Gearing up for January!!!

That's all for now :) 

-Katie

Yikes...

Yep - that about sums it up. I don't think I need to go into GROSS detail as to my eating habits lately.  At least I'm admitting that I'm been less than perfect pretty darn horrendous.

The holidays are hard.  Last year I actually did okay.  I had just started Herbalife and was on that high - that omg, I'm going to do this high.  I made it through the holidays without gaining - I think I actually lost.  This time I feel like I'm up 20 lbs.  I just want cookies and delicious food.  2014 HAS to be my year that I really do this.  I cannot keep gaining. I cannot lose 20 lbs and then put back on 30.  It has to change.  

Goals:

Set up a gym schedule with the husband and each of us go at least 3x a week

Avoid all regular pop (and really try to steer clear of diet too)

I'm thinking I might start my 2014 with a 7 day diet........I really think I might.  A good detox from all the bad.  That will only mean something if I continue to be good and stay on the right track for the rest of the month - and forever. Or else it was a waste.  And once you do the 7 day, if you waste it, you feel really really bad.  

--Katie

How I met my TFF

What, you don't know what TFF is?? Textie Friends Forever of course! 

Well Kelly and I both had babies due in May 2011.  We were both part of our birth month group on TheBump.com and then out of that group came a Facebook page which I lurked on mostly for quite some time.  Eventually I became more active on there and at some point someone in our mom group mentioned the bright idea of doing a 7-Day Diet.

So July 13, 2012 this friendship was born.  {No I'm not freakishly stalkerish - I turned to my messages in FB and it told me!}

Katie Waetjen

Hey Kelly - I'm in for the 7 day diet -- starting Monday! Going to do my shopping tomorrow morning If you wanna be text buddies I'm good with that too.

7/13, 8:30am

Kelly Weber

Woo hoo! I'm nervous. I suck at sticking to things. 7/13, 8:16am

Okay so little did I know Kelly is freakin awesome at sticking to things and I'm the sucky one....BUT at this challenge her and I rocked it out. So what is this 7-day diet you ask? It's HELL. It really it. 

That should really be what it's called. The 7 Days in Hell Diet................... The You're-gonna-wish-you-never-let-yourself-gain-that-weight diet................... The You're going to want to eat everything you've never even wanted before diet...

http://www.justinandashleyrefresh.com/2012/03/eat-your-heat-out-diet-aka-satan-diet.html

See, even look at the link - it says it right there "aka Satan Diet" It seriously sucks. But I think this go around, Kel and I were the only ones who did it all 7 days. There were people dropping out after a few hours and I really don't blame them. It can really make you feel like poo right off the bat. BUT it works. You will lose and it is possible to keep it off!!!!!! Every time I've done it I swear I'll never do it again and then even now I'm tempted with torturing...errr motivating myself and doing it again.
So this is what we did. And we've been texting ever since. ::insert awwwww:: The more I type this, the more the wheels are spinning in my head to do it again. WTF is wrong with me. Why can't I just eat healthy and not eat stuff I know is bad for me. I do have to say this is a good diet to kinda detox your body tho. 

So I've been bad lately - but I'm hoping to get my head in the right place. As I start at this package of Lindt Truffles that one of the girls put on my desk her. "Merry Christmas" 

--Katie

slowly but surely!

I'm still riding the low carb train! I've hopped off a few times to sight see, but for the most part, I've kept my carb intake at right about 50g per day.  Let me tell you, that's not a lot, especially when you are trying to stay within your daily calorie allotment AND you are vegetarian.  It's so different eating low carb now than it was when I was still eating meat.  A day of that diet looked like this:

8am-turkey bacon or turkey sausage
10am-cheese galore
noon-chicken wings with 4 containers of blue cheese
2pm-more cheese, maybe some turkey pepporoni
4pm-some type of low carb bar 
6pm-more chicken wings, or perhaps a blue cheese burger without the bun
8pm-cheese galore
10pm-some sort of snack

Supplement that all with various sugar free candies, diet coke, sugar free Redbull, etc.

How did I not have a heart attack, and why do people think this is a healthy way to eat? (maybe because i lost weight...)

So now, here I am, trying to slim down a little more, recognizing that I over-indulge on carbohydrates, but also recognizing that I need a balanced, HEALTHY diet if I'm going to look and feel my best (not to mention the set of little eyes that watch every move I make during the day...there is no way in Hell I want my sweet girl to learn mommy's bad eating habits, or even worse, mommy's poor self image). This time around on the low carb train, I'm loading up on veggies all day long, adding in tofu, seitan, vegetarian "sausages" (favorite kind are Lightlife Italian style, only 140 calories and 7g of carbs), natural peanut butter, apples, almonds, low fat ricotta, seltzer water, black coffee, low fat cheese (trying to stick with ones that are naturally lower in fat like feta and goat cheese), wine (reminder: wine is actually low in carbs!), etc.  When I write that all out, it doesn't look like a "low carb diet" right away, it looks like a healthy way of eating, and I like that :-)  I'm also throwing flax meal into just about everything! A punch of protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, it should be in everyone's diet! 

