Behind the Scenes

It's Not Over!!!

Well, bloggers...this is it!! As you know, today was the final weigh in and I am extremely happy with my results. All this working out and eating healthy has really paid off and it shows! If you missed today's show, I weighed in today at 114.7lbs having lost a total of 4.2 lbs. Since I started changing my eating habits back in October, I lost a total of 13.3 lbs. When I started the Weight Watchers program in October I weighed 128lbs...But my goal for this challenge was to tone my body and lose body fat. I lost a total of 5.90% body fat which I feel really good about! Everyone did great and you can see such a difference in their bodies.                  Here I am walking out to get on the scale for the final time!!  

I want to thank everyone at SELF magazine including Lucy Danzinger (Editor in Chief at SELF), Lauren Theodore (publicist at SELF), Meaghan Buchaan (Fitness Director at SELF) and Katherine Brooking (Nutritionist)...without all of your support and help, I couldn't have done it without you. And I also want to thank Reebok Sports Club NY who have been extremely accommodating when we go there to workout and for surprising us with a 1 year membership to the best gym in the world!!! We truly get spoiled over there and it would be so difficult for me to workout at any other gym. And of course, to my awesome trainer, Camille Boyd who has pushed me to the limit and believed in me over the last 3 months...she is so encouraging and a great person who I will miss working out with on a weekly basis.

Here is a picture of Meaghan Buchaan (Fitness Director at SELF) and I after the weigh in...

To my bloggers -- it hasn't been stated yet whether or not we are allowed to continue with the blog, but I will keep blogging until someone stops me. Probably not daily, but I will try to write a few times a month. Thanks for watching the show and following me throughout the entire challenge. Keep the comments coming and if you have any suggestions for running music, please share because I would love to add new songs to my playlist.

And of course, thanks to my family, friends, and boyfriend for putting up with my change in eating habits. I know my mom appreciates the changes I made because she lost nearly 30 lbs over the last 4 months too and looks amazing! I feel like I am giving an acceptance speech right now for winning some sort of award...but really, I couldn't have done it alone and appreciate everything all these people did for me.

Here are some photos from this mornings show.....

 

Tonight we are celebrating the Final Weigh In by gathering at this new Japanese restaurant near our office...it should be fun, but I still don't think I am going to indulge in an alcoholic beverage...I am going to save myself for this weekend!! I deserve it!!

This Is It!

Just hours to go until the final weigh in! I cannot get over how quickly the last 3 months passed. It is amazing how time flies when you are keeping yourself extremely active.

Well, it has been a great couple of days and as Marco would say, I too have been "crushing" it over the last few days. To sum it up...Friday night, I was the designated driver and drank water all night at the bars with my friends. Do you know how difficult that is when your friends are mangled and acting like fools around you? Just a little difficult, but I pulled though....Saturday morning woke up early and headed to the gym to meet up with one of our instructors, Kira Stokes. I took her awesome class last Saturday and she welcomed me again this past Saturday. On Sunday, I drove into the city with my brother and went to my normal gym, Reebok Sports Club. Before heading to the gym I tried to find Cindy, Lori, and Elyssa in Central Park, but unfortunately I couldn't find them. Congrats to those ladies on completing the half marathon -- that is awesome! So, on Sunday I took a class called "Definitions" which consists of squats, push ups, and strength training for your overall body. In addition, I did 3 miles on the eliptical to get some cardio in for that day. Oh yea, and I also treated myself to the cutest pair of shoes after working out...I felt like I deserved them and treated myself.

By Monday morning, I could barely walk...I definitely pushed myself way too much over the last few days and was paying for it. I decided to skip the gym on Monday to give my body a break. Monday night kicked off our first game for the company softball team....Marco, Ann Marie Williams (producer at "Live") and myself play for the team along with many other people that work for the company. We had a huge turn out and unfortunately lost our first game. I only played 2 innings and consider that my workout for that day.

Today was my last training session with Camille. I emailed her earlier in the day and said I hope you are ready to make me sweat...let's do an hour of cardio! Well, did I pay for it...it was non stop cardio from the minute I met with her. I began by running a mile on the treadmill and Camille controlled my speed. Who knew I could run at a speed of 8.0...I am always too nervous to go past 6.5, but with Camille by my side, I started running at 6.5 and before I knew it I was running at 8.0...After I ran the mile it was over to the row machine which I did for 10 minutes...that machine was very difficult. I don't know the proper term for what I did next, but I put on these little black booties (over my sneakers) and started sliding back and forth on this slippery piece on the floor. I felt like I was ice skating! Then, I did this machine that makes you feel like you are climbing a mountain...that may have been the most difficult machine I ever did in the gym! Well, after an hour of sweating, I concluded my final personal training session....very sad moment, but I know I will continue seeing Camille and once the weather gets warmer, we are going to run outside together!

