, etc... but somehow I just haven't quite felt like doing it. I can say I do still pay attention to what I put in my mouth, and try to make an effort to eat better... but I'm just not super hardcore like how it was in the beginning. I mean, I'm not on a super strict 1250 calories or less thing anymore. These days, I've been all over, but of course... always keeping in mind how much I'm consuming or have already consumed.. and what I'm about to put in my mouth, etc.

Anyway, so yes, I lost 1.5lbs. I'm now officially under 105 on the scale, which is fantastic! Only 9 more pounds to go. I know, still got quite a ways to go, but tiny steps at a time, that's okay. :) Alright, let's hope I get to 95 at some point... before the year end maybe? Ahhh, we'll see.

Btw, HumanRACE this weekend... so excited! Ahhhh!!! 6.2 miles here I come. It's going to be fabulous! There's an estimated 12,500 people running/walking this race in LA this Sunday night. Plus, Kayne West will be the key performer at the Coliseum after the race... it'll be fun. I'll be sure to bring a camera or something... take some pictures, who knows. It'll definitely be posted on my Facebook page.. loL :P

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- leftover dinner: 1/4 rice w/ chicken stir-fry (150 cal)
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)
- 2 slices turkey bacon (40 cal)

LUNCH:
- 2 Mexican street tacos w/ corn tortillas, chicken, black beans, guacamole, lettuce, salsa, jalapeños (600 cal)

DINNER:
- rotisserie chicken (250 cal)
- 1/2 cup rice (100 cal)
- salad or steamed veggies (100 cal, TBD?!)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1315

Update later. :)

untitled.

Alright, quick entry.

Here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 cup Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal (190 cal)
- 1 cup fat-free milk (90 cal)
- 2 slices turkey bacon (40 cal)

AM SNACK:
- orange (100 cal)

LUNCH:
- pork tenderloin w/ mustard glaze (280 cal)
- 1/4 cup brown rice (60 cal)
- some steamed broccoli (10 cal)

PM SNACK:
- fruit, TBD (100 cal)
- three strawberries (25 cal)
- small hershey's chocolate (50 cal)

DINNER:
- 1/2 cup white rice (100 cal)
- chicken stir-fry w/ rg bell peppers, carrots, broccoli + oyster/soy sauce (180 cal)
- 1/2 ice cream sandwich (85 cal)
- a few cheerios (25 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1235

Update later. :)

---------------

UPDATE: k, didn't go run again today... again, Mark was way too tired from working today. He said he walked a bunch, etc.. plus it was a super hot day today. what else? weigh-in's tomorrow.. i'm excited. i hope it's a good reading. :)

i'm so proud of myself! yay! :P

Yeah, so like I said yesterday, I was going for a run... and I did! What was great about it was the fact that I actually had at least a WHOLE hour to do my running/jogging/whatever you want to call it. Anyway, it just felt so good. What I've been noticing the last two runs was the fact that I'm actually not "out-of-shape" anymore. I don't think I am anyway, when it comes to jogging. Both times I felt good/okay... even after 10 minutes or more of running. Of course, the main thing now is that I have to make sure I have enough energy to sustain my pace/run for a long period of time, and of course, to improve on my time. I know I can definitely do 60 minutes of running/jogging cuz I just did it yesterday. Anyway, the Nike+ HumanRace10K is this weekend. I have never ran 6.2 miles before in my entire life so I'm really looking forward to it. I hope Mark and I do well or me at least anyway. I'm guestimating it's going to take me about 80 minutes or so from start to finish. Pretty much, my main goal is to finish it within the allotted time they give us, which is 75 minutes. Let's hope I do decent.

Anyway, Mark and I are going for a run today around Lake Merced. It's a 4.5 mile loop around the lake. It's not so bad... we've done it twice together before. Last time we improved on our previous times... both ran it under 50 minutes. It'll be our third time tonight so we're hoping to improve our times again. I ran it in 48:10 while Mark did it in 47:50. If we could improve our times by just a bit, I think we'll be okay for race day this Sunday. I don't know, I like to think if we can do 4.5 miles (or me... 5.7 miles), what's a mile or so more?

