Weigh-in Wednesdays: 135.2 BOO!

Last Wed. weight: 133.8
Today's weight: 135.2
Lost: +1.4

TOTAL Lost: -41.20

So weight's back up to 135 this morning even though I showed a weight of 133.8 last Friday. Apparently, I was back in Hawaii but my brain and stomach were still in Vegas so I ate pretty bad and didn't exercise AT ALL since I got back last Thursday. G.R.E.A.T!

I always thought this process was going to get easier the more I did it, but I still find it hard to convince myself to exercise and eat right. When does this turn into a "lifestyle change" rather than something I try to do everyday? I need to go back and take another look at my goals and reevaluate how I'm gonna reach them. Just focusing on calories in/out has got me stressed more than anything.

When I was in Vegas and didn't count anything, I was in a totally different state of mind... it's been over a year since I didn't count calories and it was super liberating. FOR REAL! I think I might have to focus on something else to get this weight down.

Since I've been on this journey to lose weight, it's mostly been about calories in and calories out. So I've learned portion control and which foods give me the best bang per calorie, but other than that I've never tried anything else. Meaning I've never done the low-carb thing, or the no meat thing, or higher protein thing... nothing! I read a lot of places that a higher fat diet works better for some people so think I'll try going in that direction... give it a week or two and see how I feel. I that doesn't work then I'll play around with a higher protein diet. I just gotta find what works for me!

Vegas tip to looking smaller than you actually are:

Stand next to food and drinks that are WAY bigger than normal.

Warning: Vegas Food Porn!

Seriously the best part of Vegas had to be the food! The glorious fatty, fried, sugary, alcohol-y, salty food and drinks:

Chocolate ice cream + hot fudge + mint chocolate ice cream + more hot fudge = HEAVEN!

Chili dog from PINK'S.

Stuffed meatloaf w/ cheese over garlic mashed potatoes.

Butternut squash stuffed w/ tomato risotto and topped with fried cornmeal dusted shrimp.

Veggie eggs Benedict: creamed spinach, roasted tomato and poached egg.

Frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity 3.

Rosemary infused honey glazed biscuits! So good!

$20 dreamsicle margarita.

Red velvet cupcake w/ cream cheese... not cream cheese frosting... just straight cream cheese!

Fried beef taquitos, pork empanadas, and chorizo quesadilla.

Three-layer bean dip and veggie enchilada.

Pomegranate margarita on the rocks.

Freshly made guac and house salsas.

Best pancake I've ever had! Brown sugar and banana pancake.

Pho. Love it!

Krispy Kreme donuts! We don't have these back home so had to have one... or a few!

Nasty Coca Cola drinks from around the world.

Things not pictured:

• Philly cheesesteak
  
• two servings of ice cream
• baked cinnamon and sugar bagel chips
• 6+ bottles of Heineken
  
• crab and artichoke dip
• chicken avocado burger
• another serving of freshly made guac
• garlic fries
• NY style pizza
  

I haven't eaten this bad in so long but all the walking around and portion control helped me maintain my weight... that's right! I'm coming back from Vegas with a maintenance!

Vegas was A.W.E.S.O.M.E!!

I'm back and barely recuperated from Vegas. Although I feel like I've just smoked a carton of cigarettes, I had such a BLAST! I have a ton of pictures to share so I'll be spreading it out in my next few posts.

Home for the next couple of days: penthouse of the Signature Tower @ MGM
(more picts of the penthouse to come)

View from our room. Yes... the main MGM hotel is THAT far away!

Where to begin? Where to begin?

There were so many high's and low's in Vegas it was crazy.
So let's start with the low's.

• no rock climbing
• no workouts
• didn't follow my food plan
• didn't even open the bag of 'healthy' snacks I brought with me
  
• lost 300+ picts on the camera - I was so pissy on the last day
• got carded EVERYWHERE since I look like I'm 15 years old!
• didn't get to wear my super cute dress
  

Now the high's.

• no rock climbing because my cousin had his baby while we were in Vegas
• no workouts but we were walking around for 18+ hours of the day/every day
  
• no food plan but kept the portions in control
• enjoyed my time there without even thinking of food or weight
• found $400 cash at the MGM so didn't use any of my own money to gamble
  
• first time I got on the craps tables and I loved it (or is this a low?)

So did you read that part about me not wearing the dress I was so excited to wear? Yeah I was bummed but we were having so much fun doing other stuff we decided to not make it to our fancy Valentine's dinner. We figured the memories we were making with my friends were gonna last far longer than any dinner would. Sappy... but true! But I have plans to wear it soon since Anthony and I have our anniversary coming up next month. I'll keep you posted!

