June 3, 2008

Just Do It

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That’s been the theme of today: just do it. Lately there’s been alot of stuff in my personal life, work life, weight loss that I’ve been putting off and putting off – to my own detriment! When I just suck it up and do the things I don’t want to, I’m always so much happier for it! In the years since I’ve graduated college I think that’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned. I’m not going to wake up tomorrow with the perfect life. If I want to be 135 lbs, have a great job, big family, etc, etc then I have to make it happen. Perfect example: when I came back from the gym today, I realized I still hadn’t cleaned the refrigerator. I almost didn’t do it, reasoning I was too tired. And then I thought, ‘Kate, JUST DO IT!’ So I did! Since I still had my HRM on, I tracked my heart rate too, and I burned an extra 200 calories easy! Now. not only do I have a clean and ready for CSA goodness refrigerator (see for yourself):

But I also have a mopped kitchen floor, clean sink and counters, clean dishes, and Horseshoe has a washed and fresh ladies room. Everyone’s happy! I’m really going to keep that as my mantra: JUST DO IT. I know I’ll be alot happier if I do.

Anyway, when I got home from work today, I goofed around for a while and then had a slice of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread with a tbsp Almond Butter:

Pre Workout Snack was 174 calories, 21g carbs, 8g fat, and 7g protein.

Cardio Smorgas at the gym: treadmill with weights, Cardio Wave, step mill, elliptical. I also did some mat work. Towards the end of my workout, I heard this song, which always makes me dream of being on DTV with the poor man’s version of Joey Lawrence. Swoon. Totally fitting, seeing as though I’m seeing SJP in Sex and the City tomorrow night!! Anyway, Cardio Smorgas=562 calories burned.

As I said, I came home an did an crazy clean of the apt, woohoo! After that, I had a small dinner of the last serving of Goddess Garbanzos.

Dinner was 195 calories, 28g carbs, 8g fat, and 5g protein. Even though I could have more dinner/dessert, I don’t think I will. Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should. Night guys! :)

 

June 3, 2008

Around Town Afternoon

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Jeesh, I think I walked almost 3 miles this afternoon! I had to go get a blood test for my upcoming surgery. I found a lab a few blocks away and headed there during lunch. Well, when I got to the location, there was no lab to be found! Then I looked closer at the address and realized it was on the EAST side, not the WEST side. I guess since I’m always on the west side, I just assumed it was over here. To make matters worse, it was really east. Like as east as you can go. But since I needed the test results ASAP, I had no choice but to walk there and back. Ah well. A little walking never hurt anyone. I knew lunch was going to be scattered, so before I left I had my sandwich: chickpea cutlet with laughing cow wedge, mustard, and spinach on rye bread:

Yum, so good. My last cutlet this batch. :(

I had a new Luna bar while walking, Berry Almond:

This was good, but stained my fingers, boo. Lunch was 544 calories, 74g carbs, 14g fat, and 30g protein.

I hate getting blood taken, but this was pretty painless – I was in and out! On the walk back, I got a treat:

Looking back, this was kind of hard on my stomach. I would have been better off with an iced tea or iced water even!

The plan for this afternoon is to clean my fridge! The first CSA bounty arrives on Thurs and I have a way overpacked and overcrowded fridge, with lots of expired products, I’m sure. My new goal is to be more cautious about using what I have and not superfluously buying groceries! Plus gym and a snack – I’m due for some fruits and veggies. TTFN!

 

May 28, 2008

Happy Day!

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Hey all!  I’ve been getting tons of great news this morning, the most important of which is from my doctor’s office, who said that my surgery is this close to being approved by my insurance company.  YAY!!! I have been dreading and delaying this surgery for close to 10 yrs now – I’m finally willing and ready to get it over with.  It’s scheduled for June 9th and it still hasn’t been approved.  Hopefully soon I’ll get the news that it’s been approved and I can start my pre-operation to-do’s: blood test, book temp for office, clean house, buy easily swallowed food, etc.