Alright, enough said. Update on this later. Oh, btw, I got on the scale this morning just as a status check... and the pointer thingy's below 105.. so we'll see! I hope it stays below 105 for this Friday's weigh-in... Ahh! :P

Here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)
- 1 slice bacon (45 cal)

AM SNACK:
- banana (100 cal)

LUNCH:
- 1/2 cup brown rice (110 cal)
- ground pork stir-fry w/ rg bell peppers, broccoli & carrots + soy/oyster sauce (210 cal)
- water

PM SNACK:
- orange (100 cal)
- random sample bits @ Costco (200 cal)

DINNER:
- 3 oz chicken breast, sliced w/ teriyaki glaze (180 cal)
- 1/2 cup steamed broccoli (30 cal)
- 1/2 cup brown rice (110 cal)
- pho w/ asian beef meatballs (320 cal)
- a handful of pan-fried potatoes (150 cal)
- water

EVENING SNACK:
- 3 plum cookie wafers (100 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1410

Like usual, update later. :)

------------

UPDATE: alrigh, Mark got lazy so we didn't do our 4.5 mile run around Lake Merced. I don't know.. maybe tomorrow? We'll see. :)

i'm going for a run today!

Soccer practice starts up again for Laura (fall soccer season)... so I'm going for a run today when I take her to practice! Yay! I know. Anyway, should be good... since I'll be running in Golden Gate Park. The trails there are pretty good. I really want to put in a good run so I hope I do good. Maybe I'll be able to do at least4-5 miles? Ahhh.. we'll see anyway. I know I have about 70-80 minutes of free time since that's how long Laura's practice will be. Let's hope I do good. I'm excited. Haven't ran in over a week... so yes, terrible, I know.

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 2 pieces of sausage (100 cal)
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)
- few gulps of fat-free milk (20 cal)

AM SNACK:
- 1 kiwi fruit (50 cal)
- small apple (50 cal)

LUNCH:
- Thai ground pork salad w/ lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes + fish sauce & lime dressing (250 cal)

PM SNACK:
- 4-5 pieces of chocolate (200 cal)
- 1 cup of Kashi's GoLean Crunch! cereal (190 cal)
- fruit TBD (100 cal)

DINNER:
- 1/2 cup rice (100 cal)
- 3 oz salmon (130 cal)
- steamed veggie (50 cal)
- serving of french fries (150 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1315 1365

PLAN EXERCISE: 60-80 minute run later today :)

Update later.

---------------

UPDATE: ran 60 minutes, about 5.7 miles.. not bad eh? what else, i ran/walked 15,110 steps... not bad. haven't seen this number in a while. :)

i feel soooooooo full right now!

Ahhh! I feel awful. I just ate some sushi for lunch and I'm super full now. It's making me sleepy... ahhh!!!

Alright, camping was fun. I did horrible on the food, I'd say. But I guess if you compared it to previous camping trips, it wasn't super bad. I ate some food... but not as much as I normally would. Let's say I probably down about 2500 calories both days.

Okay, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 fried egg (80 cal)
- 1 slice regular bacon (45 cal)
- 1 slice turkey bacon (20 cal)
- 1 small piece of brownie (120 cal)

LUNCH:
- 6 piece viper roll, deep fried sushi (500 cal)
- 6 piece california roll (400 cal)
- some edamame (120 cal)

DINNER:
- 1/2 cup rice (100 cal)
- smoked sausage (200 cal)
- some broccoli (50 cal)
- 2 small brownies (200 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1835

Update later. Eww, I feel sick. UPDATE: Ahh! Did horrible. Better try tomorrow.

off camping today :)

We're leaving for our weekend camping trip late this morning. Right now I'm at work... trying to put in a couple hours before I take off. Anyway, I'm excited for camping! I just know it's going to be super fun... Oh, let's hope my food choices this weekend won't be too awful. I know we'll be bbq and all, but ahhh.... I just need to be moderate and considerate I guess.

Oh yes, today's weigh-in. I think I lost 1/2 pound. The scale was in between the 5 and 6... so that makes me down to 105.5? It's either that or I'm 105.. whichever. For now, I'll take the higher of the two.. just because.