Friends!

Today I'll leave you with these pictures of how Vegas celebrates Chinese New Year (CNY). Being from Hawaii I thought CNY was big here - closed streets for block parties, fireworks going off at midnight, celebratory food made weeks in advance - but good gawd, it was like CNY exploded in Las Vegas! All the hotels were decked out for CNY...

EVERY...

@ Caesar's Palace

SINGLE...

@ the Mirage

HOTEL...

@ City Center

AND...

@ the MGM

CASINO...

@ the Bellagio

ON...

@ the Venetian

THE...

@ the Palazzo

STRIP!!!!

@ Caesar's Palace

And it looked like they all used the same interior decorator. Don't get me wrong, it was nice and really elaborate, but a little overkill. The last time I was in Vegas the hotels weren't even decorated that much for Christmas!

Signing off for a bit

If you're reading this... I'll be here:

Picture of the Strip from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris, 2006.
To the right is the vacant land City Center was being built on.

I'll be back next weekend with lots of pictures!

My Vegas plan

One more day! One more day!

I can't believe I'll be on a plane to Vegas tomorrow! Happy dance!

I've talked about my plans to stay somewhat on-track as far as exercise and nutrition goes but here's my detailed plan:

• Get at least two full-body workouts in - Bringing my elastic bands so I can get a quick workout in before the day starts. Already looked up several circuits that will combine cardio, weight training, and plyo. My friend Boomer has a TON of awesome stuff on his blog... check it out!

(source)

• Walk, walk, walk - We won't have a car in Vegas so we're planning on walking all day every day! At least that will off-set some of the calories I plan on eating.
• Get a run in - Already google mapped the closest 24Hour Fitness and hopefully I'll be in it sometime next week. If not, we do have a run planned up and down the Strip but it's gonna be COLD!
• Rock climbing - Counting this as an upper body workout which it will be!

(source)

• Hiking - Depending on when we go rock climbing, we might also get in a hike. The rock climbing and hike are in the same area but not sure I wanna make a day of exercising. I'm on vacation after all!
  
• Bringing my own snacks - Raw almonds? Check! Protein powder? Check! Shakeology? Check! Hitting up the closest CVS to stock up on fresh fruits? CHECK!
• Passing on carbs - Instead of normally having starch/carbs with my meals, I'll be replacing it with fresh veggies. I'm sure I'll get enough carbs from the alcohol and desserts. :)
  
• Track all food/drinks - Because I'll be eating out every meal while in Vegas, there's no way I can count calories. So instead I'm gonna photograph everything I eat and have a MAJOR long recap post when I get back. Knowing that I'll have to post everything I eat will help keep me accountable... I hope.
  
• R.E.L.A.X - I'm on vacation, damn it! Although it's not an excuse to eat like crap, I'm not gonna be as diligent and careful as I would normally be.

(source)

And the awesome weigh-in from yesterday will be my best motivator because it's been MONTHS since I've seen the low 130's and with this plan in mind I'm confident I will come back from Vegas with little damage done. Here's to hoping!

Weigh-in Wednesday and a WINNER!

Last Wed. weight: 134.6
Today's weight: 133.8
Lost: -0.8

TOTAL Lost: -42.6

I'm beaming! Why? Because I reached my goal of hitting the 133's before my Vegas trip, which means...

SHOPPING SPREE!

BUT even though I reached goal I'm not gonna let myself spend too much money (or at least not as much as I wanted too!) because this past weekend I spent about $300+ just shopping for Vegas!

New Coach bag! Boots on sale for $30! A&E skinny jeans on sale for $24!

That's right people, my first pair of skinny jeans! And I realize that "skinny" jeans really have nothing to do with your body size - you can find skinny jeans in every size from 0 - 18 - but has a little to do with your body type and proportions. Just several months ago I wasn't able to fit into any pair of skinny jeans because I have bigger hips and thighs but once I decided I was going to Vegas for sure, I worked my tail off at the gym to get my body in the right shape. Yes, I know there's no such thing as spot reduction so instead I did an overall intense lower body strength training workout at least twice a week for the last two or three months. And you know what? Lifting heavy weights does not leave you big and/or bulky.

I've always been a huge fan of lifting heavy but it's really hard to convince others, especially women, that lifting like this won't turn you into a bodybuilder. Of course if that's what you're aiming for then of course you can get a little bigger. But without the correct hormones, our female bodies just won't bulk up like guys. So don't be afraid of the weights!