So that's where I am now.  In a good place.  And I want to stay here for awhile! JOIN ME IN MY GOOD PLACE, KATIE!!!!!!!

-Kelly

You know it's never good when ____________.

Fill in the blank!  I could fill it in with lots right now....

.....you haven't been able to wear your wedding ring in months because they're too tight for comfort
......your once loose pants feel like they just came out of the hot dryer
.......you're contemplating doing the dreaded 7 day diet
the list could continue on and on and on...

BLAH.  It stinks because I keep creeping into the mindset that it's almost Christmas, might as well wait til January.  NOT GOOD.  That's not the way to do this. I don't want to be 270 come January and have an extra 10 lbs. to lose.  As easy as that 10 lbs is to gain, it's a bazillion times harder to lose.  

Who else is in this same boat?? Let me know that I'm not alone.  And then let's get the F out of that mindset and breeze through the holidays.

I still need to get back to the gym... that would help SO much.  Hopefully I'll get in a few days before January comes and everyone's resolutions start.  That's one thing, the gym is always slam packed January through March...and then it starts tapering off.  I want to be the one who continues on. I want to be the one who is down to 200 lbs by my 31st birthday.  Is it a big goal? Yes - especially for someone who hasn't really been known to lose weight. Is it attainable? Hell to the yes it is.  

http://rtmlbrains.com/inspirational-fitness-quotes-celebrities-current-events-health-3.html

Head hurts like WHOA!

Wow oh wow. So I've been rocking this headache all.day.long. I've taken meds, a nap, nothing has helped. 

I haven't eaten much today so I guess that's good. So I think I'm done with the carb challenge - it's messing me up in the head and I'm making really bad decisions lol I'll figure something out for next week tho.

Today I had pancakes for breakfast and then make the spaghetti squash Mac & cheese for dinner. I added onion and mushroom to it and it was fantastic!!! Had some pineapple and wine too ;)

 

So I must tell you - even though I kinda  throwing the low carb restriction out the window, I did make some good choices today -- the squash and these freaking awesome healthy crackers!!!! Okay so it wasn't myyyy recipe but it needs to be shared. You NEED to make these....like NOW. Don't just stand there!!

Recipe from: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/snacks/r/flaxcrackers.htm

So I took a cup of flax seed, 1/3 c parmisan cheese, garlic powder, salt and 1/2 c water. I actually added more water and mine weren't super crispy - so next time I'll just stick with the recipe. Basically, mix together, rolled out on some parchment paper (I used wax paper on top to help me roll it out thing) and then bake for 18 min at 400 degrees. So easy. Super healthy. And everyone in this house loves them!!

Sorry the pic is from after we dug into it😉

So when I told Kelly that I made them, she took my lead and you tell me....by this text, do you think she liked them too??? 

Hahahaha she just might need to work on her enthusiasm 😜

Alrighty - just wanted to make sure we spread the word on these "flaxkers" :) 

Night guys!!

--Katie

Seitan: The Wheat Meat

Where my vegetarians at????? Are you a seitan fan? You're probably paying boat loads of money for it at the store! STOP RIGHT THERE! it's not hard to make at home! I have faith in you...and an easy no-boil recipe! You can change up the spices however you'd like.  The only real important ingredient is the vital wheat gluten (it looks like flour).  You can find this at Whole Foods in the bulk section, or most health food stores.  I'm pretty sure Bob's Red Mill makes one too! Or turn to amazon :-) This is my go-to recipe, and it's turned out great every time!  ***WARNING! if you have a gluten intolerance or allergy, this is NOT the recipe for you! It's all gluten! 

http://www.eatmedelicious.com/2009/05/baked-seitan_31.html

Now it's not pretty looking, but it's tasty, low carb, and versatile! 


Last night sucked.  Major sugar withdrawal.  I needed to ditch the sugar though, and i actually feel really good today! So i'm going to stick with keeping the carbs low for awhile and see how it goes!

-Kelly

Oh!!!

And I didn't forget!!!! I'm halfway done with my challenge.  Wines were bought.  Pinot Noir was actually yummy!!!!  I need to finish that bottle.......maybe I'll share......maybe I won't :)

Still need to try the Sauvignon Blanc! Probably this weekend :) I'm determined to do what I gotta do to complete this challenge!!!!!

--Katie

Not gonna sugar coat it...mmmmm sugar...

