Day 26 (Jun 29) 120 Days to go!

Meals

Meal 1: RTD/Banana

Meal 2: Egg Whites

Meal 3: Chicken/Lima Beans

Meal 4: Kashi Cereal and Crunch Bar

Meal 5: Steak/Chicken/Corn/Salad

Still no gym. Had the chiropractor this morning at 8am and need to run out and get my wedding ring.

On to sad news. Part of the reason there was no gym yesterday...A friend of Rob's passed away in his sleep Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Unfortunately, he had MS. He had been trying different treatments, and well, I guess it just didn't work. Matt was younger than Rob (who is only 35). He leaves behind a wonderful wife, Alyssa, and many other loving family members and friends. We're headed up to PA and NJ this weekend.

Love and Hugs

Day 25 (Jun 28) 121 days to go and counting


Meals
Meal 1: 2 HB eggs
Meal 2: Kashi Cereal
Meal 3: Chicken/Lima Beans/Sweet Potato
Meal 4: Apple/SF pudding
Meal 5: Protein Shake/Blackberries and bit of chicken




Finally getting 5 meals in. Of course, I roll out of bed and eat something THEN get in the shower to get ready for work...I'm sticking to protein shakes for meal 5 that way I am hungry at 6am.


Today, broke another temp crown. Damn Kashi GoLean Crunch!! I add a few pieces to sweeten up the regular GoLean...my tooth didn't like that too much. I go back on Tuesday for the permanent ones so I'll just hold out till then. Maybe it will help me control my eating over the weekend. The scale said 164.5 today. I am doing measurements tomorrow.



Dana has me completely freaked out. Bert's 30th celebration is July 14th. We're doing crabs that Friday and a pig roast on Saturday. She told me about all the yummy things that were going to be there. I think I'll carry a photo of me in a bikini and one of the dress not quite laced up as a reminder what I need to focus on.

Of course, I didn't make it to the gym today. Things got crazy at work and I had to leave at 4 for the doc. What a quack he is. This was my final appointment. I had to control myself to keep from telling him to _____. Moving on.

Wedding update:

Hmm - don't think I have any today. The shoes come in tomorrow. Maybe mom or Debbie can come by and lace me up again soon. Also, some girls at work told me about a corset shop nearby, Dor-ne Corset that I think I'll hit up. The question is - When? Do I go now or wait till I've dropped a few pounds? Of course, they do alter their own undergarmets! I think we found a winner!


Shuttle services (crap, that reminds me, I need to update our wedding site http://www.mirowicz.com/) not having much luck. We'll see what I can come up with - if anything - over the next week.

Day 24 (Jun 27) 122 days to go and counting

Meals
Meal 1: eggwhites
Meal 2: kashi cereal
Meal 3: chicken/sweet potato/salad/olives
Meal 4: Chicken/sweet potato
Meal 5: Protein Shake with Raspberries

Off day - only moderate cardio allowed so Rob and I went for a nice evening walk.



Wedding update:

working on the shoes now...

CAUTION - Wedding dress spoilers below.

Day 23 (Jun 26)
Meals
Meal 1: Kashi Cereal/Skim milk
Meal 2: Grilled chicken/Salad with cranberries and olives
Meal 3: Gilled Chicken/Apple/Zucchini
Meal 4: Potein Shake/Apple

Workout C

Underhand Seated Row
DB Inc Press
DB Row
DB Standing Shoulder Press
Intervals

I think I'm going with the concept of getting the majority of my carbs from fruits and vegetables instead of breads and grains. Not sure if that dress is going to fit. I'd be better off it was small on me, then I'm forced to behave and lose weight. If it fits or is loose, I'll use that as an excuse to eat pizza and ice cream. That way I won't have to have alterations... HA!

Another glance at wedding items. Here is the main portion of our invitations. The mulberry paper wraps around the card with the Japanese Maple Leaf on top (hence the leaf theme). The bottom right is the save the date.

