I Love Central Park

I'm back in the great state of Nevada. I am exhausted after my short trip to NYC. It was a great time and I have another interview scheduled with the same company tomorrow (by phone), so I'm quite happy. And ... I ran in Central Park!

It was great. I did it Friday afternoon. It was chilly and overcast, but still good weather and no rain. I ran mostly on the walking paths because that's how I get around in the park and I didn't want to get "lost" on the running/bike paths that go on for like 7 miles. I did run on those for a little bit, but you are on the street with the cars and that didn't sit well with me. I'd much rather dodge the tourists and their cameras on the walking paths. I started at Strawberry Fields and ran past the ice skating rink. Then I ran past the zoo. I wanted to get to the boat pond and the area I used to hang out in on weekend afternoons when I lived in the 70's on the East Side, but I had already run my 14 minutes and I was pooped. I decided to head back and walked past Sheep's Meadow and decided to run out of the park and do streets until I got back to my friend's apartment. It was definitely easier to dodge people on the side walk than in the park - go figure. It was so cool! I'm not usually that tired after 14 minutes of running/jogging, but I think I wasn't used to all the little hills and sprinting past groups of people. I wanted to do it all again on Saturday, but I knew darn well that the park would be a zoo on the weekends and that there was little likelihood I'd be up any reasonable time before my Saturday lunch plans. I was right. But, in my defense I didn't go to bed until 4:30am on Saturday. Ahhh, to be young again :)

Sorry to not post for a week. I can't believe I did that! That is not like me. I promise to be better. I also haven't been to anyone else's blog in like for-ev-er, so I'll be stopping by in the next couple of days. I hope you all are doing well :) Viva la Central Park! :)

Rained Out?

So, I checked weather.com for a report for NYC while I'm going to be there this week ... rain the whole time. And not just a slight chance ... at least a 50% chance every day I'm there. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a little rain, but I'm hoping my running plans don't get washed out because of the weather! That would be a major bummer. I am bringing my stuff any way. I figure it can't rain the whole time and I have time Thursday afternoon, Friday morning and Friday afternoon to go, so hopefully I'll at least get to go once. Send me positive rays of sunshine :)

I did go running today for the first time in a week. I didn't go far, but it was about 15 minutes without stopping, so that is respectable for me and the amount of time I have been going for in the past few weeks. It was so warm here today. I can't believe it is only March! I was in a tank top, a t-shirt and shorts and I was warm by the end of my run. Craziness I tell you!

Tomorrow is all about finishing up some work for that part-time gig I'm doing. I told him I would be gone Wednesday-Saturday without computer access. I will have my laptop, but there are no guarantees I'll get online while I'm there. I don't want to be worried about this short-term gig when I have bigger things going on ... namely a potential new career!

I'll keep you posted on what happens next!

Working Girl

I'm sorry I've been gone for a few days. Thanks to everyone who commented on my post about my digestive issues. I think I am going to forgo dairy from now on (excluding a splash of 2% in my morning coffee). I had another episode on Friday that was unfortunate. I don't know if I'm noticing issues with my body more because I've lost weight, or if it is because I care about my health more. Food for thought.

I have been super busy working on a short-term project for a company back in Maryland. I found out about them through my alma mater. I am hoping to be done by Tuesday because I am off on Wednesday to NYC!!!! There's a good reason ... I have an interview on Thursday. I am staying with an old, dear friend and catching up with some great friends while I'm in town. I don't want to jinx it, but I am really excited and hoping this works out and I get an offer. It would suck if I had gotten to the third round of the interview process for nothing! :( The second most exciting thing I am doing in NYC besides the interview ... I'm going running in Central Park on Friday morning! I am so excited. I never would have dreamed of doing that when I lived there before grad school. I still have to map my route, but I am so excited. Even if I have a bad interview, this will make me feel soooo much better.

Gotta run, time to dye Easter eggs!

Luck O' the Irish

Since it is St. Paddy's Day and I'm 1/4 Irish, I thought I would blog about beer :) Actually WW online has a great article about beer that I wanted to share with you all. (There is also an adorable interactive game with points values for popular cocktails and mixed drinks, but I couldn't cut and paste the text, so you'll have to go to the site yourself - sorry!) So, grab a pint and read on about beer ...

The Good News:
Beer has ...
NO cholesterol
NO fat
Very little sugar

The Bad News:
Alcohol is one calorie-dense nectar, packing 7 calories per gram. That's almost as much as fat, which has 9 calories per gram. Don't blame the malt. "The most significant source of calories in beer is the alcohol itself," says Charlie Bamforth, PhD, chair and professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis and author of Beer: Health and Nutrition, "The stronger the beer, the more calories."