How true this is!!!  If I could stop putting all the freaking delicious, errrrr, I mean horribly bad food in my mouth I would be doing so great.  I'm not going to lie - yesterday was not a good day.  I could make excuses that my daughter was sick, I was sleep deprived and worried about her while I was at work, or a million other things, but what good does that do.  There will always be something going on.....always be some stress or drama or other feeling happening.  I need to figure out how to deal with all that without food....or with celery....either way!! LOL  I know I lack control --- that's one reason I never tried Alli ---- that's the one diet aid that I've heard puts you in the bathroom QUICK if you eat bad food or cheat.  Maybe that's what I need... FEAR. hahahaha  

I'm going to tell you, this low-carb diet has me crabby. I don't like it.  I think like Kelly said that it's just at the number to piss you off.  100 grams.  Unlike Kelly though, I'm not really tempted to lower it.  I'm trying to remember my Atkin days --- were all vegetables free?  Like did you not count those carbs, just didn't eat any others?  That restriction worked for me once -- the second time I did Atkins it didn't.  I don't know. I never thought I'd say that a Vegan diet would be easier for me than low-carb. Who would say that??? Me.  

My one good deed I did yesterday low-carb-wise was make kale "chips" -- I took a bunch of kale, little EVOO and some cayenne (too much!!), garlic and onion powder and roasted it in the over til it started to crisp up.  Other than being a litttttttttttle too spicy for my liking it was good.  Anyhow, today is another new day. Luckily we always have those. I've had hard boiled eggs and some avocado for breakfast along with some coffee!!! TGIF to you all.  

--Katie

How low can you go?!

I was really looking forward to this challenge.  WAS being the key word.  100 grams of carbs per day is an interesting number.  It's low enough that I can't have pasta, rice, goldfish crackers, m&ms, and a bagel everyday, but still high enough that I don't feel like it's a diet (in the restrictive sense). Unfortunately, it's also high enough that i feel like I have a lot of wiggle room cheating potential. So today I decided to go lower.  I'm not planning on staying this low for long, maybe just today and tomorrow, but I can tell you, it helped.  Knowing I had zero wiggle room has helped keep me focused! I will also tell you that the sugar withdrawal headache I'm rocking right now can go to hell.  

Anyway, I had this lovely little lunch that was leftover from dinner last night.  Seared tofu that had been coated with cumin, sea salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and then seared off in coconut oil. Paired with sauteed green beans with a kiss of sesame oil (just a kiss, that shit is potent.  It's NOT a cooking oil, it's a condiment.  Remember that).








Off to make a nice meatless loaf using TVP (textured vegetable protein) with a side dish of vodka (or maybe cauliflower or chardonnay). 


-Kelly

Boo to day 2....

Yesterday I was doing great - everything logged, was staying within my boundaries - but then I got invited to dinner at my sister-in-law's house!  (Thanks Andrea -- seriously, it was delicious!!!!)  I think she was getting me back for my apple fritter bread and chocolate with bacon over the weekend ;) (what?? I didn't mention that?? Oh......hence gaining weight.....) Anywhooooooo she brought out some bagel chips with these AH-MAZING spreads --- a feta spread and an olive spread......I ate too many. ::sigh:: 

Plus, as Kelly ratted me out on told you, I'm the queen of moscato.......I limited myself to one glass, and I seriously tried to find the Skinny Girl brand but they didn't have it.  I couldn't believe the carbs when I logged it.  So I've accepted Kelly's challenge and will be wine shopping tonight!!!  Dinner was baked chicken parm and it was fantastic and pretty healthy! I said NO (thanks) to noodles (sounds like a new weight loss campaign...) 

BUT, the scale did not forgive me. As much as I wanted to skip weighing, I knew I had to.  I'm notorious for falling onto the slippery slope (like a slide coated with crisco) when I skip weighing --- I end up making it an excuse to continue screwing myself over making poor choices....so I sucked it up and weighed.  Any of you have digital scales out there? I think most of them are, but does anyone else try to shift their weight as they're standing on the scale to get it to lock in at the number that's maybe 0.3 lbs lighter than the other.  I feel sometimes like I'm on a bad game show where it's just fluctuating between "win" and "lose" --- I guess that's stupid because the higher number is prob the more accurate...the scale isn't going to register lbs that aren't there, right?

Weigh In: 258.7 :(

Pop: NO!

Log in MFP (kdw6383): Yes!

Stay with current challenge: No :( 

Today my day is already logged in MFP.  I'm within calories and carbs - so hoping I can stick with that!  Coffee this morning and measured out my 2 tbsp of sugar free creamer.  I swear if I don't measure, I probably pour 1/4 cup in.....  

Today will be better.  Hoping the scale pats me on the back tomorrow!!  

--Katie

Ooooh Katieeeeeeeee!!!!

