Revelations

• Starting a new job is far less glamorous and more stressful than I expected. Which was naive of me really. I figured I'd just get in there and after a few days be adjusted comfortable. And here we are three weeks later and I'm just starting to feel adjusted. Which I need to convince myself is okay, and they aren't going to fire me because I'm not "catching on" fast enough. They knew my experience, and have been nothing but nice and helpful, and keep on saying how it will take me awhile for it to "click". My last job was incredibly straight forwarded and easy, and required little thinking, which is why I ended up wanting to leave. Either way, I'm hoping to have more clarity and feel a bit more comfort by the end of this week. I know, it all comes with time :-)
•  I should never drink 2 bottles of wine and then play beirut. It's just so not a good idea at all and leads to me not remembering from 11-1 of my own party. 
• Attempting to run caused my hip to flare up. I am not going to try running for a long while. That isn't however an excuse to not work out at all. I'm giving myself a pass this week, I think it's good for me to take 2 weeks off, (this is week 2), take a break, and rest myself. Starting this weekend though, I'm back on track and really working at it.
• Did I eat great this weekend? Nope, but I tracked everything, and wasn't terrible (besides friday haha). And this week I have turkey and cheese sandwiches and a pasta bake planned, with yogurt and cereal for breakfast. And a meal plan for dinner each night. 

Monday- Buffalo chicken and BBQ chicken rolls from emilybites.com
Tuesday- Fire and Ice
Wednesday- Taco Salad
Thursday-  Steak and Cheeses
Friday- Redbones BBQ!
Saturday- unsure

Not too shabby, huh?

Picture Perfect saturday

Walking to my office, <3 my new commute

Stacked Veggie Enchilada. I will say it, it's just as good as a real enchilada, and so much less work!

Rotisserie chicken- Dinner of Champions, or just those with bum hips and are in desperate need of some comfort food

homemade healthy mashed potatoes- the paprika made it so delicious

What's Cooking Wednesday

West African Peanut Soup 
adapted from 110pounds.com

Ingredients:
 -

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 cup cooked, diced chicken breast

2/3 cup onion, diced

1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 cups free-range chicken broth

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

1 large can stewed tomatoes

1/2 cup peanut butter(we didn't have cashew butter)

1/2 Cup mixed pepper strips

-

complete with the directions via kindle!

How To Make It:

-Heat Sesame oil in a large pot. Add onions and saute. When onions are almost cooked through, add peppers. Cook until onions are clear.

-Add all seasonings, cook for one minute more, and then add Chicken breast, garlic, chicken broth, tomato paste, tomatoes, and peanut butter.

-stir until completely combined, cook until full heated, about 10 -15 minutes for us

I forgot what "busy" feels like

For real. My last job? There was very little internet restriction (and when I say little I mean facebook. That's it everything else is fair game) And while I was busy, I had little accountability on a daily basis, so as long as everything is in by the end of the day/week, I was good. I left because there's a reason I was scanning the internet for something interesting on a daily basis, but it's still taking some getting used to.

Anyways, I survived my first week. I forgot how draining training is. A good draining, I thinking, but draining nonetheless. I can't wait till I'm trained and doing things on my own, and don't have to constantly refer to others for work to do. It's exhausting :)

While I survived my first week, my hip did not. Part of my new commute is commuting by train, and walking 10 minutes to the train in the mornings, and back home again in the evenings. Which is great, it's like an automatic 20 minutes of pure exercise every day, but at the same time, it took some getting used to,  and combined withe me trying running again on Tuesday (stupid Marie), my hip was killing me again by Friday, with pain radiating down my leg into my heel. Yikes. It goes without saying that my weekend was low key, lots of lying, icing, and heating. Sunday I did nothing at all and it was glorious to just lie on my couch.

