run, prettiee mama, run!

on saturday, september 3, i finally hit that 1,000 miles ran marker. yup, i was determine to get there before i stop running until december. of course, as you can see from my last post, running at the moment is a bit tricky. it's tough carrying that extra weight. amazing. i guess you can say i somewhat can relate or feel what it's like to be carrying extra weight now. especially if that weight is unwanted due to laziness or plain ignorance -- whichever. basically, let's just say i don't intend on being overweight in my lifetime. let's hope i can do everything in my power not to get there too. it just sucks trying to work out when you have 20-30 extra pounds. it's tough -- period.

so yes, 1,001 miles ran to be exact. i'm so proud of myself. that's not bad at all. i can't wait until december to pick it up again. in the meantime, i'll enjoy what little peace and quiet i have until the big arrival. plus, it's nice being lazy again... and not having to wake up so early for that morning jog. although, i do have to say, i kind of miss it. or more like, miss the feeling of accomplishing something before the start of day. when that ugly morning mist hits my face, it feels so good. well, it won't be long i guess. only 3 more months to go and i'll be back out there hitting the pavements again assuming everything goes according to plan. :)

it's been a looooooong while...

2011-07-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

oh, so much has changed since the last time i've written something here. can't remember when that was.

alright, here's all the goodie updates. let's just say we're expecting another bundle of joy to add to the mix this october. in the mean time, this prettiee mama is packing on the necessary pounds required for this task, and at the same time, is striving to run as much as possible leading up to the big day.

yup, you heard that right. i'm pregnant and still running! only 74 more miles to go to reach 1,000 miles ran since i picked up running again 3 years ago. oh my, has it really been 3 years? i guess so. i remember precisely it was after that last birthday back in july 2008 that i made a commitment to start running again. well, 3 years later and even with a bun in the oven, i'm still running. i'm so proud that i'll be reaching the 1,000 miles marker soon. not just that, but the initial 150 miles ran before october is coming up. only 18 more miles to go to get to 150 miles. i say at the rate i'm going right now, i'll get there within the next few weeks. shouldn't be a problem... assuming nothing crazy comes up from now til then. :D

alrighty, that's all for now. just thought i share this little news. will definitely be sure to post when i reach 1,000 miles ran! can't wait to get there. will be one crazy cool accomplishment. :)

fit friendzy iphone app cupcakes

2011-07-05T14:06:00.001-07:00

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fit friendzy iphone app salted caramel cupcakes

2011-07-05T13:55:00.001-07:00

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chocolate cupcake

2011-07-05T13:54:00.003-07:00

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chocolate cupcake

2011-07-05T13:54:00.001-07:00

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500 miles ran & counting... :)

2010-04-27T09:14:00.001-07:00

I am so proud of myself. Almost 2 years later, a minor groin injury in between and over 10 lbs lost since that day back in July 2008, I’ve finally reached my 500th mile ran (according to my Nike+ iPod device) on Sunday. That just sounds so cool. Of course, the mileage doesn’t count all the times the Nano and Nike+ gadget died on me while running. I swear I’ve lost at least a good 10-20 miles on it. But anyway, 500 miles, that’s super. Only 120 more miles to go until I hit the blue level on the Nike+ website. Let’s hope I reach that sooner than later injury-free. I say if I do a proper training for the SF marathon coming up this summer (in July), I should reach 1000 km in no time. We’ll see how things go. Now, let's get working on getting 'em sexy abs (minus baby pouch?) for summer. Stay tuned. :)

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lately...

2010-03-08T15:15:00.001-08:00

Yes, been a while. Ahhh, what’s new? Well, been really focusing on making a permanent lifestyle change. So far, so good. Down under 99lbs these days and have lost 1-1/2 inches off my waist since the start of the new year. Was 97lbs over the weekend, but of course, I just had to have my pho and you know what happens. It’s full of sodium, therefore I ended up drinking a ton of water. Now my body’s carrying all this water weight. Yeah, bloated and everything... not so nice, I know.

Anyhooo.... Tomorrow’s my 2-month weigh-in. I’m hoping the number on the scale’s decent. Actually, won’t really bug me too much as long as it stays under 100. :) And even if it’s at 100, I know what I need to do. Just cut back on my portion. It’s simple as that. Oh, besides the scale, what’s been looking really good is my arms! I’m getting there... Those sexy arms are starting to show. I mean, all ‘em curves and everything. It’s so nice. I can’t wait to show them off this spring/summer. I’m finally having muscles in my arms without even flexing them! Ahhh! That’s just so cool. Big props to a consistency in yoga, strength-training 3x a week and lots of running. :) Now of course, if I can just get rid of that baby pouch. It’s as if that will never disappear, but that’s okay. It comes with the territory of being a mama. :)

Ummm... To be continued... Stay tuned.

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i forget i have this blog

2010-01-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

yes, i'm pretty lazy at updating this blog. ahhh! that's a must remind myself to write here every once in a while... or at least, use it more often!

okay, i'm sure we all know by now, it's already 2010. omg.. a year's gone by and what have i done? ahhh! i don't know. still struggling with this whole trying to get toned, lose the baby pouch episode. anyway, i'll keep trying again! put it this way, i have until june to finally look smoking hot in a new swimsuit. let's hope this year is finally the year!

first off, i'm getting back to running again. yesterday, mark and i ran 5.25 miles! thing is, it's been difficult trying to not run as much or let's say... be "injury-free." it's awful. since suffering a groin injury last february has really messed up my running. i had to lay off of running for 5-6 months! i can't remember when i picked running up again, but i knew it was a way. actually, i think it was right before the sf marathon 5k run.. so yes, no running from february to late june!

anyhoooo... mark's making a lifestyle change. no land animals for him this year. that means, we'll be eating lots of fish and veggies. i told him i will do it with him most of the time. i can't say no to a little bit of good tasting steaks every once in a long good while.. and of course, the occasionally delicious, finger-licking-good bbq garlic chicken wings that i make (we had that as our last meal of 2009, with rice... oh so good!).

oh, 2010 is all about cooking more meals at home (i made my first ever shrimp bisque last night.. omg, it was sooooo good!), eating out less... not having reserved feelings about trying out new recipes and pretty much, just going for it. that includes just about anything and everything. i can't wait to see where we are this time next year. :)

alright, enough for now. more later.

still trying... hello week 2!