Wedding dress:

Well, I got it on. I need to lose about 10 pounds. Some shots were very flattering. Others...just showed how wide I really am.

I was afraid the necklace wouldn't go since there are no pearls in the dress, but I think it's just fine.

Day 22 (Jun 25)

Meals
meal 1: Kashi Go Lean cereal
meal 2: chicken/spaghetti squash/tomatoes/black beans/apple
meal 3: chicken/spaghetti squash/tomatoes/black beans/cottage cheese
meal 4: banana/whey protein shake/couple bites of grilled pork and chicken

still behind on meals but at least eating was good today!

Work-out B
split squats
Roman Dead lift
reverse lunges
elevated push-up (I'm still using my knees but getting better)
bicycle crunch
jack-knife

no cardio - my legs totally feel like jellO

my hip still hurts pretty bad but I'm trying to work through it. May go spinning in the morning or hit the Arc.

Wedding update:

MY DRESS CAME IN TODAY!!!!!! Of course, it was supposed to be delivered to the office, instead it was sent to the house. That means I need to play phone tag and run around trying to schedule a pick-up for tonight. Pain in the butt!

caution - spoiler below.

Nope, haven't tried it on yet - I'm frightened it won't fit nice. I'll just look at it on the bed for now. The purse is adorable too. Not sure what I'll I can fit in it though! It does show the bead work a bit better.

Now I need to find shoes, possibly a veil, and directions on how to lace this baby up. I hope the necklace looks OK. I got pearls thinking there were pearls on the dress, but I was wrong. oh well!

Day 19 (Jun 22)

Yeah, I know, skipped a few days there, didn't I? I'm over it. There was definitely a splurge on the food side each and every day. As for the gym? Totally MIA. At least I am sitting here typing this while munching on a fresh salad and chicken that my Rob grilled up for me. Who cares about that unsatisfying bagel I had for breakfast? Seriously, why did I eat it? I don't even LIKE bagels! I also had a SF Skim Latte from the evil empire (Starbucks) today. I had an hour to kill before my dr. appointment.

Yes, yet another doctor in the mix. My boss must think I'm terminally ill.

I have the laser hair removal every 4 weeks. Leave me alone, I'm part Pennsylvania Dutch and those are some hairy bitches! Of course, it is not working. A note to all you women out there - Laser Hair removal does NOT work on BLOND HAIR! Most places won't even waste your time or money. This guy though, he's simply a QUACK. But he already has my money so I'm still trying.

There are my dental appointments. Those have been about every 4 weeks with a few in between. Almost home free though! The final touch is supposed to be a nice gentle bleaching before the wedding.

Well, I guess those are the only two recurring ones, but it feels like every week I have one! Now, we've added one more.

Dr. Robertson. Nice Guy. Chiropractor. Nothing like make me THAT much closer to 30! My left hip has been killing still from running, plus there is the pre-existing numbness in my right thigh. Met with him today. Will go back next Friday. He did some adjustments to my left hip and then the L4 and L5. He also did some deep muscle things around the left hip and piriformus (Jamie taught me that one - it's nice to have a friend that is a physical therapist to bounce thoughts off of). Right now he thinks the pain was caused by excessive supination. The tendon in my foot is really really tight (I get lots of cramps in cold weather) so he worked on that some (nice, insurance pays for a foot massage!) Anyway, just evidence that I'm getting old. The best part - he said I can't run or jump rope for a bit. Like I was really planning on it. I can, however, swim and cycle. Good thing too - we're going to the lake this weekend!

With that said, eating will not be good. I know there will be alcohol, not that I indulge all that much, and some nibblers that will most likely also be bad for me. I will do my best to choose the lesser evils available.

So, you all have a great weekend - I'm off the BFL clock for a few more days.

Only 127 days left. About 18 weeks. Crap, time is flying!!!