* Most 12-ounce beer with 5 percent alcohol by volume contains 3 POINTS values.
* The typical 16-ounce draft pint contains 4 POINTS values.
* Most 12-ounce "light" beers are 2 POINTS values.
* A 1-pint draft of light beer is 3 POINTS values.
* A 12-ounce non-alcoholic beer is 1 POINTS value. (I think Kim mentioned this as an option way back when. Thanks Kim!)

Can it improve your health?
Some studies show that moderate drinking may help lower risk of heart disease, particularly in men over 45 and women over 55. But what is moderate? For men, it's no more than two drinks per day. For women, it's no more than one. Exceed your quota, and the risk of heart and liver disease, stroke and accidents negate any perks.

Don't follow the lite.
The terms "light" and "lite" (or any other cutesy variation) have no legal definition. They could mean the beer is light in color or lighter than lead—or anything else the staff at the brewery decided.

Watch your low-carb language.
If the labels reads "low carbohydrate," the beer must have no more than 7 grams of carbohydrates per serving. But any beer can tout "reduced carbohydrates" or "lower carbohydrates" on its label, just so long as the brewery makes a more carb-heavy beer. Shifty, eh?

Beers (12 oz.) with 2 POINTS value
Amstel Light
Guinness Draft (bottle) - (I was surprised by this one!)
Aspen Edge
Samuel Adams Light - (Good stuff!)
Bud Select

Beers with More POINTS Values
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Coors Blue Moon
Red Hook IPA
Kirin
Molson Golden

Got Milk? Maybe Not.

Okay, so has anyone found issues with food after losing weight? I have discovered that I am lactose intolerant. Every once in a while I'll have a light Frappucino or some frozen yogurt from Golden Spoon (hardly any points) and I always get a stomach ache about an hour after eating or drinking. Very strange. Is is a lactose problem, or a fake lactose problem since I'm not eating things with whole milk in them. I gave up the Frappucinos about a month ago, but it's sad to give up "The Spoon" as my Dad likes to call it. I really enjoyed their peanut butter froyo. C'est la vie! Let me know if you've had any similar problems. I'm curious if it's just me. Thanks!

Dates (Not That Kind of Date)

So I went to my monthly lifetime weigh-in at WW this morning. I'm up +0.6 lbs ... but, I'm toootally happy with that since overall I'm under my goal weight by about 5 lbs. I am still testing the lifetime waters and figuring out, as I talk about all the time (and I'm sure you're all bored hearing about :), what to eat and what not to eat and how much to eat and how often to exercise. So, being up .6 is super cool with me. It reaffirms what I have been seeing on my Mom's scale each week and makes me think I am doing pretty well maintaining. I didn't stay for the meeting. I was on the fence and decided to just go home. I think it was the free coffee at home that was calling my name :) whereas there was no free coffee at WW. I need intravenous amounts of coffee in the morning. Not healthy, I know, but we all have to have our vices :)

On Saturday my Mom and I went on a road trip with her hiking group to the China Date Ranch in California. (As an aside, I had no idea Nevada was so close to Arizona and California that you could just drive an hour or so and cross the state lines. Now, granted I lived in Maryland and taught in Virginia, so this shouldn't surprise me, but it does. It makes me feel like a little kid getting to go to a new state! :) I had never been to California!) The "ranch" was on the edge of Death Valley. We went on a 2 hour hike. It was pretty desolate (see pic above), which is kinda depressing, but there were these amazing yellow and purple wild flowers that were thick in some spots and supposedly hadn't grown in the last 100 years. Then we ate at the snack bar - not a healthy place to hang out ... date/chocolate chip cookies, date/walnut muffins, date milkshakes. I was really hoping for a salad or something. I will admit to having a date cookie that was really the size of two cookies. It was good and soft. I also had a couple spoonfuls of my Mom's milkshake. I didn't feel well afterwards. That will teach me to not ignore the Cherrios I brought with me. I mean, we all should have a cookie periodically when we want one, but it's not a healthy option for lunch :)

I had a really interesting conversation with a woman in the hiking group about WW. She was asking me all these questions because she's considering investing in WW stock. She wanted to know if I thought it was a viable company. It was fun giving her all my insights and telling her what I thought the company did well (meetings in Spanish, dedicated men's section on the website, tweaking the program on semi-annual basis, accessible content in the magazine), and what they should add (weekly podcasts of excellent meeting leaders, links and widgets on WW blogs). I miss using my brain on a daily basis so it was a fun conversation. And, of course, I recommended she look into all the stats on the stock on Yahoo! Finance or another type of financial site, which she seems to do and was just adding to her knowledge by asking me questions. Good times!

