A case of the wednesdays

Do you ever wake up and think "this is a terrible day already"? I rarely do, mostly because I am a morning person and every new day brings new possibilities. But this morning was different. When I zonked out last night with my earplugs in and sleep mask on, I set my alarm for 5 am. When I woke up this morning I was wondering why it was bright outside and I didn't hear my alarm. Well, mystery solved, because it was 8am. I hate not being able to workout before school, I wore my hair in a bun, I was 5 minutes late to my first class. One of those days.

What I ate-
Breakfast-
pumpkin oatmeal
coffee
total- 6 points

Lunch-
Salad w/ 2oz. steak and 1/4 c. blue cheese
banana
total- 4 points

Pre workout snack-
carrots and grapes
0 points

Pre dinner snack-
greek yogurt
total- 3 points

* I've been reluctant to buy greek yogurt after trying and hating the Trader Joes brand, but I decided to give this one a try and it is super good. And it has double the protein of a normal yogurt. Yum

Dinner
tangerine and fish cooked in parchment paper
start by layering 4 oz. thinly sliced purple peruvian potatoes
then add thinly sliced onion


add the fish filet- season with salt and pepper and evoo

wrap up and bake
Confession- this was the first time I've ever cooked fish and it was super easy. A big step on the road to recovery for this former vegetarian :)
total-
6 points

Workout of the day:
The best way to let go of a bad day is to work it off at the gym
4.1 mile run
** this was my goal for the week! The body, much like individuals is capable of incredible things if given the opportunity
And a yoga class :)

After dinner snack-
2 pretzel rods
1 tbsp peanut butter
total- 5 points

"Partner let me upgrade ya..."

Weight Update- Down another 2.2 pounds.
Total= 44 pounds!!!!

This is a huge accomplishment, I only have 10.6 pounds to go to meet my goal before Christmas!!!

I felt it was only appropriate to celebrate a little bit, and buy myself a new pair of running shoes. My old ones have holes in them and are no longer supporting my feet like I need them too. I have been conscious of this for about a week, yet have really drug my feet because I didn't want a new pair of shoes to mess with my running mojo. So, 3 stores later (really, lady foot locker. You can't carry 2 of the most popular pairs of shoes in the most common size? grrr) I finally have a bright and shiny new pair kicks.
I traded these...


For these...



They are super cute and comfy in the store, performance is still TBD. I'm kinda bummed for having to trade in my Asics because they matched both my Dolphins and my Colts shirts, and for a second I almost considered buying some new color coordinated gear. I, however, reminded myself that I am not a gym bunny* and the shoes match stuff I already have anyway.

Sing it with me- "All the other kids with the pumped up kicks..."

*gym bunny- girl who only goes to the gym to display her $100 lululemon yoga pants and color coordinated tank, shoes, headband, water bottle, bag, and yoga mat.

Today

I ran 3.5 miles. It is incredible what the body is capable of! And there was a woman who looked like she was at least 30 weeks pregnant on an elliptical. Every time I feel unmotivated to work out I will remember her, and tell myself that there are other people who are busier, more tired, dealing with more physical limitations than I face who are working out. No excuses.

Margaritas, anyone?

So due to technical difficulties I don't have any pictures to share anyway but that's okay- the pics I was going to try to upload were only of what I ate. I mean it's not as if they were pictures of me (God forbid).

Anyway I woke up and worked out with my trainer. My shoulders and chest are so sore after Bodypump yesterday that I'm really glad I tote all of my school stuff around in rolling luggage now and don't have to carry it.

Amidst all the monotony of the school week my contracts professor offered to buy us all a drink today at the mexican restaurant near our school. I behaved though, diet dr. peppers and a mini chimichanga worked for me.

I left a little early to hit yoga. I honestly did not want to leave but I bought a yoga mat last weekend and it would be a shame to not use it. I only feel like like I haven't gotten a good, long run in since Sunday. That's the first thing on my to do list tomorrow. And I'm probably going to run instead of use the elliptical on Friday. I came home and had dinner, I was not very hungry so I had a yogurt and some fruit.

It was the perfect end to a great day. I really felt on top of my school work today. I really notice a difference in mental sharpness, focus, and energy when I work out in the morning. I have a bedtime similar to my parents' but I don't care, they're super successful folks- it probably has to do with the fact that they (now we) don't sleep half of the day away. Winning.

