still tired today

I obviously did not get enough sleep last night. Today wasn't a good eating day for me. I'll just leave it at that. Tomorrow we're doing Halloween with some friends and will be having dinner at their house, so I'll be going grocery shopping Tuesday morning so I can get back on track. Honestly - being ill-prepared is definitely taking it's toll... and because I'm super busy with my order, I tend to 'comfort' myself with little treats since I'm kind of actually miserable right now. Not good ... not good. 

But it is what it is for the time being. I've identified the problem, and I'm planning on fixing it ... but I just gotta get through this project. For reals. Right now it's all consuming, but hopefully in a couple of more weeks it'll all be done.

dude. it's 2am

BREAKFAST:

coffee w/cream

LUNCH:

bibibap

DINNER:

eggs w/kielbasa

EXTRA:

diet coke

a few pieces of Halloween candy

(don't worry - Halloween is almost here and then it'll be gone)

I can't believe it's already 2am. Ridiculous. I'm off to get some sleep.

exhausted

BREAKFAST:

coffee w/creamer

LUNCH:

subway turkey sandwich

baked lays

DINNER:

Trader Joe's Shepherd's Pie

EXTRA:

Diet Coke

some Halloween Candy

a few BBQ Frito Twists

Apple w/smoked gouda

It actually sounds like more food than I ate. But what ever. I'm SO tired right now. But it was a good day productivity wise. 

Sorry this is short, but I seriously am beat right now. Hope you guys have a good weekend!

long weekend ahead

Like always, I have a long weekend ahead of me. I have some lofty goals of what I need to get accomplished in the time frame I have available to me. So wish me luck! I'm hoping to be done with my current project in less than 2 weeks. I really hope I can do it in less time, but that's my current goal. Another current goal? To make better food choices.

BREAKFAST:

coffee w/creamer

LUNCH:

4 mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that I threw away ...

.... in my mouth!

DINNER:

pork chop

carrots and zucchini

a few sauteed apples

EXTRA:

less than 1 Diet Pepsi

a handful of Honey BBQ Frito Twists

a couple of handfuls of random Halloween candy

another coffee w/creamer

I'm going to be honest with you. I'm planning on getting Subway tomorrow for lunch. Yes - it's bread. No, I'm not supposed to have it - but when I'm working under the conditions that I am, its super nice (and convenient) to not have to 'think' about what I need to eat. I can just get it, eat quickly and then get back to work. I don't have to spend a bunch of time boiling eggs, cooking chicken and cutting up vegetables to make a salad. Trust me, getting Subway takes WAY less time. 

But another decision I've made is that I don't think I'm going to take on these big projects anymore ... or at least I won't for a long time. It's too stressful and honestly, it's a bit hard to balance the work with everything else. It's totally time consuming - and granted, it is purely my fault as I was given plenty of time to get it done, but then I put it off thinking I had too much time, and then the kiddos got sick and ... well ... I'm left with a super stressful situation. I'm very thankful for these work opportunities as the company I partner with has been super great to me, but I think there might be better ways for me to spent my work time ... and of course, it would allow me more time to focus on my health (which is equally as important).

Well, I have a few more things I need to get done before calling it a night, so I guess I'll say good-bye for now. If you have fun plans for the weekend - let me know. That way I can live vicariously through you.

a bit better

... but not by much. I'm definitely a stress eater ... through and through. And I really wanted to get a 'cheese roll up' from Taco Bell today, but the ONLY thing that stopped me was that I was going to have to write about on here. So see ... this accountability thing is helping me! LOL But I still made some bad choices today.

BREAKFAST:

coffee w/creamer

1/2 of an apple

LUNCH:

rotisserie chicken breast (very small portion)

DINNER:

turkey burger - no bun

but I did have some fries

and a diet coke

EXTRA:

2 mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

some candy corn/pumpkin mix Halloween candy

Cafe Mocha Coffee (it's the keurig kind)

diet coke (but in total for the day, it was less than 1)

Oh - and because I don't have enough on my plate, in case you're not on Facebook, I started a new blog that will take the place of my old one. I just wanted to switch things up, start fresh, and have a new format. What's funny - is that I NEVER post photos of myself because I'm super self conscious about it. So I LITERALLY spent a ton of time taking self portraits on my cell phone trying to hide my double chin while NOT getting my body in the photo. I've had a ton of people comment on 'how good' I look and that they can tell I've lost a lot of weight. I felt like a total liar and deceiver because I just know what angles I need to shoot to hide the double chin. So I came clean about it. Here I was thinking that I could post a 'good' photo of me, and by making it too good, I dug myself into a hole because if people were to see me in real life they'd be like, 'oh ... she SOOOO photo-shopped that picture of her!' Which I didn't ... but I still got the same results. 