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 small banana (80 cal)

AM SNACK:
- small apple (50 cal)

LUNCH:
- KFC bbq wings, 6 (468 cal)
- KFC 1/2 portion potato wedges (130 cal)
- soda (100 cal)

PM SNACK:
- TBD

DINNER:
- 4 grilled chicken drumsticks w/ bbq sauce (580 cal)
- potato chips (140 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1548, not terrible yet... but of course, TBD :)

Update later... when I get back from camping or something...

something different...

I got some mini inspirations by reading random things here or there. Anyway, turns out Britney Spears have been on this 1200 calorie thing. Not too bad right? It's kind of like something I'm already supposed to be doing... I just haven't really kept up with it or really get myself involved in it.

Anyway, I've decided to really put some thoughts into planning my meals for the rest of the week, etc. Well, more on this later.. cuz I'm kind of busy at the moment. Just wanna jot down what I've eaten/plan to eat for the rest of the day today.

Here's the food entry:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 fried egg on whole wheat toast (180 cal)
- 1 slice of turkey bacon (20 cal)
- 1/8 cup of milk (15 cal)

AM SNACK:
- small apple from Peter's apple tree (50 cal)

LUNCH:
- Cafe Pazzo 1/2 roasted chicken club sandwich (400 cal)
- small side salad w/ balsamic dressing & small piece of bread (250 cal)
- handful of fresh cafe-made potato chips (100 cal)
- a couple cookie halves (200 cal)
- few bites of random fruits (100 cal)

DINNER:
- 3 oz salmon w/ rice & broccoli (300 cal)
- second half of the chicken sandwich, shared it w/ Mark (300 cal)
- apple crumble w/ 1/2 scoop mint chocolate ice cream (300 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 2215

Update later... I know, not so great on the calorie count today. Well, couldn't really help it, Pazzo's just super yummy.. plus the food was free. Yeah, free lunch at the office today... sweet right? :)

------------

UPDATE: yes, i know.. i ate hella today. bad me! let's try again tomorrow.

not so into it at the moment...

I know I've been doing pretty bad these past few days, week.. etc. I feel like my heart's just not super totally into it at the moment. I have something else on my mind right now... and so I guess maybe that's why. Anyway, I know I have to get back into it, especially with my training because the Nike+ HumanRace10K is almost here. I can't believe August is already half over. Wow.. time sure flies huh? The girls start school next week, so summer's coming to an end I guess. Oh, we're going camping this weekend to put a nice outdoorsy end to it all, I guess. I can't wait, it should be a lot of fun.

Going on three or four years now, Mark and I along w/ the girls have always gone to this campsite near Yosemite Park. It's called Lake Tulloch. Every summer we've been there, it's been in August and the temperature is scorching hot! I haven't checked the weather for that area lately but I wouldn't be surprised if it's in the 100's this weekend when we are there. Anyway, should be a lot of fun... I absolutely love it. What's my favorite part of camping? I have to say, apart from sleeping in tents. roasting s'mores and not showering, it's got to be the food! We've got this system down where we don't pack any food and just buy it from the local supermarket in the next town over on the way to the campsite. We typically grab some hot dogs, burgers, chicken drumsticks/wings along with any necessary utensils/condiments and go from there. Once we get to the site and have everything set up, Mark would light up the grill and start grilling all the yummy food we picked up. It's great, just super fabulous... my favorite part of it all! You cannot have a bad grillin' feast, I swear.. especially when you're camping. :)

Alright, enough said for now. Here's what I've eaten/plan to eat today:

BREAKFAST:
- Kraft EasyMac -- pretty nasty for breakfast, I know.. was running late this morning (220 cal)

AM SNACK:
- 2 plum wafer cookies i made last night (70 cal)

LUNCH:
- small green salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette and small piece of bread (300 cal)

PM SNACK:
- fruit TBD (100 cal)
- 1 plum wafer cookie (35 cal)

DINNER:
- hot dog w/ salad, a few french fries & half an oatmeal cookie (400 cal)

EVENING SNACK:
- 1 cup fat-free milk (90 cal) -- ew, i cannot stand safeway milk.. gotta go back to whole foods for theirs.

