A Loss

On Saturday, my wonderful and amazing grandpa passed away. He had been battling for awhile, and while this doesn't make it any easier, I am so glad he is at peace and resting now.

Here is my grandparent's wedding photo - a handsome guy, I tell you!!!!!

And the photo above was just taken in February as my grandparents celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary.

It all doesn't feel very real right now as they live a few hours away and I won't be able to make it up there until the calling and funeral (tomorrow and Wednesday). I'm anxious to see and spend time with my family...deaths always remind us of how precious life is and how silly I feel spending my time worrying about eating/weight/exercise.

I hope you're all enjoying your Memorial Day weekend with loved ones. :-)

ELC Challenge: Day 3

Food Blogging is kind of a lot of work - phew! (And I don't even take good pictures...I am just lazy).

I forgot to take a picture of my b-fast yesterday morning, but refer to days 1 and 2 and copy that picture of oats + PB + banana. :-)

For lunch, I had leftover tofu. I am seriously starting to CRAVE this stuff! + a Laughing Cow Wedge. Yeah, might be a weird combo, but I won't apologize...mmmm kay?
For my p.m. snack I had more honey greek yogurt. Sorry for the messiness - it got jumbled around in my car this morning.

I drive too fast, and I can't be trusted.

For dinner I had another crack wrap (serrrrriously addicting) + an orange.
For dessert I had more greek yogurt (I'm almost done with the container!) + strawberries. I also added some Kashi/Nasty cereal....I'm not a fan of it, but I just needed some *crunch*. I know it's not dairy or a fruit/veggie, but it helped my crunchy craving.

Usually when I get cravings, it's not for certain types of foods exactly (except chocolate!) - it's for textures/temperatures. Like, I'll crave something crunchy (so I'll have cereal or nuts), something warm (oats or a "baked apple"), something cold (two words - ICE CREAM!) or something soft (yogurt or a smoothie). Do you have cravings like this? I have to crunch on something every night...I guess it doesn't feel like "real" food otherwise (to me).

I also had an unphotographed bowl of cottage cheese + cinnamon after this. SO GOOD! Again, lazy blogger.

TGIS! Hope you're all having a wonderful Saturday....I'm off to mulch and mow. I know, you're impressed. But I'm calling it my workout for the day. ;-)

ELC Challenge: Day 2

*Warning: I told you I'm a creature of habit. ;-)

For brekkie yesterday morning I had my trusty oats + nanner + PB/Cinnamon.

They were out of the "Creamy Smart Balance" PB at my grocery store, so I snagged the chunky stuff.

MMMMmmm! One you go chunky, you never go back. (Or something like that). Love!

For lunch I had a Morningstar Chik Patty on an Arnold's Sandwich Thin. Now, I have been doing SO well at eating homecooked meals lately (and leftovers). But Morningstar burgers are my go-to meal when I am short on time. A-freakin'-mazing! Even my roommate loves them - and that says a lot. I also brought a Blueberry Chobani and an orange for a snack.

Dinner has been a little hard this week since I've not been home, but I made an attempt at a crack wrap - an Italian Herb Flat Out Wrap + Roasted Red Pepper Hummus + cheese. OH MY GOODNESS. I need to go by myself some wraps so I can do this at home! I also had some cottage cheese....and some grapes + almonds. (And a handful of almonds that didn't want to be photographed). ;-)

Coming home from swimming I am usually SO HUNGRY. This is weird for me because running usually (temporarily) curbs my hunger. I found this new stuff at the grocery store because I've been craving Greek Yogurt like MAD. It's honey flavored, and OH my goodness! It is so good! I'm glad I found this stuff. I paired it with a nice apple and had a few more almonds for some crunchiness.

*Knee Update: I was all geared up for my doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon, and they told me I went to the wrong office! Grrrr! So disappointing. But I'm still continuing to stretch, ice (3 x's a day now), take ibuprofen and foam roll the heck out of that thing. I rescheduled my appointment so we'll keep our fingers crossed I go to the right office this time. Am I the only one who does stuff like that all the time??!! Anywho, my plan is to not run until I'm 100% pain free...I think that will only do me more harm than good. The good news is that my arms are crazy sore from lifting this week, so maybe there is hope for me yet to get some trace of muscle on these weak arms. ;-)

It's Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wishin', and Hopin'...

...that THIS were my kitchen. Seriously.

I'm house sitting this week and I REALLY am going to have an extremely difficult time going back to my kitchen. It reminds me of when I was a freshman in college and dreaded going back to my crappy old dorm room after staying at my parent's house for a weekend. BUT you somehow miss the crappy old dorm room...because it's yours. Even though it smelled funny and old (my current kitchen at home does not). ;-_

And the best part (or some might say...worst part?) My parent's house is right next door! So I don't have to worry about becoming a part in some Lifetime Movie drama here.

View from the back window.....ahhhhhh.

I am SO EXCITED for this weekend! I always go with my family to the Indianapolis 500, so I'll do that Sunday. I know it looks crazy boring on TV, but trust me - it is SO MUCH fun! Well, at least the beginning and the end are. Hopefully I'll get some sun (with sunscreen!) this weekend and get to hang with the fam and friends. Are you doing anything fun this weekend? Memorial Day weekend is my favorite weekend of the year - it means a *certain* birthday is not too far away!