I definitely didn't have a great week last week. I nervous ate, and that combined with not having a steady snack drawer, and eating out a lot (In my defense, it hasn't been out of laziness, but more because I have been trying to be social and get to know my group better), and drank more than I should have Thursday night. Not so great, especially on Friday morning. Ahh well, you only live once, right? I didn't use my awful eating as an excuse to go wild, and fall completely off. I was mindful, but not fantastic. I had a lot on my mind last week, and am giving myself a freebie, especially since my hip acted up and I couldn't work out to relieve stress. I need to find another way though :)

I'm focusing on being better. I ate out today, but went with pizza  (At least eating out isn't overly expensive since there is so much competition downtown), and for the rest of the week have my meals portioned out. And I have tons of fruit and veggies for snacks, and some other snacks as well, so I'm in good shape.  I am taking this week off working out (to help my hip get better. I'm at 85% right now),and even though I want to get back into it, I know it's for the best. I am signing up this weekend for the pool. I went down today to inquire and learn more about it (times, prices, etc), and it seems like a great deal, and a really nice place. I think sticking to swimming, hiking, walking, and maybe biking if I suck it up and buy one, I should be able to get into a rhythm.

I didn't even bother weighing in last week. I knew it wouldn't be good news, and to be honest, I had a rough week and used food to get me through it. I hate that I can't work out regularly, it really did help me so much as far as getting in control of my feelings and not letting stuff get to me. Sigh, hopefully this is the end of that, and I plan on starting to weigh in regularly going forward, even though I know this week won't be great, since I can't get any activity in. That's life, I need to stop saying "I had a bad week,  I'll weigh in next", because we all know how that goes.

I'll post more once I'm into a normal schedule :) I plan on doing a picture post tomorrow, with a recipe I made last night (That's right, remember my schedule? bahaha)

First Day Jitters

For the first time in 2.5 years, I won't be getting in my car tomorrow and driving to work. Instead I'll be getting dressed up and taking the train downtown to start my new job. I'm excited, I know it will be great for me, and everything else, but it's strange. I fear change, it's why it took me so long to admit that I wasn't happy at my current job, and try and make the change. All new people, no comfort zone, that ish is scary.

But I know, ultimately, I'll find my bearings, get adjusted and eventually feel assured. I'll get to know my coworkers and those around me, and everything will feel less foreign.


In the meantime, my goal is to not eat my feelings. :-)  Because when I'm uncomfortable or scared, I tend to do that. This weekend was decent as far as my goals went. I went out for a drink after work Friday, which turned into 3 drinks. And I kept on going when I got home, so not a great day. Saturday I did go for a hike with Matt and Toby, which was fun, and made a delicious breakfast which consisted of 1 egg, 1 egg white, homemade hash browns, 1 piece of toast and a half of an irish banger(they were huge!). It was amazing and totally hit the spot. I loved getting up early, going grocery shopping at Trader Joes and then coming home and making breakfast, I felt so accomplished haha.

I then babysat my life away, which is nothing new. The little guy whispered he loved me, which broke my heart into a million pieces :)

This morning I woke up, babysat, and then went to our friend's baby shower. It was so hot out today! The shower was great, they got a ton of awesome stuff for their future little girl, and I did well with limiting myself. When I wanted to go back for seconds, I opted for salad instead, and kept myself to 2 cake pops. So it was a successful party. I didn't overlimit myself, but I didn't overindulge either.

My goal for this week is to stick to my plan. Tomorrow I'm taking left overs with me, and then making a buffalo chicken chili for most of the rest of the week! Between that, deli meat and left overs, we should be all set. Here's my dinner plan:

M- Fish sandwiches- I am having mine without bread, but with homemade fries :)
T- chicken korma, made by my darling boyfriend
W-Stacked veggie enchilada
Th- Out for a happy hour thing, with free food! I'm going to stick with the pizza :)
Friday- Chicken parm crescents

I also plan on hitting the gym on my way home Tuesday, and maybe Wednesday, and I'm doing a circuit tomorrow night at home, and taking Thursday off, putting me at 4 days of workouts, which I'm good with. I don't have huge expectations, it's my first week of work, I don't want to be overly tired.