TOTAL CALORIES: 1025

Update later :)

-----------------

Not too bad right? More tomorrow. :)

almost like newlyweds? :)

I know I haven't been totally committed to this thing... well, maybe not quite 100%, but definitely like 90 or something. Anyway, I weighed myself this morning just to see where I was. And hey, not bad... still 106, so that means I haven't gained (or loss).. but still doing okay. Well, I guess we'll see where I stand come Friday. I know I need to do/get back into exercising/running/etc... it's just that it's been kind of tough fitting it into my schedule at the moment.

Oh, last night was the first time ever Mark and I felt like an actual married couple, living by ourselves. Mum and Dad were spending the night over at Peter's babysitting Diana and Vanessa while he was out of town for the week and Priscilla and Laura were over at their mom's. Anyway, it was just so cute getting home last night. After work yesterday, I went over to Peter's to pick up Christopher. We didn't get home until 6:30pm last night, but everything was just so cute because Mark was waiting for us. He drove himself to work yesterday so he got home around our normal time.. 5:30ish. I'm sure he enjoyed his hour of peace, without anyone bugging him, etc. I don't know... everything just felt so right. Me getting home w/ Christopher, settling down... and then cooking dinner for us. Ahhhh... I love it! Anyway, we had the entire house all to ourselves. It's not very often that this happens, so when it does, I guess you can say both Mark and I really do enjoy it. It was just super nice and peaceful after Christopher went down to sleep. It was like 8pm and there was just Mark and I... sitting/cuddling on the couch in front of the TV, with the 2008 Beijing Olympics on in the background. Not too shabby, I guess. Oh, afterwards, I found myself in the kitchen baking some yummy chocolate chip cookies. Haven't made that in a while, and I remembered Mark asking for some last week. Anyway, the cookies turned out great... they were delicious! :)

Lalalalalala... anyway, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- fried rice w/ 1 egg scrambled, 1 cup rice, scallions, soy sauce (200 cal)
- 1/2 cup milk (45 cal)

AM SNACK:
- 1 kiwi fruit (50 cal)

LUNCH:
- lasagna (300 cal)
- water

PM SNACK:
- Special K's breakfast bar (90 cal)

DINNER:
- hot dog w/ bun, relish, jalapeños + ketchup & mustard (250 cal)
- french fries (155 cal)

EVENING SNACK:
- 1 homemade cc cookie & 2 shortbread cookies (180 cal)
- mini bits of plum wafer cookies (60 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1330 -- okay, still not great!! keep trying :)

a new approach

So, here we go again... something slightly different, but very much the same.

ONE RULE: To keep going! Must not just survive week 1, but week 2, 3, 4 and so on.

I know I should and must try to >>

1. Eat healthier, plan my meals... (eat 1,100-1,250 calories/day on most days, and up to 1,600 calories 2 days a week!)
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables (at least 2 servings/day)
3. Have less process foods
4. Drink more milk (or 3 servings of dairy/day)
5. Exercise at least 3 times a week (30 minutes/day)
6. Continue running... just keep running! (nothing major, even a 10-15 min run session is ok)
7. Keep walking... try to get 10,000 total steps (walk/run) a day!
8. MUST incorporate strength training/abs.. and stretch!

That's it. Very simple... so pretty much, very similar to before, apart from the dough part cuz I'm broke at the moment, plus it didn't really motivate me in the first place. I don't know why... ahh! Let's just hope I can really keep up and stay with it. MUST GET PAST WEEK 1 and the weekends.

Alright, we'll see how everything goes. :)

not doing so well...

Alright, I have to be honest, I have been slacking. Maybe I just have to scrap everything and pretty much, just be more aware of what I'm eating, doing, not eating/not doing, etc. Plus, I'm kind of broke at the moment... so I can't really afford to pay myself dough here or there for all the mistakes. I don't know.. I know last week I did horrible and even worst this past weekend. I believe I ate around 2000-2500 on both Friday and Saturday. Yesterday, I did okay... around 1400 calories, but I still bad cuz I didn't eat any fruits/veggies or drank any milk. Ahhh, horrible! Something to think about, I guess... and really still, need to work on...