_______________________________________________

And now for the moment you've been waiting for... the winner of my first blog giveaway is...


Doreen won a sampling of Progresso Soups, a 'souper' mug, and a digital jump rope courtesy of Progresso! CONGRATULATIONS DOREEN!

'N' is for Napa cabbage

(source)

... as in napa cabbage (aka Chinese cabbage) kim chee!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Napa Cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup rock salt
• 1 quart water

• 2 tsp. minced red chili pepper
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tbl. sugar

1.) Dissolve rock salt in water in large container (I only had a pot).

2.) Wash cabbage and roughly chop. Add cabbage to salt water and let soak 3 to 4 hours at room temperature, stirring once every hour. Drain and rinse cabbage a couple of times.



3.) Add all other ingredients and mix well with cabbage. Let stand at room temperature two to three days and chill before serving.
** Don't let the cabbage stand out a day longer because I did and it went BAD!**

Mini-Review
Well, since I left it out too long and the kim chee spoiled I have no review for the end product. Anthony and I did try it on day two or three and it was good then! A little too much garlic but that's what I liked about it. Most kim chee dishes don't have a garlic taste so it was different. Will try it again and make sure to throw it in the refrigerator by day three!

Motivational Mondays: Blog Awards!

****First of all, don't forget about my blog giveaway!****

These little babies are a huge motivation for me because it pushes me harder and keeps me going on this journey. Not because my goal is to get blog awards, but because when I do get one, I feel like what I'm doing does make a difference. Of course nothing entirely important, but if someone can learn something from me through my blog, then it makes it worth it.

My blog was started as a 'diary' chronicling my up's and down's with weight-loss... I never imagined it'd turn into something that people willingly choose to read! If it weren't for the people I've met on this journey, I have a feeling I may have given up a long time ago!

So if you're reading this, please take the award for yourself! You, my readers, are my true motivation.

So a big thank you to Fran, over at Anthem of my Heart, for the lovely Sugar Doll Award. Here are 10 things you may or may not find interesting about me (some are repeats from previous awards):

1. I can speak Hawaiian - Not just 'Aloha' and 'Mahalo', but actually speak it and hold a conversation. It's a beautiful language.
   
2. I have five tattoos and I WANT MORE!! - They myth that when you get your first one you become addicted is SO true! Right now the ones I have are small but when I reach my goal weight I have a nice big (tasteful) one planned out - gonna start at my right hip, work it's way up the middle of my back, and end over my left shoulder! Mom - if you're reading this, don't tell dad!
   
3. My great-uncle helped create Strawberry Shortcake - He helped design her look for Mattel; from her red hair to her strawberry hat. It's one of our family's favorite history facts.
   
4. I was born and have lived in Hawaii my entire life, but I have never gotten on a surfboard - I've boogie-boarded and body-surfed a ton but never caught a wave on a surfboard. It's so weird that I haven't... I need to seriously add this to my 'to-do list' for 2010 or something.
   
5. I used to run my own website that sold little clay guinea pig sculptures - I called them Piggie Pies. I used to have four guinea pigs and one day I decided to make little one-inch replicas of them. They turned out to be a big hit (especially with people in England!) and I couldn't keep up with orders. I eventually got bored with it though and closed it down.
   
6. I have a slight obsession with hair products! - I buy a ton of them... use a ton of them... love a ton of them... hate a ton of them... and review a ton of them on Amazon (I'm dorky like that). My favorite to date: Fekkai and LUSH products!
7. Back in high school I ran my own e-bay business - It made me more money then, than my full-time job now! But the e-bay world has become so saturated with sellers I could never make that kind of money again.
   
8. I L.O.V.E Vegas - Four more days till I get to be back!
9. I don't gamble in Vegas - Weird to love a city that's made up off gambling? Not really. There's a ton more to do in Vegas than just gamble... like shopping and eating and hiking at places that Hawaii just doesn't have.
   
10. I've owned almost every type of animal as a pet - At one time or another, I've had a reptile, bird, amphibian, mammal, fish, or insect as a pet. My parents weren't too happy about all the creatures.
    

My first blog giveaway!

I don't know about where you live, but where I live it's been a little cold! It's a chilly low-60's here in Hawaii and that's cold for us (I can feel the eye's rolling from the rest of you)!

But whether your chilly in Hawaii or somewhere else, it's perfect weather for...

SOUP!

And this giveaway is all about the soup. For a short time, Progresso is have an amazing giveaway which includes a sampling of their soups, a 'souper' cute soup mug, and a digital jump rope that counts your jumps! (Btw, jump roping is SOOO good for your cardio health!)