It's about 10:30pm, and I would like to get enough rest tonight for the big day tomorrow. For some people, tomorrow is the day all about the number on the scale....for me, it's not so much about the number on the scale but I am curious to find out my new measurements. And even if they aren't what I expected, I keep thinking about the condition I was in 3 months ago to the condition I am in now. I learned so many new exercises that I feel confident doing on my own and I actually no longer find running to be boring. My clothes fit me much differently, I am sleeping better, and I feel great! Honestly, working out and eating healthy has become such an important part of my life that I don't think it will be easy for me to let go. I never want to give up working out and hope I can keep this going forever!

I would tell you everything I have been eating over the last few days, but if you haven't noticed, my diet has been the same. Over the last week, I have been sticking to a strict, healthy eating plan just because the weigh in is tomorrow. Do I think I lost weight? Possibly, but probably not. We will see tomorrow! If I didn't, that is fine with me too.

On a side note -- Kira suggested this delicious, easy to make, snack that I couldn't wait to share with you...Boil an egg...remove the yolk and replace it with hummus! You will think you are eating a deviled egg  - it is delicious and I know you will be hooked!! Enjoy and wish me luck!!

Thank you for all your support over the last 3 months. Keep sending those comments...just because the challenge is over on TV doesn't mean it is over for me! Or for you! Let's keep in touch.

Best,
Laurie Ciaff xo

CRUNCH TIME BABY!

6 more days to go!! Well, I have accomplished a lot over the last few days. Working out everyday...some days twice a day and I feel great!

I mentioned Wednesday was a crazy day and I didn't get a chance to workout during work. So, after internship recruitment night, I headed home and went to the gym around 8:15pm. Thank goodness I have people around me who are always willing to take me to their gym as a guest. So, my brother took me to his gym and we ran. I was so tired but was really pushing myself to run, although we had to be home by 9:00pm for American Idol...I know that sounds pathetic, but my brother is the "Commissioner" of an American Idol pool and needs to give the show his undivided attention!! Don't even ask...But what helped me get through my 3 mile run was "Gladiator Greg's Fat Burning Run"...I ran for 10 minutes, then I switched it up to the "Fat Burning Run" for 10 minutes, then I continued running until I reached 3 miles. The "FBR" really makes the 10 minutes fly by! Thanks Elyssa & Greg for sharing this with us!!!!

On Thursday, Kelly had the day off, so Joy filled in for her! After the show, I headed over to Reebok Sports Club to get my body fat measured for the final time. Although I wasn't allowed to see my results, I wasn't too pleased with how the measurements went for two reasons...1. A different person measured us at the beginning of the challenge...I was told it should ALWAYS be the same person to measure you before and after. 2. We still have 6 days to go...not that I expect to lose much more bodyfay, if any at all over the next few days...but you never know! I feel that we should have waited 'till Tuesday to measure our bodyfat...but who am I...I don't make the calls around here. I just do as I am told!

We had our group class on Thursday -- it was called KRANK! Kranking is a new class they are offering at Reebok towards the end of the month, but we got a sneak peak at the class which was taught by instructor Avery Washington. The class was a combination of spinning, kranking, and core workouts. KRANKING is an upper body workout performed on a stationary hand cycle that utilizes an adjustable, variable-resistance mechanism. I really enjoyed the KRANKING portion of the class because it focuses solely on your upper body and core. Here are some photos from the class....the class begun on the spinning cycle which was on one side of the room...and the Krank Cycles were on the opposite side of the room. I am sure in time, they will invent a cycle where you can spin and krank on the same cycle.

Here is the spinning cycle! Here is the Krank cycle!

After class, I headed back to the office and finished up some work. After work, I went to visit my boyfriend who cooked a delicious meal for me...grilled salmon with mixed grilled veggies!! Even though I worked out earlier in the day, I felt the need to get a run in at night. Kira Stokes, one of our instructors, has been giving me some good tips!

One tip Kira suggested is that it is good to shock your body and workout at different times of the day. She said that doing a little cardio both in the morning and evening, really helps! Even if it's 30 minutes each time. In the  morning, it will get your metabolism reved-up and in the evening, it will keep it at a higher rate while you sleep.  If your not up for double sessions of cardio, try to do some push-ups, dips, and abdominal work at home before bed. Shock your body by changing up your routine, and working out at a different time of day!

So, I used her tip and worked out at Vinny's gym last night around 8:00pm...we ran for 3 miles and then I showed him some of my moves on the bosu! I was filled with energy when I left, but slept great last night! I do notice that when I workout later in the day, I sleep better.

This morning my alarm went off at 8:00am. I got to sleep in since the show was not "live" today. This is what the office looked like when I walked in this morning at 9:15am... Yea, pretty empty as you can see!!! If you look in the way back, that is Delores updating her blog!! Today was a day of catching up on emails, phone calls, blogging etc..If you caught today's show, Kelly showed Anderson Cooper and the staff some exercises you can do at home. In case you missed it, here is a list and description of Kelly's favorite Physique 57 moves!!! They are all really fun and the best part about them is that you can do them at home -- the Pretzel is no joke!!! You can watch the video on our website which should be posted later in the day.