Oh well ... I guess this is just motivation to lose more weight. Oh, and if you haven't seen my new blog, you can do so by clicking HERE.

wow

I lost weight. I can't believe it.

1.4 lbs

down the drain. 

awesome.

But I'll be honest here ... I didn't try super hard. In fact ... I'm starting to let bad habits slowly creep back in. So I decided that to help keep my self accountable, I'm going to post at the end of every day, what I've eaten. So here it goes:

BREAKFAST:

coffee w/some creamer

2 small pieces of bacon

LUNCH:

Trader Joe's Bibimbap

DINNER:

rice

California Roll

Kani-Sunomo

EXTRA:

lemon cake

(2) diet pepsi

The husband is now working at a new location and there was a birthday today. So he brought in desserts (this was all pre-planned by the crew). That's why I had the cake. And yes ... you're seeing WAY too much rice. But that's the problem with not making time to properly stock your frig. You end up eating stuff that you probably shouldn't.

Anyway, here's to a better tomorrow. I mean, it can't get much worse, right?!

***PS - I had to change some of the numbers on the weight-loss tracking list because contrary to the popular stereotype, I do not excel in math or science. So some of my calculations were off. But I fixed it, and we're good to go.

great night

So a couple of my girlfriends came to the rescue  and helped me out tonight. What's fun about our 'work nights' is that we just hang out and talk and I get some extra hands to help me catch up. 

Anyway, a ton of stuff got done tonight and I am SOOOO thankful. I'm not fully caught up - but it really did help ... and the best part ... is that we're doing it again on Friday! Whoo-hoo!

Okay. I'm off to bed.

I remembered ...

... but there's not much to say. Busy night, and a super busy tomorrow. So I'm out. Hope you all had a good weekend!

wow ... I forgot again?

Thanks to a message from a friend - I was reminded that I didn't update the blog. I can't believe I forgot! Well ... I guess I kind of can. Yesterday I went to a Women's Conference at my Parent's Church and it was SOOOOO good! BUT, I had to get up hours before I normally do and I didn't sleep all that well the night before. So let's just say I was tired before the day even started. But I had a really good time and when I got home, I was still exhausted. 

But I can't believe that I forgot to post. I thought about it ... and then I must have gotten distracted. Anyway, here's the lame filler post, and I'll be back later tonight. 

Have a great Sunday!

forced break

I'm not at home this evening as I'm up at my parents house with the kiddos. So this means I can't be working, which is stressful, but at the same time it's nice to have a break. 

Anyway, I'll be checking in tomorrow night - hope you all are having a fun weekend!

another quicky

I gotta go to bed early tonight as I have MOPS in the morning and my table is in charge of breakfast ... which means I have to get there early ... with food. I'm also supplying the 'raffle prize'. So I threw some stuff together with the hopes that people like it. I also put together a small gift for my Secret Sister. I have no clue who she is, but I guess that's the point, right? She likes Sour Cherry Balls (or something like that) so I got her some of those and put them in a small glass jar. I think they look really cute ... so hopefully she will too ... and I think it goes without saying that I hope MY Secret Sister gets me something. I know, that sounds totally selfish, but I'd love to walk into the meeting and be greeted with a gift. That's just the kind of girl I am. 

Okay - over and out!

SORRY!

Totally forgot to post last night. I was working late and it completely slipped my mind. But I'll be back later tonight!

Have a great day!

funny {not really ... but it is ... but it isn't}

So I had my weigh-in today and I gained 2.6lbs. In my defense, I did eat Korean food the past two nights, I haven't been drinking water very much, I've had  a few diet sodas, and I'm on my period (sorry if that's TMI for you guys). But actually, talking about my period is kind of interesting ... why? Because I haven't had one in like forever. Since going Primal I've had two. TWO! This is kind of a big deal. So it'll be interesting to see what happens in the future. Right now it put me on about a 6 week cycle ... but I'll take it! 

Anyway, it's a new week. I got my Mini-Goal in mind. So it's game on. Let's DO IT!!!

here we go again

two things:

1) Virtual Closet - Sweater Edition

 

love that it's a cross between a sweater and a jacket

 

don't think I'd wear it like the model is ...

maybe with a white tee and some jeans?

yes ... no ... ?

 

always a fan of cardigans and black 

its like the fusion of my two favorite things. 

