Chocolatey Goodness

I'm in Chicago for work and I'm about to call it a night. But first, I wanted to show a picture of what I 100% resisted at dinner tonight:


It wasn't easy, especially because I was the only one out of five who wasn't eating any of this chocolatey goodness. And to make matter worse, there were leftover! I couldn't fathom there being any leftovers with four people to eat these seemingly tiny desserts, but, I did feel pretty great walking away and sticking perfectly to my meal plan all day!

Read more...

S'mores Torte

I fully realize this is a blog pretty much devoted to losing weight and leading a generally healthy and nutritious life. But, I've learned that in order for me to do that, I need to be able to stray from time to time. (Not necessarily as much as I do in between games, but a little bit here and there).

In the checkout line at the grocery story (which is literally, right next door to me & Steve, as I've mentioned before), I was taunted by and finally picked up the Better Homes & Garden Desserts magazine special. $9.95 later and a very impressive array of desserts to try, I walked home and thumbed through the magazine. I did this the day before the last game ended and knew I wanted to make something for girl's night dessert.

I was pulled in my the S'mores Torte, described as "a childhood flavor with a grown-up flair." The picture alone is what sent me over the edge. See for yourself:


I mean how could you not be motivated to try this after seeing how delish it looks?

I made this last Wednesday, prepped it in the morning and let it freeze during the day while I worked. And then just before I had to go over to the twin's place for girl's night, I brought this with me and finished it off there. Putting it in the broiler seemed crazy. It's an ice cream cake for god's sake! But, I followed the instructions and put it in the broiler until it browned on top.

This is what mine looked like:


I'm not gonna lie, this was one of the best desserts I've ever made. And I highly recommend giving it a try! It was pretty easy to make and a huge crowd pleaser.

Read more...

Week 4 Results- Game 9

I know, sorry sorry! I meant to blog much sooner than nearly a week after the last game's final weigh-in and it just didn't happen.

Good news- I made the weight goal last week. Burning 1400 calories in just one day really helped get me there, for sure! But so did all the hard work I put into the game leading up to the final weigh-in.

But here's the thing...truth time. Because I've been doing such a terrible job of maintaining what I've learned during the game during the time in between games, I have been essentially gaining and losing the same 8-12 lbs since the end of last year. And that's not where I want to be. Unfortunately, I'm still not at the lowest weight I've been since playing the game.

The good thing is, I have successfully lost just about 35lbs. Which is awesome. And I'm very very proud of that. But I need to break through this yo-yo'ing part of the game and continue on this weight loss path.

To do that, I actually started up yet another round of the game just three days after I finished the last one. I tried to be more accountable the time in between the last two games and that didn't work. So I knew the one thing that would get me in a better position would be to just give myself less time off between games.

We started last Saturday and this is the first time that I've started the game on any day of the week other than Wednesday. I am hoping this is the key to getting me past this same weight I've been gaining and losing for a few months now.

Read more...

2,000 Calories in Two Days

What was I thinking?

I'll tell you.

I was thinking that I'd like to make weight this week. And in order to do that, I needed to burn more calories than I was taking in. Yesterday I went to the pantry (our nickname for the grocery store literally right next door) and picked up a big box of mixed baby greens, some other random veggies and a rotisserie chicken. I planned on eating nothing but chicken broccoli and salad for two days.

But then I smartened up and remembered that I don't do veggies for lunch. So I stuck to a protein shaken, some fruit almonds and light babybel cheese, two salads with rotisserie chicken and another protein bar yesterday. Then today I had a protein shake, three salads like the one previously described and a protein bar.

I also did six sets of the stairs and a 2 1/2 mile walk yesterday. Today I got in three workouts at the gym- a mixture of interval training, weight training, the elliptical machine and an insane and intense spin class.

I'm really tired!

I know this was a crazy and an overkill kinda two days, but I really want to make weight. I'll report back tomorrow! For now, I'm going to catch up on Parenthood (just started watching it a couple nights ago and have only seen two episodes. So far so great!) and get to sleep. This girl is not long for this world tonight.

Read more...

Sore Stairs

I recruited a couple more people to do the stairs with me and tonight after work we did my standard 2 1/2 mile look and incorporated six sets of the stairs. I was hoping to get in more, but I had to listen to my body and call it quits with six.