Hey, one last thing ... I am looking for new blogs. I like to check them daily, so people you know who post multiple times a week would be great! If you have any you love and would recommend, please leave a comment. Thanks!

It's a New Record Folks!

I actually ran for 22 minutes yesterday without stopping! It is totally a record for me. I didn't start out my run with that plan, but I just kept feeling really good and deciding to keep going without stopping and I ran all the way home without a break. I was tired at the end, but it felt so goood! And I didn't feel like I was dying at the end either, which was awesome. I mean it was harder at the end, and it was up hill, but I think I could have kept going if I had wanted to. It is such an amazing feeling! I never thought I could run for that long. Remember when I was doing C25k and they wanted you to go from running for 10 minutes to just run for 20 minutes and I thought they were crazy! Well, I guess I did the right thing and kept going at my own pace (pun intended) and managed to work my way up to 20+ minutes. My longest run before yesterday was 15 minutes and 45 seconds and a shorter distance. It just felt so good to be running that I didn't want to stop. Isn't that crazy! I never thought I would say something like that. I'm the person who wouldn't run from the car into the store in a rain storm because it hurt my shins. Now I guess I am on my way to training for that future 5k race someday, somewhere! I think I am going to run a 3 mile loop (run/walk) on Monday or Tuesday. I'm looking forward to it.

I also ran today, but I took the short route. I *only* ran for 13 minutes (without stopping), which you all might know is still a fair amount of time for me. I'd like to get back into running intervals and that's what the 3 mile loop on Monday or Tuesday should help me do.

I had an interview with DSW shoe warehouse today. It's only $8/hour, but it's a job. They actually asked me what the fashion trends are today. I knew them because I am obsessed with fashion magazines these days, but I mean really kids, this isn't Prada or Dior we're talking about. Actually, it was kinda fun to know the answer. They have to do a background check, but they said they were interested. I should hear something late next week. The job might put a crimp in my running and hiking schedules, but I need to start making some money. I'll let you know what happens next week.

Shout Out to Meredith who reached GOAL!!!!

Hey all, I just wanted to give a shout out to my old WW friend Meredith who reached goal last week! I met her at my great meetings before I moved and we've been keeping in touch via email. She was one of the people who inspired me to start running. I am so proud of her and all her hard work and dedication! And get this, she's running a half marathon this weekend. Woo Hoo! Hot D*mn! She's great and I really learned a lot from her during our meetings with our beloved Melvin. If you're reading this Meredith - Congrats again!

I wasn't very productive today, but I did run yesterday. I managed to run for about 1.25 miles without stopping. Very cool! I altered my route and made it shorter because I just didn't want to run uphill at the end of my route. This route was much flatter and easier. Yep, I'm not ashamed to say I took the eas-ier way out. I think you just gotta do that sometimes. If it isn't windy again tomorrow, I'm going to go running.

Cellulite & Mini Skirts

Ahhh Mondays. Don't you just love them? For some reason I have been really depressed for the past two days. Just not feeling like doing anything ... longing to nap ... just really blah. I can't even say that it's the job search getting me down. But exercise did the trick again. I was glad I got out today and went for a walk. I walked with my Mom to the gym and then hung out in Target and tried on the new Jovovich-Hawk line of clothes. Cute. A little too bohemian for me. And they were juniors sizing, so you can just imagine what the denim mini skirt I tried on looked like :) (It's crazy to me that I'm trying on mini skirts! I think I have also realized that I'm a bit too old for true mini skirts. I think What Not to Wear says no mini skirts for 35+ and that's me! But one more aside ... I noticed when I got to goal that my cellulite isn't as prominent as it was when I was heavier. A surprising bonus.) Then I picked up some things at the grocery store and met my Mom after her workout to walk home. All told it's about a 3 mile round trip. It was so nice to be out in the sunshine. Not as warm as it has been, but the cold air felt good. It's amazing what mother nature can do for your mood :) I did feel a little guilty about not running home, but in the end I was just happy to get myself to do something productive! Ever have those kinds of days?