2009-10-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

yup, that's right. week one was definitely a tough one. but i have to admit, i did stick with it and felt great by the end of the week. of course saturday was a really bad day as far as food selection went. but i did do much better yesterday with my eating habits and to top it off, mark and i ran 1.8 miles just because.

oh my, last week's runs were tough. it's been a while since i've been running consistently. i say i'm not back to my usual running self yet. today i feel sluggish and just awful. i did bring my gym bag and running shoes with me to work, but ahhh! the thought of going out for a run on this cold icky gloomy day isn't so appealing at the moment. the weather's changing.. or at least this week anyway. a storm is supposed to come in sometime this afternoon. i hope i'll get home before it comes.

anyway, we'll see how i feel come lunch time. i know i'm supposed to go out and run. ahhh! maybe i'll just run on the treadmill in the gym today or something. i must admit, running does delay my hunger. i don't usually eat until at least an hour after a run.. or at least that's how it was last week. ummm.. alright, we'll see how i do today. if i'm too lazy, i'll probably just get on the treadmill and do 25 mins or something. otherwise, the elliptical or rowing machine will always do it for a good cardio workout. we shall see... :)

one last note, i'm at 102.6lbs this morning. i must admit, it's totally water weight. and the 102lbs is deceiving cuz i know what's making it 102 is totally water. i'm pretty sure my typical weight is 101... so. but i guess we'll find out. well, from now til thanksgiving morning, i still have 7.6 more pounds to lose... so must focus!

getting back on the wagon

2009-10-05T13:07:00.001-07:00

summer's over and fall's here. since the start of summer til now, i haven't really been watching my diet or weight. anyway, you can say i gained all those awful extra pounds back again.. yes, the ones i worked so hard to lose! i mean, every night, i was hitting play, doing all 'em pull-ups, push-ups, abs workouts, and not to mention, the countless miles i logged on my ipod nike+ gadget by running.

oh, i feel like the journey back to where i once was a few months ago seems so long. my body is all out of whack. the poor diet i've been eating lately has definitely made me feel sluggish. not to mention, the lack of exercise and countless hours bumming around the house. ahhhh!

alright, well.. today's a new day. i'm giving this another try, with a game plan i hope will help me succeed once and for all. so far, so good. i logged 2.7 miles of running during my lunch hour. ate reasonably well up until now. for dinner, we're having spaghetti so i'll be treating myself to just one serving of spaghetti, with a small piece of bread (lightly buttered) and a side salad w/ a 1/2 tsp of dressing. you can say the overall calories of this meal will be a good 700 calories or so. i know it's quite large, but that's okay considering what i've eaten today. so far, i believe my calorie count is only up to 600. so adding 700 will only give me 1300 for the day. by running for 25mins, that shed off 210 calories, so really, i do have 200 calories to spend if i want to. we'll see if i decide to have dessert tonight. but omg, i seriously need to cut out the sweets. i know.. been baking way too much, consuming too many goodies.

lalalala... stay tune.

starting stats:
weight: 104.2lbs -- ouch!
waist: 27"
hips: 34"
thighs l/r: TBD

personal goal:
weight: 95lbs
waist: 24"
hips: 32"
...and have 'em sexy arms/legs. :P

to-do list:
- cardio (running/elliptical) 20-30mins, 3x a week
- strength training (target areas/circuit) 2-3 sets, 3x a week
- yoga 60mins, 1-2x a week

23.1 miles down, 3.1 more to go

2009-07-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, Mark and I just finished running our last 3 miles this morning to make up the 23.1 miles we have to run before the SFM progressive marathon 5k race we'll be running this Sunday. Ahhh! So excited. It'll be so much fun, I just know it. The atmosphere is just phenomenal at events like this.

Alright, tomorrow's our first ever (indoor) rocking climbing event. I'm so excited! Let's hope I do good. :P

Okay, that's all... more later.

weight gain, socal, golfing, sfm, rock climbing + more?!

2009-07-21T13:00:00.001-07:00

so i've gained 2lbs since my birthday. yeah, we were in socal for the weekend this past weekend. actually, more like thursday thru sunday morning. anyway, did tried to eat okay, but of course, you know how it goes sometimes, on vacation, bad food. or more like, anything that's easy to grab. so yup... that's not so great. so yes, mark and i are trying to get back into the routine of things again. we ran the lake yesterday. it's our first time in months! i haven't ran the lake since my leg injury back in early february. omg, it was brutal, but we made it through. :) im just glad to say i can still do it, within a reasonable amount of time. still can't believe the first time i ever ran that lake. my time was like 53 minutes and something second. now, it's anywhere between 42-45mins. okay, of course, im sure there will be times when it's longer than 45mins, but just the fact that i've shed 10mins off of my first ever time, that's pretty amazing. every time i run that lake, im always trying to beat my pr. right now, it's 41:59, yes, just a second under 42mins. would be nice to do it under 40mins one of these days. well.. im not a speed runner, so... dunno when that will happen, but we'll see. i know i should be working on some mini interval running drills, every now and then, but just haven't done it. we'll see about that anyway. im sure mark will enjoy that more than me.

alright, the sfm is this sunday. mark and i still have 3 more miles to log/run for our 23.1 miles before the race. so yup... probably will do that today or tomorrow.. well, definitely by the end of the week, before saturday. oh, we're going indoor rock climbing saturday morning. ahhh! i'm so excited. it's my birthday gift from mark. been asking him forever to go do a rock climbing session with me... he finally said yes! okay, actually, we finally made time for it. so yup... im super excited. gosh, i hope i do well. it'll be both our first time.

