Thanksgiving Break Day 4

Whatever weight I lost yesterday over the course of the day I gained right back with a 1/2 a pie of pepperoni and jalepeno pizza. Damn. Going for a run. Hopefully, I don't blow it today at the tailgate!

Thanksgiving Break Day 3

So my sister and I went to Black Friday at 12 am at Discover Mills. We wandered the mall area and did two laps so there was some post Turkey Dinner exercise. I negated it by ordering Wetzel's Pretzels while we waited for the awards to be posted. Of course, I didn't win a damn thing so that was a bummer.

This morning I woke up and made myself an omelet with pork roll (or Taylor ham. probably in the south you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about) and an everything bagel. Then my sister, my mom and I hit the avenue and wandered- see more exercise! Bought some clothing and was super excited when I got myself a Christmas dress...dunh, dunh, dunh...in size 10! Whoo, down from size 12!

I just finished up lifting weights and riding the exercise bike for an hour. Decided to stay in since I have a race in the morning. logged on to find out how to get my race bib. Apparently, this is one of those ECORACES. AKA, no fun. I do not think I want to drag my ass out of bed for a race at 8 am in downtown Atlanta the day of the UGA-GA Tech game. So I am going to just run some mileage tomorrow morning here in Lawrenceville. Bummer. What a let down!

Home for the Holidays Day 1

I think I did pretty well for the first day of the Thanksgiving holiday. My parents wanted to treat us to Mexican tonight. It is TOUGH having Mexican without margaritas but I stuck to water. I got there late which meant 1/2 the cheese dip was already gone. Also, good for me. I stuck with chicken fajitas for dinner and piled on the veggies. I steered clear of the rice but I smeared on sour cream so that was bad.

I took a break from work today to hit the gym and then went again tonight after dinner because I REFUSE to gain weight over the holidays. We'll see what tomorrow brings!

The Holidays are Upon Us!

AGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Just thinking of the holidays makes me think that I will gain 20 lbs and never fit in the bridesmaid dress I have to wear on New Years Day. I haven't lost a lot of weight over the course of this thing but I feel like I have made great strides with my overall health. I have been more conscious of the food I put in my body and have been working out on a more regular basis. It used to be I would do great for a week or two and then have a crappy run. Now, even if I have one rough day, I'm back in the saddle the next day.

So the holidays are making me SUPER NERVOUS. I have no idea how to ensure that I don't gain all the weight I have lost. How do you turn down food at the holidays? And how do I motivate myself to work out?

Also, I am baking a pie but could use some healthier alternatives to the usual suspects at the holidays. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Afternoon Run

I have had such a stressful 20 hours. I don't even want to blog about it- suffice to say, I had a sleepless night and a Murphy's Law kind of morning. So on my drive home from the office, I decided a midafternoon workout was needed. Then as I was trudging up the stairs, I thought to myself how a nice run would be so beneficial to me for both my physical health and my mental health. Especially, my mental health. I squeezed out 30 minutes just because I do have to get back to work but I feel incredible now. My legs are a little sore from running two days in a row after a month of not running but it was so worth it.

Also, I had a response on Twitter to my request for winter gear. Definitely start following @PeachyRuns. Especially if you are a runner, walker, hiker, etc in the Atlanta area. Not only do they have great tweets but they fit me for running shoes before my 1/2 marathon and they have great gear at their locations around Atlanta. Look for Todd Liscomb or Mike Cosentino if you go to the store near the Brookhaven marta station. They have both helped me out when I have made the trek from Lawrenceville into their store and have been awesome. Mike is the go to guy if you have questions about running- especially in Atlanta (he even has a book of routes I am jonesing for!). Todd is the one who sold me on the Big Peach Sizzler which was so much fun. Check out the Big Peach website here.