I think this funk has been going on for a while because I just realized yesterday that I haven't been journaling ... since February 21st! I hadn't realized it was that long. I've been a bad Weight Watchers member. I've just been counting points in my head, which I know I shouldn't rely on, but I've been being lazy. And I realized that while I weigh myself every so often, I haven't been weighing myself at my regular time (6pm on Thursdays) and recording it on the WW site. I haven't recorded my weight since February 7th! I can't believe I just fell out of habit with this stuff. It has been so ingrained in my head for almost 2 years. It feels good to be back on track though. I've been journaling for the past two days and I've updated my weight on the ticker at the top of the page. I've been maintaining, and I'm under my goal weight, so I have no complaints. But I'm still trying to get the hang of what to eat and what not to eat. I guess I am going to have to allow myself to struggle for a few more months before it becomes normal.

I found another article in the What's Your Workout series on the Wall Street Journal's website. This one profiles a woman who ice skates in her spare time. Not something I'd think of an adult doing, but I think it is cool and different. Good for her for doing something physical that she really enjoys.

Shorts Weather

Sorry I haven't been around for a few days. There have been some technical difficulties with computers in my world lately. But, I have come up with a temporary solution to get onto the internet, so all is good.

The weather hear has been gorgeous for the past few days - mid to high 70's! It's February/March people, this is crazy! But I guess that's Vegas for you. I went to Target yesterday to look for shorts to run in. I bought two pairs to do a little fashion show for my Mom so she could help me pick one pair to keep. I think I've decided, but I think I'm going to wear them around the house with the tags on today to test drive them. I think that's *legal*. I was a little worried I jumped the gun on buying shorts, but supposedly the weather stays in the 70's and high 60's once March comes. Craziness I tell you. Mind you, I walked to the store yesterday in shorts and a tank top. It was loverly. It was weird again to be looking for smaller sizes. I've been so used to being a large or xl that it is strange to look for the smalls and mediums. And clothes feel different. The shorts are much shorter than I used to wear, but I don't think I'll have the problem with my thighs rubbing together that I had before. It is something new to get used to :) I'm still learning how clothes are supposed to feel. I've been having problems finding pants for the past few months. I'll try on a pair and they'll look like they fit, but they'll feel uncomfortable. As a result, I won't buy them. But I think I'm learning what clothes that actually fit me feel like. It is quite a learning experience.

Went on a hike today. Not very interesting. Lots of walking through the desert as opposed to the rock scrambling we usually do. Oh well, I suppose I shouldn't get too picky since these people are much older than me and are letting me tag along with their group rather than finding a group in my age bracket. They are pretty much all healthy and capable of finishing the hikes. I hadn't thought about it before, but now I know I definitely want to be that fit when I'm in my 60's. I don't think I ever gave a thought to how physically active I wanted to be when I got older since I wasn't physically active until the past year or so. It's a whole new way of looking at things.

The New Me, I Don't Recognize Her

I've been feeling much better over the past few days, which is good because the weather has been beautiful and it would be a shame to not be outside...

I took a hike with my Mom Monday morning. It was probably one of the best hikes we've been on. The group was full of nice, spirited people and not too large - about 12 people. We hiked and did rock scrambling for about 3 miles round trip and got to see some gorgeous views of the Las Vegas Valley and The Strip. One thing that made me feel odd was that the guide was probably my age or younger. I have gotten used to being around older adults when I feel like I *should be working*, but I haven't really been around people my age in that kind of situation. It made me feel a little like a schlub - if that's even a word. (More on my job search in a future post.) The hike was invigorating and again reminded me how agile I have become and how strong I am. Definitely something I'd put in the plus column of why I am happy I have reached my goal weight!

My Mom and I took a walk to the grocery store and bank today. I counted it as only 1/2 a workout on my exercise ticker since it wasn't heavy aerobic activity. I have also been thinking that I should add some strength training to my workout. All I really do is aerobic activity and as a result, I look pretty squishy. While I am happy I don't need to remove any excess skin, I do think I need to add some tone to my physique.

I have decided that I will just be happy that my mom is inspiring me to workout and go with the flow. Yes, I would like to have the motivation rise up from inside me, but at this point, I'll take the inspiration where I can get it. And I'll worry about creating an exercise routine in the future in the future, once I get a job and am living on my own again. I'll just consider motivation to exercise one of the benefits of living with my parents. But, I must admit I still do get worried I won't have the guts to run again. Silly, I know. Every couple of weeks I feel like I'll forget how to do it, or I won't have the endurance to run for at least 8 minutes. I guess I am still getting used to my body being able to do these things and I am still proving it to myself that I can do it. Sorry to sound like a broken record. Thanks for the continued support! :) Some days I still feel like I still weigh over 200 lbs. and have all the physical limitations my weight gave me. I guess I'm not as used to this new body as I thought I was!