oh, speaking of trying out new things, etc... over the weekend while in socal, at our stay at the hyatt in newport beach, they had a 9-hole golf course onsite. we paid and played the course. omg, it was seriously crazy. i mean, i now have a new profound respect for people who actually have the patience to play and finish all 18-holes. not just your eeny meeny short distance holes, but them 200+ yards holes. the course we played yardage range from 50-100 yards for the holes and omg, it was still brutal. by the second hole i was seriously ready to give up. like how am i going to survive all 9 holes? crazy?!!! anyway, i persevered it through, so that was good. very proud of myself for that. but yeah... still brutal. will definitely have to really give it a good thought before i play golf again the next time around. mark did okay. hahaha... but we all still sucked! my score was like 68 and i only played 9 holes (all the holes were par 3's!) hahaha... i think mark finished somewhere in the high 40's and laura in the high 50's. yeah, we sucked! or i mean, i sucked more. :P oh well.

okay, that's all. more next time. :)

happy birthday to me :)

2009-07-14T06:08:00.000-07:00

yup, another year... a year older, but that's okay, i'm officially legal legal! i mean, i can now rent a car without all the extra fees. sweet huh? what more can you ask more? next big birthday milestone? hello 30's! hahaha... wow, that's not good right? or nah... actually, i'll be fine. one ultimate goal from now til then? looking nice and tone.. yes, still working on that. oh, and that's not to say i won't be sporting that gorgeous bod from now until then too! hehe... oh, socal later this week. im so excited! wished i had stepped up my workouts for this weekend, but it's okay. we'll get there... eventually. just have to keep pushing play! or go out and run! :P

oh... here's a gluten-free cupcake recipe. made these last night. yum. yeah, been experimenting with different ingredients, trying to get my gluten-free cakes to taste "not gluten" or more like... not dry. okay, here it is. :)

gluten-free vanilla cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

1/2 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
4 tablespoons milk
5 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

turn oven on to 375 degrees F.

put butter in mixer and beat on medium speed until somewhat smooth. pour in sugar and beat well. add egg, mix well. then add vanilla, baking powder, salt, milk, yogurt and mayonnaise. mix well again. add flour. beat until it looks like it's supposed to and pour into individual baking cups until they are 2/3 full (actually, you can add a bit more, just not all the way full). bake for 20-25 minutes (it will turn golden brown... depending on your oven too i guess).

should make 12 cupcakes. let cool, frost w/ your frosting of choice (a simple vanilla buttercream icing is always good) and eat! yummmmm! enjoy. :)

i'm running again!

2009-07-07T09:32:00.001-07:00

yup, you read that right. my leg's doing all better now. i don't feel that awful pain in my right groin area anymore... so that's great! so far i've ran 3 times. the first one was a mini warm-up. mark and i only ran 1.8 miles. oh, while i was on a running hiatus, he was too. so yeah, we ran together for the first time in like 4 months, on june 27. since then, we've ran twice, at 3.2 miles and just recently, yesterday, we ran 4 miles. okay, i ran more than 4 miles, mark only ran 4 miles, but yeah... it was still 4 miles. oh, we're counting all of these runs for our progressive marathon that we're doing w/ the sf marathon come july 26. so let's see... i think we've got 9 miles done and only 14.1 more miles to go to reach the necesssary 23.1 miles we needed to run before race day. anyway, with the distances we're tackling now, i think we can rack up the last 14.1 miles in 4 runs. we want to run the lake again, so that's 4.5 miles there already. with that, we'll only need one of each 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 mile runs. i think that's correct. well, all of our runs should add up to 23.1.. if not, ahhh... iono. we'll have to run a tad bit more if it's not enough. but im pretty sure from now until july 26, we'll have ran more than 23.1 miles. omg, just exciting. i can't wait until race day. im just so glad im able to run again now. i really hope my body stays healthy. it's hope it's all good the rest of the way. :)

oh, yesterday's 4 mile run felt so good. we did what we called "the lawndale route," where we run straight to this one street call lawndale and back. it's a nice simple run with a few hills or lumps? whatever you want to call it, but yeah. there's times throughout the run where the street goes up and down, so you get your inclines and declines along with the straight/flat ones. :) oh, it just felt good yesterday. i feel like my heart could totally handle it, like i was in great shape; everything was just super. hmm... but maybe that could have been due to my pace. well, it was definitely not as fast as i normally would have ran it or anything, cuz i wanted to slow down with mark. but i still finished it in like 40mins, so.. iono. ahhh.. could just be that i kept a pretty consistent pace. anyway, mark didn't want to run too quick this last time. just funny how he was so slow though, he really fell behind. i waited for him one time and then after he caught up to me, he fell back again so i just took off and finished the course. of course, i went back out and finished it with him as well. he did very well, considering having drank 2-1/2 glasses of white wine before the run! hahaha.. yeah, drinking and running isn't such a great combo. so silly!

anyway... let's hope my legs/whole body stays healthy. i want to be running for a really long time. we still need to do our half-marathon/full marathon one of these days, not to mention the triathlon (as soon as i learn how to swim/float!). so yup. :)

ok, n/m, more later.

-2lbs :)

2009-06-30T08:21:00.001-07:00

alright, i weighed myself this morning and it reads 99lbs. that's good. so that means for some reason i've lost 3lbs since the last time i weighed myself... which was either yesterday or sunday morning. can't remember. bottom line is though, i still have 2 more pounds to lose to get back to 97lbs. yeah... i know. iono, let's hope those 2lbs can just melt away. of course, im sure that's not going to happen. it'll take lots of discipline and effort from my end. ugh! i haven't exercised in over a week too! on top of that, my diet has been pretty bad.. i didn't do too well yesterday either. now, i must really buckle up and pay attention to what im eating. bottom line, i can't overeat. omg, i swear, i can eat so much, yes... even past the point of being full. hahaha... that's what i did sunday night. i mean, i ate like a pig at the bbq, then came 6pm and mark wanted a nice juicy burger meal from carl's jr. i said, sure, i'll have one too. so i got a famous star burger meal w/ fries and a sprite. thank goodness i didn't finish the burger or the fries... or the drink, but of course, i sure ate a good chunk of the burgers and a few french fries, w/ a few sips of the soda before i said, "no more... im so full!" hahaha.. my tummy was seriously bulging. eww, i know. yuck!