Katie doesn't advertise this, but she is the queen of moscato and white zinfandel.  Unfortunately, these are loaded with sugar, and don't even get you tipsy until you've had the whole bottle.  Now I'm not saying they aren't delicious, I just want Katie to broaden her wine horizon.  

SO, with that being said, Katie, I challenge YOU to a wine sampling experience.  This week, I want you to try a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Noir.  Not only is wine good for the old ticker, it also is surprisingly low in carbs! WOOT WOOT!!!!!!! And you feel fancy drinking it which is obviously the most important part.

Cheers to you, Katie!

 

-Kelly

and seriously, who is the better friend? The one who gives a squat challenge or the one who gives a wine challenge??? I think the answer is pretty clear

Good day!

Let me start by talking about the spaghetti squash mac and cheese.  O. M. G. it was heavenly.  It tasted like cheesy hashbrowns.  Here is a rundown of what I did:

• Cut a large spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, put it face down in a baking dish, add a few inches of water and roast at 375 for an hour
• shred 5oz of cheddar or your cheese of choice
• in a food processor, throw in the cheddar and a box of silken tofu.  Add in some salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
• when the squash is done, let it cool a bit so you don't burn the shit out of your hands can easily handle it. scrape out the inside into a bowl, add the cheese mix
• dump out the water from the baking dish and put the squash and cheese mix into that pan, throw back in the 375 oven for about 30 minutes, and then finish it under the broiler.
• sit back and enjoy your guilt free fabulous meal.

If you make it just like i wrote it, it clocks in at frickin 234 calories for A QUARTER OF THE WHOLE FRICKIN PAN.  That's under 500 calories for half of the pan! That's a lot.  I didn't even eat that much. 
 

I paired it up with some broccoli and a glass of chardonnay and it was absolute perfection.

I loved it so much I forgot to take a picture until the pan was half gone.

 

You need to make this.  Now.  Right Now.

Kelly
(i feel like a poser with a cute little send off like "stay healthy" so i'm going to stop.  But seriously.  Stay healthy)

Not my best way to start a challenge

So yesterday was day 1 of our Lower Carb challenge.  TECHNICALLY, I did stay below my calories and carbs, HOWEVER, I could have done a lot better.  There may or may not have been some cocoa truffles from Trader Joe's.  They may or may not be in the garbage because I have no self control.

Saddest thing I've ever seen

I'm not sure why I do this to myself.  I do well all day, and then girlfriend goes down for her nap and I start perusing.  A little taste here, a little bite there.  I have the right snacks, lots of them! I suppose they don't do much good just sitting there though.  Some of my favorite lower carb snacks include:

• Raw veggies with low fat ricotta
• light string cheese
• faux turkey slices (favorite ones are Tofurky hickory flavored)
• low carb tortilla with goat cheese and roasted red peppers
• peanut butter with celery 
• almonds 

Those are just a few :-) It's much harder staying low carb while also staying lower calorie AND vegetarian.  But I just love a good challenge!

Getting in the right mindset today and really focusing on overall health! Christmas is sneaking up on us, and I really want to be down a few more pounds! I want this to be the first year that I don't feel sick to my stomach thinking about New Years Resolutions.  

On tonight's menu...spaghetti squash mac and cheese.  I'm super excited!

Stay healthy!
Kelly

Baby Steps...

First things first....


Weigh in: 257 !!
Pop????: NO !!
Log in MFP (kdw6383): YES !!
Stay with the current challenge: YES !!

Wow - only 49 carbs yesterday...slightly over calories and will really need to watch my sodium. Last time I did low/no carb I didn't track anything so I don't know if that's typical or what. I'm not gonna lie, I was slightly hungry famished last night. I also have a slight headache - had it on and off yesterday too. I know it'll get better!! Just need to get healthy so that I can get rid of the headaches, tiredness, a other random complaints I often have :)


So squat challenge --- yeah that was a dumb thing to do day one of low carb..... I sucked.....missed some opportunities by just forgetting and just didn't get in enough!!

And one final pic:

So I started these jars probably a year ago -- I don't recall exactly when. There's a total of 110 marbles to get me down to a weight of 150lbs. That is a dream. I cannot wait til I can be 199. That would will be a HUGE accomplishment. I don't even remember when I was last under 200 lbs. I barely remember being under 230...... At one point I did have 25 or so marbles in the lbs lost jar. I'm going to get that back....and then add more to it!! Slow and steady wins the race, right??? I was down this morning 1.7 lbs. Gotta keep it going. I will do this for me.





--Katie

Squat til you drop

Happy December

This is what I'm going with!  The one thing I have going for me is that I keep trying...  I let Thanksgiving and the days following get the best of me and gained 3 lbs  ::wah wah wah::  since the end of October. I know this because I was part of a weight loss competition where biggest percentage lost would win $$$.  So my bright idea was, "hey $5 hasn't been enough motivation for me in the past, let's all put in what will motivate us and keep it a mystery!" So I put in $30 -- the pot got over $200 and yet what do I do, I gain?! UGH! 