S-U-C-C-E-S-S

I had a wonderful Monday, I am so determined to make this week more organized than last and I had a great start to the week.
First order of business was going to the District Court in Phoenix (It's the big federal court, and a gorgeous building.) As students, sometimes we get caught up in the day to day drill of reading, briefing, and outlining and it becomes difficult to see the big picture of actually practicing law. Observing yesterday was a great reminded me how lucky I am because I really love what I am doing and feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be.


Then... Weigh In!! Down another 1.6 pounds!!! Total= 41.8! 12.8 pounds to go before December. I have said it before and I will say it again- short term goals are super important, they let you see the progress that you are making.

The rest of my day was pretty boring, I went to school to study, came home and watched my poor Dolphins get blown out of the water by the Patriots (but everyone needs an underdog team)

Also, I am a recovering vegetarian. My trainer (and mother) think I need more protein in my diet and I am inclined to agree, I can't expect my body to perform like I do with running and strength training if I am reluctant to give it the fuel I need. With that in mind, for dinner I had a turkey taco and restaurant style black beans.
I served it up restaurant style with cabbage on the side. The taco is comprised of seasoned, 99% lean ground turkey, a sprinkle of low fat cheddar, cabbage, and salsa. The black beans were cooked with onion, green chiles, corriander, and lime. It was an awesome dinner, full of protein and super filling.


Today was also an active rest day so I did 30 min elliptical :)

Let's see a little less of each other next time,
Jules

Weekend Recap in pictures

Remember those picture books from when you were really young? They were like 20 pages long, but only had approximately one sentence per page and kids feel smart because they can read 20 page books (God, I wish my casebooks were illustrated). Well, here you go- my weekend picture book style.

D-backs won! Root, root root for the home team!



Mission accomplished!

Re: the carrot soup idea from last week

start with these ingredients

chop onion and garlic, cook for about 3-5 minutes in olive oil

chop carrots and add to the pot

cover half way with veggie broth, then add water to cover all the veggies, cook until carrots are a little more than fork tender.

add to the food processor in small batches until completely pureed.

Serve it up with a little parm and green onions for garnish, yum
*also I added a little rice wine vinegar at the end because it needed a little balance for all of the sweetness.

Have a great weekend!

Signing off for the weekend

To spend time with this guy :)

Have a great weekend! Be back Monday

Let's see a little less of each other next time,
Jules

T.G.I. almost F.

Wow, what a long week it has been! Thank goodness it is almost over and I have am super excited to have a very handsome date to the Diamondback/Padres game tomorrow night. :) 4:10 tomorrow cannot come soon enough, and the weird thing is that most of my classmates feel the same way. Is it the crisp fall air? (yeah, right!)

Anyway, breakfast today is not pictured. My bf and I have an assignment that we're working on for one of our classes that involves courtroom observations so we were downtown watching some sentencing hearings. We left after an hour (we saw 2 hearings) and went straight to Starby's- we needed caffeine ASAP. I had a grande iced coffee in a venti cup, a spinach feta wrap, and a banana.
It was a filling and satisfying breakfast. It gave me enough power to finally finish this assignment that managed to beat all of my energy out of me the past several times I attempted it.

I noshed on some grapes as I did some more studying. Does anyone notice that their motivation seems to lag when they don't work out in the morning? Mine sure seems to.

Lunch was a salad, cheese its, and strawberries. In the pic you'll see a tangerine, I peeled it and ate a piece and it was terribly bitter. Serves me right for buying out of season produce. I know better than that.


*Random talent I posess: Being able to peel tangerines in one piece.

How funny are these napkins that my mom sent me?


Study Snack-
Granola bar and banana



After I did some torts studying, I (finally) went to the gym

Workout of the day:
.07 mi warm up
2.5 mile run! (so amazing)
.07 mi cool down
There was a time when running for almost 10 minutes exhausted me, tonight I ran for almost 40 minutes straight. I believe that short term goals are just as important as long term, and my goal is to run 3 miles on Monday. I was going to do more at the gym tonight but my legs felt like Jello and my arms and shoulders are still really sore from yoga yesterday.


Dinner tonight was fast, easy and super filling
veggie soup, peach, 1 piece of bread with a laughing cow cheese.