anyway, i feel much better today... although my tummy still feels fat and i still feel a bit bloated. i know i must do better today. will be a bit tricky though, i must say. today at work everyone's going out for my big big boss's 40th birthday at this one Mediterranean restaurant. their food is always so yummy. i can seriously eat so much pita bread w/ hummus. i know... ugh! i can't do that. okay, let's hope that doesn't happen. anyway, i'll just have to be good today. we'll see. :)

ummm... ok, more later. and yes, i know, i need to start running! must do, cuz the sf marathon's 5k is only in 26 days. ahhhh!!! =/

i gained 5lbs -- eww, i know! =/

2009-06-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

yup, you heard me right. five pounds in five days. i'm back to 101-102lbs again. that's pretty amazing. not cool actually. so yes, this week is totally the "get back to normal" week. must get back to the typical usual routine, eating healthy and exercising. so far today i haven't done too well. i had my oatmeal w/ banana for breakfast this morning, then an entire white (not whole wheat.. i know, bad me) pita pocket w/ some hummus and now i just finished some spaghetti. im super full. i really shouldn't have eaten that spaghetti. ahhh! all day today i've felt so full. i swear i must have eaten like 5,000+ calories yesterday. yeah, we had our bbq... w/ so much food! ate soooooo much meat, lots of pork (marinated, grilled.. mmm... yum!), some chicken drumsticks, a nathan's hotdog, some pork ribs, lots of potato chips, some dips, soda... omg, the list goes on and on. just too much food! couldn't help it. of course now i'm paying for it, 5lbs later and this awful bloating feeling. my tummy looks like im 5mos pregnant. eww, i know.

well, let's hope i'll get rid of some of this extra pounds that aren't even supposed to be here. im really hoping that i'll do better this week. of course, i ate like crazy from wed-sunday cuz of our lil mini celebration. no rules allowed, do whatever you want to, eat whatever you want to. and yes, no exercising. although mark and i did manage to squeeze in a run saturday morning. we ran for the first time in 4 months! it wasn't very far though, only about 1.5-2 miles. yeah, you know, i had been resting my legs due to a leg injury. now i think it's healed. i didn't feel it during this run, so.. let's hope it's totally healed? i mean, cuz i really want to start running again. we'll see i guess... let's hope it's good! :)

alright, enough said. more later. :)

wednesday

2009-06-25T14:01:00.001-07:00

alright, so wednesday came and went. and it was fantastic! haven't felt this good in such a long time. the entire day was just fabulous. lots of baked goodies, yummy stuffed chicken wings, fresh spring rolls w/ my yummy homemade peanut sauce... and oh yes, that stuffed crust pizza (for lunch), then the homemade beer-battered fish 'n chips, you can't beat that! the day was just super.. mark was of course, there to enjoy it with me too, along w/ everyone else. ahhhh... every day forward is just absolutely amazing. will be, i just know it! that's all i can say. ahh, so good. :)

oh wednesday...

2009-06-23T10:14:00.001-07:00

hi. tuesday it is. yay! that means, one day down, one more to go. oh, how exciting. i really cannot wait until tomorrow. sooooo close, i can taste it! wednesday's just going to be sooooo much fun. ahhh! i don't know if i can sleep tonight. :P well, all i know is, once the work day is over today, omg.... it'll almost feel like wednesday is here. ahh! exciting. just absolutely exciting. :)

all i know is tomorrow will be filled with lots of yummy good stuff. food, people, fun, just lots and lots of goodies. i'll be baking some delicious cookies and cupcakes tonight. might prep my stuffed chicken wings tonight for tomorrow. will probably take out the rotisserie and cook them in there, cuz it'll be much easier. plus, the weather's supposed to be nice and hot this entire week, onto the weekend, so not using the oven during the day would be a great idea, considering the fact that there's no AC in this area. yeah, tell me about it. good old SF fog... never gets hot enough in the city during most of the calendar year, so no AC units in these old houses. of course, you'll just have to suffer through it during the occasional heat waves. boo, i know. but it's okay, i'll take nice sunny hot weather over the usual cold foggy gloomy skies any day! :)

alright, hurry up wednesday. i'm still waiting! :P

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hurry up wednesday!

2009-06-22T12:46:00.001-07:00

hello. i can't believe almost four months have passed. just amazing. time doesn't stop. sometimes it may seem slow, sometimes it's fast... but overall, it just keeps going. i don't know, im just amazed that june 24 will be here before i know it. oh, wednesday's going to be an amazing day. i can't wait! i'm looking forward to the beautiful sunny weather this weekend as well. our 2-day weekend barbecue party is going to be such a hit, i just know it! so many people around, so much food... oh, it'll be just so perfect! well, actually, doesn't matter who shows up or who eats what and if any of the food gets eaten, i know i'm going to be doing a lot of eating. ahhhh... i can't wait. so much yummy good stuff, grilled or not. lots of garlicky bbq chicken wings, nathan's hot dogs, burgers, chicken drumsticks, pork tenderloin, pork spareribs, chips, drinks, my special stuffed chicken wings (that i spent two hours on, trying to get all the meat/bones out of the wings portion! i know, crazy work), lots of homemade freshly baked cookies and cupcakes... and so much more. omg... it's just going to be fabulous. i hope i don't gain like 5-10lbs after eating all weekend now. or more like, eating from wednesday to sunday all of this week.