Check out Missy's Rudy's Organic Bakery Giveaway!

ELC Challenge: Day 1

ELC = Eat Less Crap. :-)

This morning I had my standard oats + nanner + PB/cinnamon for brekkie. I went back in for anotha dip of the PB. I really think I would have a serious issue eating oats without nut butter now. I am RUINED!


This is my lunch and snacks for the day – leftover quiche for lunch + strawberries (sooooo good right now!!), and an orange for a p.m. snackie.

Although…my DINNER sounded good to me at lunchtime. So I switched ‘em. For lunch I had:

Caitlin’s Perfect Baked Tofu!!! (Minus the Sesame Seeds) :-(

This was SO, SO, SO good. I seriously might make tofu once a week now. I love it because it’s EASY, CHEAP, and it fills me up.

I eat my lunch and p.m. snack over the course of a couple hours, usually. I don't know why...I think it's because I eat at my desk (so bad) and it gives me something to look forward to (so sad).

For DINNER I had my quiche + some grapes, cottage cheese, and a flat out wrap + cheese. I'm house sitting the rest of the week (more on THAT later) and they have QUITE the selection of produce. Yay! If I were a millionaire, I would get weekly mani/pedis AND a ridiculous amount of fresh produce.

After swimming tonight, I had to tear into some more berries, some yogurt, and raw almond slices. I could seriously eat almonds all. day. Long.

So I did pretty well, and I’m proud of myself for not binging tonight. The knee feels a little better and I thought about canceling my appointment that is scheduled for tomorrow, but I think I will feel so much better after going (mentally). Plus, I’m hoping the money I get house sitting will foot the bill. ;-)

Have a great evening!

Preventative or Paranoid?

So I made an appointment to see the doctor on Thursday for my knee….it might be a bit premature and I know it’s going to cost me and arm and a knee (hahaha), but it’s just really, REALLY getting me down in the dumps. I just want to be sure I find the root of the problem and don’t end up with a chronic injury.

One thing about when I get injured is that my eating can go out of control. I either restrict or I binge…and I wish I knew how to change that. With my ED history, I really want to get back to exercising so that I am able to control my eating. I WISH my eating weren’t so dependent on being able to workout – especially run. However, it seems to work best for me. One day (because I probably won’t be able to run forever!) hopefully I will get there and be in control without having to run 20-25 miles a week.

During my running break, I’m challenging myself on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to eat only fruits, veggies and dairy as my snacks (what can I say...I get cranky without yogurt, lol). I eat lots of fruits and veggies during the day, but at night I often turn to processed snacks.

I’m doing this NOT to be restrictive, but I remember during my “Crap-Free Week” I didn’t binge because I was so FULL on fruits and veggies. Who wants cereal or a bar when they got a big ole’ belly bloated from veggies, right? I’m going to take pictures of my eats to hold myself accountable, too. I wish I were a more exciting eater so I could take pictures of all of my food all the time, but alas I am a creature of habit. So just be prepared to see the SAME pictures over and over and over…. ;-)

What about you? Do eating healthy and exercise go hand in hand for you? Or have you learned to find one without the other? If so - tell me your secrets!!

These Shoes Weren't Made For Biking...

Yesterday marked the first official training day for my triathlon on August 8th! I am a triathlon virgin, and it's something I've always wanted to do. I pretty much suck at swimming and I'm not the best biker, so it's definitely going to be a challenge.

I've based my training program off of this program that I found. Yesterday called for a 45 minute bike ride, so I blew off the dust of ole' Red and headed on out.

Little Red next to Big Red

It had been a loooong time since I went for a nice, long ride (that's what she said), and here are the things that quickly came to mind as I headed out yesterday morning.

1. Biking is COLD!!! It was about 55 degrees when I started out, which would be perfect for running. I'm just a wuss in the cold, what can I say?

2. Biking hurts your bum! I do have padded biking shorts, but c'mon...I need a little more cushion for my pushin', I guess.

3. Biking is....a little boring! I only say this because I'm used to running with music. And I love my music. Spending 45 straight minutes with just my thoughts is a little scary. lol

4. Biking is hard! I think runners in general (or maybe it is just me) tend to be biased that running is the best or the only way to get your heart rate up and get a good sweat on. Sometimes I will see bikers on the road and think, Pssshhh! How easy! Um....NO. This is not 1988 and this ain't no pink Huffy I'm on.

I've been having knee pain this week, which has made me feel a little bummed and, to be honest, a little depressed. I did my normal hours of research to try and diagnose myself (doctors LOVE it when you do this!) and I think it has something to do with my IT Band. It is sore, too, and I'm off to purchase a foam roller today. I've wanted one for awhile and know they can work wonders.

I am taking the next week off of running, and I'm hoping it will help. It's just so frustrating because running makes me so happy. I just have to keep telling myself that it's not worth it to push myself too hard right now. My knee pain isn't constant, but it's definitely achy - even when sitting all day. I want to make sure I nip this right now before it gets worse.

I'm also going to take a yoga class once a week - I wish I could afford to go more! I think yoga is so key in preventing injuries....plus, it really calms my mind. And who doesn't need that?

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!