I also got an email from a CSA reminding me about the first pick-up scheduled for June 5th: next THURSDAY!!  Peter and I signed up for the CSA months ago, and I’m ready to see the fruits of that labor! Pun intended. :)

I did end up having a coffee this morning – I was still in sleep mode and needed to wake up!  Around 1 PM, I settled in for lunch.  Lunch was delicious and FILLING today.  I started off with a chickpea cutlet on Ezekiel bread with a Laughing Cow wedge and spinach:

Along with a cup of nonfat cottage cheese and about 10 strawberries:

I am totally on a cottage cheese kick these days!  I can’t get enough of this stuff!

Lunch was 621 calories, 70g carbs, 11g fat, and 60g protein.

This afternoon the plan is to go home, TACKLE the dishes, and hit up the gym before dinner.  Have a great afternoon everyone!

*************************************

While  I was writing this post, I got an email from my doctor saying my surgery has been approved!!! It truly is a happy day!!! :) :) :) :)

 

May 24, 2008

Rooftop Lunch

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Boy, I am a menace to Banana Republic.  I live right across the street from one and go there a couple times a week (I probably only buy something one every two or three weeks though – I just like to keep my eye on the sale rack).  Since 90% of my clothes are too big on me now, I basically have had to start my wardrobe over from scratch.  I’m doing this slowly because I still have weight to lose.  I know from past experience what size I’ll end up being, and I figure I can have things tailored if something really gets too big on me.  The most important thing to me is dressing the body I have right now. When I wear my old baggy stuff, it’s a downer because I look like I’m swimming in my clothes, but more importantly, I’m thinking, ‘wow, this used to be tight – man I was heavy!’ and that’s depressing.  But when I wear my new, slim fitting clothes, I’m like, ‘alright, keep it going, Kate!’  Anyway, I did quite the damage today: a pair of shoes, three tops, two pairs of shorts, and a skirt.  Plus, I walked out with a Banana Republic card, which considering how much I shop there, only makes sense: discounts, free tailoring, free online shipping, heads up on sales and private sales – plus you get discounts at Gap and Old Navy.  My mother thinks this was a huge mistake on behalf of Banana Republic. :P (Or a huge win, depending on how you look at it!)

After shopping I headed up to the rooftop of our building! for lunch and magazines.  Here’s my lunch in my portable dish on the way up to the roof:

A serving of Goddess Garbanzos plus two whole wheat pitas with a Laughing Cow wedge.  Lunch was 390 calories, 59g carbs, 10g fat, and 14g protein.

The roof was beautiful!  I was going to snap a picture of the skyline for you guys, but I forgot my camera in the apt.  Next time.  This was the first time I’ve gone up there to relax and I’ll definitely be up again.  It was so calm and peaceful and it was nice to get some sun and air!  But – I am so behind on my magazines!  I’m still not finished with Self, and I have Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, and Lucky to go!  Grr!

When I came back down I had a snack of 2 oz hemp milk, 32g of Trader Joe Country Pumpkin Spice Granola and 108g 0% greek yogurt:

Kind of a random combo, I think – but it was good.  Snack was 212 calories, 28g carbs, 5g fat, and14g protein.

Hope you’re having a great Saturday!

 

May 23, 2008

Easy Breezy Afternoon

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I ended up getting out of work around 3 PM – SUPER early, hooray!  I wasn’t expecting to have that much free time this afternoon so I took advantage of it by taking myself to a manicure and pedicure.  :) I got Bubble Bath (peachy-pink) on my fingers and Belize-It-Or-Not (purpely mauve) on my toes.  Something I really love about NYC is how cheap manicures and pedicures are.  You can get a mani for $8 and a pedi for $23 if you know where to go.  It makes it really easy to get them regularly!  I love getting mani/pedis.  They make me feel very womanly, and like I’m taking care of myself.  Plus, a fresh manicure makes you feel more pulled together and compliments any outfit.

Anyway, afterwards I went to CP to get in a workout.  Before I got started I tried a new snack, Dr. Weil Chia Razz bar:

Pre Workout Snack was 180 calories, 35g carbs, 4g fat, and 2g protein.