I kinda set myself up for it though. From the get-go I was trying to calculate what I thought people weighed and what their percentages would be if they lost x-lbs etc.  It was discouraging for me when I calculated how much I would have to lose.  Adding to that, when people started posted progress, I felt like it was unattainable.  Vegan challenge was good though - I was down a teeny bit! - but then cue the end of the challenge, the holiday, and lack of control.  I'm not making excuses, just trying to understand my brain. lol  I need to do this for me.  Of course December is probably the hardest month. But I've got this, right?!?! 

My goal for me: To be down 7 lbs. on Jan 1, 2014

Today's weight is gross --- totally carb'd it up yesterday --- 258.7

Mini Goals that I want to keep up on and update with for the previous day:

Weigh in: {{I want this number to consistently go down}} --- please don't lecture about how weighing daily is bad. I know this. I need this.  At least for now!! :)
Pop????:  {{This should be a constant NO!}}
Log in MFP (kdw6383): {{This should always say YES!}}
Stay with the current challenge: {{Again, a big YES here!!}}

Keepin' with it!
--Katie

Kelly - I challenge you to.....

......a squat-off!!

Tomorrow. All day. Get in as many squats as you can. We'll write down our numbers and picture post them here on Tuesday! Winner gets bragging rights and super sore legs, duh! 

Do you accept???

Blah.. I'm weak...

For some reason I do good with challenges, but give me the freedom of thanksgiving and a few days after and all hell breaks loose. So I don't even want to weigh...I'm sure I've gained it all back. Need to get back with water and tea!! I'm excited for our new challenge starting tomorrow tho! I did Atkins back in college and was real successful with it. Being a carnivore makes it easier in my opinion so I give Kelly mad props :) lol

I know we're not doing crazy Atkins fad-ish diet, so I'm excited to see what a healthier, easier to maintain eating plan will do for me. The biggest thing I gained during the vegan challenge was finding that I don't need to have so much dairy in my life. Prior to the challenge, most of my lunch snacks were dairy -- string cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese -- like all of them! Lol it surprisingly wasn't that difficult for me to omit meat and animal products.... I think ill do it again eventually. I need structure. I honestly wish I had someone to prepare all my meals for me. If that one eating thing wasn't so expensive--- the one that basically gives you all your meals -- which prob taste awful - id prob do it. Actually I know I would because it's the structure I crave. But I am not rich so I'll stick with challenges and try to train my brain instead :)

Anywho- with a toddler jumping all over me, saying "please please pleeeeeeeease... My iPad!" It's time to put the iPad away and play :) 

--Katie

Challenge Time!!!!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  The turkey-less roast from Trader Joe's was actually fantastic! I was pleasantly surprised utterly shocked!

Now let's talk challenges!!! After doing the vegan thing, Katie and I are going to go in a completely different direction! It's time to ditch some carbs! Now we aren't talking extreme, bacon for every meal low carb.  We are talking about cutting out the excess.  It's going to go for 2 weeks, so for week 1, we will keep our carb count under 100g. per day.  We will toy with dropping it lower for week 2 depending on how this first week goes!

As a vegetarian, lowering my carbs is tough.  I'm looking forward to the challenge though! When I was still eating meat, I would often turn to low carb diets to drop weight, and my body always responded nicely!  

To keep track of carbs (and calories) we will be using the My Fitness Pal app.  It's a great (FREE!) program that is easy to use and very helpful in keeping track of what you eat.  Feel free to add me if you want first hand knowledge of my diet! 

Username: Mumsysmama 

Officially starting the challenge tomorrow! Heading to the grocery store in a little while to fill my kitchen with lower carb goodness! 

Stay Healthy!
Kelly

Vegan in the Honeybaked Ham Store

Here it is, the day before Thanksgiving.  The last day of this vegan challenge, and where do I find myself? The Honey Baked Ham Store.  This is our first year hosting Thanksgiving, and I decided cooking a turkey wasn't going to become part of my tradition.  Being vegetarian (my daughter is too!), I have learned to suck it up and cook meat for people on occasion, but after this challenge, after really thinking about those defenseless animals, the last thing i wanted was a poor dead turkey roasting away in my oven.  andplusalso I make a killer "stuffing" (is it still called stuffing when not stuffed in a dead bird's tucus?)  and I need plenty of oven room for that reasonably sized gigantic pan of it! I also am very bothered by wasted meat.  And let's face it, there's always that one uncle that wants the fatty parts of the turkey, but then what? White meat gets devoured, and the rest gets thrown away.  I can't do it.  So this year, I ordered a small turkey breast from the Honey Baked Ham Store, already cooked. It's even sliced.  Laine and I will be indulging in Trader Joe's turkey-less turkey roast.  I'm sure it will be amazing  slightly disappointing.  I always have high hopes for these meat substitutes.