Well, today's a new day, it's a new week... so I hope I do better this week. Btw, I did go out on Saturday and ran 4.5 miles around Lake Merced. Turns out, I improved on my time there from before. Instead of clocking in at 53 minutes, I clocked in at 48:10.. not bad right? Oh, also, I don't feel out of shape anymore.. or at least not that time anyway. :)

Anyway, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 fried egg on whole wheat toast (175 cal)
- 1 slice turkey bacon (20 cal)
- 8 oz fat-free milk (90 cal)

LUNCH:
- Lean Cuisine garlic ginger chicken stir-fry w/ veggies (290 cal)
- water

PM SNACK:
- 2 kiwi fruit (100 cal)
- some edamame (100 cal)

DINNER:
- vegan stir-fry w/ seitan, rg bell peppers, broccoli, garlic & sauce (180 cal)
- 1/2 cup white rice (100 cal)
- a few mouthfuls of fried rice (30 cal)

EVENING SNACK:
- 2 homemade chocolate chip cookies (200 cal)
- 8 oz fat-free milk (90 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1375

Update later. :)

-----------

UPDATE:

Okay, didn't stay within the 1,100-1,250 calorie boundaries, but that's okay... 1375 isn't so bad. Anyway, made some cookies tonight. Very tasty.. :) Alright, that's it!

day 12

Okay, I did alright yesterday. Oh, I made some chocolate cupcakes... "marshmallow s'mores" is what they're called. They look super cute! Too bad I didn't take any pictures of them. Anyway, oh well.

Oh, today's weigh-in day. I gained a pound, not great, but not too bad. At least I'm not back at 109. Sucks yo-yoing. Eww, you know?

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)
- 1 turkey bacon slice (20 cal)
- 8 oz fat-free milk (90 cal)

AM SNACK:
- fruit TBD (100 cal)
- mini marshmallow s'mores cupcake (75 cal)

LUNCH:
- vegan pad thai w/ peanut sauce (470 cal)
- 4 cut up pieces of Vietnamese spring rolls w/ peanut dipping sauce (250 cal)
- two pieces of bruschetta w/ tomatoes, garlic & basil (150 cal)
- half a slice of vegan chocolate cake (200 cal)

PM SNACK:
- fruit TBD (100 cal)

DINNER:
- TBD

EVENING SNACK:
- 8 oz fat-free milk (90 cal)

CALORIES TOTAL: 1620, minus dinner

Update later. I know, so far.. pretty bad on calories.

let's get back on track! day 11

Okay, I haven't been doing well all week! I really need to get this train steer the right way again. So far, the piggy bank has collected $17. That's terrible. There shouldn't even be a dollar in there at all! Okay, well, to be realistic, maybe a buck or two. But that's not the point. Point is, I need to keep at it. I must keep trying and do well. I really, really want to do good. Must focus!

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 1 egg scrambled w/ 1-1/2 slice turkey bacon, tomato, sprinkle of mozzarella cheese (125 cal)
- 8 oz fat-free milk (90 cal)

AM SNACK:
- 1 medium orange (80 cal)

LUNCH:
- small green salad w/ cherry tomatoes, cucumber + balsamic vinaigrette (130 cal)
- 1 small piece of sourdough bread (75 cal)

PM SNACK:
- some grapes (75 cal)

DINNER:
- veggie burger on 1 whole wheat bread w/ tomato slices, onions, lettuce + ketchup & mustard (200 cal)
- small side salad w/ tomatoes, cucumber + italian dressing (50 cal)

EVENING SNACK:
- 8 oz fat-free milk (90 cal)
- 2 mini homemade chocolate cupcakes (80 cal)
- some frosting (50 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1045

Update later. MUST DO GOOD! AHHH!!!!