Wedding update - I found a creative option for rehearsal dinner invitations. I ordered my supplies and everything should be in next week. Way in advance, but I'll need the time to put everything together. Thank god there are only 16! What else...we picked out our guest book. Yes, WE. My hubby-to-be is still very much involved. We sent the deposit for the rehearsal dinner and the flowers. We paid the church in full. We got the stamps for the RSVPs. Of course, with the new postal rates there was nothing cute. I went with the Forever Stamp. It is the Liberty Bell, and we are marrying in PA, and it is FOREVER and all. Think anyone will get it? We ordered the cameras for the tables and a few other odds and ends. I figured if we piece mail it over the months, it one hurt the pocket as much. Christ, we've already spent over 5k out between the two of us! ugh!!!

Days 13 and 14 (June 16/17)

Crazy busy weekend. Saturday we drove up to Phoenixville to meet with the priest for the official 'interview'. What a joke. They ask you ridiculous questions and have you in separate rooms. Nothing like encouraging you to hide things from your spouse! Then, he didn't even take the time to review the book with us. We spent so much time reading over and trying to decide on what pieces we were using and he just jotted down the numbers and that was it. I had hoped he would take the time to review, read and answer any questions. Whatever. It's done now. The one great thing is he gave us the go-ahead to have Bobcia (Rob's grandmother) to do the Old Testament reading in Polish-yeah!!!

Next was the hair appointment. kinda disappointed. The color is still not quite right and she didn't cut part of it short enough. Partially my fault for letting it grow so long. Grrr. Now, it's already too long and my next appointment is not until Aug 25th. I'll never last!

Final stop Saturday - the Zimmerman's. Love visiting. This time, Noah actually gave me a big hug! He's a little shy with non-family members. We had a yummy cookout and stayed up late with some other friends that came by.

Sunday, we hung for a little bit and then packed up to head to the next cookout. Brian and Angela really went out of their way for a yummy feast. There was enough food for 10, and only 4 of us there! Spent quite a few hours sitting outside enjoying the sun and catching up.

Quick stop by my parents house on our way home to wish my dad a happy father's day and my mom a belated birthday. Then FINALLY home sweet home.

Meals
Saturday:
Kashi cereal/Coffee
Salad and1/4 Turkey Panini
Filet/asparagus/sweet potato/italian bread
4 beers and 1/2 glass of red wine
cinnamon and cream cheese rolls for desert

Sunday:
Cherry and Cheese Danish
Cliff Bar
Grilled Chicken/potatoes/yellow squash
SF strawberry shortcake
A few sips of Rob's Blue Moon beer
Slim-a-bear ice cream sandwich

All in all, I don't think it was THAT bad. Just a few items were 'free'. I'll hit the gym hard this week to make up for it. Final four-week measurements are this Friday right before I have to put on a swimsuit YIKES!!!

Day 12 (Jun 15)


Meals

Meal 1: Oatmeal/Whey/Banana/Coffee (decaf)/SF Creamer
Meal 2: Ground Turkey/Black Beans/Turnip Greens (I love leftovers)
Meal 3: Zone Bar
Meal 4: Shredded Chicken/Cheese/onions/peppers/tomato/thin pizza crust

Is pizza that bad? We made it at home so there were NO hydrogenated oils or other bad items, it was heavy on the chicken, light on the cheese, and I SWEAR I only had two small pieces. WITH NO BEER! In general, the meals suck. I didn't eat the first one until 11:30 thanks to the dental appointment and crazy work day. Talk about crab-B!

Day 11 (Jun 14)

Meal 1: Eggwhites/Red Bell Pepper
Meal 2: Chicken Wrap with Hummus/Romaine/Cucumbers/Tomatos
Meal 3: Protein Pudding/Soy Nuts
Meal 4: Ground Turkey/Turnip Greens/Black Beans
Meal 5: Frozen fruit protein smoothie (1/4)

What a messed up day. Didn't get a chance to take a lunch today so no gym. Then, while eating my soy nuts I cracked my temporary crown off. THAT made eating the rest of the day a pain in the ass. I see it as my dentist's contribution to my weight loss efforts. If she can't chew, she'll live off of protein shakes. Now Friday will be a mess. Totally swamped at work and a dental appointment first thing in the morning will make me late to work so no lunch yet again. However, Friday should be the perfect day to hit the gym after work and not run in to a crowd! I also need to time it around any classes as I need the 'studio' for legs. Cross your fingers!

