30 Day Shred: Day 4

I began feeling a bit ill today, but managed to complete the work-out, which I was SUPER pleased about. I did break my diet (and I also gave up on the Flat Belly Diet because I am incapable of surviving, happily, on 1,200 calories a day. I am not Madonna or Victoria Beckham. I need sustenance) and went to Maltby Pizza & Pasta. I was extremely good for the whole day though, I saved up most of my calories so that I could indulge in a slice and a half of carbohydrate and fat-laden goodness. And boy, was it worth it. But I got full way quicker than I expected.
Anyways, I am hoping that whatever this is I'm feeling goes away overnight, I'm just not interested in being sick. But really, who is?

30 Day Shred: Day 3

I am in day 2 of the Flat Belly Diet's 4-Day anti-bloat fast. And can I tell you something? I am RAVENOUS. I cannot diet, and this is why. For breakfast I had: a bowl of unsweetened corn flakes, some sunflower seeds, pineapple tidbits and a glass of Sassy Water. I understand that dieting is about feeding yourself for nutritional value rather than taste. Which is something especially important for a comfort eater like myself. But I go to bed hungry, I wake up hungry, and even when I eat, I'm still hungry.

ME WANT FOOD.

I have to go to Target today to pick up some odds and ends, and I think that I will break my diet and have a Jamba Juice smoothie and then go shopping for diet foods for myself. I cannot follow this diet without going insane.

In other news, I did something different for my 3rd day of the shred! I cracked open our EA Active for Wii Box and did a few workouts, and holy ISH. Amazing. If you have a Wii, I highly recommend buy this game. My heart rate got going, I did cardio, kickboxing, etc. And you don't need the Wii Fit board, just the Wii-mote & controller.

Anyways, I'll do the shred tonight. In the mean time? I'll be avoiding boxes of crackers for fear that I will eat an entire box in one sitting.

30 Day Shred: Day 2

This morning was even more of a struggle than yesterday morning, but I successfully pulled myself from the comfort of my down comforter and worked out. I had a bowl of oatmeal afterwards, but overall, the day was pretty bad food-wise. I took a nap right after my workout, and then headed to Seattle armed with a peanut protein bar and a bottle of Sassy Water. I got through about a quater of the protein bar (it is still languishing in my purse, half eaten and partially damp from the rain) and half the bottle of water. I spent most of the afternoon in the hairdresser's chair. And afterwards, I decided to spend my Sephora gift card and got a little mini makeover because of my new bangs. I like my bangs, my only hesitation is that I'm going to have to do a little more work; make up AND straightening. But I'm game for a challenge.

Anyways, after my makeover, I had time to kill before the bus home, so I had a Soy Awake Tea Latte from Starbucks and it was basically heavenly, although just a touch too sweet. When I came home, I had a handful of cashews & right now, I'm waiting for my tilapia & red potatoes to finish baking.

The ache in my arms and legs has faded to a dull roar, which is a positive. Tomorrow, I'll be back on track with my food. I'm proud that I managed to avoid going to Le Panier for a piece of D'Orsay, but I really should have eaten something. Anything. I think my fear of breaking my diet prevented me from eating anything at all.

End of Day 1

I am not going to make this two posts a day deal some kind of habit, but I wanted to put this out there: I ate a small chocolate chip cookie and I feel incredibly guilty. I could taste the butter and chocolate as I reached into the cookie jar, but as I took my last bite, I literally saw Jillian Michaels in my mind's eye and it scared the bejesus out of me.

I am going to chalk it up to a beginner's mistake, because overall, I'm still a couple hundred calories short of what I'm supposed to consume each day.

I had:
-One stalk of celery with almond butter
-A bowl of oatmeal
-6 glasses of water
-4 whole wheat crackers
-1 piece of whole wheat toast
-A half a piece of thin crust pepperoni pizza
-10 grapes (I counted, hush up)
-6 baby carrots
-A cup of PG Tips with a teaspoon of milk and 2 teaspoons of sugar
-1 small chocolate chip cookie

I'm mildly frightened about tomorrow; I'm going downtown to be someone's lab rat at a hair salon and there are so many delicious temptations to sway me from my goal! I might splurge and have a Soy Awake Tea Latte, those are only 100ish calories.

Oh and I will be making Cook Yourself Thin's Shrimp & Grits (minus the parmesan cheese) for dinner.