Under the Weather

Hey there. I haven't been feeling so great for the past few days. I slept late on Friday and didn't work out because it was raining. Then I slept like all day yesterday and missed hiking. I was going to go running, and it was a beautiful day for it, but I was just so tired and out of it. I'm feeling much better today, so I think I am going to go on a long run/walk this afternoon. It's weird not working out for a couple of days, especially when my mom has been. It's like I'm worried I'll never work out again, which is ridiculous, but it is a little feeling gnawing at me. Working out still isn't second nature for me. I do it mostly because my mom is always working out and she inspires me :) I probably wouldn't work out half as much as I do if I didn't live with my mom. Should be interesting to see what changes when I get a job (*finally!*) and move out. But, that is a worry for another day.

What's My Workout

So, I have been trying to think of ways to make my blog more interesting/entertaining and I realized that one of my favorite blogs regularly includes long quotes and links to articles on related content. (It just happens that it is about personal finance. It's written by BostonGal.) I haven't seen many weight loss blogs that do that sort of thing on a regular basis, so I think I am going to start doing it once or twice a week.

I found an interesting profile on Dylan Lauren in the Wall Street Journal called "What's Your Workout." Ms. Lauren is the daughter of lifestyle fashion designer Ralph Lauren and the successful entrepreneur of Dylan's Candy Bar an awesome fantasy candy store that started on Manhattan's Upper East Side. (I've been there. The flagship store is like no candy store you've ever experienced.) The article chronicles her workout, diet, the cost, and the benefits she's seen. Here's a portion of the article:

"The Workout:

Ms. Lauren was always active growing up, but says she primarily ran to stay in shape and avoided weights. "Everyone told me 'don't just run', but I was always so reluctant," she says. After a while she noticed that running wasn't changing her body to the degree she wanted. "It wasn't giving me muscle definition," she says. "They say muscle burns more fat and I knew as I got older I wanted to be strong and prevent injury."

Wanting to start strength training, Ms. Lauren started working with various personal trainers after graduating from Duke University. About six years ago she found her match in Tony Molina, a New York City-based trainer. He meets with Ms. Lauren twice a week at around 6:30 p.m. at the gym in her apartment building and takes her through an hour-long, full-body strength program that incorporates pulleys, tubing, free weights, slide boards and balance boards. "Tony knows that I get bored easily and need athletic workouts with lots of variety," she says.

Ms. Lauren completes two to three sets of ten exercises, performing ten to 15 repetitions of each. She isn't allowed to rest between sets, which keeps her heart rate elevated during the workout. Each exercise is designed to work a variety of muscles across multiple planes of motion at one time. For example, she may lay her back over a stability ball with her legs at a 90-degree angle with the floor and her torso elevated. One arm would be extended to the side with a dumbbell to perform curls while the other arm is extended straight up in the air with a dumbbell ready to perform a chest press. The exercise works her glutes, triceps, pectoral muscles, obliques, abdominals and challenges her balance all at the same time.

Not only are these exercises efficient in the way they recruit multiple muscle groups, but Mr. Molina says they are also great for stress management. "You can't think about anything else while performing them since they require so much concentration," he says.


Ms. Lauren does cardio on her own three to four evenings a week and prefers to run outdoors in Central Park when the weather is warm. Alternatively she works out at the Upper East side branch of the Sports Club/LA for 45 minutes to an hour. Lately she's been using the stair climber. "Some machines feel like they do the work for you," she says. "But this one is tough and it burns calories like crazy." The moving stairs require the user to constantly climb, lifting their knee and foot high enough to clear each stair or else they'll fall off.

Ms. Lauren was the captain of her high school tennis team. She missed the competitiveness and athleticism of playing a sport, and about a year ago started working for an hour with a tennis pro once a week at a tennis club near her apartment. She plays a bit more frequently in the summer.


The Diet
Ms. Lauren's diet used to consist almost entirely of candy, frozen yogurt and vegetables. "It wasn't very healthy," she admits. She now eats five smaller meals a day to keep her blood sugar from dropping and has added more protein to her diet in the form of fish, tofu and eggs. She avoids bread, pasta and potatoes.
"I have to have breakfast otherwise it screws up my whole day, plus it slows down your metabolism," says Ms. Lauren. She usually starts her morning with yogurt and fruit or an egg white omelet with vegetables. Mid-morning she might have a chai tea latte. For lunch and dinner, typically business meals at restaurants, she'll have a salad and some form of protein like tofu or fish.