After Saturday's insane nine set workout on the stairs, I woke up this morning and felt every single step really define and point out every muscle fiber in my calves. It's been a while since I've felt sore like this. And while it always feels great, I'd like a little more ease when I walk! It made the stairs a little challenging, but of course, it was a great workout. All told, I burned 600 calories, which I'll take thankyouverymuch.

The final weigh-in of this round of the game is on Wednesday and when I stepped on the scale this morning, I was 2lbs UP from where I finished last week. Good lord. I really hate when the scale doesn't play nice. But, I'm still following the game, still taking good care of myself and I'll work really hard tomorrow to see just how much I can move that scale in the direction I need it to be come Wednesday morning.

Regardless of what the scale says, I'm happy that I'm playing and that it's easier for me to make healthy nutritious choices. Because I recognize that on this very long road to losing all this weight, a few weeks here are there where I plateau or gain are what this journey is all about. I just need to push on through.

Read more...

More Unusual Trees of Santa Monica

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a leaning tree in Santa Monica. A tree that I have walked by for years, but never really noticed. So since then, I've been trying to pay more attention and capture snapshots of more interesting trees. I wasn't sure what else I'd find, but just Thursday night on my short bike ride home from the gym (where I took a spin class for the first time in a few weeks), I stopped and saw two trees I just had to share with you.

This first tree is a super tall and windy palm tree towering above Ocean Avenue:


And the second one I hardly know how to describe it. It reminds me of a bonsai tree, which maybe it is. But it's crazy how the bushy part of the tree is seemingly upside down.


How many things do you overlook in your own environment because you're not paying attention?

Read more...

9 sets- boo yeah!

So today I beat my previous record of how many sets I could complete of the Santa Monica stairs. I was able to eek out just one more for a crazy nine f'n sets!

Some of you have asked for a visual of what the stairs look like. Today while climbing up and down and up and down and up and down, I took pictures of them (both sets) to give you a complete visual of what they look like.

This is the first set. The ones I like to call the "easy stairs." They're wooden, wider and busier. And there are 179 of them. Here's what they look like:






And here is the other set. These are concrete, the stairs themselves are narrower and the stairway is narrower as well. Instead of going straight up and down, there are a few steps before each landing that sort of make you zig zag a bit. The landings between the six different portions of the concrete steps can be a welcome place to try and catch your breath and prevent you from keeling over. Oh, and very important, there are 10 more steps, to make one trip up (or down) 189 steps!

This is what the concrete set looks like:












For the record, I have no desire to try and do anything more than 10 sets!

When I completed the 9th set, it felt amazing to know I could do it. But then I had to hop on my bike and ride home. Although it's only a very short distance and didn't take long at all, my legs weren't happy at having to do more work!

Read more...

Cranky Husband and Stressed Out? Go Spin!

Let me set the scene for you.

It's nearly midnight. I have yet to fulfill my good habit for the day (writing in my journal or posting a blog entry).

The lights are turned off. My husband is snoring. My dog is keeping my friend company on the couch. I'm sitting on Clancy's bed typing. In the dark. If I didn't have company staying the night, I'd be out on the couch typing this up.

But I have points to earn people and a team to not let down!

After a long day of work, still playing a little bit of catch-up after being out of my home office for four work days, I found myself being a little cranky. It didn't help that my husband was also very very cranky. I had visions of Indian food dancing in my head. I could smell the orange chicken from Panda Express taunting me from next door.

What did I do?

I got on my computer, looked up a spin class, found one starting an hour after I poked online, booked myself a bike and got my ass there! It was a new teacher who had, of course, a different teaching style than the other two spin instructors I've taken classes with, but I think I liked this one the best. I managed to not only do everything instructed of me in the class, but I increased the resistance when I was supposed to (instead of pretending like I've done probably 90% of the time during previous classes).

I left the class feeling really great and happy that I was able to deal with my stress in a positive way! It made it so much easier to come home and eat a nutritious game-friendly meal!

These are small changes people, but they're really important ones for me and I'm proud of the progress. Each small (or big) step is leading me in the right direction. And it feels great!

Read more...

Post NYC and no Damage to Report!

This picture is a perfect representation of what it's like to be playing The Game.