Power Plie
Good for: Seat & Hip area and waistline
How to do this: Legs in a plie position. Arms over head. First move up and down. Then move hips back and forth. Last, lift toes while doing this.

Pretzel
Good for: Trimming love handle area & lower seat
How to do this: Sit with your front leg at a right angle. Take your back foot and hold in your hand. Lift your chest and then press both palms down in front of you. Try to keep back ankle higher than your knee and lift back leg. You are not going to get a lot of height, but don't worry, its working! Then try lifting and pressing back

Triceps Can-Can
Good for: Toning the back of your arms
How to do this: Sitting down, put your arms behind you, palms down, with your fingertips facing forward. Lift your seat. Bring one knee towards your chest. Bend and straighten arms. Extend and kick your leg. Do 10-20 reps each leg.

Thigh Dancing
Good for: Thighs, hips and abs
How to do this: Sit on your heels. Lift arms over head. Lift your seat off your heels. Move hips forward and back. Then move side to side. Then try doing circles in both directions!

To learn more about Physique 57, check out their website http://www.physique57.com/

I meet with my trainer today at 2:00pm and plan on get there a little early to do some cardio. Tonight I have dinner plans with Vinny and another couple -- I already know what I am ordering since I checked out the restaurants menu. Here is a tip from our nutritionist, Katharine Brooking on dining out...

"When you know you’re going to eat out, think about what foods you'll choose over the whole day. For example, plan on a light lunch if you'll eat out at dinnertime. Try not to skip meals, which may make you overindulge later. And most importantly, try not to show up at the restaurant famished! If you'd like to splurge on a higher calorie entrée, plan to skip dessert, and commit to sticking to your plan once in the restaurant."

Katharine also made it a point to me that since I eat out often, I should review the menu before I get to the restaurant. This really helps me make wiser food choices and allows me to prepare myself throughout the day! I hope these tips help and I will continue sharing them with you. Hopefully, we will continue blogging once the challenge is over -- I think we can convince Gelman!

Here is what I ate on Thursday:

Breakfast - 1 cup of Fiber One cereal with 1 cup of strawberries.

Lunch - mixed greens with grilled chicken, beets, mushrooms, asparagus, and carrots tossed in a low fat Asian dressing.

Afternoon Snack - Apple

Dinner - Grilled salmon with grilled asparagus, string beans, carrots, and sweet potato.

Snack - Pear

Here is what I ate today (so far):

Breakfast - 1 cup of Fiber One cereal w/skim milk and apple

Lunch - WW Cherry Cheesecake Yogurt and pear

Dinner - didn't eat it yet, but I plan on getting a Vegetable Chopped Salad w/grilled chicken from the Cheesecake Factory...they have the best salads!

Have a great weekend and keep up the great work!

One Week To Go!

Today is Wednesday and we have 8 more days to go! Although the challenge is officially over for the show in 8 days, the biggest challenge will be continuing the challenge after Wednesday. I think the thing that will help me the most is the fact that I have 3 more weddings this summer (one of which I am a bridesmaid) and a planned trip to Las Vegas in June. Those events should definitely hold me through the summer (fingers crossed) but only time will tell.

If you have been tuning into the show, you may have noticed that I wasn't in the Regis' workout tape piece and I will not be featured in Kelly's either. Unfortunately, I had to leave early on Monday which is when they taped Regis' workout, and I was out of the office yesterday when they taped Kelly's workout. It's only Wednesday, but this certainly has been another crazy week for me and I am really bummed about missing both of their workouts. Tune into the show on Friday when Kelly shows us some exercises featured in the infamous Physique 57 class that you can do on your own at home!!

I am so swamped at work today and didn't have time to workout on my lunch break like I had hoped for. We taped a bunch of post tapes after the "Live" show which didn't finish until 11:30am. And as you know, we go straight into our production meeting after the show, which went for another hour. Looks like I will be working out later on tonight since we have internship recruitment night. At internship recruitment night we interview about 150 college students who are interested in interning at our show and other shows on WABC-TV. We are expecting a huge turnout tonight, so I know I won't be home any earlier than 8:30pm which means I might have to workout at home (if I don't make it to the gym). But that only means that for the next week, I will be at the gym whether it be before work, after work, or both...but I have no excuses not to work out especially since this is CRUNCH TIME.

Thanks for all of your comments...I appreciate all of your positive feedback and am so happy that some of you are actually seeing my results just by watching the show!! As you know, the scale is NOT my friend...hopefully the tape measure and body fat measurement results turn out to be better friends with me than the scale...we will see very soon!

Here are some my answers to some of your questions:

Terry O said: Looking good! Hope you can keep it up after the challenge is over. Looking forward to hearing about you running in some type of race or marathon.

Terry, I actually plan on running a 5K with my boyfriend on April 13th in Central Park. The run is for members and family/friends of the NYPD & FDNY -- I think it will be fun and I am excited to run it with my boyfriend! He really motivates me and is a great runner!

