Monday, March 31, 2008

Family Issues...

Ack! I swear I have been on the phone with one family member or another all freaking day today. Not because of any crisis, but because we're trying to plan Memorial Day weekend. And it is a royal pain in the boot-ay. So here's the situation - my dad and my stepmom and three stepsisters live in Texas, and we don't see them all that often. I've talked about my dad before but in case you don't remember I'll just say that he was kind of bitter after my parent's divorce and my mom's subsequent move to Colorado, so most of our interactions are laced with guilt and loathing. But on a very happy surface. Good times. Good times. I do love him, there are just a few issues.

Anyway, so last year my dad bought this place on a lake near Austin, and he was all "yeah, you guys can go anytime, it'll be great." So last year the boy, my sister and I all went down and spent a weekend on the lake with my dad and stepmom and a good time was had by all. And then this year rolls around and my sister, her BF (my B-in law, as you'll recall) and my husband all decided we wanted to go down there and bring along my husband's BFF and his wife (one of my BFF's) and it would be like a fun party on the lake type thing with the six of us.

Well I broached the subject with my dad in January, and he seemed a little hesitant at first, mostly because if we were coming to Texas, he wanted to see us. Well I suggested we all go to Midland first, spend a couple of days with him and the rest of the fam, and then we could the "kids" could all head to the lake and it would be all good. Well that seemed to be okay with him, but now that we're getting down to buying plane tickets he's kind of hemming and hawing and acting all weird about it, talking about going to Austin to show us how the boat works and maybe staying for the weekend and on and on.

I know he just wants to see us all, but frankly, hanging out with my dad for the weekend is not what our friends (who we've already invited) signed up for. But it is my dad's house, and with the guilt issues and what not, I can't exactly tell him "no, you can't come." So I did the next best passive aggressive thing and called my stepmom and told her how we were feeling and asked her to talk to him. The bottom line is, I love my dad and do want to see him, but he was just not part of my "party on the lake" vision.

So. Now that I've gotten that all out - here's the problem. My sister is now saying "I don't care if he comes" and I feel like I'm being the bitch. And it sucks. For some reason I am always the bitch. So what do you guys think? Should I just get over it and let dad horn in on the weekend?

I'm hopeful that my stepmom will know how to take the right path with him and it will be all good, but I'm just so damn concerned about hurting his feelings right now. It sucks. I'm 28 years old and all the sudden I feel like a blabbering baby idiot.

On the fitness front, I've had a great day and am planning to take it into the evening as well. I hit the gym for a cardio zone class - that's where you get on your cardio machine of choice (mine was the treadmill) and move the intensity up and down depending on what the instructor is telling you at any given time. I love it so much. I really push myself and burn a ton of calories, which is always a positive thing. I swear my face is still red and it's 5 hours later.

Tonight we're having a belated 30th birthday celebration with the boy's parents, but I know the menu where we're going and I've already made a choice - the orange-cranberry glazed chicken. Can't wait! Let's just hope I can control myself around any dessert that comes my way.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Tagged

So the lovely Kim tagged me a few weeks ago and I am a slacker, what can I say, but I decided this morning might be a nice time to share some random, non-important facts with you all. I have been contemplating doing one of those "100 things about me" posts for like 2 years but for some reason I'm not sure I can even come up with 100 things. We'll see if I can even come up with six things. Okay, so.

Here are the rules.

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Six non-important things about me:
1. I was born in Midland, TX - the very place the Bush's are from. But I moved when I was six, so I don't claim it. ;)
2. I always leave drawers/closets/cabinet drawers/the dishwasher just slightly open. It drives me husband nuts. But I say we have to set that shit free because if that type of thing ruins our marriage, that's just sad. It should at least be a major problem like his inability to pay any bill on time. But that's another story...
3. My little sister and my husband's little brother are dating. And they just moved in together. I don't think I've ever said that on this blog. But we all hang out together all the time, and it just happened. It was weird at first, but now I kind of like it. Makes hanging out with the fam much more bearable when my sister and I can give each other sideways glances.
4. Speaking of in-laws, mine make their broccoli casserole with breadcrumbs (like for Thanksgiving, etc.). I find that to be totally weird. My family always made broccoli casserole with rice. Either way I think broccoli casserole is gross. Just give me the broccoli alone thank you very much.
5. I barely ever shave my legs. Like maybe once a week, or in the height of the summer, maybe every 3 days. I'm blonde, my hair is fine, you can barely notice it and I just don't feel the need. I'm over it.
6. My little dog - I've always called him the dogger here - his name is Saucer. I don't know why I named him that. People always ask me. I tell them that was just his name when I got him. It just seemed like that's what I should call him. But when people hear me talking to him on the street, half the time they think I'm saying Salsa. And I hate that. I did give my dog a silly name. But dammit it's not Salsa.