Tally:
Breakfast
Spinach feta wrap
Coffee
Banana
Total: 8 points

Snack:
Grapes
Total: 0 points

Lunch:
Salad
Strawberries
Cheese its
Total: 5 points

Snack:
Granola bar
Banana
Total: 4 points

Dinner:
Bread w/cheese
Peach
Soup

I know it's too hot here for most people to consider soup for dinner but I love it year round. My project this weekend is making this amazing carrot soup recipe I saw online. I'm thinking serve it with a salad and a white bean crostini. As the Barefoot Contessa would say, "How bad can that be?"
That's all for now guys- time to spend a little time with my cat who I'm sure misses me all day when I'm gone. (I'm actually sure he thinks of it as a vacation)

Let's see a little less of each other next time,
Jules

I Heart Two a Days?

Today was rather typical in my world. Wake up, gym, school, gym, study, now blog & bedtime.

Wait...Did I write gym there twice?! Sure did. I promised myself I would do it yesterday and I don't break promises.

Breakfast post workout 1


This would be the making of pumpkin oatmeal. It's amazing- totally good fuel for a long day because oatmeal is super filling and the pumpkin is like pure vitamin A and iron, plus the combo of pumpkin with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice is perfect for this time of year (I don't use cloves, I hate them as a spice. If I wanted to smell a clove cigarette I would smoke one.) Here's a tip though- never exceed a 1 to 1 ratio of pumpkin to oatmeal because there really can be too much of a good thing.

My keurig (named Freddy Kruger) was a great investment- my starby's trips are down to like 1-2 a week. I have my own little coffee station in the kitchen, basket of K-cups, Krugar, and the black container has packets of splenda, I like my coffee w/ cream and some sweetness so its fat free half and half and 2 packets of splenda or the sugar free vanilla syrup I have in the pantry.

I love this guy

Lunch was on the go, I had a super disorganized night last night and morning so I didn't have time to make my lunch. But, eating on the go is no excuse to eat poorly. Nutrition info is always available online. My bf and I went to the Subway by campus for lunch, I had a 6" veggie delight with pepperjack cheese, apple slices, and diet coke. (Judge me all you want for my choice of beverage, but it does its job when I'm in class.)


My afternoon snack was a banana- they are the perfect pre- workout snack because the potassium helps your muscles work properly and stops the buildup of lactic acid. Plus they're filling and portable.

Dinner was my own take on last nights Kashi meal, which sucked. I ate three bites and decided I would rather drink my dinner. In the mix we have sauteed mushrooms, 2/3 c. peas, 1c. whole wheat rotini and the sauce which was made with 4 tablespoons of parm and veggie stock (makes an awesome fake out cream sauce) and a peach

It was awesome- way better than Kashi's and I have a "thing" about pre made food (I want to see the ingredients and see my food being made)

Tally
Breakfast
oatmeal
coffee
total: 6 points

Lunch
6" sammie
Apple slices
total: 6 points

Snack
banana
total: 0 points

Dinner
Pasta dish
peach
total: 9 points

Dessert:
Strawberries
total: 0 points

W.O.D.
AM workout
1.5 mi run

PM workout
1.6 mi run
Yoga class
- due to time constraints I couldn't due my run consecutively, but I definitely kicked up the intensity. Normally I maintain 4.1-4.3 mph, today I would say I averaged about 4.4-4.6 mph.

I really do love 2 a days, and I am so tired I know I'm going to sleep like a rock tonight.

Let's see a little less of each other next time
Jules

Weigh in!

Good news! I am down a pound!!! Total= 40.2!
So what keeps a person losing 40.2 pounds? Well, I am an avid believer in splurge meals. The reason being there is really no point in giving up things you want for the short term results if you are just going to resort back to eating those things and the gain all the weight back. Deprivation is not conducive to maintaining weight loss in the long term. Anyone can cut out of their diet anything that is not a fruit or vegetable but it is not realistic to think you are going to be able to cut a food group out entirely (carbs, for example) forever. So splurge, but splurge responsibly.
On that note, I did not take a picture of my breakfast but it was a pastry and a small nonfat sugar free mocha from the coffee bean and tea leaf. It was my splurge that allow my self once a week where I don't count the points (WW gives you 50 extra points a week, I save them until after weigh in)

Lunch:
1 laughing cow cheese
carrots and bell peppers
1 small gala apple
2 tablespoons of honey roasted peanut butter


6 points total

Snack:
Grapes
Granola bar

3 points total

Dinner:
Kashi go lean
7 points

Wine is being counted toward the 50 :)

Workout of the day:
2.30 mile run
Core set
I was supposed to workout with my trainer today, but he no showed. Apparently his mom is in the hospital. To make up for my easy day, I plan on doing a 2 a day tomorrow. I was going to tonight but I have some HW to do and I'm a student first. Which obviously means I'm going to drink this wine and do the homework while watching teen mom. Because drinking makes both things way more entertaining.