I'll be happy when the challenge is over, because I really miss my fancy cheese (cranberry chevre anyone?), but I will definitely be making more of an effort to not include dairy in every single meal.  I felt better eating that way.  Dairy cows suffer just as much as meat cows (and before you say "but they aren't killed!), yes they are killed.  And I won't get into the horrific conditions chicken are kept under, but use your imagination. 

So there you have it. First challenge coming to an end! I wasn't perfect, but I tried! Katie and I are putting the final details on our next challenge and will reveal it soon!  And just for the record, she summed up our main differences in one sentence:  

"That's one thing I normally don't have a problem doing - staying away from alcohol.  I don't see the point in drinking my calories"

Stay Healthy and have a cocktail!
Kelly

AMA Day!

Sunday Sunday Sunday!  

Sunday was AMA Day. How exciting is this?! I - yes, meeee....I am going to be in a live audience at the American Music Awards!!!!  How FUN!?! 

After we got up, we just had breakfast in our Hotel. Nothing special - just a normal breakfast buffet with the addition of rice and miso soup since we were staying in Little Tokyo.  lol  We decided we'd just do a little walking around the area after breakfast but everywhere was closed.  Decided to get Starbucks and head back up to the hotel room to just chill for a little bit before getting ready.  Saw this "gem" of a sign on our way --- the nerve?!  

Granted, this place was probably tasty, but I already had my heart set on Starbucks. So that's where I went. I got myself a super skinny soy non fat no calorie amazingly healthy surely not a large Caramel Brulee Latte. ::sigh:: and a snowman cookie.  I suck.  

So I'm kinda lame and watched an episode of NCIS and just chilled before having to get ready.  I love those shows - what can I say - and we just wanted to relax a little because there wasn't much time to do anything before needing to get prettied up.  Time to get ready!!

Here's what I wore to the AMAs because I know you're dying to see....

So we left early to check out the red carpet!!! You know, we wanted to be those cool people watching the celebs step out of their limos onto the carpet and head off to do their little interviews.  Well, that DIDN'T happen.  Those "lucky" people pay for that!!! They've got it all blocked off with black fabric/screen so you can't even see!!  So here I am trying to peer in cracks and rips to get a glimpse....

Red Carpet...Shred Shmarpet....we have TICKETS! We get to go IN and watch these celebs perform and accept awards...

The show was so fun. The theater was FREEEEEEEEEEZING though - like, damn, I wish I had more clothes on FREEEEEEEEEEZING!!!!! My favorite performance was probably Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly because I love that song, but there were so many great acts.  And can I just say that I am totally jealous of J-LO!!! Holy crap she looks good!  I did feel really old though - every time One Direction or I think as all the youngins call them "1D" were mentioned, awarded, or even thought about I went deaf for a brief minute or two. HOLY CRAP.  Their fans.....I'm sure none of them can speak even today.  But I was there before....N Sync, BSB, 98 Degrees....yes, i remember....but I still felt old.  

Afterwards, we went to this yummy Japanese restaurant, and I had another non-vegan meal.  Boo me.  :-/

It was delicious and I had to pretend that I can use chopsticks (which I suck at!!!!!!) No forks - can you imagine?! But I acted my way through that and enjoyed the food....and drinks....yes, 2 $15 grapefruit cosmos please.  Oh and I had a $15 margarita at the AMAs -------- ::cue rant:: Soooooooo you get into the Nokia theater and there's concession stands so we each get a drink, some caramel corn and a bottle of water.  Walk towards the doors.  "Sorry miss, no food or beverages in the theater." me: Not even water? "No, not even water" WTF. You just sold me $30+ worth of stuff and now I need to down my margarita, throw away 3/4 bag full of caramel corn and half a bottle of over priced water?!?!!! UGH.  ::end rant:: 

Anyhow, dinner pics:

So back to our main focus of this blog........I didn't eat/drink the best on this trip, but we did do quite a bit of walking and didn't eat as often as I typically do.  I don't know what the scale would say today because I didn't step on it.  I'm not stepping on until Thanksgiving morning. Today I am Vegan.  I had my tea, and some oatmeal, pb, and raisins this morning.  Other than tired, I'm feeling good.  I also added some HL supplements because I still have some left. Hoping to flush out any excess water and bad that's left in my system.  Lunch will be chick peas, carrots and celery with balsamic vinegar and dinner will be some zucchini and maybe quinoa.  I'm excited. Feeling good and ready to do this!!!!!!!!

--Katie

Bottoms Up!