I'm supposed to tag people now but I think I'll just say tag to everyone - go for it. It's kinda fun!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Transportation

The whole slow carb thing is going well, but not exactly as planned. Of course I should know that because nothing in my life ever goes exactly as planned, but it is what it is. I'm actually sort of bored out of my skull a tiny bit right now because I'm stuck in my house, carless and the dog can only go on so many walks. And today is supposed to be my weights day and I wanted to go the gym, but I guess I may have to improvise and do some sort of bodyweight workout or something. Or maybe I'll see if there are any yoga workouts on TV or something.

The good news is, I'm supposed to be getting a rental car either tonight or tomorrow (apparently my car needs an entirely new engine, thank god they are paying for it, but I guess that takes a while to repair so they will be giving me a car.) It's weird not having a car though, because Denver is such a car city. I mean it's not terrible, I could probably get on without one, but I'd have to do a little more planning in advance.

Our public transportation is just not up to par with some other cities. Now I know Denver is nowhere near the size of DC (in population of course, not actual area because DC is tiny) but when I lived in DC I never drove anywhere. I always walked, or took the metro, or the bus. It was great. I never had to worry about my car if happy hour went a little long (which it often did) and I never thought twice about trying to find a parking space or any of that other lame crap that comes with driving. And - I was saving the earth. Yay!

The whole public transportation thing was sort of a novelty to me when I moved to DC because I grew up in a southern suburb of Denver and the closest I had ever been to a bus was to look at the side of one. Taking the bus just wasn't really something people did. There were barely any routes, and the ones they did have meant it took forever to get anywhere. And then I went to college in Boulder, and we did have buses there, but they didn't really seem like buses because everything in Boulder is just so pretty and clean and sparkly and I swear it's not even a real city. The people who live there are robots. They call it the Republic of Boulder for a reason.

So yah, when I got to DC I was all excited by the metro and I rode it everywhere and I loved coming down the tunnel. It just made me feel so urban! grown up! and smart! And looking back, it wasn't really all that great, but without a car this day, I'd give anything to have a little train right down to my gym so I could go, instead of surfing the net and hoping there's a yoga show On Demand. I guess if I was being really fit and all that I could just run the three miles down there, but it's rainy here today, and I'm a baby, and I don't wanna. So I guess I'll just sit here a little while longer.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Slow Carb

Whirlwind traveling means I'm not a very good blogger doesn't it? Where to begin? Well Vegas was incredible - hubby and I had an amazing time together and we really went all out. We did not even come close to winning any money, sadly quite the opposite, but we just had so much fun together. We stayed at the new Palazzo hotel, which is connected to the Venetian if you guys know Vegas. It just opened in December and since we went mid-week, we were able to get a pretty darn good rate. The pool and the spa there still aren't open, but we were able to walk over to the Venetian's facilities and use them, which was really nice.

I didn't do great with food, but I didn't do terribly either. I ended up eating lunch a couple of days at the Canyon Ranch Spa Cafe, both times after good workouts, and the food was amazing. It was so nice to see a menu with all healthy options and know the nutrition facts were right there in front of me. I loved it. The food was ridiculously overpriced as it usually is in hotels like this, but I was so happy to be able to sit and enjoy some yummy organic iced tea and eat a whole wheat BBQ chicken wrap and cucumber salad and know everything I was putting in my mouth was fresh, nutritious and all around good for me.

Now all of that may or may not have been negated by the giant fudge cake thingy we had to celebrate my husband's 30th b-day, but it doesn't matter because it was perfect and fun and really it's all good. After about four hours of sleep on Friday night, we returned home on Saturday morning, where I immediately started doing laundry and preparing for the party our best friend's were having for yet another celebration. I did manage to sneak in a nap before picking up the chocolate chip cookie cake (what can I say, the man has the food preferences of a six-year-old) and heading to the party. We had such a great time with our friends, playing Rock Band and generally lamenting this new "grown-up" phase that is going to be our 30's (although I've still got two years before I get there).

I had Sunday at home to prep for my newest project - a modified "slow-carb" diet for the next couple of weeks - more on that in a few. Then Monday my girlfriend and I headed to the mountains for two days of snowboarding (she's a teacher on spring break). I got home last night and played trivia at the local pub, but I'm proud to say that I've been sticking to my plan and I think I'm going to have a very sucessful week. I am looking forward to a couple of days at home though - this running around has me exhausted!

