Bird-a-ful Run

I seem to be back on track, which is great. I weighed in today and down 2.7lbs after last weeks 6.9lb gain.....so, heading in the right direction again. I'm hoping with the half marathon training plan we have I'll be racking up more activity points and be able to lose a bit more weight. I will also be getting my thyroid labs re checked this week, so I might be due for another dose change if it shows I'm still off.

Saturdays Rachel and I headed to Shelley Lake again for our long run. We did our intervals and finished up our four miles in about 58 minutes. I'm surprised I didn't run faster bc there were so many birds! I'm straight up terrified of birds and it seemed like every bird in the city was there....ducks, geese, cranes and even giant hawks. I don't think I've seen so my birds in one place. I can't even tell you the pure terror I feel when I see a pack of Canadian geese.  I took some pictures but, it is kinda hard to see the birds. The hawk was hanging out on the garbage can.

I ate pretty well today and spent most of the day reading bc it was snowy and slushy out. The oatmeal was 8pp and the shrimp salad was 3pp. Not bad.

Other than that, nothing crazy new is going on. I would like to give a shout out to my parents bc the sweatshirt they got me for Christmas came with a hole in it and I had to send it back. They finally got the refund on it and they sent me this:

VERY cool! I love it! Thanks, Mom and Dad! 

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I've Been A Bad, Bad Girl

Yeah, this past week was a major DISASTER!

Yeah, I GAINED 6.9lbs in a week! Disturbing and impressive. It truly shows what happens when I don't work out, eat insane portions and eat crap. I don't think I saw a fruit or veggie (unless you count the pizza sauce I ate) all week. I barely drank any water and I felt sluggish and nasty all week. I gain so fast bc well, duh I ate insane portions but also bc my metabolism is super slow and it's probably due to my thyroid. I did a metabolic breath test at my nutritionist office and she confirmed that my metabolic rate is crap, below average. So, it just means I have to work harder to get the results I want. 

So, I'm training for my sixth, seventh, and eighth half marathon. I'm doing the Raleigh Triple Crown and I'll be doing a race in April, May and June. I really needed a new challenge to get going again. Rachel and I had our first training run on Saturday and it was pretty chilly. We are starting with intervals of 2 minutes walking and 1 minute running. We went to Shelley Lake and did 2 miles nice and easy. 

After the run, we headed to Panera and I got a Breakfast Power Sandwich with egg whites for 7pp and it was great! I LOVE Vermont sharp cheese!  I stayed contently full until lunch time. 

In health news, I got my MRI done on Friday for my 6 month check of the pituitary mass I have and hopefully I'll get the report/results tomorrow. I also got the results from my CIMT tests and I have the arteries of a 28 year old, so that is good to know. Just gotta keep watch on those cholesterol numbers! 

OK, so I've got to do a quick mile run today and then will get my meals ready for the week. The only other plans I have today is watching JT in the Grammy's! I AM SO EXCITED to see him! 

Here's to a successful week!  

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Damn You, Ham Biscuit!

Matt and I went to the Canes/Bruins game last night and we had a perfect view of the buffet and the ham. I love ham, pork, bacon, a piglet in a tutu. It is all equally delicious to me. I headed to Bojangles this morning and had my planned ham biscuit for 10 points. Normally, if I would have started out the day with that I would've shot the whole day to hell and ate whatever I wanted. I didn't do that, but I ate a lot more points than I wanted. I haven't gone over my weekly points though. I also was exhausted all day and knew I was going to struggle with my sixty minute workout tonight. I came home and napped for about 45 minutes and FORCED myself on the bike and lift those weights. I did it and pushed through, cursing creatively throughout the hour. 

I have an appointment with my nutritionist tomorrow morning and I'm anxious to see her, I haven't seen her since December. She and I will be going over what are the best choices to make at restaurants, no matter where I go.

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Another Saturday, Another Weigh In

I stepped on the scale on Saturday morning and I was pleasantly surprised that I was down another 1.3lbs and earned my 5lb badge.  So, I lost 6.1lbs in January. Not great, but encouraging. I was so exhausted from working out so much, that I hadn't worked out in four days. I got back on the bike today and lifted some weights for a hour and then napped for two hours! I've decided to do 60 minutes every other day instead of daily. My body isn't bouncing back from workouts like it use to.