Day 10 (Jun 13)

Meals

Meal 1: Eggwhites/Asparagus/Tortilla (not much asparagus, it still hurts to chew)

Meal 2: Chicken/Smashed Cauliflower/Zucchini

Meal 3: Protein Pudding/Cottage Cheese/Laughing Cow Cheese/TLC CrackersMeal 4: Protein Shake
Meal 4: Protein Shake
Meal 5: Boca Burger/Tortilla/Swiss Cheese/Mustard

whoo hooo finally 5 meals in.

TT Plan A

DB Flat Press

BB Row

Rev Grip Pulldown

DB Rear Delt Fly

Close grip DB Press

DB Inc Curl

Face Pull

Intervals
WHAT A JOKE!! Didn't want to chance running with my hip on the mend so I jumped rope instead. THAT was awful! I'm so out of shape. I could only do 40 sec intervals at a time with that!

Pamper Day!!!! I scheduled a facial at Robert Andrew for this evening. Trying to keep them on a regular basis to prepare for the wedding. My face was really clearing up for a while there and this week for some unknown reason, I have a few of the old areas on the jawline flaring up. Doc has me on antibiotics for one more month, a retin-A (diffirin) and a strong cleanser. I'm wondering if I want to ask for an additional month or 2 of the antibiotics to carry me through to the wedding day. My back is clearing up too, but that is part Doc and part tanning. That was the first facial that I truly truly enjoyed!

Oh, a piece of advice...if going in the tanning bed and using bronzers/accelerators for the bed, be sure to WASH IT OFF before doing yard work. I got a little tender from my hour outside on Saturday. Rob was fine and I just couldn't understand why I was burnt. I mean, I have a base tan. Then - the mental head slap. You dummy...you had a bronzer on still! Thank goodness I didn't use the one with tingle!!!

What's to come for the week...Finally a couple free nights (Thur and Fri). Saturday we meet with the priest again to do our official investigation or whatever they call it. (Christ, don't forget the documents!) Then I have a haircut - thank goodness, it is soooo overdue! I think Saturday night we are hanging with Al, Amy and Noah and then a cookout at Brian and Angela's on Sunday. I have yet to see their place and we've been promising to visit for two years!

Day 9 (Jun 12)


yet another dental appointment today so no workouts and limited foods


Meal 1: Eggwhites/Tortilla
Meal 2: Chicken/smashed cauliflower/zucchini
Meal 3: Protein Shake (no way I can chew anything!)


Today required heavy sedation for my appointment so can't exercise afterwards and needed to leave work early so no time for a lunch break to hit the gym. moving on

Day 8 (Jun 11)


Plan D
Snatch-grip Deadlift
Side Plank
Good Morning
Forward Lunge
1-Leg Ball Curl
1-Leg Hip Extentsion

A little frustration this time around. The trainer guy at the gym decided to sit and chat with me through half of my routine. I'm sorry, but I'mjust not that comfortable doing a Good Morning and sticking my ass out while he was sitting there. So I adjusted so that my ass was pointed in the other direction. Then I lost count of my curls and extensions while trying to be polite. I can't believe a trainer would interrupt a workout like that. I know I should excuse myself from him or something but what exactly do you say without being rude. "Excuse me, would you please go away, I'm working out here" or "If I was a guy, would you chat away like this?" sigh

Meals are still bad.
Meal 1: Black beans/Chicken/Tortilla (who says you can only eat that for lunch?)
Meal 2: Chicken/Cauliflower/Sweet Potato Wedge/Zucchini
Meal 3: 2 Bacardi and Diet Cokes/Chicken/Veggies/1/2 sourdough Roll/1 bite cheesecake
Meal 4: Protein Pudding

Shame on me. Rob had a firm event that we went to. Again, should not have had the alcohol. I didn't even really want it. I need my security of a water bottle to carry around with me and I drank it all on the way there.