So what is this slow carb diet? Tim Ferriss has had a post up about how to lose 20 lbs of fat in 30 days for some time now, and I've looked at it I don't know how many times, but it just seemed pretty daunting to do something that extreme. But I decided to bite the bullet and go for it, albeit with some modifications. Frankly this is more of a core/South Beach/Body For Life thing than what Tim outlines, but I don't expect to lose 20 lbs in 30 days either - I know myself and I know what's realistic for me.

The bottom line is that I'm trying to avoid sugar, white flour and anything else that is going to spike my blood sugar and I'm trying to mix protein and a slow carb, like beans, with veggies in all of my meals. I had a great day doing it on Sunday, and then Monday and Tuesday were difficult because I was on the mountain most of the day, but I did my best and I'm down about 2.5 lbs since Sunday (which means I lost that Miami weight, gained some back, and lost most of it again). I know most of that is probably just water weight and bloat from my trip to Vegas, but I'm confident I'm going to see some good movement on the scale in the next couple of weeks, which is sadly more than I can say for most of this year. No more of this up and down crap!

On that note, I'm off for a run, even though I'm super sore from snowboarding. Just trying to get the muscles loose I guess and then it's coffee with one of my dearest friend's from high school who is in town for a few days. I can't wait! Hope everyone is having a great week so far! I hope to catch up on your blogs tonight!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Vegas!

Quick note to say goodbye - hubby and I leave for Vegas tomorrow morning! Woo hoo! This past weekend was incredibly difficult, and I have no doubt Vegas will be even harder. I'm seriously contemplating a major dry out when I return - but more on that next week. In the meantime, I'm just going to do the best I can and enjoy my vacation with my husband.

Have a great week and weekend everyone!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Travel

Thank goodness - the scale is on the way back down. I don't know if I'll actually lose lose any weight by next week, but hopefully I can at least drop that icky 3 lb gain. Yesterday was great - I had lunch with my mom and got the Miso Sea Bass - yummy.

Then I went to the dentist, which I do not love, but the cleaning was relatively painless and no cavities, so I feel pretty good about that trip. My afternoon was spent coordinating the one million trips and weddings my husband and I have coming up, including:

  • Vegas next Wednesday - Friday for his 30th b-day
  • Copper Mountain in two weeks for a friend's engagement party (this is just one night)
  • Beaver Creek in April for another friend's wedding (weekend)
  • Vegas again for me for yet another friend's bachelorette party (I'm a bridesmaid in this one - eek!)
  • Austin (Lake LBJ actually) over Memorial Day with our best "couple friend" to celebrate their 30ths!
Whew! That is a lot of traveling, not too mention some majorly big traveling we might be doing this summer (more on that in a couple of weeks probably). Luckily my husband flies so much for work we have a ton of frequent flier miles, and we're only paying to stay in hotels on two of these trips, so hopefully they won't put too big of a dent in our bank account.

What I'm a little worried about is the dent they may put in my eating plan, or more than likely, the girth they may add to my waist. Traveling is always hard on me; I seem to revert back to my childhood eating patterns of just eating whatever the hell I want and thinking I'll fix it "when I get back." But that of course has not worked for me in the past, so I'm going to try to figure out a new way to approach traveling.

I thought I did that last week in Miami, but clearly the results on the scale showed otherwise. So for Vegas next week, instead of just trying to do okay most of the time and then blowing it, I'm going to give myself permission to go crazy for one meal, but that is it! Otherwise, I'm on program and I'm focused toward my goal. I know I won't have any trouble getting workouts in, so that's good at least.

On that note, I'm off to the gym, and then to volunteer in a friend's first grade class. Have a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Weigh In

The weigh in this morning was not good. Up 3 lbs. I have no idea why. Okay that's bullshit I actually do know why - it's because I ate like crap in Miami, but seriously, not bad enough for 3 lbs. And I was actually 1.5 lower than what I am today yesterday so I've got to think that some of that is sodium, water retention etc. but I'm just going to record it and move on. Ugh.

The good news is, I've had a really great couple of days. Planning out all of my meals, sticking to my plan and getting my workouts in. I even used that frozen turkey meat for tacos last night (thus the sodium thing) and got a few other things crossed off of my list as well. I started doing the research for a doctor and am a little overwhelmed at all of the options, so I may just have to close my eyes and point and hope for the best, but I think we'll be okay.