I did however, buy a fancy workout bathing suit this week, and plan on going to the gym up the street and joining this weekend :)

Happy Sunday! Wish me luck for tomorrow :-)

Crazy week

Ok So I did not stick to my plan. Whateverr I did my best. I for the most part stayed in my target range, and didn't overeat at all. My workout schedule didn't go as planned, but I'm okay with that. Life gets in the way sometimes, and that's okay. The important part is that I don't get off track, right?

My eating stayed on track, and I did hit the gym last night, and did a mini workout tonight, so that's okay. Monday and Tuesday night I had mystery shops to do post work, and even without the gym I didn't get home till 8, so it was definitely not happening. And then tonight I forgot both my sports bra and my headphones. I'm excited to quit my gym and join the one up the street, so I won't be able to use that excuse anymore :-)

Tomorrow is my last day at work. It's definitely bittersweet. I know it's for the best, and going to be a great move for me career wise, but I'm sad to leave, and just training someone else in my job has made me oddly protective of the duties that have irked me so much over the past 2.5 years. I also hate change, and the idea that this time next week I have no idea what life is going to be like for me (work wise anyways) scares me. But that's part of growing up, right?

I got a busy weekend ahead of me as well. I'm babysitting Saturday night, and then Sunday I have babysitting, then a baby shower, and then babysitting again 430-8. Lots of kids this weekend :) And I have to grocery shop, clean, and plan on getting my hike on during the 70 degree weather on Saturday :)

So my plan? Here we go:
Friday night: ground turkey tacos
Saturday:
Breakfast- hash browns, eggs, sausage
Dinner-"fried chicken"
Sunday-
eat at the baby shower
unsure for dinner, probably stop at home before I get back to my apartment.

I'm hoping to get my hiking in on Saturday, and then Sunday maybe get a quick workout in between the baby shower (it's over around 3 so I'll have enough time for at least a 30 minute workout) . And I'm getting up early (I know, I always say that) tomorrow to get a quick workout in as well. So hopefully this weekend goes as planned. Either way my idea of having a nice relaxing weekend before I start my new job went out the window. Thankfully I did most of my shopping already :)

Changes

So this is my last week at my current job. Kind of bittersweet in a way. Everyone I've told her has basically said they understand (besides my bosses, they were upset, which I get. My job isn't that complex, but its a lot of work, and I guess everyone who's done it before has made a ton of mistakes and been unreliable, so they are sad to see me go, because apparently there isn't another "me" out there. Which was nice to hear), because there is no growth here. And there really isn't, at least not in the sense of promotions and the like. They add more work on, and give me yearly raises, but it's too small of a company to really grow in, if that makes sense. So I'm excited to move somewhere where my job won't be AP/AR centric, and has the possibility to grow. But I hate change, and the past month has been so stressful. With interviewing, and then getting my references together, and then freaking out about telling my work (because I was freaking out. I didn't sleep well for weeks with the idea of that pending!) It's scary, but I know it'll be good for me to go outside my shell and try something new. And if I hate it, I always have to ability to go back to working for a smaller company, but it's harder to move to a big company from a smaller company, if that makes sense. So well see.

The best part of all this is I have a completely valid excuse to go shopping and spend a large amount of money :) My current job is casual, which most days means jeans and a tee, not exactly dressing to impress. I'm excited to have an excuse to get an adults wardrobe. My new job is business attire, so the past 2 weeks (since I've given my notice) I've been searching for deals (I'm still living on a budget!). Here's what I've found so far:

2 pairs of shoes at DSW- a pair of low heels and a pair of wedges, total: 50.00
7-10 tops, a pair of black pants, a dress, 2 cartigans, a belt at the Gap Outlet: 129.00 (marked down from around 250 before a gift card and coupon. Woo hoo!)
a dress (which doesn't fit me yet), 2 black skirts, a blouse: 70
2 nice dresses and 1 blouse from target: 50.00
I also plan to hit up Marshalls this weekend and get one more pair of nice heels, and another dress skirt/blouse:  Est 70

All in all I've spent almost 300 over the past few weeks on clothes, and will probably spend about 100 more. But with this I plan on going through my closet this weekend and donating everything that doesn't fit me/I don't wear anymore. Including shoes. 300 for basically an entire new wardrobe ain't too shabby, in my books :-P Oh and the best part? Everything I've bought has been M-L size, or a 14. Which is just exciting. I have to say the best feeling ever is trying on a dress at the gap and having the large absolutely fall off of you :-)  It really motivated me, and made me feel good about my progress, even if I've been stalled with my weight loss lately.