AM RUN

I am going to trivia tonight in ATL so I was proactive and woke my ass up at 6:30 am for a RUN. It is awesome setting my own hours because I don't have to get up at 5 am to run. Checked the weather- it was 47 degrees. YIKES. That almost had me popping in a DVD instead of going for the run. But I just found a pair of working headphones in my apartment and I was going to be damned if I didn't use them! Plus I have that 5K in a week and a half. I would like to be prepared for it! Look to the right side of the page for the results of my run.

I must say, I need winter gear for running. I didn't think about that when I made my Christmas list so its on me to get it. I need some gloves. But then I thought half way through my run, my hands were sweating. Does anyone know if there are gloves specifically for runners? I had never thought about it. Also, I need something to cover my ears. I know you are thinking a hat may be a wise choice but I don't want it to itch like so many hats do. PLUS, my head gets all sweaty and uncomfortable.

Since the winter months make it so hard for me to get into gear (and so do summer months actually) I'm turning to you for advice. Any motivational tips? Any winter workouts that you turn to when its too chilly to hit the pavement?

The Height of Desperation

Okay, I'm giving you all a moment to laugh at me. I know I started this blog to talk about my sex life but I will admit I am surprisingly prudish about my sex. Some might call if Vanilla. Though after reading some Lora Leigh my fantasies are shockingly explicit. ANYWAY...

A while back I went to a party and won worst dressed (okay, I campaigned for it). The prize? A box full of one time use lubes. I have used lube before with Jim- the flavored variety (not Vanilla though). But these were slightly more exotic. In my world anyway. The box has sat under my cabinet for a few months but...well, I have been curious. I rifled through the pack and became more curious.

Curiosity killed the kitten...

So I popped open a tingling pack. Thinking it might tingle on my finger, I lubed up. No dice. Damnit, I thought to myself. So...and I heave a HUGE sigh admitting this...I lubed up...down there. At first nothing. And then-

JESUS CHRIST WHAT THE HELL IS THEIR DEFINITION OF TINGLING? My vagina was on fire.

FIRE.

It was uncomfortable...and kind of pleasant. But mostly uncomfortable because 20 minutes later, it's still hot and uncomfortable. I guess now I know why Jim never brought the lubes out! Perhaps if I had a penis with my lube that would change things but for now, you can take the tingling and have it!

Anyone else been this ridiculous? I'm fairly certain Carrie Bradshaw would have NEVER done this!

Breakfast Choices

Yeah, I don't make time to make a good breakfast but this guy on twitter (follow me @fromfat2fit2009) posted this article. Thought I would pass it along in case someone won the lottery and doesn't have to get up at the ass crack of dawn to get ready for work. Otherwise, stick with that oatmeal.

http://stronglifts.com/breakfast-recipes-fat-loss/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+stronglifts+%28StrongLifts.com+-+Build+Muscle%2C+Lose+Fat+%26+Get+Stronger%29

Race Time

Blah blah blah, I've been MIA. I know. I warned you. I just have not had much to say. Sorry. But not really. Sometimes it is nice to not have to commit to sitting down to blog and just LIVE. Yeah, I said it.

Anyway, I signed up for two races today. I am going to go out on a limb here and say best 40 bucks I've spent. First up, Piedmont Park 5k Fun Run. It apparently happens the 4th Saturday of every month but I think I will just sign up for the one right after Thanksgiving on November 28th. My friend Amy will be running it will me and it will be the definition of fun since neither of us has been doing much running (hey, I've been big on the bike lately!)

Second, the one I am SUPER excited about, the Jingle Jog on December 12th! Everyone brings a Toy for Toys for Tots and runs with jingle bells on their shoes. Marla Goldsmith would die if she knew I was doing this as I made fun of her my freshman year of high school for having bells on her shoes (they mysertiously disappeared and I wish I had thought to steal them!). Anyway, my friend Kelly and I are running it possibly with a few others. Everyone is very festive. Check out the site and let me know if you want to run either race with us!

That's it for me right now. But do tell me about any road races you might be running- ideally, I am hoping to do one a month!