Tina asked: Laurie, I've been meaning to ask you about your running routine. You started with walk 5/run 5, walk 3/run 10, walk 3/run 10 then cool down. Have you changed this at all, and if so, what was the schedule/routine?

Tina, I actually have changed my routine and apologize for not posting it...I thought I did in a previous blog, but perhaps it slipped my mind. After the routine that you mentioned above, my next sequence was to run for 10 minutes without stopping. After 10 minutes, cool down for 5 minutes. I usually run 1 mile in 10 minutes. After you conquer that with no problem, just keep adding on distance each week. The following week, my goal was 1.5 miles, then 2 miles, then 2.5 miles, and so on...but don't get ahead of yourself each week. If you feel that you need a break, slow down and walk for a little bit. Always warm up for 3-5 minutes before your run and cool down for about 5 minutes after each run! I hope this helps!

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast - 1 cup of Fiber One cereal, with 1 cup of strawberries, and skim milk.

Lunch - Mixed greens with tofu, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, bok choy, and beets mixed in my special balsamic vinegar dressing w/mustard.

Afternoon Snack - Apple

Dinner - TBD

10 Day Countdown

I can't believe the weekend is already over -- and the countdown begins!

Well, let me take you back to Friday. Since we didn't have a "live" show on Friday, is was a very quiet day in the office. I decided to go to the gym before I went to work and ran 5 miles...I know to some people that is a breeze, but I was very proud of myself! Nearly three months ago, I could barely run half a mile. After my run, I did 15 minutes of stretches on the foam roller focusing on my legs. I haven't been stretching as frequently as I was in the beginning, and you really notice a difference when you don't stretch...It really is so important to stretch. If you have time before your run, try stretching a little before. But definitely stretch after you run. Then, I headed back to work to find the office extremely quiet and a nice surprise on my desk. We received some really cool new gear from ASICS  -- thanks to Meaghan and Liz at SELF for coordinating that and also Heather at ASICS...I am obsessed with their running socks and running pants...they are so comfy! Later in the afternoon I met with our nutritionist, Katherine Brooking. This was our final meeting before the final weigh in. I didn't really have many questions for her since she has answered every question I ever had. We just discussed the progress I made and how I plan on continuing this new way of life after next week. After an easy day of work, I headed home and met up with two of my friends for dinner. We ate at this delicious restaurant that has been in my neighborhood for 6 years and I never tried it...I am so glad we went there because it might be one of my new favorite local restaurants! After dinner, we headed into the city for a "drink." Well, one drink turned into a very late night of re-uniting with old college friends and reminiscing about college days. I am usually a zombie on Friday nights, but I was a trooper this Friday night. As a result, I was suffering on Saturday.

On Saturday, I woke up at 10:00am and headed to the gym to meet up with Kira Stokes. Kira is an instructor at Reebok Sports Club (she even instructed two of our group classes and has the sickest body) and also teaches at a gym in my neighborhood. Here is a picture just to remind you who Kira is...obviously, she is the one in the center. After only 4 1/2 hours of sleep the night before, I really thought twice about going to the class. But I knew I would feel amazing after the class and sure enough I did. So, I forced myself out of bed and took Kira's class called Chiseled. The class in an hour (even though Kira always goes past an hour) of interval training using the step, dumb bells, medicine ball, etc...In her class we do three reps of every exercise. We ended the class with this exercise called the pretzel which really stretches out your hip and works your butt. I can't even explain to you how to do it, but it was really difficult and left me walking in slo-motion for the rest of the day!!! 

Since it is crunch time, I have been trying to workout any chance I get...this past week I worked out Mon - Sat...I needed to give my body a break on Sunday. I was so sore from Kira's workout -- but it is a good sore!!! I love pain after a great workout!!!  After the gym on Saturday, I went to my grandmothers for a healthy lunch and ended up spending most of the afternoon there. We laughed a lot but by 6:00pm I could barely keep my eyes open. Saturday night guess what I did?? I passed on heading to the bar with my friends and stayed home, did some spring cleaning, and was in bed by 11:00pm...so not like me but I cannot go out two nights in a row anymore...It's definitely a sign of aging!

Sunday was my day of errands..I had a couple stores to go to and took my mom, grandmother, and aunt along for the ride. We also went out for lunch. I cannot believe tomorrow we begin the 10 day countdown to the final weigh in. Definitely tune into the show all week...Monday we will be featuring a segment on our trainers who will be discussing what they focused on with us over the last few months!!

As you can see, I am not on top of the picture thing, and do not have any pictures from my weekend...sorry this blog is not so colorful!

Here is my weekend menu:

Friday

Breakfast - Weight Watchers Cherry Cheesecake Pie Yogurt

Lunch - Salad with grilled chicken, avocado, almonds, red onions, and lemon vinaigrette dressing...(Thanks Maggie for taking me to your favorite lunch spot!)