Speaking of, I decided to go back to my fitness pal again. Don't beat me with a stick yet, I know this is only the 0297150857165 time I've flipped flopped. What It comes down to, is I was looking to blame my lack of weight loss on something, when the real reason is me. I haven't been working hard enough, I've been cheating too often, and I'm not going to lose that way. So I'm done complaining. When it comes down to ti, I got to 192 with MFP, and can get back to that (and lower) again. I really hate how weight watchers makes splurges so costly. I want to be able to have a glass of wine at night and not hate myself for it, or feel like I'm sabotauging. I feel like counting calories allows me to have 1-2 of something, and still have a good day. Plus I'm cheap, and don't see the point in spending the money on weight watchers when after 3 months I'm right where I started. So here we go, round 2.

Meal plan for the week:
Breakfast: Yogurt and cereal, or Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins from Emily Bites
Lunch- Left overs from Easter, Skinny Taste Chicken Taco Chili
Dinner:
Monday- Asian Cheeseburger Skillet, made by Matt, and was amazzing
Tuesday- Meatballs and Raviolis
Wednesday- On the run, undecided
Thursday- Mexican, maybe tacos or enchiladas, I'm undecided
Friday- Zesty Chicken Drumsticks
Saturday- "Buffalo Fried Chicken"

Workout Plan:
Monday- off, wasn't feeling Great
Tuesday- 20 minutes strength after dinner
Wednesday- Workout after work and before babysitting
Thursday- Walking at the gym, strength
Friday- strenght workout in the AM
Saturday- hiking!

Back in the saddle! I am happy to announce my hip feels 100%, lets hope it stays this way!

Keeping Up Fridays

Weight Loss Results- 0.00- 197.0

Could. Have. Been. Worse. I had a jelly bean meltdown at babysitting on Wednesday. I'll share, because looking back it's kind of funny.

So Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights I help out with this church group in their Kids church. It's normally 2-5 kids, including the pastor's daughter, who is a little devil. She can be so mean when shes cranky and tired, and then so sweet like she was on Wednesday night. We were making easter baskets out of coffee filters, and I let them cut the edges "all by themselves" with kid safe scissors.

I was helping the other little girl there, and look down for 10 seconds. BIG MISTAKE. The girl cut a large chunk of hair off, and was just standing there, holding it in her hand. I freaked out, (not yelling more like Oh My God your mom is going to kill me) and she started crying because her mom was going to be mad. I had to calm her down, so I gave her some candy, and we talked about why you DON'T do that. But the entire 2nd hour I was there, I was freaking out, and just popping jelly beans and skittles.

The dad ended up coming in the relieve me, and wasn't mad at all. Apparently she does stuff like this all the time, and when I think about it, I'm pretty sure all my sisters and I cut our hair at some point in childhood haha.But seriously, stuff like that only happens to me :)

Anyways, between that and work being stressful (note-its really awkward working after you give your two weeks! Especially if they are having trouble replacing you), I have indulged in ice cream a lot. And beer last night (only one full one, the 2nd Matt and I split). But I've been mindful of my servings and everything, I need to find a way to manage my stress Without eating. Gah.