oh, wednesday's seriously the big day. im not even sure what i'll have on the menu. i know they'll be lots of yummy baked cookies (i've already made some of the cookie doughs last night, need to bake some tomorrow night), cupcakes, maybe some of my fave garlicky bbq wings, some egg rolls, spring rolls w/ that yummy peanut dipping sauce that mark likes, pizza hut's stuffed crust pizza (i hope they still have this on the menu), fish 'n chips and so much more. oh... what fun! i can't wait to eat all this food. :P hahaha

yeah, seriously, im super crazy and way food happy when there's good food around. ahhh! i can't wait. of course, no worries, after all this eating this week, next week's a new week, the socal trip will be coming up, not to mention the sf marathon progressive marathon/5k mark and i signed up for (that we haven't even started training for, running it yet).. that, we'll need to get started, and so.. let's hope by doing that it gets us in decent shape for socal beaches, plus getting rid of those extra unwanted weight gain from this week's crazy food/party/etc. oh, it's okay though.. totally worth it. :) plus, hey, i'm at a steady 98lbs. can't complain about that now, been at 98 for the last month. that means, 98's staying.. it's no longer water weight that i've lost (from the 101 originally). :)

okay, lalalala... that's all. c'mon now.. hurry wednesday, please come soon! i can't wait any longer. :P hehe ok, i can... well, sort of. so glad it's monday. now wednesday, just hurry up and get here! :)

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posterous.com + day 30 results

2009-06-15T11:17:00.001-07:00

alright, just signed up for a new thing.. called "posterous". it's actually pretty neat. lets you add entries, audio, videos, pictures, etc to just about any social site such as blogger here, twitter, facebook, flickr, etc. or your very own posterous blog site via email. pretty neat. all you do is write an email and send it to post@posterous.com. they'll go ahead and post it to wherever you want it to show up. so yes, i'm writing this entry via my email to posterous and here!

okay, so let's see. oh, my day 30 of P90X was this weekend. i didn't quite see the results i'd like to see.. but that could be because my eating got kind of bad as the weigh-in/measurement day got closer. oh well.. i know i just have to try harder for day 60. let's hope i do, cuz it would just suck. i mean, all this hard work..? and nothing?

anyway, below's my day 1 and day 30 measurements:

day 30
weight: 97.8lbs
waist: 25.5"
hips: 33"
l/r thighs: 19.5"

yeah, i forgot to measure some other places, oops.

day 1
weight: 98.6lbs
waist: 26"
belly: 32.5"
hips: 33.5"
l thigh: 19.75"
r thigh: 20"

i can't remember the other measurements off the top of my head. will have to come back and edit this entry. :)

alright, that's all for now. let's hope i keep pushing play! :) actually kind of need to.. our annual socal trip is coming up next month. must look good in that swimsuit. still need to get a swimsuit! ahhh! let's hope they have my size. all the small ones are always the first to go. argh. =/

Posted via email from Mai's posterous

this is totally a test :)

2009-06-15T10:14:00.001-07:00

hmmm... i wonder if it works? we'll find out! :)

Posted via email from Mai's posterous

P90X

2009-06-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

okay, so i restarted again on may 13. hmm... yeah, you can say that's my official start date? i don't know. i took down measurements and everything on that day, i just don't have them with me right now. anyway, i know it's super annoying, starting, restarting, etc. but that's because i decided to buy P90X and try it out. i've been doing it since the 13th... minus 3-4 days where i went up to chico for csuc grad weekend. that totally threw me off. anyway, i'm back on the schedule again though and so far, so good. of course i haven't been sticking to the whole diet/nutrition plan, it's just not working for me. i can't do one carb portion a day, no way! are you crazy? coming from my background, we eat carbs at just about every meal. of course my intake has been less, yes... but i can't do one a day, so.. :) but everything else i have been making a conscious effort to incorporate into my daily diet, ie. drinking more milk or eating cheese. yes, those darn dairy products. i don't do too good w/ them. i don't even like yogurt! let alone, i never used to like cheese or even drink milk. well, i'm still not too crazy about it all, but i have become better at eating it, so. :) plus, they say i, being a woman, can use some calcium! and yes, apart from dairy, im just super surprised at myself that i have been eating good old plain oatmeal (the 1-min kind, unfortunately) for breakfast for over 2+ months now. wow, amazing huh? let's hope even the 1-min plain oatmeal does my cholestorel some good. well, i have no idea what my level is... im sure it's fine. :)

alright, so yes... P90X. so far, so good. i took before pics, i'm really hoping my after pics will show some results. im excited for the next weekend, june 13. that will mark my 30 days, or technically, 31 day by that time.. but yes. im planning on taking my 30 day pics then. i hope i see some slight changes? iono. let's hope so. i have been watching what i eat, etc.

now, looking back over the course of this almost past year.. okay, i started this blog last july 2008, i just can't believe at how far i've come. if my current weight stays the same or steady, etc... you can say i've lost 10lbs since i started this journey. i know 10lbs doesn't seem like a lot to some, but 10lbs is a big deal when you're tiny! i'm almost there to my 95lbs milestone. but then again, 95lbs? ahhh, it would be great, but it's not really necessary. i don't mind looking 110lbs and tone/firm/in shape, etc. so yeah... the whole weight thing doesn't mean a whole lot. although i would really do like to see and know that i can attain it. of course, that doesn't mean that once i reach 95lbs i can just let everything go again. that's not the deal... i mean, i can't do that. i dont see myself doing that though. i see mark and me being super active this summer and throughout.

oh, speaking of being active, we're planning on running the SF marathon 5K. i know, only the 5K. that sucks! reason for that is because of my leg injury. it's still there. i don't really want to push it too much, so i think we'll just do the 5K. we talked about it. just haven't sign up for it yet. i know, bad.. i really should sign us up. gosh, i just hope i can finish the 5K. sucks having an injury. i really do hope i get over this within this next year cuz i would love to run in next year's race. of course, running in this year's race was my goal last year... but now, that's been delay due to this injury. oh well.

lalalalala.. okay, enough ramblings for one day. more next time. :)

new start?!

2009-05-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

Alright, restarting again. Here are my measurements (as of 5/3/09):

Weight: 100.4lbs
Waist: 26.5"
Belly: 32"
Hips: 34.5"
L Thigh: 20.5"
R Thigh: 20.25"

Food Goal: 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day
Exercise: Elliptical/cardio (at least 20 mins 3-5x a week) or DVD workout (5x a week)
and strength training (2x a week)

Good luck to me! :)

i need to start eating healthy again...