Dinner - Mixed greens salad, grilled salmon with mushrooms and asparagus

After dinner - One drink...Vodka with pineapple juice and 100 calorie pack of Mister Salty's Chocolate Covered Pretzels (these are delicious!)

Saturday

Breakfast - WW White Chocolate Raspberry Yogurt

Lunch - Chicken breast (no skin/white meat) with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and mixed greens salad.

Snack - 1/2 pink grapefruit

Dinner - 1 1/2 cups of Special K with skim milk and banana

Sunday

Breakfast - Weight Watchers Bagel with Weight Watchers cream cheese

Snack - 60 calorie pack of prunes

Lunch - Grilled Chicken Oriental Salad

Dinner - Mixed greens salad with balsamic dressing

Dessert - Sugar Free Peach Jello

That's it for now....wish me luck on our final week before the weigh in!!!

A Week Of Catching Up...

Since the show was on hiatus all week, the week we return is always a week of craziness and catching up. I apologize for not being able to blog on a day to day basis, but I will try to recap as much as I could.

Tuesday we had a group workout with our very own Johnnie P...if you are a fan of the show then you should Johnnie P -- he choreographs many dance performances that are featured on our special shows. He is an awesome dancer, but kicked our butt in his class which was a ton of non stop cardio with a little twist of dance...and what makes his classes even more fun is that he pumps the best music that all you want to do is dance. Here are some pics from the class....check out Johnnie getting down!

   

                   

Here's the staff taking a breather -- and a pic of the whole crew with Johnnie P, and Meaghan from SELF

   

After the class, I returned to work and ate lunch. I didn't really feel like cooking when I got home and I had this craving for food from Stew Leonards --Stews is a supermarket that makes you feel like a kid again when you walk thru the aisles...They have a "hot" dinner takeout buffet which includes a wide variety of food....And of course on my way out, I couldn't leave without a small cup of fat free frozen yogurt which I saved to watch during American Idol.

Wednesday was somewhat of a crazy day -- did my usual before the show and ate breakfast -- I am trying to cut coffee out of my diet which is somewhat of a challenge for me. I depend on my coffee giving me a boost of energy every morning, but my Dr. advised me to try to cut it out. So, I am trying my best but Wednesday morning I was so tired that I decided to have a cup of coffee -- half decaf, half caf -- but besides yesterday, I have been pretty good without coffee. I have been focusing on getting an extra half hour of sleep in the morning which has been helping me. I was swamped all day at work on Wednesday, so I decided to take a spin class after work with Lori S. She always talks about how much she loves this particular class and I had no excuse not to go. The class was great! I never really take spin classes because I never really feel like I am getting a good workout -- but by the end of the class, I was sweating and felt extremely energized!

Today has not been a good day for me -- first, I woke up 20 minutes after my alarm went off which led me to rush out of the house. When I left my house I realized I left my phone home...luckily, I was only in my driveway and was able to go and pick up my phone. I have been bringing my breakfast to work every morning and realized when I got to work that I forgot my cereal and strawberries on the kitchen table. Luckily, I had my Weight Watchers yogurt in the refrigerator which saved me this morning! And then just when I thought the worst of the worst happened, I get a call from my mom saying that she found my wallet in my living room...Fortunately, I keep my train tickets and metro card in a separate area of my purse, but I have no money, no license, no gym card, nada -- i feel lost without my wallet but I will make it through the day. I always leave snacks and meals in the refrigerator at work so I am not worried. And I am sure one of my lovely co-workers would be willing to lend me $6 for lunch -- that is all my lunch costs everyday! The cafeteria is a bargain! Today, I meet with my trainer, Camille at 3:00pm -- I am looking forward to seeing her because maybe it will put me in a better mood then I am in right now. I know I will not be able to blog tonight since I have a booked evening...after work I have my monthly Leukemia/Lymphoma Meeting (I am a volunteer on their committee) and then I am meeting up with my girls for dinner -- I haven't seen my friends since the wedding last week and we have lots to talk about! I am looking forward to that and hopefully by tonight I will have my act together.

Here is what I ate over the last few days...

Tuesday

Breakfast - cup of Fiber One Cereal w/cup of blueberries

Lunch - Mixed greens w/grilled chicken and assorted raw vegetables with balsamic vinegar and pear

Afternoon Snack - Fiber One Oats & Peanut Butter Bar

Dinner - Grilled tilapia with grilled veggies including asparagus, zucchini, string beans, and peppers.

Snack - Stew Leonards small cup of vanilla/chocolate frozen yogurt

Wednesday

Breakfast - cup of Fiber One cereal w/cup of strawberries

Lunch - Romaine salad with grilled chicken with assorted raw vegetables and balsamic vinegar/mustard dressing and apple

Dinner - cup of All Bran cereal with banana

Snack - Weight Watchers Giant Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Bar (2pts)

Thursday (SO FAR)

Breakfast - Weight Watchers cherry cheesecake yogurt (I think this is my new favorite flavor of WW yogurt -- it is delicious and only 1pt) and a pear

Lunch - TBD

Dinner - TBD (something from my favorite Mexican Restaurant...uh oh)

Thanks to those of you who haven't lost faith in me and are continuing to read my blog and leave comments -- I really appreciate your positive thoughts and love hearing from you!!!