On a super positive note, I have managed to get in 20 minutes of strength every day this week except Wednesday. And the only reason it didn't happen Wednesday is because my neck hurt from Tuesday, and I didn't want to mess with that. I also made it to the gym 2X this week, burning 600 and 400 calories respectively. Not where I used to be at, but definitely on the right path. My goal for next week is 2X at the gym(maybe 3 if it's too cold on Sunday to hike), Get there Tuesday and Thursday night again. And Maybe walk on my break next week if it's going to be nice (Its supposed to be) And keep up with the strength training. It's amazing how good it feels, and how empowered I feel afterwards. I did it this morning, and it just made my entire day that much better :-)

Happy Weekend!

Monday Meal Plan and Goals For April

Happy Monday! I'm in an unprecedented good mood today, so lets keep this rolling.
 I'm still failing at making a chart, so my meal plan will be bullet points AGAIN. Sorry

-Breakfast this week will be a mix of egg on toast and yogurt and cereal. Fancy, I know
-Lunch this week is Sandwiches (turkey today, chicken salad tomorrow and Wednesday), and a Pasta bake for the last two days.

And Dinners :
Monday- Spaghetti with meatsauce and summer squash (because I need to eat it up), salad
Tuesday - Veggie Lo Mein (homemade)
Wednesday- Shredded Chicken Fajitas using the chicken from the rotissiere we bought yesterday (6 bucks for a full chicken. We pull it apart and have meals galore!)
Thursday- Cheesy Stuffing Chicken from Emily Bites (which was supposed to happen last week)
Friday- Fish Tacos

Not too shabby huh? I'm excited for dinners this week!

Since last month was kind of a wash with my hip, I'm starting over this month. New goals:
Earn 60 APs
Stick to Dailies 4/7 days
Focus on GHGs
Get in Activity 5/7 days

Totally Achievable, and honestly? I'm hoping to exceed most of them (Although the APs might not happen) So we'll see! Not much going on this week. Tomorrow night I am finally seeing The Hunger Games. I'm going to die of happiness. Other than that, trying to get my workouts in, cleaning, and babysitting. Such is my life :)

New Month, New Thoughts

So to start, confession time:

3/30/12 Weigh In: +2.0

Well that's that, I had a bad week. I started my new week with a cinnamon chip scone, which is really all I have to say, haha. I knew I wasn't going to have a good weigh in, I had sort of expected the gain with my eating  last weekend (ok week) and the lack of exercise thanks to my hip. I'm happy to report that my hip is feeling really good, and I'm planning on getting back into a routine this week. I came up with a circuit of sorts, with a main focus on core moves and upper body, with a few lower body moves thrown in. I think it will help me get back into my regular workouts, which will make everything just ten times better.

I hope, anyways.

I also decided this week, that I am going to try alternative workouts for awhile It may be a bit before I can run again regularly (and I'm pretty sure it was a lot of elliptical that messed my hip up in the first place. That hurt so much more than running ever did) and I can't let my weight loss be deterred. There is a community pool right near my apartment, and I think swimming would be a fun thing to try. I also want to get more into classes (zumba, kick boxing, spin), and maybe even biking. And of course with the nice weather, I'll be hiking a ton this summer, and not spending my time coped up in a gym.

I spent a lot of time thinking last night, because with an impending new job (!!! yes I can finally say it. My background check is almost done, and I get my offer letter in the mail tomorrow. I got it emailed to me last week but I think they held it until everything was done), I'm not going to be near a gym, so the community center (which in addition to a pool has a gym and classes!) would be a great transition for me to make, since It's on my way home, and give me more options than planet fitness does. So Once I get adjusted, and my contract runs out, that's my plan :-). I also thought about my eating habits, and how they differ now compared to a year ago. They aren't as good, plan and simple. I snack more, eat more sweets, and don't limit myself as much as I used to. And I'm happy to report that all weekend, I've focused more on my hunger signals (even being incredibly hungover on Saturday), and besides eating some of my sisters amazing desserts tonight, I've done well today too!.

And, I spent a half hour working on creating a strength routine. Which felt great, and I am planning on doing it everyday this week, either before work or directly afterwards.

I'll post my monthly goals and mealplan tomorrow, I gotta tweak it a bit :-)