30 Day Shred: Day 1

Well, it's 2010. And I have arrived, safe and sound, albeit in a slightly pudgier body than I imagined. To rectify that, I've decided to embark on Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I tried this in May, during my last round of unemployment, and I lasted a grand total of 2 days before I could no longer resist the pull of the Chick-Fil-A around the corner. With the nearest Chick-Fil-A about an hour and a half's drive away, I really have no excuse/distractions keeping me from trying to complete the whole shebang. And maybe throw a diet in there somewhere.

So, this morning, I woke up at 6am, ready and rearing to go. Well, that's actually kind of a lie. I woke up at 5:30 and stared at the ceiling for a while before hauling myself out of bed shortly after 6. When I finally got the CD into my new computer, I discovered that the default DVD region on the computer was inexplicably set to Region 2. Anyways, after fiddling around for a while, I started. And oh my Godric, I was winded like 2 minutes into it. In a good way, I guess? But I completed it! With a few water breaks thrown in (even though Jillian repeatedly says no breaks) because I cannot remember the last time I did a full on jumping jack. After my little workout, I had a bowl of oatmeal, a glass of water and a Women's One-A-Day vitamin. It's actually really remarkable what a little cardio can do to jumpstart your day. After I finished breakfast, I cleaned, did a load of laundry and was basically finished with my daily chores by 8am. My plan is to go for a walk shortly before lunch, and then maybe another walk later in the afternoon.

I'm like a bird, I'll only fly away

Plans have been dashed (again?). I don't know if this is some sort of sign from the universe/God, but my plans to move to the Windy City have been postponed. I won't go into the nitty gritty details because as much as I enjoy throwing my random whinging into the great void that is the Intertubes, I don't really like the idea that things THAT personal could be floating around.

In any case, I'm unemployed (once again). And I don't know when/how I will get my next gig. So I'm approaching this period (until mid-January) as a prolonged vacation. That way, I can sort of maintain an ounce of sanity.

Today, I deep-cleaned my room and used a labeler on several tupperware bins. Then I resumed my "Supernatural" marathon. I think tomorrow, I will start a schedule of early morning workouts, then a nap, then studying French and statistics, then a walk. These are the things I will do to stave off the insanity that my 3rd round of unemployment in 7 months is sure to provoke.

Nuts & Bolts. Bits & Bobs. Part I.

I will leave you to your own devices for getting a passport and sorting out your flight details. But one of the most important parts about your stay in London? The place you'll rest your weary feet at the end of touristing.

I am incredibly cheap when it comes to hotel-age. When I visit London, I usually have the luxury of crashing on people's couches. But failing that, I will stay in a hostel (or a hotel if someone else is paying). Though I'm kind of a lazy tourist, I do not spend too terribly much time in the bed wherever it is I'm staying, so I don't typically choose luxury accomodations. I look for safety, location and price.

With that in mind, here are two standbys for trips to Londinium:

London School of Economics Vacation Accomodations
This is definitely my top choice when travelling to London. I stayed in Passfield Hall, located just off Tottenham Court Road and a short walk from two tube stations (Warren Street and Euston Square, both short rides to the Picadilly Line, which will take you to Heathrow). Reasonably priced, safe area, free breakfast, and if you're a couple, you can stay in the same room. The rooms are pretty bare bones, a bed, a sink, a desk, a phone. Think the inside of a dorm room before it's furnished (they do provide towels and blankets/pillows, as well as daily linen changing). You will need to share a bathroom. There's a common room with a TV, books, etc. But you didn't visit London to stay inside all day! There are several internet cafes and a grocery store nearby, and you're about a 15-20 minute walk from Oxford Street (I need to quit talking about it, it makes me want to shop). The only downside is that many of the halls double as residence halls, so you may only be able to book accomodation during school holidays.

London House Hotel
This is a really awesome location in Bayswater. The rooms are a decent rate (can get pricey), but if you're a couple, you will be able to share a room here. There is a TV in each room as well as an ensuite bathroom. The Tube station is just across the road and there are a ton of great pubs nearby. Negatives for me at this hotel? The woman who checked me in had a very loose grasp on the English language and there is no elevator. But if you don't have much luggage, shouldn't be a problem. This place books up quickly, so book well in advance.

If you're travelling solo and want to meet people (or if you are travelling in a group and can book enough beds in a room to get it all to yourself), I recommend St. Christopher's Inn in Hammersmith. Located directly across the street from a Tube station, above a great, cheap pub (and you get discounts for staying at the hostel) that has live music some nights. Free wi-fi in the pub, and actually really comfy beds. I have stayed here a number of times and I absolutely loved it (plus I met my London Partner in Crime, Steph, at this hostel!).