So L.A./Hollywood was great!! We had so much fun.  I probably should've been cool and stuck with Veganism while on vacation because that would've made me more awesome - just proving that I could do that.  But I didn't.  I splurged on things, didn't drink the water I should have, and drank more calories than I normally do.

That's one thing I normally don't have a problem doing - staying away from alcohol.  I don't see the point in drinking my calories....I guess it's just because I like to eat. It's like I have to make a choice --- do I want to sip these calories away or chew them - I most often opt for chewing.  But in L.A. it seemed more appropriate to drink them.  

I just realized that I never updated about meeting Katy - yeah, we're totes on first name basis, I know she'd agree.  HA!  When we got to the hotel where we were supposed to meet, we were early so we just kinda walked around checked out that hotel - super nice!  The only thing was, I had no idea where we were supposed to meet.  So about 7:15 p.m. I decided to ask the front desk.  He had no idea and directed me to the Concierge..... "Hmm. Katy Perry? Did they say it was going to be HERE?" Uh yeah - Okay, let me call my contact.  So I made my call - and got voicemail - wait til about 7:25, called again...still nothing! AH!  Cue freaking out.  So I turn to my other contact who wasn't really for this event but I had a cell number.  Grasping for straws.  She answered.  She let me know I was supposed to be meeting in the private dining room --- imagine that, when I ask the Concierge he knew.... Now I get why he had to play dumb but thanks buddy...thanks a lot... 

Walking into the room with maybe 20 people was neat.  There was a bar, some cold appetizers set out and this fancy schmancy poster. (I was going to wait to take my pic next to it until after the event but they wound up taking it with them when Katy had to leave) ::SAD FACE::

But here is what I wore :)

So I thought cool - we have asparagus, crackers, cheese, carrots, broccoli, etc....that's a nice spread! And then they began bringing out meatballs, cute (amazingly delicious) little sliders, risotto balls, and more!  I felt special!!  I could get used to this!

Oh...yeah - and the free drinks....I think I wound up having 3 of these. For someone who rarely drinks, that was enough to warm me up and make me nervous to stand up and walk out at the end of the night (especially since it really wasn't a long event lol) 

But during this time, Katy Perry arrived!  The room got completely quiet when she walked in - no one really knew what to do, or how to act. It was pretty comical. lol But then we got to watch her do a little interview. That was neat!  She seems so nice!! As expected, she was on a tight schedule so after her interview, she took pics with everyone. They took the pics (we couldn't take any of our own and no autographs) but here is the proof!!!

She's sooooo skinny -- grumble grumble -- and so pretty :) SO glad we were able to meet her.  

We hung out after she was whisked away to her dressing room to get ready for rehearsal and do another interview. Afterwards I stumbled down the street, holding on to Steve, as we found a cab to take us back to our hotel.  Cue another drink....Amaretto Sour.....one of my FAVES!!!!! YUM.  I was feeling good!! 

That was my Friday.  Saturday was blogged about already in my previous entry (Hollywood and all that good stuff, remember??) 

Okay - now we're on to AMA day!  Actually - I'll put that in a new post!!! Coming right up ;)

--Katie

Hanging on by a thread

Really struggling these past few days.  With veganism and with healthy eating in general.  Princess has been starting her day at 5am, and i just can't do it.  I'm exhausted, and I turn to carbs to wake me up (in addition to entire pots of coffee).  My main meals have been vegan, but portions have been out of control, and my snacks haven't been completely vegan (there may have been a mini reese's cup involved around 6am this morning).

Speaking of meals, I made sweet potato pancakes last night that were out of this world! The recipe was from this book (on sale for $2.58 for kindle edition.  Seriously, that's insane). 
http://www.amazon.com/000-Vegan-Recipes-ebook/dp/B00BS03QX4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385307953&sr=8-1&keywords=1000+vegan+recipes

I did say no to 2 different peppermint mocha samples at Target and the grocery store yesterday, so at least I have that :-) and i made some outstanding oatmeal with banana this morning!

Pumpkin-Lentil soup is on the menu tonight.  Trying to stay focused for the tail end of this challenge!

-Kelly

I realize this post seems like it was written by a 7 year old.  Forgive me, I'm tired.  Here's a picture of Morris to make up for my Debbie Downer post.

I am not perfect but I keep trying!

Today was so much fun!! The hubby and I did a hop on - hop off bus tour. We took a cab from our hotel -- which by the way, I don't think I mentioned, greets you with a fresh chocolate chip cookie when you check in....

But any who... We took a cab from the hotel to the Chinese Theatre...this is where you see all the stars and and footprints...real neat stuff!!!! We browsed around for a bit, took some pics.

So at this point we still hadnt eaten anything so we decided to find something nearby. We found this cute crepery - I guess that's how you spell it! Oh I didn't go the Vegan route, but it's amazing how quickly I filled up. 