I was on my way to go figure out the 2009 tax damage when I realized I had to make a stop at Whole Foods to get in another meal before I missed points for going over the four hour allotment between meals. I pulled into the parking lot, ran out of the car, ran into Whole Foods, grabbed some brown rice tuna avocado sushi, went to the salad bar and decided to give kale another try and plopped some sesame kale into a container, grabbed a 1.5L bottle of water (nothing like starting to drink your water at 430pm!), raced to the checkout line and then once safely in my car, prepped my food for eating and driving.

Yes I know, somewhere Oprah is horrified. Forget the no phone zone pledge, who knew it should be the no sushi and kale zone pledge?

The game forces you to take care of yourself when you would normally let hours go without eating. Period. It forces you to remember to not only eat, but to eat nutritiously. To take the time to really honor and protect your body.

I went to NYC and actually lost 2.8lbs in the time I was there. I would normally be eating pizza, bagels and dunkin donuts hot chocolate all throughout NYC, but instead I had balance bars, mini cucumbers (which are really cute and delicious and as an added bonus- no seeds!), baby bel cheese, chicken, salad, sashimi...and it was all totally okay. I had some temptations, but tried to fill those during my 100 calories of whatever I wanted. And there was something that felt so great at the end of the trip to go back home knowing that I didn't have all this damage to undue.

You know my whole blog started when I couldn't use a seat belt on a flight from Austin to Los Angeles. I'll never forget what that felt like and every time I get on a plane now, I measure my progress by that stupid f'n seat belt which humiliated and horrified me when I couldn't get it on. But now, nearly 40lbs lighter, it's a great feeling to get on the plane knowing that the seat belt is not taking me down!

Read more...

Family Time

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip just from my iPhone. I have plenty more on my regular camera, but it'll have to wait until I get home to post some of those.

It's been a very fun family filled trip and it's been such a treat to have this much time with so much of my family. Usually my trips back east are rushed and I'm pulled in a million different directions. So it's a very nice, and welcome, change of pace to not have so much going on and spend it so entirely with my family.

Read more...

I Hate Squat Dips

Even though I walked a bunch around the city today, I decided to end my long day with a bootylicious butt workout courtesy of Fitness Magazine. I follow Fitness on Twitter and was told about this workout and figured I'd give it a try since I didn't need any equipment in order to workout. This took me a little more than 15 minutes and reinforced that I really hate squat dips. You can check out the workout for yourself here if you want.

The last exercise, the sky squat, really got my HR up and I really liked the tree twist. It reminds me of the fire hydrant exercise from the Yogalosophy DVD.

It's nearly 1am here in NYC and I have to go to bed in the next 40 minutes (which won't be a problem) so I can get my sleep points in for the day.

Happy Friday!

Read more...

Hello NYC

This is going to be a short blog, because it's almost 1am where I am (NYC) and I still have to workout. I have done a seriously poor job of trying to fit that in, but I have done a seriously good job of surviving a day of travel while on the game. I ate a healthy breakfast en route to the airport and then had two meals while I was on the plane. And then instead of the bacon cheddar burger I really wanted for dinner, I had salmon, asparagus, a dinner salad and a dry baked potato. Go me.

But it was necessary because I didn't make my goal weight this week. In fact, for the first time since I started playing the game, I actually gained 1.4lbs. A clear sign that I need to make some changes to how I'm eating and playing. And not really the easiest thing to do while I'm on vacation in NYC. But I can do this. And I will do this!

For now, I'm off to get in 20 minutes of exercise and then hoping to hit the sack!

PS- Tomorrow I will write about how amazing and adorable Quinn is.

Read more...

Felicitous Encourters

Here's the email I shared with my other gamer's just now:
i had the most amazing experience at the gym today that i'd like to share with you all.

i walked up to the fourth floor and went to fill up my 1L water bottle to accompany my 3-mile run on the treadmill. a man with a measly 8-oz. plastic bottle stood in line and i graciously told him to go right on ahead of me. the water fountain, while producing very cold water, is very slow and i didn't want him to wait for me. he apologized for taking so long and i told him not to worry about it that i wasn't in a rush. after he was done, he smiled at me and went on his merry way and thanked me again.