Christina asked -- "I just started Month 2 of the Challenge. How do you keep the momentum going if you're just not into it?"

Christina, what really helped me was that I had goals that I wanted to accomplish and upcoming events that I really wanted to get in shape for -- Do you have any vacations planned or big events coming up that you really want to feel good at and look your best? I always keep those things in the back of my mind when I am working out -- and I think of how good I always feel at the end of my workout. Also, try doing it with a friend! It really helps that most of my co-workers are doing the challenge and we are all in this together. We motivate each other, workout together and share eating tips. Be positive and stay focused!! If I can do it, you can do it!! I feel so much better after 11 weeks of being on the challenge and I know you will too!!!

The Slacker Is Back!

Long time no speak....I really slacked these last two weeks, but I have been extremely busy and to be honest with you, I am ashamed with my progress (or shall I say...not so much progress) over the last week...today it really hit me...after I finished enjoying my Easter dinner, it hit me pretty hard that in about two weeks we are stepping on that scale for the final weigh in and I am not ready. But let's face it...reality really hit me over the last two weeks...people get sick, people attend weddings, people go on vacation, and people like to eat on the holidays...well, that has been my life for the last two weeks. I kept telling myself that I am not going to deprive myself and I didn't...but I definitely didn't go overboard like I would have a few months ago. It's amazing how you make wiser decisions when you are more conscious of what you are putting in your body...I never use to think before I ate...but now, even when I am on vacation or at a wedding...I would find myself thinking about how I am going to feel after I ate a specific thing (like dipping that strawberry in a fountain of chocolate). Now, I would make a wiser choice and just eat a cup of strawberries... 4 months ago I would have been planted in front of the fondue station but last week at the wedding, I walked right by it...wasn't my friend!

So, not to make this longest blog ever -- I will tell you that I am feeling much better but am still dealing with some medical issues...I had the best time at my best friends wedding!!! The place where Jackie got married is known for their food and service so I wanted to judge that for myself! And the staff was exceptional in both categories....my biggest problem from that night was that I don't even know how many drinks I had -- if my glass was half empty, I would turn my head and there would be a fresh, full glass of champagne & chambord (that is what I drank all night) when I returned to pick up my drink. I enjoyed cocktail hour but didn't want to over eat because I really wanted to save room for my entree. By the time dinner was served I couldn't even look at another piece of food -- I think because I haven't ate foods like pasta, rice balls, and other carbs, my stomach was in shock and couldn't take much more food -- so, to my advantage, I was so full from the cocktail hour, salad, and pasta course that I had to skip my entree and Venetian Hour. Here are some pictures from the wedding -- I have hundreds and wish I could share them all with you -- I cannot believe it is over.

                        

         

Hours after the Wedding, my boyfriend and I hopped on a plane and headed to Florida. Since the show was on hiatus all week, I decided to take a few days off to relax in the sun...I certainly needed it. My grandmother has a place in Ft.Myers, FL and anytime I need a break or have a few days off, I try to get there. I wasn't so worried about what I was going to eat while in Florida, because I knew we would be eating out everyday and I could make my own healthy food choices. I was really good while in Florida, and was even able to run outside.  I much prefer running in 80 degrees weather in shorts and a tank than bundling up in the winter in NYC. I even worked out in the pool with my grandmother and her friends...check out this picture -- it was hysterical! 

                            

Every time I go to Ft.Myers it's almost a tradition that I get ice cream from my favorite place -- we like to call it the "Orange Factory" although it does go by another name -- well, they make everything from orange juice, to orange gum, to orange soap, and the list goes on...but the reason I go there is for their delicious orange/vanilla soft serve ice cream...I was so close to leaving there without getting a cup, but I knew I would regret it the second I got in the car. So, I bought a cup to go and ate it during American Idol that night!!! It was my treat and I enjoyed every second of it!   Here we are in front of the Orange Factory!!

Today was Easter Sunday and for the first time ever my family decided to go to a restaurant for dinner. Well, actually I chose the Easter Brunch Buffet -- although the word "buffet" scares me when I am trying to eat healthy, I didn't do as bad as I could have...not saying that everything I ate would be approved by our nutritionist, but it could have been a lot worse...I skipped the traditional easter ricotta pie, cheesecake, and my favorite carrot cake. Instead, when I got home I ate a juicy red apple. Well, Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate! I am back on the workout/eating healthy kick tomorrow! I am sorry that I have been slacking...

Out Sick...