What would your splurge meal look like? How often do you indulge?
Let's see a little less of each other next time,
Jules

Active Rest

Today is labor day, I don't know why it feels like a long weekend when every weekend for me is a 3 day weekend. But, nonetheless it does. However today's theme was definitely along the lines of being productive and restful.

I went to Starbucks, indulged in a tall skinny cinnamon dolce latte and did some property reading.


P.S. The pumpkin spice latte is back, but isn't being advertised yet. Just ask your friendly barista.

Then I went to the mall which was a complete bust. But I probably walked 2 miles and got to look at the adorable bulldogs at the pet store. And upon leaving the mall I completed 2 errands and promptly realized I was starving. Fast food? No. We don't use the F word here.
I went home and had a 3 piece for lunch.

And then I cleaned house, and got ready for the gym.
My trainer insisted on me having 2 active rest days a week (today was one, fridays are the other)
The plan was 30 min elliptical and yoga only guess what?! No yoga tonight, classes were cancelled. Boo.

The Tally
What I ate:
BREAKFAST
- banana (way before breakfast)
- 1 egg, 2 egg whites scrambled with 1/4 c. low fat jack cheese and sauteed mushrooms and spinach
- 2 pieces low cal whole wheat toast
- tangerine
6 points total
SNACK
1 tall skinny cinnamon dolce latte
2 points total
LUNCH
1 tomato sandwich
1/2 peach
1 bag popchips
6 points total
SNACK
Grapes
0 points total
SNACK
1/2 c. fat free cottage cheese
1 c. strawberries

2 points total
DINNER
quesadilla with spinach and green chiles
carrot sticks
5 points total

Workout of the day:
30 minutes elliptical
And I guess I'll run a yoga online thing tonight :/
* a note on active rest days.
When you work your muscles, you cause little tears in them that need to be rebuilt with protein and rest, failing to rest will cause injury and exhaustion. Kind of like how when you are super busy you need a day to play catch up and relax a little. Be good to yourself.


Let's see a little less of each other next time,
Jules.

Why?

This is me! 38.8 pounds lighter and still a work in progress. I've been wanting to start a blog for a while now and I just couldn't pick a topic. However, I am deeply committed to exercise and maintaining a healthy lifestyle no matter what. I was hesitant to blog about this because weight loss is so personal and not a topic everyone is comfortable talking about. But I came up with this idea when I was asked by several classmates how I have lost the weight and I have inspired another classmate to join me on this journey. I felt really comfortable explaining to them how much I have lost and how I'm doing it. I am on the weight watchers plan which works well with my incredibly type A personality and I work out like a mad woman. I feel like all of those BS headlines about "the secret to weight loss" and "how to lose x number of pounds in 5 seconds" are ridiculous, misleading, and impractical. I'm here to share the real deal: the ups and downs, championing the victories both big and small all along the way.

Usually I weigh in on Mondays so that is the day I'll update with that

What she ate:
BREAKFAST
1/2 c. egg whites w/ sauteed spinach and 1 oz. fat free feta
2 pieces low cal whole wheat toast (dry)
Coffee w/ fat free half and half and 2 splenda
Banana
(5 points total)
SNACK
1/2 fat free cottage cheese
1 c. strawberries
banana
(2 points total)
LUNCH
tomato sandwich
barbecue popchips
(6 points total)
SNACK
coffee
(2 points total)
DINNER
zucchini and garlic sauteed in 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. brown rice

Workout of the day:
.7 mi warm up
2.25 mi run! (epic win)
.7 mi cool down
* core exercises
10 lumbar extensions
10 mini bridges
10 sit ups
10 plank ups
(repeat 3 times)
*Set 1
10 pull ups
10 push ups
10 squat& kicks (5 kicks from each leg)
(repeat 3 times)
Set 2
10 bicep curl& presses (6lb weights, but probably should have done 10)
10 Kettleball swings, left arm (15 lb wt)
10 KB swings, right arm (same weight)
repeat 3 times
Set 3
5 tricep kickbacks, right arm (10 lb wt)
5 tricep kickbacks, left arm (same weight
10 tricep presses (15 lb weight)
10 tricep dips (Owwwwww!)
repeat 3 times

Let's see a little less of each other next time :)
Jules