2009-02-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

It's been a while. I've been terrible! I haven't been running in about 3 weeks this coming Sunday. I suffered an injury about 3 weeks ago. I'm not sure what it was exactly, but Mark said it might be a groin injury. That's kept me off of running or doing anything physical that pretty much requires my legs. Walking, running, biking, even casual getting out and about or around the house was tough. Sometimes I felt like such a cripple person (sorry, not trying to be rude here). But yes, there were times when the pain was so much each time I took a step... it was almost unbearable. Trying to hop on the good leg didn't even help! It still hurt!

Lalalala... anyway, the injury's getting better. I hope to get back to my old running form again in no time. Btw, I finally found a full-time (temporary) gig... finally working again, starting next Tuesday! :) I'm just glad... I feel like I've been out of work for way too long now, it's about time I get out there and start being normal like everyone. Over the last few months I've just been bumming around the house and doing random freelance gigs here and there. Anyway, let's hope all goes well. I'm excited. :)

Alright, new thing (or not) that I'm trying out. Okay, not really trying out, but more like really hoping to make a change. I need to start eating healthy again... eat more fruits and veggies, dairy products, etc. I'm terrible when it comes to this! So, here's my food options, etc. below. Yes, 1600 calories a day w/ all of these minimums. :)

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

my daily eating plan:

total calories: 1600
exercise: at least 30mins

grains: 5 oz (at least 3 oz whole grains)
- brown/white rice
- bread
- pasta
- popcorn

veggies: 2 cups daily
- dark green veggies (vdg): 2 cups weekly
- bok choy
- broccoli
- romaine lettuce
- spinach
- kale
- mustard greens

- orange veggies (vog): 1-1/2 cups weekly
- carrots
- sweet potatoes

- dry beans & peas (vd): 2-1/2 cups weekly
- soy beans
- chickpeas
- tofu

- starchy veggies (vs): 2-1/2 cups weekly
- potatoes

- other veggies (vo): 5-1/2 cups weekly
- asparagus
- bean sprouts
- brussel sprouts
- cabbage
- cauliflower
- cucumber
- eggplant
- green beans
- green/red peppers
- iceberg lettuce
- onions
- tomatoes
- zucchini

fruits (f): 1-1/2 cups
- apples
- oranges
- bananas
- grapes
- berries
- raisins
- peaches

milk (mi): 3 cups
- skim milk
- cheese
- yogurt

meat & beans (m): 5 oz
- chicken
- turkey
- pork
- fish
- egg

fiber (gf): 20-25 g

sample day 1 >>
breakfast:
- 1 slice bacon (45)(1 o)
- 1 fried egg (80)(1 m)
- 1 slice whole wheat (100)(1 g)(6gf)
- 1 cup skim milk (90)(1 mi)

snack:
- 1 orange, sliced (75)(1/2 f)(3.1gf)

lunch:
- 2 cup romaine lettuce (20)(2 vg)
- 1 tomato (20)(1 vo)
- 1/4 cucumber (5)(1/4 vo)
- 1/2 chickpeas (145)(1/2 vd)(5.3gf)
- 1/4 cup feta cheese (100)(1 mi)
- lemon vinaigrette (100)(2 o)

snack:
- 1 apple, sliced (100)(1 f)(4.4gf)
- 1 tbsp peanut butter (85)(1 m)

dinner:
- 3 oz salmon (140)(3 m)
- 1 cup brown rice (200)(2 g)(3.5gf)
- 1 cup green beans (45)(1 vo)
- 1 cup skim milk (90)(1 mi)

snack:
- 1/2 cup frozen yogurt (140)

total: 1450 w/ dessert: 1590
g: 3
v: 2vg, 2-1/4vo, 1/2vd
f: 1-1/2
mi: 3
m: 5
o: 5
s: 140
gf: 22.3

sample day 2 >>
breakfast:
- 1 slice bacon (45)(1 o)
- 1 slice whole wheat (100)(1 g)(6gf)
- 1 tbsp jam (50)
- 1 cup skim milk (90)(1 mi)

snack:
- 1 apple, sliced (100)(1 f)(4.4gf)

lunch:
- 3 oz salmon (140)(3 m)
- 1 cup brown rice (200)(2 g)(3.5gf)
- 1 cup broccoli (60)(1 vdg)

snack:
- 1 orange, sliced (75)(1/2 f)(3.1gf)

dinner:
- 3 oz stuffed chicken breast w/ 1-1/2oz mozorella cheese, herbs (255)(3 m)(1 mi)
- 1 cup brown rice (200)(2 g)(3.5gf)
- 1 cup spinach (45)(1 vo)
- 1 cup skim milk (90)(1 mi)

total: 1450
g: 5
v: 1vdg, 1vo
f: 1-1/2
mi: 3
m: 6
o: 5
s: 0
gf: 20.5

sample day 3 >>
breakfast:
- 1 slice whole wheat (100)(1 g)(6gf)
- 1 tsp butter (35)(1 o)
- 1 cup skim milk (90)(1 mi)
- 1 banana (105)(1 f)(3.1gf)

snack:
- 1 apple (100)(1 f)(4.4gf)

lunch:
- spaghetti w/ pasta sauce (250)(1 g)(1/4 vo)
- 1 cup broccoli (60)(1 vdg)

snack:
- 1 orange, sliced (75)(1/2 f)(3.1gf)

dinner:
- 3 oz tilapia (150)(3 m)
- 1 cup brown rice (200)(2 g)(3.5gf)
- 1 green/red bellpeppers, cauliflower, snowpeas stir-fry (75)(1 vo)
- 1 cup skim milk (90)(1 mi)

total: 1330
g: 4
v: 1vdg, 1vo
f: 2-1/2
mi: 3
m: 5
o: 5
s: 0
gf: 20.5

happy birthday mark!

2009-01-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

Today's Mark's birthday. We all went out and had breakfast at IHOP. I of course got everything from bacons, sausages and eggs to hash browns and those yummy buttermilk pancakes with butter and syrup. Yes, the whole sha-bang! It was yummy, absolutely yummy. Now I like to think I'm good for the rest of the day. We'll see... I just feel so sluggish right now and super full.