i then went about my business and started filling up my water bottle and saw that someone else was coming to fill up their water bottle. i looked up and it was KERI RUSSELL from felicity. in my mind, my eyes bugged out and i got all excited. but in reality, i kept my shit together and just smiled at her and said hi. she said hello back and told me that she was filling up her large water bottle too and to not worry. she is so absolutely stunning in person. tiny, fit and the most clear skin ever. after filling up my water bottle, i checked her out again and then walked into the bathroom to put on my heart rate monitor. sure enough, keri russell followed me in and then changed in the bathroom. she got a phone call and started talking on the phone and i overheard part of her conversation about having to meet someone at the four seasons in beverly hills. we have the same sneakers. i'm just saying.

i went about my business and set out to run three miles even though it had been nearly a week and a half since my last run. and i am also happy to report that in addition to seeing keri russell, i did manage to get in my three mile run! it's nice to see how my body has progressed and maintained. i remember when i used to run the length of one song and walk the length of another song and alternate like that for about 20 minutes. slow and steady for sure.

when i was walking out, i spotted my apparent girl crush doing pilates and tried to take a decent picture. it's not the best but...eat your heart out.

and here's the accompanying picture:


Now, as I wrote in the email to my team and opponents, I did manage to get in a three mile run. Which felt great to do since I've been doing a lot of walking and stairs. Running seems to the workout I keep coming back to and want to maintain. If that's the case then you'd like I'd do it with more regularity.



I want to capture my workout and put it on here so I can start watching my progress on the running front.

Tomorrow is weigh-in. I'm not feeling optimistic about it as the scale wasn't playing nice this morning. But, I'm not going to focus on that. Whatever tomorrow brings, it's just information to help me understand whether what I've been doing for the past week is something I should keep doing, or something I should be changing. Nothing more, nothing less.

Read more...

The Leaning Tree

There's a great loop I walk that's roughly 2 1/2 miles. I get to walk through fancy neighborhoods in Santa Monica. You know the one with the houses you walk by and wish you could live in. A lot of the houses I am drawn to have a very New England feel to them. They also almost always have pretty flowers that I would undoubtedly kill within minutes of going near. But that's not the point...

There's a stunning ocean view that I'm smacked with as I make the turn onto Adelaide, and just before the first set of the Santa Monica stairs greets me. I'll have to get a picture of that view soon, because it's one of my favorites. You're just going about your business one minute and the next, there's this amazing and expansive view of the ocean. The sun is almost always shining and dancing right on top making it seem like you could go ice skating. I always feel grateful for being exactly where I am in that moment.

And then as if it couldn't get any better, I get to walk along Ocean Avenue where I get to watch the ocean, the waves, the people on the bike path, the Santa Monica Pier and be among all the other health-minded individuals who are running, walking, biking or working out along Palisades Park.

Today as I was walking along Ocean Avenue I saw this tree and had to take a picture of it.

I can't tell you how many times I've walked by this tree and never noticed how it is leaning towards the ocean. But today I was open to seeing new things and had to capture this picture.

I know I pass by things every single day that I've never noticed before. I guess that's part of the excitement of rediscovering new things all the time. But I also think it's a wonderful reward of really having your eyes open and slowing down the pace of life to notice these kinds of things.

Read more...

Farmer's Market Finds- 4/4/2010

Steve and I went to the Farmer's Market after getting a slow start to our lazy Sunday morning. Since I leave on Thursday to go and meet Quinn and visit my family, I won't be going to the Farmer's Market this Wednesday. No need in getting things I'll maybe eat for a day. So I went today and stocked back up on strawberries and blueberries, pink ranunculus and lilac. In fact, I asked where the lilacs came from and was surprised to hear that they hail from the Camarillo Mountains. That's about an hour away from here and good co-worker and friend lives there so maybe I'll do some exploring and find these lilac trees!

I also picked up some lemons as I was inspired by Jamie Oliver using lemon zest in just about everything.

And then in my effort to try something new, I picked up a fruit I've never heard of before called a pumello. It's basically a Chinese grapefruit- apparently not as bitter. I'll be trying that tomorrow and will report back.



How delicious does all of that look?

In case you were wondering, I finally made the kale. I used this simple recipe which combines a lot of what a few of you suggested. I liked it and will definitely get it again, especially since I was told by a good friend that kale is like the superwoman of veggies! I was surprised and happy that it wasn't quite the same consistency of spinach (slimy and mushy), but rather has a little more structure and toughness to it. If that even makes sense.

We had a really really nice Easter dinner with friends tonight. I ate a little too much (meal off) and also took my exercise day off, but it was a wonderful night filled will really good food and really good friends and really good conversation. A great weekend and an easy start to a really fun week when I FINALLY get to meet Quinn!

