First Weigh In + This Week's Eats

I woke up at 8:30 yesterday morning after a fun night out at Jones Wood Foundry, a neighborhood British-style pub with my sister and friend. We drank Lambrusco and chatted and enjoyed the company of a very cute British bartender (brings me back to my days in London!). Anyway, yesterday morning was beautiful. I stepped outside with a plan to go for a 4-mile run along the FDR, but decided I'd run to Central Park instead and do a lap around the beautiful Jackie Onassis Kennedy Reservoir.


View of the beautiful reservoir during yesterday's run

Google maps told me the run would be 1.5 miles to the reservoir, and I figured the reservoir was about 1 mile, and then I'd run the 1.5 back, for a total of 4 miles. However, it was a bit further than I had anticipated! My run ended up being around 4.25 miles before I decided to catch the bus home. Unfortunately for me, there wasn't a bus in site, and I finished off my journey by running back home, for a total of about 5 miles. It was a beautiful day though, so I really didn't mind. I just didn't want to be late for my first WW weigh-in!

I got home at 9:45 and made my way back out after grabbing a KIND Bar and apple, and filling up my water bottle of course. I made it to the meeting at about 10:05, and though I was a little late, I was very satisfied with the turn-out of my weigh-in! I lost 2 pounds this week! I'm happy and proud of myself for my hard work, but I am also a little anxious to get the rest of the 11.8 pounds off.


Some of the delicious and healthy meals I've eaten recently-- all made by yours truly except the Chobani cup ;)
Orange and ginger glazed salmon topped with fresh salsa, w/roasted peppers and salad; an egg white omelette with salsa and a side of fresh blueberries and kiwk, delicious greek yogurt with granola, agave, and fresh fruit from Macondo, and a Chobani greek yogurt cup with dark chocolate, pistachios, oranges, and mint from the Chobani flagship in SoHo (a favorite of mine)!

Losing weight when you are already somewhat close to your goal is very challenging, and I know it won't be easy. I have to be meticulous about tracking what I eat, especially as I get closer to my goal. I also have taken on the new workout routine I shared in Saturday's post. I think the increase in weight training and high-intensity runs will help, and I am being very careful about what I'm eating, at least during the week. I had a few more drinks than I would have planned this weekend (Saturday night in particular), but I won't let this happen frequently, and fortunately it didn't effect my weight loss. I also had a bit of an indulgent lunch at Peels (my favorite brunch place) yesterday, and that could be a pitfall, but I think I have enough time this week to make up for it, plus I earned 8 extra activity points during yesterday morning's run, and I have the weekly point balance I can dig into on occasion. I still feel very much in control, and I'm excited for the challenges this week's workout plan will bring. I can do it!

-Riana

Sundays

Today was a good day! I woke up at 8:30 for a nice 4 mile run. It was chilly but gorgeous out. Then, I came back and walked to a Weight Watchers meeting as I sipped my green juice (which was delicious by the way). I decided to rejoin WW because I like the structure of having a points system and going to weekly weigh-ins. I was surprised that my weight was 4 pounds lower than it had been this week, but I guess a few days of runs and walking around got me back down to normal. Now I'm just about 11ish pounds away from my goal, which doesn't sound too scary or terrible!


Delicious green juice from Juice Generation

Yesterday I saw Cinderella on Broadway with my lovely mother and sister. The show was so cute and sweet and I absolutely loved the actress who played Cinderella. I think the show was very well-done and I could see why all the little girls loved it so much (maybe I'm still a little girl...)

Anyway, after my WW meeting, I went to Whole Foods and stocked up on LOTS of healthy food (spent more money than I had been planning, but I guess I'm on a healthy track now so that's what matters). I bought lots of fresh produce, chicken, fish, some frozen vegetables, and some healthy snacks that I think will help me adjust to this portion-controlled way of eating. I bought rice cakes and Terra chips-- I know, risky choices, but I really want to learn the habit of control. I don't want to deprive myself and I want to lose the weight the healthy way, which means allowing myself to eat the foods I like, but in moderation, so I don't binge on the weekends on cupcakes and pizza and what have you. I also bought almond butter and almond milk-- which I think will be great healthy snacks. The almond butter tastes great with apples and I think it will also taste good with yogurt and other fruits. The almond milk will be great in a smoothie and I think its just a healthy option in general. But fruits and veggies should be the majority of my snacks... the rest will be a treat.

After food shopping, I went to brunch with my sister and her friend at Uva, an UES favorite. Then we went to West Elm and bought a great bar stand for our living room which I absolutely love! It's so nice to be able to treat yourself to things, with your OWN money, and decorate your OWN apartment. Our bar stand is a bit bare, but its nothing that a few cool liquor and wine bottles won't fix. Plus, that's not a terrible problem to have, not having enough alcohol. Ha! I've been thinking about alcohol and how it would effect my dieting. It would obviously make it harder to lose weight. I've been thinking about limiting my drinking to just the weekend, and just a few drinks, like maybe 2. I'm not a huge fan of drinking anyway, I hate the way it makes me feel the next day, and I get ravenous when I have more than a few drinks. I'd rather be in control and be able to enjoy the liberties of a hangover-free day.


Our new bar stand, purchased at West Elm

How do you feel about alcohol when dieting? Do you limit yourself to a few drinks, or none at all?

-Riana