Even though I’ve been LOVING CP, I’ve been having trouble staying focused on keeping a cardio groove going.  Today I started out doing weights on the treadmill but couldn’t keep it together.  I finally hopped on the Elliptical Trainer with one of my Podfitness workouts.  That was what I needed!  I just needed some focus and direction for my workout.  If there is a downside to CP it’s that it’s so big, there’s never many people around.  At NYSC, it was always so crowded – it felt like a rat race, yes, but there was a sense of comradarie I felt, plus it was motivating so see everyone else working out so hard.  Elliptical = 471 Calories Burned.

When I got home I made a quick dinner of a Chickpea Cutlet and some carrots.  I was going to boil the carrots, but I was too lazy. :)

Dinner was 320 calories, 26g carbs, 8g fat, and 17g protein.

Tonight I’m going out to a bar with my friend, Jeff, from college.  I’m planning on having one club soda and vodka.  I’ll give you the report tomorrow.  Have a great Friday!

 

May 22, 2008

Goddess Lunch

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As I mentioned, I finally packed my lunch, hooray. I even tried a new recipe: Goddess Garbanzos from ED&BV. I followed the recipe for the most part, but made substitutions according to what I had in house – plus I made it with extra capers. Because I heart capers. :) I also had two mini whole wheat pita’s on the side for scooping.

This was tasty, and I definitely enjoyed all the different flavors. I couldn’t decide what to have with this, so I ended up just eating my emergency snack: two mini-muffins.

Although I do like these muffins, I really don’t think they’re worth the caloric investment. Two mini guys are almost 200 calories! That’s too much for something you just pop in your mouth. I don’t think they’ll be a repeat recipe. Lunch was 521 calories, 87g carbs, 13g fat, 14g protein.

Tonight I’m attending the goodbye party for my friend and colleague, Ian. :( It starts at 5. I’m planning on forgoing drinking so that I can hit up Chelsea Piers tonight. I probably will have a club soda and lime plus my workout snack at the bar. That pool is calling my name!

PS. I’m really feeling last night’s workout today! My whole body feels stretched out and strong! I’m LOVING it!

 

May 21, 2008

Return to the Kitchen!

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I finally got back in the kitchen tonight to pack my lunch for tomorrow and cook dinner. It felt great! But first, a recap of the afternoon.
I successfully avoided the office goodies, whew! I don’t know why I’ve been having such a rough time with them lately. Some days they’re not even a speck on my radar, others it’s all I can think about. Anyway, I had an iced coffee around 4:30 to perk up.

I wasn’t hungry after my large lunch, so I headed over to the gym without a pre-workout snack. It was okay, but I wish I had gotten one – I was starving by the end of the night. I started out with cardio, and then jumped into a Pilates mat class, where I met CP’s Pilates teacher, Howard, who is the nicest guy ever! I used the pilates ring for the first time – that was interesting, haha! After class, I spoke to Howard about the Pilates Reformer classes that he teaches. He’s so positive and upbeat – I loved having him as a teacher in the large mat class, I can’t wait for a smaller reformer class! After the pilates class I did a bit more cardio, and then went for a swim. Even though I was at CP for close to 2.5 hrs, I loved every second of it. Pilates class and cardio = 450 calories burned.

On my way out of the gym, I realized I was starving and headed to the CP cafe for a snack. The choices were plentiful: anything and everything you could want! I liked how I picked my snack: I thought what have I eaten, what do I need to eat, re: food groups, fat, protein, carbs, etc. I decided on a banana to get some fruit in:

Snack was 94 calories, 24g carbs, 0g fat, and 1g protein.

When I got home I whipped up a new batch of chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon. These turned out to be the best of any batch I’ve made! Just incredibly delicious! I made a couple subs based on what I had in house: added fennel seed, extra paprika, left out garlic. Amazing. I had one of an Ezekiel hamburger bun (love) with ketchup for dipping. :)

Dinner was 393 calories, 56g carbs, 10g fat, and 26g protein.

This post has taken MUCH longer than it should have because I had to switch computers (luckily we have FIVE different ones in our small NYC apt – computer nerd bf) and upload pictures twice, boo. So I have to rush off to bed – but to close, here are some BEAUTIFUL flowers I saw today. I’m loving having my camera on me 24/7 because of the blog – I’m able to capture anything on a whim! Night!