Read more...

Bad Water Management

For some f'n reason it's been really difficult for me to get in all of my water this week. Three liters is seeming like three gallons and on Thursday, I already had to take my water day off.

Because I'm so used to my water day off coinciding with my food day off (that would be today!), it wasn't until 5pm that I started drinking water. I literally brought my own 1L water bottle with me to the Indian restaurant where we went out to dinner tonight so I could get in another liter there. By the time dinner was over, after 9pm, I was down two liters.

But when I got home, I was pretty full from the dinner and the two liters of water and decided to take Clancy and head out for a walk. We did a nice 2 1/2 mile loop, including a set of the stairs and ran for about 1/2 mile of it- yes, even with my full tummy, I was able to run a little bit, which felt nice.

So this was me around 11pm when I got back from the late night workout and still had another liter of water to go:



And this is me, one quick and final liter later totally done with water:


This should be a fun night of sleep!

Read more...

A New Personal Record

Today I completed eight sets of the Santa Monica stairs...which is a personal best for me. Again, as long as I don't try and go faster than I can, I find that I can last much much longer. Today I did a few sets with my friend Bad Molly and she had to take off earlier than I was ready. Instead of taking a ride with her, I decided to hang back and see how much longer I could keep it up for.

To my own surprise, I was able to exceed my previous best record and I didn't even want to keel over and die by the time I was done. Eight sets! Are you kidding me?! I was pushing it when I tried to run the 1/2 mile home. My legs were all, "Knock if off you ahole, I think eight sets of the stairs is more than enough for one day!" I agreed with my inner monologue and walked the rest of the way home.

I've come a very long way from when I was scared by the stairs and wouldn't even dream of doing them. Now I can do a set without even thinking twice about it. And the fact that I've made my way up to eight sets at a time is amazeballs. I think my cap will be ten sets. I see no reason why I'd ever need to do more than that, ever.

Here's hoping I can walk tomorrow!

Last thought before signing off for the night and shutting down. If you're not watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC- do yourself a favor and catch it online or see if there are re-runs that your DVR can hook you up with. Steve and I just caught the third episode and it was so uplifting and eye-opening. If you have children eating school food, you have to check this out. If you don't start sending your child to school with their own food that you prepare or give them, I'd be shocked! For real, check it out- it's an amazing show.

Read more...

Farmer's Market Finds- 3/31/2010

The fabulous ladies I'm playing this round of the Game with have reminded me how lucky I am to live in an area with multiple year-round farmer's markets. I will be the first to admit that I don't take advantage of this nearly as much as I should. But, as with most things in my life, that's gotten a bit better since I've been playing the game. I make more of an effort to go to the farmer's market, even if it's only to get my chocolate regelach on my day off.

There's a great farmer's market on Wednesdays and if I can get myself pulled together and out the door during the workday, I am always much happier for adding some healthy and happy food and flowers into my life.

Yesterday I left the farmer's market with just a small bundle:

Beautiful and happy pink ranunculus

I think this is one of my favorite flowers. I love how slowly and completely they bloom and how long they last in this vibrant state.

Lilacs! I love lilacs. I miss a few things about living on the east coast and one of them is the lilac bushes by far. Our house at 22 Winter Street had a few lilac bushes on the property and I loved how wonderful they smelled and how pretty the trees looked once the flowers came out. Unfortunately, I haven't spotted lilac bushes here in Los Angeles, so last year when I saw them at a farmer's market, I was overjoyed! And now I'm always on the lookout for them. Here's the little bunch I picked up yesterday

I found out that you're supposed to smash the bottom of the stems/branches with a hammer to make sure the lilacs drink a lot of water- apparently they drink a lot of water. I love looking at them- it's bringing back happy memories of living in New Hampshire and my parent's house.

And finally, I picked up some kale (thank you for the recipe suggestions Joy, Tif & Carla), a bag of lettuce, blueberries and some of the sweetest yummiest strawberries ever.


The fabulous ladies I'm playing with are scattered all over the country. Bad weather plagues some of them throughout the year making a farmer's market a difficult thing to pull off. And here I am in such a fabulous part of the country and I can't find the time to make it to the farmer's market at least once a week when I have four happening within a few miles of me a week?

I can and will do better and will be happy to share my farmer's market finds!

Read more...