Wedding update: (sorry, I'm long winded today)

I read a great article (thanks Michelle!) about MILs so I'm able to cope a little better while dealing with mine. She has been kind enough to track down the Old Testament readings in Polish and has offered to talk to Babcia (Grandma) to see if she would be willing to read at the ceremony. We just need to run it by Father Mike for approval.

She still threw me for a loop and I had to reign in control of myself. She inquired about the music (which we had already told her about). I filled in the details again about the organist and the DJ. Then she asked about a live band. WHAT?! Are you kidding me? I gently mentioned that we steered away from a live band for cost reasons. She then pipes in and said that she would pay for it. She wanted to bring in a Polish band to play while the DJ takes a break. Nice thought and all, but no. There is not enough room available for both. This is where I inserted readings from the MIL article. I branched off asking for her help with the Polish readings and said I would speak with Rob about the band.

OK, seriously. If you have that much money left over after the reception, why not kick in for something more practical - like the rehearsal dinner, brunch, flowers...yeesh!
I was so proud of myself for not losing my cool.

Day 7 (Jun 10)

Meal 1: Coffee/SF Creamer/Eng. Muff/Eggs/Cheese
Meal 2: Lobster tail/Flank Steak/Fresh Veggies/4 Scallop Potatoes
Meal 3: Vanilla Pound Cake/Strawberry Slices
Meal 4: SF IceCream

I've shown myself I can keep the bad foods out if I want to so now I just need to get enough meals IN my body. Monday we have a cocktail thing for work to attend so I'm sure I'll be starving.

OH! I got the final guestlist back from the MIL. She said she wanted to take some folks off the list to cut the numbers. By all means PLEASE DO! So, I get it back thinking we'll be down to reasonable numbers...no such luck. Still 209 on the A list. She did cut the B list to 39 though. Gee, thanks, that helps a lot. Oh well, it was a nice try. At least now I can move forward assuming we'll have a full house!

My hip is feeling much better too. I think I'll try intervals today but in different shoes and see what happens.

Day 6 (Jun 9)

FINALLY, a day to sleep in so no gym

Meal 1: Grilled Veggie Omelet/Coffee/Tortilla
Meal 2: Grilled Chicken/Pita/Greens/Feta
BAD FOODS: One Bacardi Raz (I really did not want it but I was dying of thirst and too lazy to find the water and this is what Rob gave me, gee thanks) Our friend wanted to try a deep fried Twinki. God only knows why. I sampled a tiny bite the size of my finger nail. GROSS.

We hit up a music festival in VA with friends Saturday night which is where the two bad items came in to play. Guess I had a free day afterall.

Day 5 (Jun 8)


Meal 1: Oatmeal with Whey Protein/Banana
Meal 2: Turkey/Sweet Potato/Grilled Bell Pepper
Meal 3: Chicken/Zucchini/Pudding with Whey/Banana
Meal 4: Chicken/Turkey/Grilled Veggies/Tomato Soup/Broccoli
Meal 5: SF IcreCream with Magic Shell and toppings. (I've since thrown it all out!)

Plan C:
Underhand Seated Row
DB Inc Press
DB Row
DB Standing Should Press

20 min Intervals

I think I need new running shoes. Again, after running, my hip feels like it is about to snap out of my flesh. I can't figure it to be anything else. My shoes are now at least a year old so time to go shopping. It takes me about a week to recover from the pain. I know I'm pushing 30 but this is ridiculous!

Day 4 (June 7)


My legs are still killing me! Day 4 was supposed to be Plan C and some intervals. With lunch plans and pedi afterwork I am pushing it to Friday and will hit the gym on Saturday (we're finally in town for a weekend!