 

May 9, 2008

Wet Lunch

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On Friday mornings, my office has our weekly breakfast. The company buys a huge supply of fruit and bagels and people just snack all day. It’s been really tough for me in the past not to just pick and pick and pick. To combat this, I’ve stopped eating the bagels and started bringing my usual breakfast. Once I have a delicious NY bagel with aprox a gallon of cream cheese, I feel crummy for the rest of the day. Now I just steal a bowl of fruit to have with my lunch, ergo:

It’s all about finding solutions that work for you, right?

For some reason, between the gym, cleaning, and early bed, I couldn’t get it together last night to make lunch for today. So I thought it would be a good time to buy lunch! :) I went to Guy and Gallard and got a small spinach salad with broccoli, tomatos, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, and peas. This came with a small container of fat-free raspberry vinaigrette, which I had a few forkfuls of. (PS. Of course the one day I leave the office to get lunch, it’s rainy and cold!)

Along with my salad, I got myself a treat:

I love these crisps! I used to eat them all the time, but as I’ve tried to move away from processed foods, they fell off the rotation months ago. But when I saw them at G&G, I knew they should be mine.

All together:

Yum! My body just loooves a truckload of fresh fruits and veggies! Lunch was 445 calories, 85g carbs, 5g fat, and 21g protein.

Have a great afternoon, guys!

 

May 5, 2008

Chickpea Sandwich

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In the past, whenever I was home sick, I had a tendency to snack on comfort foods.  Today has been really successful on that front, however.  I haven’t been overeating, and I haven’t been eating garbage.  Between this and my performance at Saturday’s party, I’m really starting to feel secure in my healthy lifestyle.  It’s really a great feeling. 

I was a little hungry around 12, but not quite enough for lunch yet, so I snacked on a Cocoa Banana Scone:

 

Yum, delicious as ever.  Snack was 134 calories, 25g carbs, 4g fat, and 3g protein.

Around 1:30, I decided on lunch.  I used the last of my chickpea cutlets made from Veganomicon to make a chickpea sandwich, plus two slices of Ezekiel 4:9 Bread, spinach, and a wedge of Light Laughing Cow Herb and Garlic Cheese:

 

Along with my sandwich, I had a 1/2 cup cottage cheese and a half cup of a mixed fruit container that P picked up at the grocery store.

 

All together:

This lunch was so good.  I love some cottage cheese, and P picked up the 2% milkfat (I usually get fat free) – so this was quite a splurge!  Plus the combo of the chickpea cutlet and laughing cow was really tasty.  That was my last cutlet, so I’m going to have to make another batch.

Lunch was 548 calories, 65g carbs, 13g fat, and 43g protein.

Bah…still laying around the house feeling crummy.  Hope your day is going better!

 

May 1, 2008

Rainbow Lunch

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This lunch was so colorful and delicious – the best kind of lunch! To start, this salad was just kind of thrown together because I had a lot of vegetables on their way out, and I needed to get them eaten up quick. I started with the leftover chickpeas from the chickpea cutlets I made the other night and went from there. Tons of fresh veggies made this salad a crunchy rainbow of colors! The salad contains:

  • Chickpeas
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Tomatoes
  • Yellow Peppers
  • Dollop of Fage
  • 10g of Spicy Mustard
  • Tons of Paprika! I heart paprika!

I always need some bread-y something to feel full, so I threw in 2 mini-pitas to scoop up the salad.

I’m not the most graceful person in the world, so this got a bit messy. :P

I also had some strawberries and nonfat vanilla yogurt with a half cup Fiber 1 on the side.

 

Oh my goodness – this combo rocked my world!! It tasted exactly like strawberry shortcake! Sooo amazingly delicious! I will definitely be having this again. Maybe a strawberry shortcake oatmeal will be in the mix?

All together, lunch was 526 calories, 115g carbs, 1g fat, and 21g protein.

I think P is hanging out with a friend tonight, so I’m on my own for dinner. I’m thinking a new recipe may be in order…