It's supposed to be another beautiful day here so I'm going to go hit the pavement with the doggie and enjoy the sun before the snow comes back (which it's supposed to later this week). Lunch is going to be a simple sweet potato, salad and cottage cheese (mainly because I bought these sweet potatoes and I keep not eating them and I need to eat them). Then I'll probably have yogurt for a snack. The most difficult part of my day will be dinner because I'm off to my weekly Wednesday girl's dinner, but I already know we're having a shrimp pesto gnocchi from an old issue of Cooking Light, and I'm just going to stick to ONE glass of wine and skip the bread. I will skip the bread. I will skip the bread. Say it after me I will skip the bread. I don't need bread if I'm going to be eating gnocchi for dinner.


Well that's it for me today. Hope you all have a great one.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Things I Need to Do to Feel Successful

Okay so since I'm not working right now, and especially since I was in Miami last week, I've been feeling a little slothful and just generally like I'm not getting things completed as well as I'd like to. This is going to be kind of a boring post, but just to keep me accountable, I've decided I need to list out here the things I'd like to do to help me feel successful this week. Getting back on the right food track this weekend didn't go exactly as I'd planned after an impromptu dinner invite from friends last night, so the first part of that is planning my meals.

So this week I'd like to:
  • Plan my meals every day and track my food!
  • Get a workout in at least four out of five weekdays, including 3 strength days and 120 minutes of cardio
  • Incorporate veggies into both lunch and dinner every day
  • Take the dog on at least a 30 minute walk every morning
  • Clean both bathrooms
  • Dust and mop all hardwood floors
  • Put the Honda on Craig's list
  • Use the turkey in the freezer for at least one meal
  • Go through the mail every day and get all bills paid on time and quickly
  • Buy N. a shower gift
  • Find doctor and schedule physical for hubby
Okay looking through it this is not a lot - it should be fairly easy to accomplish. It just feels good to get it all written down and out of my head!

On a side note - my husband is turning 30 next week and he doesn't have a general physician, but I think this might be a good time for him to get a basic physical and just make sure everything is working properly and all of that. He seems perfectly healthy, but you never know right? The problem is - I have no idea how to find him a good doctor. I'm sure our insurance company has some recommended physicians so I'm going to try to check that out, but if anyone knows any good sites or anything like that I'd love to know.

So as part of my promise to plan my meals, I'm going to do it here today.

Breakfast (already had it) - Kashi Vive cereal w/ half a banana and skim milk
Lunch - spinach salad w/ homemade baked chicken strips, walnuts, cucumbers, carrots, craisins and light dressing
Snack - Fage w/ honey
Dinner - sweet potato gnocchi w/ sage and asparagus

Have a great day everyone!

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Sunday Brunch

Oh my lord. Paula Deen is trying to kill us all. She is making fried bacon wrapped macaroni and cheese right now. Wow.

Anyway, I was up and at 'em early this morning but it's my day off from working out, so I flipped on Food Network to see what was up. I swear I love food porn so much. I guess that makes me a stereotypical fat girl doesn't it?d Whatever I don't care. I'm just exploring my newfound cooking skills right now so it's fun to see what I can come up with.

This morning I made the hubby and I a nice Sunday brunch - coffee, scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese, strawberries, and some cinnamon toast. Yum. I haven't had cinnamon toast since I don't even know when. It was quite delicious and healthy and well balanced in terms of nutrition.

Today we're heading to REI to check out some snowboarding equipment and then I guess we're just chillaxing the rest of the day. Short post, but I just wanted to check in and say hi. Hope you're all having a nice weekend!

ETA: Here is Paula's recipe. Insanity I tell ya.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Welcome to Miami

Hi! Sorry I've been MIA this week. I unexpectedly got to go to Miami with my husband on a business trip! W00t!

He had to go for a conference, so the hotel was free, and then we used frequent flier miles for my ticket, so it was ALL GOOD. Too bad the hotel totally sucked. Well not really sucked but it was quite shabby. So I spent all day Monday flying because I had to connect and yadda yadda and then Tuesday and Wednesday chilling at the pool/working out/EATING and then we came home today.

The good news is - I did get some hardcore workouts in, but the bad news is that I ate more than enough to compensate. Way more than enough. Eating out every single meal is just freaking difficult. I brought granola bars for breakfasts and nuts for snacks, but other meals weren't so hot. Eh, it is what it is and I'm back on track.

We woke up at 4:45 ET this morning to catch our plane, which means 2:45 MT, so I'm super duper tired today, but I sucked it up and went to the grocery store this afternoon to stock up for the week. We're going to Vegas in two weeks for my husband's 30th birthday, so for the next two weeks I'm going to try to stick to a fairly strict plan for the next two weeks and see if I can get back in the swing of things prior to our trip. First stop - trainer tomorrow.

I'm so sorry I haven't been around to comment on your blogs - I'm trying to catch up though so know I'm reading! Hope everyone is well!