Things I Learned About Myself From Facebook

• There are 1253 pictures of me on facebook. Tagged that is. I'm going to guess at least another 100 where I have detagged or someone didn't know it was me. And I don't know them so I will never fucking know. Damnit.
• I have 1041 facebook friends. That is 212 less friends than tagged photos. That is interesting.
• Currently, my facebook is showing me posts from February of 2007 on my wall. It was very confusing to me because I didn't think a certain person had written on my wall recently. I almost wrote her back before I caught the posted date. Whew. As if people don't think I am ridiculous enough.
• I have 44 photo albums on facebook. I take a lot of pictures. Shall we post the names of my albums? I think we shall...GA/FL 2009, Livin' The Dream, Kick in a Box, I Love My Fam, Home Opener Weekend 2009, My Sister is Utterly Ridiculous, Colin and Claire's Wedding, When We Were Young(er), Drinkin' and Dialin', Team Challenge 2009, God is Great, Beer is Good, People are Crazy, You Asked For It, You Hear That Ed? Bears, Last Night I Got Served A Little Bit Too Much of That Poison Baby, Every Dawg Has Its Day, Check Out This Mothafucka, Oh Fuck It I'm Gonna Throw A Party, Thank God We Parked By The Hyman Or We'd Never Find the Car, I Heart 1995, I Love Jesus But I Like To Drink A Little, I Call This The Walk of Shame Starter Kit, Last Night Doesn't Count Because I Blacked Out, Where Are My Heels? In The Shower!, The Job Hunt, The Night I Passed Out in the Back of Ness' Car, I Want an Oompa Loompa, Too!, Great White, Fist Pump Champs, Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time, Bronx Bombers, My Fam, Swords and Whores, Beatin' The Clock and All That Comes With It, Bikes, Brews and Bennys, Sparky at the Shore, C Dawg's Wedding, The Night I Passed Out in Front of Creswell, Toasting the Night Away to Friends..., A Disposable Camera? How Vintage!, When Life Gives You Lemons, Ask for Tequila and Salt, If You Could Put Dumb in a Shot Glass, Nights I Can't Remember..., With Friend's I'll Never Forget, and The Best of What's Around. Christ. That was like typing gibberish.
• I am friends with 8 of the guys I have slept with on facebook. I believe this is purely so I can see what they are up to and compare notes. Not because I want to be friends with them.
• I am now extremely thankful Target Boy and I broke up. He updates his status continuously with things about Mafia Wars. WTF is that shit? Grow up, douche, you're fucking married.
• I am slightly pissed that my hs boyfriend and I didn't work out. Judging from his pictures, he has a ridiculously HOT body. And he's in Poland coaching basketball. Obviously, the world is his oyster.
• There are two videos of me. That are actually just bands playing live that my friend Michael posted and tagged me in because I was at the concert. So really they don't even count.
• I really hate when people post about politics on my facebook page. Do I look like I give a fuck? Or even really vote? Back off, I don't want to hear a lecture on my blog either, assholes.
• I curse a lot. Not that I needed facebook to figure that out.
• I am exceptionally mean on people's facebook walls. I'm surprised some people are still friends with me.
• THE ex is fat. Hahahahaha. I am too, but so is he!
• A lot of my facebook friends are teachers. That is weird.
• I am in a lot of groups. And many of those groups have to do with drinking. Go Figure.
• 1/2 of the bumper stickers people have sent me have been removed. Those are probably the best ones too.
• I wish my flair was real. Like I owned every one of those damn buttons. Would be so great. Oh damn, I just thought of next year;s Halloween Costume!
• There really isn't much to learn about my facebook since it won't show me anything except 2007 right now. Weird.

Taco Bell Surprises Me!

Okay, so as I have said previously, my new coworker eats junk food every damn day for lunch. I'm low on funds and even lower on food so junk food has a new appeal with dollar menus popping up everywhere. Admittedly, I cannot STAND Taco Bell but I had no time to grab lunch and a few bucks burning a hole in my pocket so when new girl said she was picking up lunch, I threw my money in her direction.