Ms. Lauren says she has tried to do a no-sweets diet and couldn't manage. "I don't believe in that mentally," she says. "I have to have my dose of candy every day." Her favorites are gummy candies, particularly Swedish fish and red licorice. Every now and again she has chocolate cravings and she'll reach for a piece of Belgian milk chocolate. To avoid candy binges, Ms. Lauren sets aside days where she can eat however many candies she wants."

The article goes on to talk about some of the effort that it takes to put into her routine and the benefits she's seen. I like the fact that she admits to having candy, but I wonder if allowing herself to eat however many candies she wants to avoid binging, is actually a binge in and of itself. Overall I liked the depth that the article went into and the examples of exercise and food it gave. It's a lot more in depth than the weekly profiles on the Weight Watcher's site. I believe this is just one article in a Wall Street Journal series that profiles executives and their health and wellness plans. I'd be interested to see if they ever profile people who want to, or have, lost an amount of weight they'd be willing to share with the reading public. But, I couldn't find archives for the series. I'd also be interested in reading about someone who does exercise on more of a budget, but I've only been doing this as a student or unemployed, so maybe her expenses aren't that outrageous.

15 minutes & 45 seconds!

Yep, that's how long I managed to run today without stopping! Before today I had only run for 10 minutes straight.

Now I know what you are thinking ... didn't she just say a few days ago she wasn't going to push endurance but instead increase the number of intervals? I know, but today I just felt so good and powerful running that I didn't want to stop :) Then I said, oh I'll stop when I get to this corner and then it was when I got to the park. Finally I stopped when I finished running along side the park. Boy, I was tired. But I was also proud :) Today and yesterday I found out that two different job opportunities weren't going to work out. So, running has reminded me, yet again, that I can accomplish something! And no potential employer can take that away from me :)

Walking & Talking

Thanks for all the b-day well wishes. It was a good day :)

I've been going on long walks with my Mom the past few days. We're usually gone for about an hour. We just walk around the neighborhood. A lot of times we'll walk to Starbucks and I'll get a light mocha frappucino and she'll get a skinny hazelnut latte (the new name for the non-fat sugar-free lattes). Of course our Starbucks break is more points than we earn on the walk, but it is still nice to get out and move with someone else. We tried running together a few weeks ago, but running on the sidewalk hurt my Mom's knees. She's been running on the treadmill at the gym, but the sidewalk was too hard for her. It's a shame because it was really cool to try to keep pace with someone. It was very motivational. The last time I ran with another person I was a teenager and at soccer practice! :)

I've still been running. I think the last time I ran was Friday. I need to commit to expanding my route because it just isn't enough for me. But I'm still happy doing the intervals (8 to 10 minutes of running and then walking for a few minutes). I suppose I could push myself to up it to 11 to 12 minutes, but I think I'm going to go for endurance by adding another 10 minute run. I think I will give that a try tomorrow or Wednesday.

The job search is gettin interesting. I had a phone interview today with a very nice guy, but the position was just too close to what I was going pre-MBA and I just don't want to go back to being miserable at work all the time. I have an offer from another company, but we haven't agreed on salary yet and I am waiting to hear about a potential second interview with a consumer packaged goods company that sells natural personal care products. That one I'm really excited about, but I'm afraid to turn down the offer and risk not getting the job. It's nerve racking. I'm also applying for part-time jobs here in Vegas. The library rejected me - bummer. But I've applied at Borders and I'm going to apply at Barnes & Noble, DSW and Michael's. Basically, I'm picking places where I don't think I'll have to meet a sales goal. I learned at Ann Taylor I'm just not that good at sellling. I'm great at customer service, but not sales.

Things are movin' and shakin'! Stay tuned!

150th Post! Meme & Happy B-Day to Me! :)

Okay, so this is a big post. Amazon Alanna tagged me with a meme, it's my 150th post! and I turned 35 on Wednesday. So, if you are interested in quirky things about me, read on ...