I don't have much to say since I have been sick and out of work for the last two days. On Tuesday afternoon, I got hit pretty hard with some stomach pains and ended up having a stomach virus and fever. So, I haven't worked, worked out (which I am really bummed out about) or been sticking to my normal diet over the last two days. Yesterday I ate two slices of toast, a banana and some cereal...today, I had plain oatmeal and a banana (so far).
I have to get better by the Wedding on Saturday, so I have been in bed resting for the last two days...it really stinks. I haven't been sick in soooooooooo long, and why wouldn't I get sick on one of the busiest weekends...it's just my luck. Just wanted to update you and apologize for this blog being so boring.

I wanted to answer a question I recently received from engle0685...

engle0685 asked: What brand is the outfit that you are wearing to workout in the above pictures? Are those Asics tennis shoes? If you remember, where did you get the outfit and shoes?

Laurie's answer: My outfit is by Ryka...compliments of Ryka -- check out their website for some really cute outfits -- http://www.ryka.com/main.asp

And yes, my sneakers are asics running shoes - style GT 2130  -- again, compliments of ASICS but thanks to Meaghan from SELF magazine for hooking the ASICS gear up!! Here is the link to purchase the sneakers on their website - http://www.asicsamerica.com/products/product.aspx?PRODUCT_ID=240008513&TITLE_CATEGORY_ID=250001549

Carly -- I would love your lemon vinagarette dressing recipe?? I am always looking to try new things!

Since these last few weeks are crunch time and I really planned on running more often, I hope these last few days don't bring me way behind...Hopefully by tomorrow, I will be back to work and feel up to a light workout.

That's it for now...Laurie

Two For Tuesday

Yesterday was a quiet day around the "live" office. Luckily, I had an appointment to meet with my trainer Camille at 2:00pm which added some spice to my day! I warmed up on the treadmill for 10 minutes and then worked out non stop with Camille for an hour. Since my best friends Wedding is this Saturday, I am trying to get a workout everyday this week. And the morning after the wedding, I am off to Florida for a few days! I cannot wait to be in the sunshine and have the opportunity to run outdoors while I am there. Last night after dinner I went to a farmers market (that I am obsessed with) and stocked up on more fruit, vegetables, and cottage cheese. I tried cottage cheese once many years ago and disliked the texture. After all these years, I thought I would take another shot at it so I purchased two individual packs mixed with fruit preserves.

Here’s what I ate on Monday:

Breakfast – Coffee with skim milk & 2 equals, Weight Watchers strawberries & cream oatmeal (2pts.) and 1 cup of strawberries

Lunch – Egg whites with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and low fat swiss cheese on a whole wheat tortilla

Afternoon Snack – Apple

Dinner – Turkey Burger (NO BUN) with grilled vegetables including asparagus, green beans, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms. (Vinny grilled them on the BBQ…chopped them all up…tossed them together like a salad and topped it off with balsamic vinegar. It was delicious!!)

Snacks – Smart Ones Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice cream Sundae

I cannot wait for the summer because if it were up to me, I would grill my meals every night! I absolutely love the taste and flavor of foods that come straight off the BBQ!!!

This morning I bravely tried cottage cheese with peach preserves and thought it was okay…the texture is something I have to get used to. I prefer my yogurt or oatmeal over the cottage cheese, but it’s nice to switch up my breakfasts every once in a while.

Today we had our group exercise class at Reebok Sports Club. For the second time, our instructor was Kira Stokes who kicked our butt! The class is called Bodysurge 360 which consists of a combination of cardiovascular intervals and weight training including jumping rope, push ups, yoga block, and jumping around like a gorilla!!! YES...we looked like gorillas jumping around on the floor!

Here are some pics from todays class -- courtesy of our sexy Publicity Assistant, Alexis Altschuler..thanks!

The first two photos are of me doing what Kira referred to as the "John Travolta"....with one weight in your hand (I used 5lbs) squat and push weight down towards the ground...on the way up turn to the side and push weight up....you should begin to feel like you are in "Saturday Night Fever!" Rrepeat this exercise on each side...it works everything from your glutes, thighs, back, to shoulder...what a great exercise!! And if Kira's abs aren't enough to motivate one to want to get into shape, then I don't know what is!!!

Tonight I have my final dress fitting for my bridesmaid dress. I cannot believe the wedding is 5 days away!!! We are finally at the single digit countdown.

Tuesday’s Menu

Breakfast – Coffee with skim milk & 2 equals, cottage cheese with peaches and apple

Morning Snack – 100 calorie Curves granola bar (only 1pt. on WW)

Lunch – Mixed greens with beets, red onions, asparagus, carrots, tomatoes with low fat asian sesame dressing and 20 almonds.

Dinner – TBD

YOUR QUESTIONS...MY ANSWERS!

Well, I have been making you wait and I finally was able to answer some of your questions. Instead of telling you about my weekend which included a night in, a delicious dinner party (thanks Lina & Rob), and a bridal shower(congrats Melissa & Ronnie), I would rather answer your questions since I made you wait this long....so here we go!!