Meal 1: 2 Toast/Eggwhites
Meal 2: Chicken/Blackbeans/Grilled Veggies
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese/Romain Lettuce
Meal 4: Grileld Turkey/Zucchini/Sweet Potato/Mushrooms/Bell Peppers
Meal 5: 4 small tiny itsy bitsy bites of SF vanilla iceream. I fought the cravings hard so and those tiny little drops made me feel guilty so I threw it all out.

Day 3


ow ow ow ow ow ow MY FREAKING QUADS!!!


Meal 1: 2 Toast/steak/decafe coffe/sf creamer
Meal 2: Orange Rough/Broccoli
Meal 3: Grapes
Meal 4: Everything under the son. Well, really not. I had a food tasting in PA for my wedding. I tasted for flavor only anything that looked like it was not high in bad stuff and did my best to eat the fresh grilled proteins available. No alcohol - can't trust myself to bite my tounge around his mom if there is alcohol in my system. That - and it slows the metabolism...


Still really suck at getting the meals in. I have the foods at work but I think hitting the gym midday is screwing with the every-three-hours thing. That and the fact that I had to leave work at noon to grab my parents and drive to and from PA! Man, I finally crawled in bed around midnight. Too exhausted to do anything but curl into a ball and be thankful the night is over.

Oh, and today was an off day. According to TT - do not train 3 days in a row. Works perfect considering there was no time!

Day 2

Tuesday's Meals

Meal 1: Steak/2 pieces of oat toast, decaf coffee with SF creamer
Meal 2: Orange Roughy/Broccoli/SF Pudding with Whey Protein
Meal 3: Ahi tuna/Avocado/Tar Root/Edemame
Meal 4: Diet coke (ok, not really a meal but I had it when I got home before bed for my sweet toot)

Still not getting enough meals in!

And let me just tell you how proud of me I am! Went to a trendy lil place in DC for dinner that is big on yummy Mohitos.....I said NO THANK YOU!!

Workout was plan 'B' from Turbulence Training

• Split Squat
• BB Roman Dead Lift
• Reverse Lunge
• Elevate Pushup
• Bicycle Crunch
• Jacknife

Can we say "ow"!!! Wet noodle legs the day of and the next day....OW

Oh, and more photos from this weekend were added to flickr. I fell in love with their new puppy, Jackson!

Wow I'm a year older. That feels weird, yet it was just another day.

Bert and Dana came in to town to play wedding coordinator with me. We tried another rehearsal dinner place and met with florist number 2. Waiting for estimates and then we'll be all set to make the decision. Rob will focus on rehearsal places tonight and we can make a decsision about that too. Wednesday is food tasting. Need to keep mine moderate thanks to my bad eating the past two weeks. Really upset with myself but trying to move forward. Today's eating has been the right foods, just not enough meals. I am working on this as well.

Am I my mother's daughter or WHAT!! Holy cow!

Monday's Meals:

Oatmeal with protein powder and raisins for meal 1
Black beans, chicken and romain lettuce for meal 2
the rest of my black beans/chicken and a yogurt for meal 3
Grilled chicken and Grilled zucchini for meal 4

I did make it to the gym. Did the 'A' workout for Turbulence Training followed by 20 min interval cardio on the Arc.

babysteps, right?

Tuesday I have dinner plans with a girlfriend. I am scoping out the menu now to figure out what I will have before will power becomes a factor. Wednesday is the food tasting. Thursday lunch with friends. Saturday dinner with one of our groomsmen and his wife. Sunday cookout with close friends. Monday is cocktails with Rob's office...It never ends!!!

My goals as of right now:

• Zero alcohol intake. No need to make my eyes look tired or waste the calories and slow my metabolism. I'm not even a big drinker so done and DONE.
• No sugar or sugary foods. Dentists orders, plus again, why make this harder?
• Exercise Monday through Friday. I'll leave Sat and Sun as optional for now.
• 7 scale pounds lost by July 2nd.

Tall order, but I need to push hard to undo the mess I created.