2) It's Weigh-In time

So tomorrow I'm supposed to weigh in again. I'm going to be honest with you and say that I WILL be gaining weight. There are a few contributing factors, but the main one is that I've been making some poor choices when it comes to eating. I haven't mentioned them, as I thought each day I would do better ... but then something would come up and well ... I'd make a poor choice. 

But this new week is a new start. I've pretty much figured out what the family will be wearing for our Christmas photos (which will be taken in 3-4 weeks) and I want to make sure we fit into everything! So I got a small goal I need to achieve!

So that's that. Bad news for tomorrow - but I hope to use that as motivation to make wiser choices, and use some self control in the coming days. I gotta get my Primal back on.

Another Week

Well, another week is starting and it's going to be a busy one. But what else is new. Sorry this is another brief one ... but we went to a friend's house for a super delicious meal and I have a bunch of things to catch up on (aka: clean the house). 

Anyway - here's to a good week for everyone!

tired again

I know ... such is the trend with me. Today we watched a parade of highschool marching bands. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed it. But it also involved us standing in the hot sun for 2 hours. Then I spent a few hours working on my next project, and then we went back to the highschool to watch some of the field show competitions. Again, my daughter was soooooo into it. And honestly - I was pretty impressed with what these kids can do!

So now I can barely keep my eyes open. Which means I'm signing off for the night. Enjoy your last day of the weekend!

the Field Trip

So our day started out with a child who got little-to-no sleep, us arriving late, and the weather being a toasty 85+ degrees out. I think this picture pretty much sums up the trip:

So while the Pumpkin Patch wasn't a total hit, it was nice to take part in a Fall-ish activity. I'm really looking forward to the weather cooling down. We had a little taste of some low temps last week, but sadly ... they've disappeared. 

But enough about that ... let's get back to Primal living. 

So here's the deal. If you've gone on the Primal website and looked around, you'll find that there isn't a 'sample menu' that you can just follow. So please keep the following in mind:

1) NO legumes

2) NO grains (pasta, rice, etc)

3) NO dairy (some will have greek yogurt, or some aged cheese - you can find a list on the website)

4) NO sugar (but you can have dark chocolate if you want - at least 70%)

Cook with butter (if you choose to do some dairy), olive oil, ghee or coconut oil. Remember that fat is your friend!

If you buy Organic/Free Range meat, then it doesn't matter what the fat percentage is (not that I would get 'full fat' or anything like that), but if you don't (which is fine), then make sure you get a low fat percentage.

Okay - so here's what I eat ... but keep in mind, I'm kind of a creature of habit. 

Breakfast: If I eat it, I'll have bacon, with 2 eggs cooked in the bacon fat. But usually, I skip breakfast

Lunch: My go-to salad has either mixed greens, or butter lettuce. I add some english cucumber, cherry tomatoes, a few black olives, 2 hard boiled eggs and some chicken breast. I toss it in a little Olive Oil and salt/pepper. It's probably one of my favorite meals. 

Dinner: Usually a meat of some sort, and then steamed vegetables that are finished off in a little melted butter and salt/pepper. (although lately, my favorite has been pork chops, with some thin apple slices finished in the butter)

I would say that on a typical day, I'll skip breakfast and eat lunch and dinner. I do have dark chocolate and when I want something sweet I'll cut up an apple and have some smoked gouda with it. The chocolate/cheese/fruit is something I need to pull back on. There are people who can eat a lot of fruit and still have weight loss. I think I fall in the 'moderate' category... with less being more for me (unfortunately).

So that's basically what I eat. If you have any questions - please ask away! I'll answer them the best I can!

sorry to do this again ...

... but I have to get going to bed. Tomorrow is a big field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. And that also means that we have to get up earlier than usual. 

So I gotta run. But I promise that the next post will be about Primal food. For reals!!!

another late night

... it seems to be the routine lately. 

So I'm tired (yet again) so this will be short. I was asked today to share what I eat on a daily basis, so I promise to get to that tomorrow. 

So until then ... what are you favorite Fall-foods? Even comfort food ... I'm curious to know!

So I was about to go to bed ...

... when I realized I hadn't posted here. 

The weigh in was decent. I lost 2.8lbs. I said I'd be happy with two pounds, but I think I secretly wanted more than that. But the good news is that I actually gained muscle mass these past couple of weeks ... so that's good. 

The kiddos are on the mend, which is SO nice. Especially since I still have a ton to do. But I called in the troops and I think I'll have some extra hands next week. SO thankful for that. 

Anyway, I can barely keep my eyes open, so I'm off to bed. Hope you all had a good day!

another weigh-in

So tomorrow is the day to weigh in again! I'm excited, but I'm not expecting big things. I'm hoping to be down 2lbs from the last time I weighed in. If that happens, I'll be super happy. Slow and steady wins the race, right? 