1. Do you like blue cheese? Nope. There are many cheeses I can't live without, but that's not one of them.
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Nada. Like Amazon Alanna said, my 5th grade health class gave me healthy fear of drugs and addiction.
3. Do you own a gun? No, but I learned that my dad had one when we were growing up. I didn't know until I was an adult.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I've never been to Sonic before. (Wow, I'm boring, aren't I.)
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? I used to because I thought he or she would get on me about my weight. (I had a really bad experience with a doctor once about my weight.) As a result, I haven't been to the doctor in years.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I love them when they are burnt on the grill in the summer!
7. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas. I love Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? I am a big coffee drinker, preferably hazelnut with 2% milk and two sweet & lows.
9. Can you do push ups? Barely, slowly and only on my knees.
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Probably my claddagh Irish wedding band. No I'm not married, I just wear it on my right hand.
11. Favorite hobby? Reading.
12. Do you have A.D.D.? Nope.
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? I am very messy, but I'm obsessed with organizational systems. Go figure.
14. Middle name? Marie.
15. Name 3 thoughts. I wish I had more pretzels. I'm worried about finding a job and I'm hungry.
16. Name 3 things you bought today. A bagel and two cups of coffee.
17. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Coffee, Diet Pepsi and Corona Light.
18. Current worry? Money. Finding health insurance. Finding a job. Ugh!
19. Current hate right now? Nothing actually. That's weird, right.
20. Favorite place to be? My parents hot tub, or bed.
21. How did you bring in the New Year? At home with my parents watching fireworks on TV. Woo hoo! :)
22. Name three people who will complete this? I have no idea. I'll have to think on that one.
23. Do you own slippers? Yes, they look like puppies and their names are Muffy and Minka.
24. What shirt are you wearing? A black v-neck cotton sweater.
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Nope. Just like Alanna, I like t-shirt sheets or flannel. Even in the summer.
26. Can you whistle? Really badly.
27. Favorite color? Black for clothes. Red for most other things.
28. Would you be a pirate? Naah.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Patsy Cline and Mama Cass.
30. Favorite girl's name? Hope
31. Favorite boy's name? Jason
32. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing.
33. Last person that made you laugh? My mom.
34. Best bed sheets as a child? They had these beautiful ballerinas in pink on them.
35. Worst injury you've ever had? I have been super lucky - a sprained ankle.
36. Do you love where you live? No, but it's got its good points.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3 - family room and the two bedrooms.
38. Who is your loudest friend? I don't know. Does my Dad count? He can be really loud.
39. How many dogs do you have? I grew up with two dogs - Max and JR.
40. Does someone have a crush on you? Nope, but the super of a neighboring building did when I last lived in NYC. He gave me a mix tape. He was in his 60's. It was creepy and charming all at the same time.
41. What kind of cereal would you be? Cherrios.
42. What is your favorite book(s)? Pride and Prejudice and House of Mirth.
43. What is your favorite candy? Reese's Peanut Butter cups.
44. Favorite Sports Team? Steelers
45. What song do you want played at your funeral? Good question. Taking the Long Way, by the Dixie Chicks.
46. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Going to bed.
47. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I gotta get up and go hiking. Motivation is not my strong suit in the morning.

That was fun. I've never done anything like that before. I'm going to tag Lily, Kim and Angelfish and ask them to do this next.

Have a great (what's left of) Saturday night!

You Learn Something New Every Day

My dad went to the doctor today. He told us at dinner what his blood pressure is and how much he weighs. He only weighs 174 lbs. He's 6 foot. I almost freaked out. That means that when I was at my highest, I weighed about 50 lbs. more than he does. I am glad I didn't know that when I told him how much I weighed after my weigh-ins each week at WW over the past 15 months. I guess it shouldn't make a difference, but the context it puts my weight history in shocks the sh*t out of me. I kept considering what I had weighed in the past when I was at a healthier weight, and my mom would sometimes give me the perspective of what she weighed at the time, but it never occurred to me to ask my dad what he weighed. i guess i just figured men and women are different when it came to weight. is it sad that i am somehow more embarrassed now that i was so forthcoming about my weight during the whole process? i know i shouldn't have been and i'm sure that's why he didn't tell me, but wow, it really surprised me tonight. i know weight it just a number, and that it doesn't tell the whole story. one thing my mom pointed out is that he has like zero muscle because he never works out or does any kind of physical activity, and muscle weighs more than fat. i know its something trivial, but i'm glad i learned it today, and not last year!

I'm Back!

Sorry for my upbrupt hiatus. I really don't have an excuse for it. I think I got overwhelmed with reporting my food choices to all of you. I did continue to keep track of them in WW etools. I didn't eat, overall, any better or worse than I did in previous weeks. I went over my flex points, but I had an equal, or larger number of activity points. My weight has been relatively consistent - I weigh myself every couple of days on my mom's scale. I haven't been to WW in weeks. I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise to continue to report my food choices to all of you. I know it works very well for a lot of people and I don't want you to think I was afraid of what you all would say in reaction to the choices. I just think I'm having a lot of guilt eating different things and not gaining. I am exercising a heck of a lot more than I did before I moved to Vegas, so I think that has a lot to do with it. But, I am feeling super guilty for eating meatloaf and steak and bagels and light beer and wine and not gaining weight. I still make modified choices, but overall I am eating differently than I did before. I am conflicted. I miss my old foods, but I do cook them from time to time for my parents. I still choose fish and vegetables when I go to restaurants. I just didn't expect this and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. Anyone who has had experience with this, or even if you haven't, please give me your thoughts.