But, of course, I checked their website first. 1. THANK YOU TACO BELL. They provide nutritional information including a section to tally up what you have eaten in your meal. Including condiments. 2. MY FOOD WAS ACTUALLY GOOD. Throw cheese and sour cream on something and I will probably like it.

The biggest surprise? My taco selection was actually not bad for me! I have the nutrition information below. For full Taco Bell nutrition, click here.

I opted for the Fresco Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco:

• 170 Calories
• 4 g fat
• 1.5 g saturated fat
• 25 mg Cholesterol
• 740 mg sodium
• 22 g of carbohydrates
• 2 g dietary fiber
• 12 g of protein

I had 2 (that's DOS in espanol) and added some Fiesta Cheesy Potatoes (admittedly not good for you) and a glass of water for a surprisingly delicious lunch. Made even more so by the fact that it cost less than 5 bucks and I didn't have to make it myself! To me the hardest thing is knowing what to choose when I eat out with friends so I think I am making a good effort at studying the menu and making healthier choices as well as enjoying a few things that aren't so healthy.

So, do you eat out a lot? What types of healthy fast food choices do you make?

MIA

I am so sorry I have been missing in action lately. I am super swamped between work and freelancing and my social life so I have left the blogs empty recently. I am proud to say my weekend in Auburn did not completely do me in; though the one beer limit was not followed. Try 5.

Today I went shopping for groceries on a meager 10 bucks. Sadly I only came away with eggs, lettuce, a gallon of milk, apples and salsa. The essentials to get me to Friday's payday. I know salsa didn't seem like an essential but I need something to snack on! Unfortunately, that impulse buy left me without tomatoes or cheese so tonight's salad was slighly lacking...in calories that is. Granted the tomatoes would have been good but I picked those up in the salsa.

So, if you had ten bucks to burn at the grocery store...what would be your essentials?

Money Making Schemes #1

I am broke. Yup, I have reached a max on both credit cards and Christmas is around the corner. And I make 13 bucks an hour. SHAMBLES. What is a broke 25-year-old to do? Well, I had an idea and told my mom about it. She hung up on me. But after some research she called me back and said, "They'd pay you $6,000?!?!?!?!" Suddenly, the idea didn't seem so bad to her after all.

I'm talking about egg donation here ladies and gentleman. Sperm donors only get a couple hundred bucks (still good by me) but egg donors make BANK. Here is why:

Egg donors are women. Women have a limited number of eggs (several hundred) and to get the eggs, the woman must undergo surgery. That's why women can make several thousand dollars for donating some eggs

I'm sorry, did you just say SEVERAL THOUSAND? Sign me up!

Back up...what are the donor requirements:

1. • You must be a woman in your peak reproductive years, generally considered in the fertility profession to be between 21- 35 years of age (depending on the clinic).
2. You must be healthy, including the appropriate weight for your height. Your family history must be clear of hereditary diseases (such as cystic fibrosis or heart disease), and birth defects.
3. Some infertility clinics prefer that you have already conceived once but this is not an absolute rule.
4. You should be a paragon of low-risk behaviors...not at risk for STDs, not an addict and not an alcoholic.

Interesting concepts you have there buddy. I am in peak period but other than that I do not hit the other three bullet points. Because my life is in shambles. Well, I'm working on getting it out of shambles so this idea goes in the maybe pile. If you can do this now, click here for the So You Wanna site who will overview exactly what this idea entails.

1. • 
     

Have You Lied to a Guy in Bed?

Okay...completely ridiculous question, I know. If you said no, I say you've never been in a guy's bed. Not in the biblical sense, anyway. I'm actually thinking of a specific incident which looking back on I laugh about.

When I was dating The First, we had about six months of sex anytime we could get it. Not very sophisticated, we tended to get it done pretty quickly. While there was a decent amount of foreplay on his part, there was absolutely NONE on my part. Sorry, I just wasn't interested and as luck would have it he was so eager to get it in that it didn't matter. Until it did.