So as a little inspiration, here are a couple of things I found at Zara.com

for my virtual closet.

I love this dress. I love that it has long sleeves, yet it's a short dress.
and I totally love the simple shoes with it.
if my legs looked like that - I would be ALL over this.
like every day. for reals.

and since the weather is finally starting to cool down
I thought I'd show this little jacket.
I like how it looks over the skirt.

and yes, I still want my legs to look like that.

time to go eat bacon
(and I can because it's PRIMAL!!!)

Sick

Good news ...  I'm not the one sick. Bad news, it's both  my kiddos. Good news is that the youngest has stopped throwing up. And I just want it to stay that way.

Still have a ton of work to do .. you'll probably hear me complaining about it for the next few months, so I'll try to restrain myself. Having sick kiddos does put a wrench in my work schedule, but I do secretly relish the cuddle time. My son is NOT a cuddler. Actually, my daughter isn't either. But when both of them are sick, that's what they want to do all.day.long. So it's kind of nice. 

Although, if I have to watch My Little Pony/Strawberry Shortcake/Sprout TV for another minute I might just go insane. 

habits

So I'm getting back into the grove of working. I've been working on some smaller projects when I SHOULD be working on the big project. So now I've officially started it. And I have to say, it's so weird realizing what some of my habits were ... like my nightly consumption of Diet Pepsi/Coke. I used to ALWAYS have a large fountain soda to 'get me through the night'. Sometimes I'd drink it all, and sometimes, I'd barely make a dent in it. But it was a habit, a crutch, a nightly ritual. 

I went off the stuff cold turkey when I started going Primal. And it was MUCH easier than I thought it would be. Even when I've gone out to eat at a restaurant, I haven't ordered one. But I did get one last night. And it BURNED my throat as it went down. Like it seriously hurt. It's so weird to think that it NEVER bothered me in the past. So what's different? Did it actually numb my throat before? Why am I so sensitive to it now? 

Anyway, as I was working late into the evening, in my familiar setting ... the craving came back. Even though I knew the night before it was a painful experience. I thought about it for a long time, and then I eventually caved. I still have some cans of soda in the frig, so I got one. I figured it was smaller than get a fountain soda from a drive-thru. 

But I also made a deal with myself. If I took one tonight, I wasn't going to take one ever again. I just don't need it, and I can see where I'm starting to make 'allowances' with myself. So tonight was my last one in a long while. I don't need the stuff, it only bloats me, and again, it really does burn when it goes down. I didn't finish the can. I'm not sure I even got half way. But I'm glad that I can rationally make decisions regarding what I'm putting into my body. Is drinking Diet Soda the end of the world? No. I don't think so at all. But I know for me, it's something that I can become dependent on, and it's not going to help me reach my weight-loss goals. So I'm more than willing to give it up. (key word being WILLING. Before, I used to feel like it was being taking away from me against my will ... so I only wanted it more ... and justified it. I don't feel the need to do that now.)

I gotta say. This Primal thing has been the best thing for me in so many ways. I really do love it.

weird

The scale went down again. What's going on?! All I know, is I'm NOT going to complain. Sorry that this is another short post ... but a girl has got to get stuff done when she hasn't been as productive as she should have been. 

And that's where I'm at right now. 

Anyone have anything fun planned for the weekend? Me? I'll be working. 

another day ... another dollar

I'm so glad today is done. I had some major shipping to do. I started doing these 'mini-sales' on Mondays and I just got behind as I had a busier beginning of the week than I thought I would. Getting stuff ready to ship took me over TWO HOURS today. Craziness. 

I know things have been brief lately  - but there's not that much good stuff to talk about. Nothing interesting ... just me trying to get work done ... make some cash ... you know, basic stuff. 

I've gone back to eating 2 meals a day, with a light snack around 'lunch' time. It's working out well for me. Unfortunately, I still haven't made it to the gym. This morning I was all set to go, but NO JOKE, my entire house hold woke up at 9:45a. OUT.OF.CONTROL. I was supposed to be at the gym at 10am. So of course I canceled. I swear, it's the days where we think that we'll 'naturally' get up earlier that everyone sleeps late. I think the rain had something to do with it as well. There's just something about the dark skies, the sound of raining beating down that makes you just want to stay all comfy cozy under the blankets. At least that's how it works for me. 