Anyway, today's also weigh-in. Turned out I didn't lose any weight. Still 101.2lbs. So yes, that just means if I want to dip below 100, I have to try harder. We'll see. Good luck to me I guess. K, more later. :)

tomorrow's weigh-in day... yikes!

2009-01-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

Alright, I have to say straight up that I haven't been so good all week this past week. We'll see how that gets reflected tomorrow when I do my weigh-in. Hopefully it won't be too bad! Now I have to say, I did keep up with my running, running 3 times this past week like I have in previous weeks. The distance is pretty normal, your usual 3-4 miles, etc.

Anyway, tomorrow's Mark's birthday so we're all going out to breakfast. That should be good. Of course I already know I'm going to be bad at breakfast, feasting on 'em yummy pancakes, sausages, bacons, eggs, and you guessed it, hash browns! Seriously, I love American breakfast, especially when it comes from IHOP or Denny's. Dunno why, but just do. Now, if you ask me if I eat that kind of breakfast food at home I would say very rarely. It's just funny that I love diner breakfasts, etc... but when it comes to good ol' home cooking, especially with American breakfast meals (at home), it's awful. I rarely eat a normal breakfast... you know, whether it's eggs & bacons, sausages, pancakes, waffles, good ol' cereal, oatmeal, toast, etc., etc., you get what I'm trying to say here. Yes, I don't like breakfast food. I hate traveling and stopping at McD's during breakfast hours cuz they only serve breakfast food. I used to have to kind of starved myself cuz I couldn't eat/don't want to eat them anyway, breakfast food. It could just be that coming from an Asian background, especially my culture, we eat the same meal 3 times a day. I feel like it just feels me up more. I always tell my in-laws I could have my dinner for breakfast, or breakfast for dinner.. or lunch or whichever. It could be the same exact meal, twice or three times and I'll still be perfectly content with that! Now, if you ask me to eat cereal three times a day or something like that, no way! Let alone eggs & bacons, or toast or pancakes, etc... Lalalalala... I know I'm going on and on about this now. So enough of that.

So yes, tomorrow's breakfast at IHOP, for Mark's birthday. It should be great! I'm really looking forward to it. Now after that, for a late afternoon lunch/maybe early dinner (depends), I'm making my delicious baked garlic bbq chicken wings w/ sticky rice (maybe on the rice?!). Mark requested them, so I guess I will make it. They are absolutely delicious.. I'll see if I can take some pictures and post them up. What else? I don't know... maybe if the wings aren't enough, we'll have something else, and oh yes, of course, his favorite, good old-fashioned English style beer-battered homemade fish 'n chips... follow by a scrumptious birthday cake. That should be good enough. I know we're not totally celebrating his birthday tomorrow like we'd like to just cuz the girls won't be able to make it (more celebration to come later in the week when they're here)... but I just know it'll still be great!

Alright, enough said. I'm done. Oh yes, btw, ran two days in a row... taking a break tomorrow. Will probably run again on Tuesday or Wednesday. Dunno yet... still have two more run days to go this week. Should be fun. :)

OMG! who knew?!

2009-01-11T20:53:00.000-08:00

Mark and I finally did it! We ran from Peter's house all the way back to our house. The run was about 5.8 miles long and took us under an hour... 59:07 minutes to be exact! I'm so proud of us... now, we just have to run there and back and that would be another great accomplishment! :)

Anyway, the reason why it was so huge was the fact that there are these mountains between Peter's and our houses. Coming from Peter's house was tough cuz about 80% of the run was uphill and the last 20% downhill. Overall, I'm very proud. Before, seriously, the thought of running from here to there or there to here was such an awful thought. Now that we've done it, it doesn't seem so hard after all. Thing is, both Mark and I agreed that the run did not seem tough at all (okay... well, maybe a bit about 40% in, but overall it was okay)... we both felt like we could go on forever! Now, I honestly feel like I can so do that half-marathon now. Maybe I should start thinking about signing up for the SF Half-Marathon taking place this summer. Ahhh.. we'll see.. stay tune for this I guess. :)

Lalalalala.... one final note, it was just a bummer I couldn't record this great run on my iPod/Nike+ cuz I wore the wrong shoes! Can you believe it? I ran 5.8 miles in my casual Adidas sneakers. Hahahahaha.. yeah. It felt fine though.. Mark used to do it all the time when he first started running (cuz he didn't have any running shoes).. and it was fine. :)

Alright, more later.

so far, so good...

2009-01-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

I decided to measure my waistline just for the heck of it this morning and it read an inch less than it did when I measured it on Monday. So far, you can say I've lost an inch in my waistline. Who knew? But then of course, I don't know... it fluctuates all the time so I really don't know. I can't say it's a whole inch off for sure yet until I get a consistent reading on it days and weeks later. We'll see where it's at come this coming Monday and by the end of my whole 4-week challenge.

this is what i had for lunch today.. homemade! stir-fry lean ground pork w/ bell peppers & onions on brown rice... yummmy! :)

Anyway, I've been doing pretty good regarding my eating habits this week. Since the holidays have come and gone, I've really cut back on lots of sweets (of course, minus the Madeleine cookies earlier this week) and ice cream... or anything fattening. Take out foods are my weakness sometimes, but I'm doing okay with that at the moment. Of course, last night watching Top Chef, the thought of some fish tacos sounded delicious... but I didn't give in to the urge or cravings. Lalalalala.. one of these days, I'll get my fish tacos and eat it all and be just fine. :)

So yes, like I mentioned yesterday, Mark still needed to do his 3rd run this week. I said I wouldn't be able to if he was to do it yesterday cuz I ran like 9 miles already. Well, he ran last night... so of course, I couldn't. My legs were super sore after the run... it was crazy. But you know what? I feel so much better today already. Of course I'm giving my body a rest day. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Alright, that's all for now. :)

my longest run to date...