To enter:
Leave a comment on this post with your favorite soup - any brand or homemade! - and be sure to leave a contact email (email will only be used for this giveaway). This giveaway will be open until 11:59 p.m. Monday, February 8. A winner will be choosen at random and announced the next day.

Want another entry? How about 4 more entries?!

1. Mention this giveaway on your blog and be sure to link back to this post then leave a comment saying you did so (with the link)
   
2. Follow my blog and leave a comment saying you did so. Already a follower? That's one more entry for you!
   
3. Post this giveaway on Facebook or twitter, linking back to this post and leave a comment saying you did so (with the link)
4. Email 2 other people about this giveaway and leave a comment saying you did so

Beside this awesome giveaway, Progresso is also having an amazing contest. Visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to enter the Progresso "Souper You Debut" contest for your chance to win a full makeover in NYC!


Still not enough? Just visit Progresso's website daily for $1-off coupons on three varieties of their soups!

Fine print: Open to US and Canada residents only. Progresso provided me with the free products, information, and gift pack through MyBlogSpark.

Second Bodybugg review

Back in August of last year I bought myself a Bodybugg (BB) and it has been love at first sight ever since. I figured now's a great time for another BB review since I really gotta tighten up my eating/exercise so I can wear my new dress in Vegas!

Bodybugg Review II
(read the first review here)

A short recap of where I started when I first got the BB:

• Aug - Just bought the Bugg and I was at 139.8
  
• Sept - After one month on the Bugg - 135.6
• Oct - Two more weeks on the Bugg - 133.6
• End of Dec - THANK YOU HOLIDAYS! - 141.0
• end of Jan - After one month back on the Bugg - 136.0

As you can see, when I actually stick with the Bugg, eating right, and being consistent with my exercise, I'm able to drop the pounds. But here's something else super interesting. Over the last month I've been tracking my calorie deficit per day and this is what it looks like:

(click picture to enlarge)

So according to my daily deficits, I'm running a 20,290 total deficit since the beginning of the year which translates to a loss of about -5.8 lbs. (20,290/3500 = 5.79). And check out my total weight-loss this year: -5.4 lbs. If that isn't accurate, I don't know what is!

What can I say... I'm still in love!

Daily Eats: Day 4 - 8

More kinda-stellar eats in preparation for Vegas!!

Day 4/17 - Saturday
Breakfast: Shakeology, flaxseeds, 1/2 c strawberries, 1/2 c oj, 2c spinach
Snack 1: none
Lunch: dim sum - read here before you shake your head at me
Snack 2: none
Dinner: 1 c romaine, 1 c spinach, 4 oz chicken breast, 1/4 cucumber, 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
Snack 3: 1 scoop protein

Day 5/17 - Sunday*
Breakfast: 2 eggs, 3 egg white, 1 c spinach, 1 c mushroom, 1 c bell pepper, 1 oz feta
Lunch: Shakeology, 1 c strawberries, 1 kiwi, 1/5 c oj, chia seeds, 1/2 banana
Snack 2: 5 oz. roast beef, 2 oz. Swiss cheese, 1 whole wheat tortilla
Dinner: 1 c brown rice, 1 c chili, 4.5 oz chicken
Snack 3: 1 scoop protein
*Today's eats are rather high because I had a major exercise day.

Day 6/17 - Monday
Breakfast: protein, 1/2 banana, 1/2 c soy milk, flaxseed
Snack 1: 1 low-fat whole wheat scone
Lunch: 1 c bok choy, 3 oz. tofu, 1 c pad thai
Snack 2: red velvet cupcake
Dinner: honey roasted chicken Lean Cuisine, 2 c romaine, 1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
Snack 3: 1/2 oz. dark chocolate

Day 7/17 - Tuesday
Breakfast: Shakeology, 1/2 c oj, 1/2 c blueberries, chia seeds
Snack 1: 1/2 c cottage cheese, 1 scone
Lunch: 1 c mushrooms, 1/2 c bell pepper, Thai peanut chicken Lean Cuisine
Snack 2: 20 raw almonds
Dinner: 1/2 c brown rice, 1 c broccoli, 3 oz. shrimp
Snack 3: 1 scoop protein

Day 8/17 - Wednesday
Breakfast: 1 c steel cut oats, 1 scoop protein, 1 tbs peanut butter
Lunch: 4 oz tuna, 1/2 cucumber, 2 c romaine, 1tbs. balsamic vinegar, 1 banana
Snack 1: 3 oz. roast beef, 1 oz. Swiss cheese, 1 tsp. mustard
Dinner: Chinese take out
Snack 2: 1 scoop protein

Weigh-in Wednesdays: 134.6

Last Wed. weight: 136.0
Today's weight: 134.6
Lost: -1.4
TOTAL Lost: -41.8

Feeling pretty good about that loss.
I'm almost down to my all-time low weight of 133 and if I can hit that before Vegas in a week and a half, I'm allowing myself a hefty shopping spree! YAY!

