On the Road

I am sure that you have been dying for me to write about the boring adventures of Carey, so I will give into you, and write a blog.

We have been spending a lot of time on the road. We went down to Long Beach, then up to S. San Francisco, then down to San Diego, back to Long Beach and finally home in a little over a week. What can I say? We are busy kids, with places to go and people to see.

What does this have to do with fitness and health you ask? Well, when you're on the road a lot and sleeping on other peoples' couches your drive to workout diminishes. You are also eating pretty much any food available. So I haven't worked out in a week and a half, and have been eating far too many meals that include french fries on the side. Now that I am home, I feel motivated to get back to the gym and start choosing better foods. I am not beating myself up about it at all.

I guess my whole point behind this blog is that too many of us kick ourselves for missing workouts, or eating poorly for a couple days which puts us in a workout coma. We are so devastated that we can't eat right and we are too depressed to go to the gym. We all have our bad days.

In good news, I took my wedding dress into get altered this past week. I mistakenly bought it last November, and then lost weight from March - May. Needless to say I can wear my wedding dress over clothes at this point. Which could possibly be a selling point if I wanted to make a quick getaway. :) Just kidding. They took several inches in on both sides. Woot woot. Now, come on, that's something to be really proud of. The lady that was altering it even said "Wow, you lost a lot of weight since then, congratulations!"

For your viewing pleasure (because as a photographer I believe that blogs are better with pictures) here is a picture of me in a dress (this is not the one I chose) back in November and a picture from 4th of July!

Tennis for Dummies

I should actually change that title to 'I look like a dummy when I play tennis'. It's been many years since I picked up a racket and even then I looked like I had seizures while playing. If anyone has seen how uncoordinated I am in workouts, it is just like that only much worse. All that aside I did have some fun smacking balls into another couples game. They deserved it for making us look like idiots on the tennis court. j/k

The combination of going to the gym with Cheryl (my TC hottie) for a weight circuit, Wii Active, and tennis have left me aching. Not the kind of pain where you feel like you did a good job...the kind where you feel like any moment one of your limbs might fall off. I wonder how attractive I would be without an arm?

PS. Check out that muscular calf!

Food, delicious, delicious food...

I love food. Let's face it, that's how I got myself into this mess. I mean...that's why I am forging this road to success. Right?

As a lover of food, it is very difficult to shy away from really any type of food you shouldn't eat. Don't get me wrong...I have been trying with all my might. I eat way better then I did before the challenge, but don't eat as well as I did when I was doing the challenge. It's somewhere in between. Eat some things that I shouldn't, but eating them in moderation.

In loving food so much I decided that I should have a cookbook that helps me love good for me foods. I decided on Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 (200 recipes under 200 calories). Tonight is the second night I have cooked out of this book and I am already impressed. I was so impressed that I decided to photo document this food journey for you. If they can do it in Julia and Julie then I can absolutely do it here. Maybe they should make this blog into a movie, eh? A very, very short, boring movie. :)

I love potato skins. There, I said it. They are delicious and salty, and cheesy. How could you not love them? I was excited to find this recipe, Bacon n' Cheese Bell Pepper Skins. They are all the deliciousness of potato skins without all the carbs and grease. All deliciously topped with fat free sour cream. Delightful. If you are not a fan of bell peppers try it anyway. I don't like them and I like these!
Per serving (2 pieces): 119 calories, 5.5g fat, 6.5 carbs, 1.25g fiber, 3.5 sugars, 11g protein

Next up on our dinner list is Crispy White Pizza. I would compare this to a margherita pizza. I thought this was really yummy. And although it doesn't look like much, it was really filling. My favorite part was the crispy tortilla crust. MMMMmmmmm.
Per serving (entire pizza): 176 calories, 3g fat, 29 carbs, 13g fiber, 19g protein

Last, but certainly not least, were the Banana Cupcakes with PB Frosting. These cupcakes are seriously delish. This is something that I would make for a party and then astonish everyone with the fact that they came from a diet cookbook. The PB Frosting was my favorite part. If you like bananas and you like peanutbutter, you will dig this. Seriously, you will dig right in. While, they did come out of a under 200 cal book, everything in moderation, right? :)
*Don't let my picture put you off from liking them. They're not pretty little things, but so yummy*
Per serving (1 frosted cupcake): 143 calories, 3.75g fat, 25g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 13g sugars, 2g protein

Stay tuned for more delicious recipes out of this book. If you are interested in any of the recipes, let me know, I am a sharing girl. :)

I have been horrible to you, blog-reader...

After my 12 week program I thought all I wanted to do was write everyday and tell you what I've learned. The truth of the matter is that life always gets in your way. Good and bad.

So here is my formal apology that I will be better about writing this blog.

I was eating lunch the other day at one of my favorite SLO stops, Splash Cafe, and something funny was mentioned to me. My friend, Erin, asked me if ahi tuna is good for you. Without even thinking I said, "That's a great source of protein, it has 50g of protein." She quickly followed this comment with, "You're the Rain Man of caloric values". LOL It's true, I have put so much of this information in my brain that it comes out without thinking about it. I never thought that I would be "that girl". You know...the kind of girl that says "Do you know how many carbs that has in it?!?!?". Don't cancel your lunch/dinner dates with me just yet. I am learning to control my caloric turrets. ;)

I have been trying to workout when I can. It's exactly what I was afraid of, I am letting life take up all my time leaving me with no time or energy to workout. I am trying to combat this, and make it to the gym at least a couple times a week.

Scott and I have been smitten with Wii Fit for a little bit now. We like just being able to hop on the Wii Fit board in the middle of the living room, whenever we feel like it. If you have a Wii Fit and love it, stop reading now... If you are considering purchasing Wii Fit for your home let me give you the inside scoop:

1. You are not going to lose weight using this program. Yes, you can work up a sweat. Yes, you might even be sore the next day. The programs are far too slow to get your heart rate up. If you are looking for something to supplement your workout, this is a good choice. It's fun and you can workout as long or as little as you want.

2. Wii Fit can be a little mean. It was my turn on the Wii Fit after lunch, and almost as soon as I had stepped on, it said "Watch that afternoon snacking!". That's right folks, Wii Fit called me out. It's like it had been creepily watching me eat that peice of pizza I shouldn't have. If you are delicate about your weight, this is NOT the program for you. Also, when you weigh yourself and it tells you that you are "obese" and your little Wii Mii gets fatter that's a confidence killer also.

So there you go, a mixed review. I love and hate it.

Scott and I also bought the EA Sports Active for the Wii. This is a great exercise program. A note of warning: This program is pretty sensitive so you if you don't have the Wii-mote just the right direction you are not going to be able to complete your reps. So far I like it a lot, stay tuned until I want to throw it out the window. :)