One morning, lying on my twin mattress in my new apt, The First broached the subject of a blow job. I had never offered one and apparently he figured he'd just ask for it or die waiting. He figured right. He just came right out and casually asked me about it. I was so shocked and panicked that I told him I had never given one before. Looking back, this was probably the only acceptable excuse a 20-year-old male would accept. Since he was my first, he didn't really question it. Instead, he shrugged and let it drop. For a while, he slowly poked and prodded and finally I gave in and allowed him to teach me how to give a blowjob. I think it was actually a boost to his ego to be the guy who taught me how to behave in bed so it all worked out in the end.

Now, saying I had never given one was a 1/2 truth. Back in high school, I found out my boy of the moment had hooked up with another girl who I hated while he and I were hooking up. I was inconsolable given the copious amounts of vodka my friend Emily had helped me ingest. There were ten girls at my house and I sat downstairs crying on the phone to him. He finally agreed to let me come over and I snuck out of my house and walked up the street to see him (yes, he was my neighbor. Which is something I will never do again!). I got up to his house and we sat in the back yard and talked. At that moment, I came to the drunken (and extremely misguided) conclusion that in order to keep him, I would have to do more than let him grope me. So I decided it was time to kiss the snake. Unfortunately for me, what was already a tragic and ridiculous situation for me became worse. Unbeknownst to me, he had the basketball team over and they were in his basement watching us. The minute my mouth met his member, his teammates came rushing out to high five him.

You read right: THEY HIGH FIVED HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF A BLOW JOB.

Understandably, the ten second BJ heard round the hood was conveniently forgotten when The First brought the idea up a year later. And that is how a lie was born...

So what have you lied in bed about? Was it worth it? Would you do it again?

Sexual Drought

Okay, so I know I only have 3 readers brave enough to follow me publicly, but the fact is I owe you an apology. I am struggling to write anything sexual as I am in the midst of a sexual drought.

"Forgive me father for I have sinned. My last sexual encounter was August 21st, 2009."

What is it about a drought that really makes you HUNGER for sexual contact. The first little bit, you are fine. You don't even think about it. But then...BAM. Suddenly, it's all you think about and you are reading Lora Leigh books and masturbating more than a 16 year old male virgin. I mean seriously. Okay, probably TMI but don't lie. I know you have this issue at times too. Maybe you don't masturbate as much but whatever.

The other thing is, when it is a self-imposed GUYATUS (I coined that word bitches. Don't even try to steal it. For those you not in the know: Guy + Hiatus= Guyatus. A noun meaning a hiatus from all things sexual with guys) it is totally different. Because you are actively avoiding sex. But when it's not, by God you feel like you couldn't get it if you passed it around(even to 16 year old virgins). So apologies for not posting more. I will dig into some archives and try to remember some stellar episodes soon!

So my question is, how long is your longest drought? What do you do to get out of it?

Chocolate Milk Review

I don't know if I have made it evident but I LOVE CHOCOLATE MILK. Annnnd it happens to be a great way to rebuild muscles after a tough workout. I have touted Horizons Chocolate Milk but today I branched out and bought Odwalla Super Protein Chocolate Milk. I HATED it. It smells funny and tastes funkier. I will not be purchasing it again. I took two sips and I am done. Going into the trash. Buuutttt...let's take a look at the nutritional content of each so I can be fair and balanced.

Odwalla Super Protein Chocolate Milk

Calories 170

Total Fat 3.5g
Sodium 240mg
Carbohydrates 24g
Sugars 20g
Protein 10g

Horizon Organic 1 % Chocolate Milk
Calories 170
Total Fat 3g
Sodium 140mg
Carbohydrates 27g

Protein 8g

In summary, they are about even except Odwalla is made with Soymilk. The front claims 18g of protein per bottle which is two servings. It really just is not worth the bad taste when Horizon's has about the same things going for it.