On a lighter note, I wanted to post the website of my mom's hiking group. They take pictures of almost all of our hikes. We went to Arizona hot springs yesterday. I didn't realize that it was actually in Arizona! It didn't take long to get there though, it was just over the Hoover Dam. I actually went in a hot springs pool in shorts I wore under my pants. It was so awesome and warm, but we didn't stay long because you had to climb a really tall ladder to get to them and not everyone wanted to do it. Here's the link to the blog for the group: http://aroundthebendfriends.blogspot.com/. Look at the Arizona Hot Springs entry and the Oak Creek Trail entry and see if you can spot the girl with brown hair in a bun and a red fleece jacket and running tights. That's me! :) (I wear a couple layers of clothing so I think I look a lot bigger than I actually am.)

I'll be checking out all of your blogs this weekend. Hope you are all doing well!

Day Two ... Accountability Test

Not too much interesting going on here. I'm talking to an old classmate from my MBA program about a job posting at his company this afternoon. Not a perfect fit from the description, but nothing's perfect. I'll let you know if I decide it is worth pursuing. I decided to apply for a part-time position at the local library. Too bad the one in our neighborhood hasn't been built yet, or I could walk to work :) I'll let you know if they hire me - hopefully someone will :)

I have been trying to be better about eating. I was good yesterday until dinner. I should have eaten more as the day progressed - note to self for the future. Actually, my old WW meeting leader said that we shouldn't say "I was good." or "I was bad." when it comes to food. We should just talk about the choices we have made and if we could make better choices. So, my choices yesterday were good until dinner. Actually, until I went in the hot tub at 6:30pm. That's when I decided to have a beer. It just sounded lovely. But today I have made better choices. I'll post yesterday's menu first (in chronological order) and then today's so far (it's 3:49pm PST).

Monday:
1-1/2 cups Cheerios
1-1/2 cups Light & Fit non-fat yogurt
2% milk
coffee
apple
1 Corona Light beer
1-1/2 cups of spaghetti
1/2 cup marinara sauce
3 meatballs
1 glass of red wine
2 servings of snaps pretzels
1 Corona Light beer

Tuesday (before 4pm):
2% milk
coffee
2-1/2 cups Cheerios
1 apple
1 Greek salad (lettuce, tomato, 8 olives, onion, 1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles) no dressing at Panera's (I successfully avoided the bagel! :) Yeah me!)

My goal is to continue to make good choices for the remainder of the day. (Spaghetti was my downfall yesterday. WW says 1 serving of spaghetti and meatballs is 16 points!) We are going out to dinner tonight, so I may have a glass of wine or two. I know I can go to dinner without drinking, but if I can work it into my points, I'm going to indulge. But I'm going to balance that with a healthy dinner (no pizza!) But, I do think that I am going to save beer/alcohol for every once in a while (like when I go out) as I had been doing for the past 1-1/2 years. I agree with Jodi's comment, if it isn't in the house, it won't be a temptation. I usually don't think about having a beer until I see my Mom or Dad with a cocktail, so if I don't have it, I don't think I'll miss it. And Kim, thanks for your idea about the non-alcoholic beer. I've never tried it before, so it is something to think about.

Thanks for helping me hold myself accountable. I think I will get the hang of this during these 7 days of reporting to you all.

Day One

Okay, all I have to report today is what I ate yesterday. I super embarrassed to admit it, but I promised, so here it goes:

1 cup coffee w/ 2% milk
1 cup Cheerios
1 Cinnamon Crunch bagel at Panera's
1/2 oz. hazelnut cream cheese at Panera's
1 large hazelnut coffee w/ 2% milk at Panera's
1 pork chop (lean)
1 cup green beans
1 baked potato (plain)
1+ Corona light beers
1-1/2 servings of snaps pretzels

I was so good when I lived alone, I never kept beer in the house. Now it is a temptation. I'm going to see if I can keep myself from having beer every evening (my parents usually have a cocktail before dinner). If I can't succeed, I'm going to ask my Mom to stop buying beer because I'm the only one who really drinks it and no one will care if it isn't in the house. I'll keep you posted. Tomorrow I'll post what I ate today. I know, not one of my more interesting posts, but you guys are keeping me accountable. Thanks!