I made, with Matt's supervision, two recipes: Weight Watchers Shells (11 point plus) and Weight Watchers Oatmeal Banana Bread (5 point plus).

Here are pictures from the shell recipe:

The shells were good! Very filling, but I would put less oregano in it bc it was super strong!

Here are pictures from the bread:

Bread was decent, but a little dry. My 1 pp butter took care of that though!

It was super icy this past week and we basically stayed in with the dogs.

I have one item to review and that is the Hungry Girl: The Official Survival Guides on two CDs . I got it for about eight bucks on Amazon and I think it was worth it. It had some really great tips and she really isn't annoying to listen to. I will say that I thought she was condescending in some spots and when she mentioned some "bad foods" she made it seems like you were a disgusting person for even wanting fair food or anything considered unhealthy. I'm sorry but a lollipop isn't going take the place of cheesecake on a stick at the state fair. Listen, I'm all about eating healthy, but I'm a firm believer in eating treats every so often.....even if they have fifty grams in it. I'm not saying everyday, but I'm saying everything in moderation. If I want to plan a meal where I eat four pieces of pizza from Pizza Hut, I'm gonna. Most of the time, I plan and get all excited from a cheat meal and then boom! I don't even want it anymore or maybe instead of the four I planned, I'll only eat one or two. I might be full, maybe I don't  even want it, maybe I want a healthier meal or maybe I am actually thinking of all the fat I'm eating. Anyway you want to look at it, it's my choice! My choice is moderation and nothing is considered "bad food", it's just food. If you label it as bad and say that you can't have it....you'll want it! Instead of saying, "I can't have it" say "I don't eat (insert food) much anymore" or "I don't really want that". To me, it makes it seems like MY choice. I don't want to eat it bc I don't really want it, not bc I can't have it. That food becomes forbidden or the Bad Boy, if you will. Whatever we can't have, we want....badly.  

Anyway, that's it for now! Hope everyone has a great week! 

*All opinions in the blog post are my own and I was not in anyway compensated in any way.*

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Bloody Confusing

It has been another nice and relaxing weekend here. We got all our grocery shopping done, watched some hockey, tried some new recipes, worked out and I actually slept in til 10am. I think maybe I was super tired bc I'm usually up by 7:30am on weekends.

We tried recipes this weekend: Cashew Chicken, Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge and Red Velvet Cake. 

The Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge was the most memorable and most confusing.  First I got condensed milk instead of evaporated milk and Matt had to help me figure out how much to decease the sugar measurement to keep the point level the same. It was super confusing and I was pissed that I didn't get the right thing, so I decided to make a second batch and went out to the store to get evaporated milk. There were eight different types of evaporated milk and I bought them all! I was so worried that I'd get the wrong thing again, so I figured better safe than sorry. I started my second batch while Matt was cleaning up and then....blood everywhere. Matt cut is finger on the can of condensed milk and there was spatter on the counter, sink, floor.....yuck! It bled for while and I was worried that he would need stitches, but it looks ok now.

Anyway, both batches of fudge came out completely different! The first batch with the condensed milk came out how I pictured it.

The second batch, made just like the recipe, came out like chewy candies, not like fudge.

I liked both batches, but the 1st one was actual fudge. So, who knows! 

Last night we tried Cashew Chicken  and it was ok. I do not think it was worth 10 points and we replaced the white rice with brown rice. It did have a great flavor and I tried bamboo for the first time! 

The last thing I made was the Red Velvet Cake  from LaaLoosh.com . I haven't tried it yet, but it was pretty easy to make, even for me. It has Diet Dr. Pepper in it, and I'm not sure how I feel about that bc I don't like soda and feel that it is unhealthy, BUT it was only 8oz. 

I also tried Vita Muffin Tops and they are really good. They are three points apiece.

I guess that's it! I'm going to watch the Pats kick some ass! GO, PATS! 

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