So this past Sunday one of my good friends Polly, who I met through the weight-loss world, challenged me to a calorie burn contest. We're at a similar weight and we have the same goal weight so this was perfect. So at the end of Sunday, I burned a total of 3200+ calories (based on my Bodybugg reading) and you know what that translates too?

6.5+ hours of exercise!

That's right! I spent pretty much all day exercising.

8:00-9:00 - morning jog
9:00-10:00 - breakfast
10:00 - 11:00 - elliptical
11:00 - 12:00 - P90X plyometrics
12:00 - 1:00 - lunch
1:00-2:00 - elliptical
2:00-3:00 - Jillian Michaels' cardio/plyo mix
3:00-6:00 - 8 mile walk/jog
6:00-9:00 - dinner and relaxing
9:30 - out cold sleeping already!

Unfortunately Polly was a little under the weather so she didn't really get to participate. But you better believe we'll be doing another one and I'll be sure to let you all know! I love challenges!

New month... same goals

Okay so here's how January went:

Here are my goals for January:

• Workout 6 days/week for a total of 27 days out of the 31 days
• Burn an average of 300 calories per workout = 8100 calories MADE IT!
• Workout for an average of 60 minutes = 1620 minutes MADE IT!
  

1/01: 463 cals, 96 min brisk walk
1/02: 400 cals, 103 min hike

1/03: 403 cals, 75 min JM dvd + elliptical
1/04: OFF
1/05: 457 cals, 102 min PT session + treadmill run
1/06: 423 cals, 78 min treadmill run + elliptical + basketball
1/07: 298 cals, 66 min walk
1/08: 293 cals, 90 min P90X Chst/Shldr/Tris + elliptical
1/09: 833 cals, 210 min hike + walk

1/10: 259 cals, 72 min full-body weight session
1/11: OFF
1/12: 367 cals, 90 min PT session + treadmill run
1/13: 307 cals, 75 min treadmill hill workout
1/14: 260 cals, 72 min P90X Shoulders and Arms + ab work
1/15: 294 cals, 65 min elliptical HIIT
1/16: 588 cals, 150 min hike + treadmill run

1/17: 286 cals, 62 min walk
1/18: 1011 cals, 252 min hike + walk
1/19: 202 cals, 60 min PT session
1/20: OFF
1/21: OFF
1/22: 241 cals, 85 min P90X Shoulders and Arms + ARX
1/23: 1138 cals, 255 min hike + walk

1/24: 289 cals, 75 min walk
1/25: 311 cals, 75 min walk
1/26: 341 cals, 90 min PT session + treadmill run
1/27: OFF
1/28: 295 cals, 60 min walk
1/29: 179 cals, 45 min walk
1/30: OFF

1/31: 2148 cals, 378 min EVERYTHING

TOTAL: 12,086 cals, 2781 mins

Okay did you see those cals and minutes for January 31?!?!?! HOLY COW!! Pretty unbelievable but I'll explain more tomorrow.

Since last month's goals really inspired me to stay on track with exercise, I'm going to repeat the same concept for the month of February. I realize I SPANKED my January goals but I had a lot of hikes going on and don't think I'll be getting in that many this month. Plus that last day of January doesn't really count cause I do that rarely.

Here are my goals for February:

• Workout 6 days/week for a total of 24 days out of the 28 days
• Burn an average of 300 calories per workout = 7200 cals
• Workout for an average of 75 minutes = 1800 minutes
  

2/01: OFF

Motivational Mondays: OMG!

Saw this preview and loved it - did you see the part where Jamie Oliver is tearing up after the lunch-lady scene?! I just hope it's not too 'Biggest Loser-y'. I have high hopes for this show not because I'm a fan of Jamie or reality shows, but because of the point I hope this show will make. Yes, exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle but that's all it is... a part. The other part is nutrition and from my experience, getting healthy is 20% exercise and 80% nutrition. The standard American diet is pretty unhealthy (we aren't the fattest nation for no reason) but I blame a lot of the cause on the government... but that's a WHOLE 'nother post in itself! I'm just hoping Jamie can do for our country what he's done for the UK.

"Jamie's Food Revolution" will start to air in March on ABC.