Oh - and for dinner, I tried to make a 'basic' Pumpkin soup. It turned out AWFUL. For reals. THIS is why I don't cook very often. But I love vegetables. So does anyone have any good soup recipes they feel like sharing? I'd love to find some new ones!

check it

So today I woke up a pound lighter than my lowest weight (which my lowest weight was yesterday). So that makes me happy. 

And now ... I gotta get back to work. 

wow ... how did it get so late?

Oh man ... it's SO late right now and I'm exhausted. Long day for me, but a good day as well. 

Yes - I missed the gym, but you know what's so funny? When I weighed myself this morning I hit my lowest weight by 1/2 a pound. HAHAHA!

Oh well. 

Sorry this is short - but I REALLY have to get to bed!!!

Virtual Closet

And we're back with the Virtual Closet!

Big thanks to Anthropology for giving me free clothes

for the closet this week. 

pretty awesome of them. 

Okay - so here's a dress I LOVE!

 

I love the simplicity of it

(and the fact that it's green)

and I would pair it with these shoes

(if those shoes were black)

 

it's kind of risky to wear those shoes with a short dress

(at least I think so)

but I'm also pretending that I have fabulous legs

which allows me to get away with those shoes. 

Here's another dress I thought was fabulous

 

and I also love these shoes.

to be honest - I can't tell if the color would actually work

so again ... just pretend they do.

sorry to keep this episode of the 

Virtual Closet

so short ... but I am SO tired. 

Also - I'm not going to the gym tomorrow.

let me explain:

First ... I didn't go to the gym ONCE this past week. 

Also, I had a few 'events' that took me off of eating Primal.

Add the fact that I have SOO much to do tomorrow

(and I'm kind of not sure I can get it all done)

I just can't take out an hour and a half to go to the gym. 

After tomorrow, I'll be back to my regularly scheduled program.

So please don't think I'm slacking, or quitting, or whatever.

It's just a super busy time for me right now, 

so I decided to pick and choose my battles. 

The thing is - Primal is now a lifestyle for me. So honestly, eating a

few 'non-primal' meals doesn't freak me out. I know that I'm just 

picking up where I left off. No big deal. I'm not going to stress about it. 

I don't have anything else coming up for the month of October that can

really alter my eating plan. Granted, I will be so extremely busy with my work,

but that just causes me to get really organized with my time. 

(which I plan on doing ... which includes gym time)

But I'm looking forward to getting back to the gym. 

Seriously - looking at what my schedule will entail ...

being able to 'zone out' while on the treadmill sounds pretty darn good. 

it's time ...

... to bring back the Virtual Closet!

I was told today that I should get that re-instated ... and you know what? I totally agree. I was actually just thinking about it recently. Now that Fall is starting to roll in with the cooler weather, here's a ton of stuff that I would love to be wearing. 

But I'm too tired to do it tonight. But tomorrow? I'm all over it. Besides, that might be good inspiration before my weigh in. 

Hope you all had a great weekend!!!

What does Brian Boitano and Bread have in common?

I'm not entirely sure ... but tonight I had THE BEST 'bread salad' EVER. I guess they referred to it as 'Brian Boitano'. Maybe it's his recipe? (Jineau will have to weigh in on that one since she knows) Anyway, we were all freaking out over the bread salad as it was SOOOOOOO freaking good. For reals. I had two helpings. I mean, it's not like I'm ever going to have the chance to have Bread Salad again!

The party we went to was an Anniversary party ... and honestly - it was one of the best parties I've been to in quite some time. Everything was perfect and I'm SOOOOO bummed that I didn't bring my camera. It was something you'd see out of a magazine ... or better yet ... in a movie. 

Friends of the celebrated couple, hosted the event in their back yard. When we walked in, the sun was just beginning to set. The back yard was transformed by strings of white lights, and there was a SUPER long row of tables covered with white linens, beautiful dishes, glasses, votive candles in mason jars and the food was equally as amazing. 

We also danced the night away. Well ... my kids actually did most of the dancing. Each child kinda glued themselves to someone (who wasn't me or the husband) and fortunately, their 'partners' didn't mind. 

Overall, we had a fabulous night and was sad to see it end. But we are so thankful that we were able to celebrate the anniversary of some dear friends. I wish them many more years of happiness together!

It's Party time

So ... I'm headed to a SUPER fun party this evening (since technically it's past mid-night, thus being officially Saturday). And there's going to be great food. And I'm going to eat it. One day. That's it. I love being Primal. I have no plans of quitting. But I am going to partake in this momentous occasion that is taking place later on. I will also enjoy it. BUT ... I will also stop eating when I am full. And I will dance. I will not sing ... but I will dance some more. 

It's going to be a party. A super fun celebration. And I can't hardly wait.