----------------

UPDATE:


1. Eat between 1,100 to 1,250 calories per day -- YES! 1,045 calories... yay!
2. Walk/run 10,000 total steps per day -- YES! 11,675 steps :)
3. Run at least 10-15 miles a week -- TBD (none so far)
4. Drink 2 glasses of milk per day -- YES! :)
5. Eat at least 2 servings of fruit per day -- YES! :)
6. Eat at least 2 servings of veggies per day -- YES! :)
7. Two stretch/pilates sessions a week -- TBD (one so far)
8. Two strength training sessions a week -- TBD
9. Two abs sessions a week -- TBD (one so far)

TODAY'S PIGGY BANK: $0

TOTAL PIGGY BANK: $17

focus, focus, focus!! day 10

Ahhhhh! I can't believe I'm already doing so bad and it's only day 10! I really need to rally back and try to lose some weight or maintain the weight loss I did last week. Anyway, I just need to focus, really focus today on... MUST DO!

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 2 slices turkey bacon (40 cal)
- 1 fried egg (75 cal)
- 8 oz fat-free milk (90 cal)

AM SNACK:
- 1 small banana (95 cal)
- water

LUNCH:
- 2 oz whole wheat linguine w/ homemade pasta sauce (250 cal)
- water

PM SNACK:
- 1 medium orange (80 cal)
- water

DINNER:
- 1/2 cod fillet, pan seared, lightly salted (100 cal)
- 1/2 cup white rice (100 cal)
- some edamame (85 cal)
- stir-fry veggies: broccoli, cauliflower & rg bell peppers (70 cal)
- water

EVENING SNACK:
- 8 oz fat-free milk (90 cal)
- 5 small squares of homemade rice crispy treats (350 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1425

------------------

UPDATE:

1. Eat between 1,100 to 1,250 calories per day -- NO! way too much, again!! boo me!
2. Walk/run 10,000 total steps per day -- NO! (only 8,167 steps... terrible!)
3. Run at least 10-15 miles a week -- TBD (none so far)
4. Drink 2 glasses of milk per day -- YES! :)
5. Eat at least 2 servings of fruit per day -- YES! :)
6. Eat at least 2 servings of veggies per day -- YES! :)
7. Two stretch/pilates sessions a week -- TBD
8. Two strength training sessions a week -- TBD
9. Two abs sessions a week -- TBD

TODAY'S PIGGY BANK: $2

TOTAL PIGGY BANK: $17

I really need to get back on track and do this. Ahhh!!!!

day 9

I find it that week two's a bit harder than week one. Struggling a bit, but still trying. I know I can do this... I sooooooooooo can!

Alright, here's what I've eaten/plan to eat for today:

BREAKFAST:
- 2 small homemade from scratch whole wheat blueberry pancakes (200 cal)
- 1 tbsp syrup (50 cal)
- 1 small banana (90 cal)
- 8 oz fat-free milk (90 cal)
- 2 slices turkey bacon (40 cal)

AM SNACK:
- 1/2 orange (40 cal)

LUNCH:
- 1 dragon sushi roll (400 cal)
- 1 california roll (200 cal)
- some chicken teriyaki (200 cal)
- some edamame (100 cal)
- a few forkful of salad w/ dressing (40 cal)
- a few bits of rice (30 cal)

PM SNACK:
- 1/2 orange (40 cal)

DINNER:
- some chicken teriyaki w/ a tiny bit of rice & some edamame (350 cal)
- 1/2 cup salad w/ dressing (50 cal)
- bow tie pasta w/ spaghetti sauce (200 cal)

EVENING SNACK:
- 8 oz fat-free milk (90 cal)

TOTAL CALORIES: 2120 -- way too much! :(

Plan workout: walk/run 30 mins

----------------------------------

UPDATE:

1. Eat between 1,100 to 1,250 calories per day -- NO! way too much!!
2. Walk/run 10,000 total steps per day -- NO! (only 7,760 steps.. boo!)
3. Run at least 10-15 miles a week -- TBD (none so far)
4. Drink 2 glasses of milk per day -- NO!
5. Eat at least 2 servings of fruit per day -- NO!
6. Eat at least 2 servings of veggies per day -- YES! :)
7. Two stretch/pilates sessions a week -- TBD
8. Two strength training sessions a week -- TBD
9. Two abs sessions a week -- TBD

TODAY'S PIGGY BANK: $4

TOTAL PIGGY BANK: $15

I did TERRIBLE today! Worst day so far... since I've started.