Are Your Co-workers Making You FAT?

Okay, so I generally work in my office by myself or at home (which is a separate minefield) but this week we are training a new girl. Suffice to say, she is entertaining me but she is also making me hunger for things I am trying to avoid. In the past two days her lunches have consisted of Wendy's and Taco Bell. Today she brought in mint chocolate M&Ms. I am dying. I want to go hit her over the head and steal the M&Ms from her and then hide in a corner and devour me. It is driving me crazy listening to her hand reach into the bag. And the more nervous she gets, the more often she pops the damn bag out. This morning, the girl training her, brought in Burger King for breakfast. The smell alone, I would swear, has made me gain 10 lbs. Just the thought of a croissanwhich and cheesy tots made my mouth water and my brain send out a BK signal screaming I must be hungry (despite having just finished off some oatmeal).

At my old job, we would make promos with candy, cookies and brownies. I would manage to avoid eating them unless I was the only one in the office. Sorry to our clients who didn't get promos due to me inhaling the food. And there was always something to celebrate with cupcakes- good days, bad days, new clients, direct hires, birthdays, boss's days...etc. You catch my drift. I was never a cupcake person but now...I crave them constantly. Thanks guys!

I googled this premise and actually found another blog discussing the same question: click here to read. Actually, its about your friends but I think we have already established that I feel and eat fatter around my friends so we can ignore that topic. Also, I tried reading this but this guy is obviously WAY smarter than me and lost me with the word: economics. Here is another great site discussing your JOB making you fat. So basically, if I had a different job with different people in my life I could be skinny. Food for thought...

AM v PM Workout

So I woke up this morning and decided I would do some Pilates to get my day started. I have not decided if I prefer morning or evening workouts yet. I like the way I feel when I work out in the am but find it impossible to get up EVERY day EXTRA early. Plus when I work out in the am I tend to eat better through the day. On the flip side, there is something to be said for a run after dinner so I don't go to bed as full.

I decided to google this shit and see if I could find out if one benefits you more than the other or if I am just crazy!

Reasons I found online pertaining to why morning workouts are better:

1. AM exercisers are more likely to stick with a routine
2. AM exercisers have more energy throughout the day
3. AM exercisers sleep better at night
4. AM exercisers eat better throughout the day
5. AM exercisers burn more body fat throughout the day
6. AM exercisers have a higher metabolism so they burn more calories

Too bad it is so hard to get up in the morning! Tell me, do you prefer AM workouts or PM workouts?

Sexworthy Photo of the Week

I know I need to get over my obsession with a guy who is in a Tween flick but then pictures like this one are released...

And, I can't. I just cannot get over it. Robert Pattinson is delicious and I for one do not care if he ever washes his hair. He is definitely on my bucket list for life! For more outtakes from the shoot, head over to Vanity Fair's Website. I personally will be picking up a copy of the mag the minute it hits newstands. Yummy.

Got a sexworthy photo? Send them our way and we will post them! Email mylittleblackbook11@gmail.com!

Promise

Okay, after an absolutely insane experience in which I gained a solid 7 lbs, I am making a promise to myself. Drinking...it has got to go. I know I won't be able to do the absolutely NO DRINKING promise but I believe giving myself a 1 drink limit should not be too hard. This way, when I am out I can indulge in one margarita and not feel left out because I'm the one not drinking. Of course, there will be special occassions (for example a wedding) but I don't have any big ones upcoming so I should be set with a lower tolerance and more self control by the time the first one I'm in arrives (Jan 1, 2010). Also, since I am broke, this should not be too hard to follow.

So, if you are out with me, and I seem like I'm thinking I might go over that one drink limit- please slap me silly or whatever needs to be done to keep me from over-indulging. I thank you kindly in advance for your help.

While we are on the topic...is there anything you have cut out of your life and seen great results as a...well, result, of doing so? How did you manage?