This was my crepe of deliciousness - ham, cheese and pickles.... I didn't even eat half of it before I was full, so I did something amazing............I stopped eating!! :) While we were in this area we took our cabbies tip and decided to go up a few levels to check out the view and see the Hollywood sign.......so what we ignored blockaded escalators and signs saying we weren't supposed to go up to that level....I saw an elevator with no signs so I took that as an open invite ;)

After seeing those pretty letters on the hill we hopped on a tour bus. We passed a bunch of cool things but stayed on until we got to the Santa Monica / Millions of Milkshakes stop.......and NO, I didn't have a milkshake...what kind of person do you think I am??????!! (Yeah...they weren't open yet...)

We ended up transferring over to the yellow line bus after riding down Rodeo drive. I wanted to see the ocean so we took it to Santa Monica pier. Now my eating wasn't the best there but my biggest issue this trip has just been not drinking water like I should and like I'm used to!! But we put our toes in the ocean which was fudging cold!!! But it was sooo purdy!

We headed back to Rodeo drive and continued our journey. Got off at the La Brea tar pits. We have pics on the camera but my phone was dying at the time, so I had to reserve it for important things....like Pinks!!! Haha

The line was long but we wanted to say we stopped there :) it does move quickly! So my pseudo win for the day............I ordered a vegan dog topped with guacamole and onions!

I will say that it was different - but not bad! And like the title of this post says, I'm not perfect - I did have some chili cheese fries and they were flipping awesome!!! I love how fast I fill up tho. Ending the night I had to buy these.....

Jelly bellys - in all the flavors I like because I picked them from those magical self serve dispensers. Now hubby reminded me that they're not vegan and commented that it's not like I'm going to eat them all before we're home...and I reminded him that he doesn't know me very well. Lol but I prob won't and that's ok. Ill tell C i bought th for her. Win win. 

Okay - peace, love and Hollywood ya'll 

-- Katie 

One bite of chili at 11:30 pm last night

But other than that, 4 days vegan!!!! I had to try my hubby's chili that he was entering in a contest at work. Yum! He won!!!

We're now on a bus to the hotel in L.A. We will have a couple hours to get ready and then off to meet Katy Perry -- I'm guessing it will be a pretty structured thing but so looking forward to it :) hope she's as nice as I imagine she is lol 

Today I've had a pb&j with marshmallow - overpriced sandwich that was just "eh" and a package of jellybellys :-/ fat free, but not calorie free....and not vegan. The vegan thing wasn't so hard tho - I was surprised. After thanksgiving ill do it again. I need to keep dropping lbs and getting healthier!!

Well that's all for now peeps. I'll try to keep up on my trip!!

--Katie

Time for some thoughts

This vegan challenge has got me thinking about my choices, but I've come across a big dilemma: when are animal products the healthier choice?

Let me expand on this with an example.  Normally, when I go to my safe place Starbucks, I get espresso, either hot or over ice.  Sometimes I'll add a pump of peppermint syrup, but that's about as crazy as I get day to day; HOWEVER, occasionally when I earn enough reward stars to get a free drink, I splurge and get something fancy, with modifiers....lots of modifiers (extra shots! 2 pumps of this! extra foam! free pour!).  Yesterday was one of these days.  I walked in, ready to splurge on a grande soy gingerbread latte. But then as I was about to order, I thought about calories.  A soy gingerbread latte has about 50 more calories and 5 more grams of fat than one made with nonfat milk.  Now 50 calories doesn't seem like a lot, but this is for a DRINK. And not even an alcoholic one.  Fifty calories and 5 grams of fat IS a big difference in terms of a coffee, especially when you are trying to lose weight.  So then I contemplated. I ended up going with soy because of this challenge, but had I not been doing this, I would have gotten nonfat milk based on the calorie and fat difference. 

Another example. At the grocery store the other day, I was trying to find a vegan bre
ad.  The whole wheat bread I have been buying contains milk, so I put that one back, and picked up a different 100% whole wheat variety.  Did a scan of the ingredients; no milk! wooo hoo- wait. high fructose corn syrup. So which bread do i go for? I ended up getting the one containing milk since my daughter will be eating most of it, and I vowed not to eat any (I bought tortillas instead).

miniature cow, who I don't think produces milk anyway, but you get the point.

Now in a perfect world, I would never get holiday coffee drinks and I would bake all of my own bread. But that's not happening, and with girlfriend always with me, I can't always make a separate stop to get different bread.  So what do you do? I suppose it depends on your reasons for going vegan (ethics, environment, diet), as well as where you stand healthwise.  Just something to ponder. 

Stay Healthy and go get a gingerbread latte for goodness sake! 

Kelly