2009-01-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

..I tried, I really tried! I mean, I really tried to run 10 miles today, but I just couldn't... or more like gave in. I ran past Westlake on the way back and the thought of sitting down and having a nice cup of frozen yogurt was too good to pass up. That was after I've already ran almost 9 miles! So I decided that when my iPod/Nike+ thing tells me 9 miles, I would stop. And I did, then walk around the shops to cool down. I went into Trader Joe's first and grabbed myself a banana and some water. For some reason my body craves bananas after a long run or any run actually. Anyway, got that.. and seriously, gobbled it down in like 2 seconds. After that I made my way to the frozen yogurt shop. I guess at this point I could have passed up on the yogurt, but since it was the reason for my stop I decided I'll just have a bit. Well, all and all, I think I ate up as much calories as I've just burned from this run. I'm sure the banana and frozen yogurt w/ all the gummy bear, fresh fruit toppings and sprinkles made up for all the calories burned. Who knows! With the toppings and yogurt together my yogurt came up to .52lbs, so I don't know?!

Anyway, I'm just really proud of myself for actually just going out there and doing it. Of course the thought of any runs longer than 5 miles sounds dreadful, but to have actually done one pass 5 miles feels wonderful! I'm glad I did it... at least now I know how/what my body feels like after running 90+ mins. :)

So, I think I'm done w/ all the runs for this week. Today's run was run #3. But hmmm... maybe I'll run w/ Mark sometime this week to finish off his 3 runs... that is if it's tomorrow or Friday... well, before Saturday ends anyway. We'll see. I just know I won't be able to run again today because my legs are sooooo sore!

Alright, more later.

i ran almost 50 miles in december!

2009-01-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

That's right... almost 50 miles of running in the month of December! 48.97 miles to be exact! That's the most I've ever ran in a month... like ever! Well, actually, I know I used to do cross-country in high school running miles and miles a day, but I can't remember how much and how long. Anyway, I'm just super proud of myself. Now... goals for this year? To really just keep it up. Hopefully I'll run a few more miles extra this month than last month. Let's hope I do good. :)

So I've joined more challenges on the Nike+ website. There's a bunch of running challenges that users put on and you just join anyone you like. It's really cool in a way... cuz you get to see where you are and how far you've ran, etc... or where you place after the challenge's over. I can't believe I finished 146 out of 586 runners in the Healthy Holiday Challenge w/ my 48.97 miles. Of course the first place person ran like 527+ miles in the 31-day challenge... but that's okay, I'm never going to be a super long distance runner like him/her. I don't know, overall, I say it's pretty cool I guess. As much as I despise Apple sometimes... I can't say too much bad stuff about the iPod Nano and Nike+ running gadget. It's pretty neat cuz it helps me keep track of my runs and tells me how I'm doing when I'm running... so. :)

So far this week, Mark and I have put in our two runs (especially after tonight's quick run)... two down, just one more to go. We've decided that we'll run three times a week and do some cross training on the weekends. We'll probably go for a mini tennis match this weekend and/or a bike ride/hike. It all depends on how the weather is I guess. We'll see. :)

Oh, I know I've ran twice already this week... but maybe for some crazy reason I'll run again tomorrow. I've been pondering w/ this idea of doing the Lake twice. I hate loops, but hmmm... maybe I should just do it. I don't know... good luck to me?! Let's see if I do go out tomorrow and run... and not just run, but actually run 2 laps (which is about 9+ miles)! Ahhh! =/

Okay, more later. :)

my own personal 4-week challenge

2009-01-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

Yes, so it's the new year. Like everyone else vowing to lose weight, look better, etc etc, I've decided to give myself a four-week challenge. I really do hope I can stick with it... as that's always my problem. Everything's fine the first week or so... then of course comes week 2 or 3 and I get side track or distracted w/ other stuff. We'll see how this goes. :)

For now, here are my starting measurements:

weight: 101.4lbs
bust: 30"
abs: 26.5"
belly: 32"
below waist: 30.75"
hips: 33.5"
L thigh: 20.5"
R thigh: 20.25"
L calf: 13"
R calf: 12.75"
L arm: 9.75"
R arm: 9.8"
neck: 11.25"

I'm not super sure how accurately my arm measurements are... just cuz I did them myself and was having difficulties trying to get the tape measure to be in the correct place, read the measurements, etc... so... but I do hope that the measurement on it either improves or if it doesn't... that when I do look at myself in the mirror and even at my arms in person, it'll look good... I mean, notice a difference, somewhat. :)

Okay, so yes, today was the first day of this thing.. I did count my calories.. but of course, I'm already doing bad. I feel like I'm not quite 100% invested in this just yet.. especially when it comes to the eating part. It's so cold here, that I baked some cookies to keep the house warm. Madeleine cookies, that is. I asked for a Madeleine cookie pan this past Christmas and got it. I figured I attempt to bake some cookies. Of course the first batch was awful (just cuz it was too brown on the shelled side).. but the rest of the other batches turned out great. I think you just have to bake them for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees instead of 375 and you'll be just fine. For my last few batches I did them at 8 minutes at 350 and it turned out great. Bad thing about it all was, I "had to" test them to make sure they were all cooked through. That of course, led me to eating about six cookies. Oh well. Anyway, I'm running tonight w/ Mark so hopefully that will kind of make up for the six cookies. What a waste of calories huh? Each cookie had about 105 calories in it... oh well. Oh, for the recipe, you can go here.

Lalalalalalala... just an update, I don't think I'm doing the KP Half-Marathon come Feb. 1st. I haven't really trained for it. And right now the thought of running more than 6 miles isn't so appealing to me, let alone more than 5 miles. I know I still have until Friday or something to sign up for the race, but I really don't know. For me to really do that, I would have to attempt to run 13.1 miles sometime this week (raw) and do it under 3 hours to even register. Well, there's a backup.. and that's the 5K. I'll probably just do that... we'll see. The KP HM is a huge event, so it should be fun. We'll see.

Alright, more later. :)

OMG... double digits!

2008-12-29T09:43:00.001-08:00

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...

2008-12-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

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....

2008-12-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

...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.

2008-12-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-24T07:26:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

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?! =/

2008-11-10T10:06:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-10-24T14:59:00.001-07:00

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....

2008-10-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-07T10:08:00.001-07:00

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