Carly Asked - Any suggestions on how to fit weight training in with cardio?

My answer – As a matter of fact I do!! I combine cardio into my training sessions almost all the time with Camille. In between my leg presses or bicep/tricep curls I will do 1 minute of jumping jacks. You can also incorporate 5 minutes of running on the treadmill or push ups in between your strength training.

Carly also asked - I am currently hooked on lululemon's crops. Do you have any of them? And where do you purchase the WW cream cheese? And what is the special balsamic dressing?

My answers – NO, I do not have any lululemon’s crops, but if you say they make you look skinny then I may have to invest in a pair!!! Thanks for the tip.

I’m not sure where you live, but I know the WW cream cheese is available in different supermarkets depending on where you live. I live in the suburbs of NY and purchase my WW cream cheese and other WW cheeses in the A&P…however, my sources tell me that beginning April 1, they will be available in NYC in Food Emporium and Key Food.

The special balsamic dressing is a recipe Lori S. shared with me...Basically in our cafeteria we have these little dressing containers. I am not too good with measurements, but I fill half the container with  balsamic vinegar (approximately 2 tablespoons), then fill the rest of container with deli mustard. I top it off with one packet of equal. Shake it up and pour over salad -- it is delicious!!!

Carrie asked - How do you do the tofu on the salad?

My answer – Honestly, I am somewhat new to the whole tofu world too – since I order lunch everyday from the salad bar in our cafeteria, they literally just throw the tofu on top of the salad for me...I don't think they cook it. However, I purchased tofu from the store which can be found in the produce or dairy section of the supermarket. I like the soft tofu for my salads which comes in a sealed package. I slice the tofu into 1 inch cubes and toss it in my salad. I haven’t tried cooking with tofu just yet, but I found some recipes that sound easy and delicious!

Kate asked - I live in NYC and am on Weight Watchers. I'm dying to know where you found the WW cream cheese. I've been looking everywhere!

My answer – Kate, starting April 1^st all Food Emporium and Key Food stores in NYC should carry the WW cream cheese – they are absolutely delicious!!! Let me know when you find them!

Amanda from

Dallas

asked - I was also wondering where you get the Flavor and Fiber Bars, I don't think I have ever seen them. But that is cool that they are only 2 pts! Which ones are your favorite?

My answer – I bought the GNU Flavor and Fiber Bars at Mrs. Greens Market and Trader Joes. I tried all of the flavors and definitely can say my favorite flavor is Banana-Walnut. Go to their website to find out where you can purchase them at a store near you. www.gnufoods.com

Terry O asked - Do you think you will run a half marathon? Do you think you are close to that level in your work out? Also do you think when this challenge is over you would still keep a blog?

My answer – Since the challenge is over for show purposes next month, I definitely plan on continuing forever to allow myself the opportunity of running future marathons. I know that I will eventually be able to run a half marathon and am considering running either a 5k or half marathon next month. I know that I will have no problem with the 5k, but I would love to give the half marathon a shot! I believe Gelman said we will continue blogging after the challenge – probably not as frequently, but enough to give you updates on how we are doing!!! I am so glad you enjoy reading our blogs!

Carly asked -. Please give me some suggestions for my Ipod. I am getting sick of mine. I would love any suggestions.

My answer – I recently added some great running songs to my Ipod which include:

Absolutely Not by Deborah Cox

Flo Rida by Low (feat. T-Pain)

Won’t Go Home Without You by Maroon 5

My Love Is Your Love (Jonathan Peters remix) by Whitney Houston

Calabria

by Enur

What Hurts the Most by Cascada

Sandy L. asked - This may be a stupid question, but...What on earth is leeks??

My answer – Leeks are a vegetable which belongs with the onion and garlic family. The edible portions of the Leek are the white onion base and light green stalk. Kelly Ripa actually recommended them to me and said she eats them with most of her meails. She suggested putting them in soups, or just eating that raw in salads.   Here is a photo of what they look like...

Well, that concluded the question/answer portion of my blog for today -- please keep the comments, tips, and questions coming -- I love hearing from you!!!

Have a great week!! 5 more days until my Best Friends Wedding!!!!

Who Let The Dogs Out?

I am like a day behind on these blogs…Each day this week I have been posting for the previous day and I am not quite sure why. Well, TGIF!!!! What a week this has been and boy am I ready for the weekend!

Yesterday we had our weekly group exercise workout at Reebok Sports Club with Ilaria. I have taken classes with Ilaria in the past so I knew we were in for a sweaty workout. The class was called POWERSTRIKE which is an action packed cardiovascular workout  that includes lots of punching, kicking, and sweating!! I absolutely loved every second of it. Here is a group shot of all of us after the workout. I am in between Ilaria who has the sickest arms I have ever seen and Meaghan from SELF who kicked butt in the class and is glowing!!! 

                                                

Today I woke up extra early because I wanted to workout before work. I had a ton of errands to run today during lunch time and I knew I wasn’t going to have time to squeeze in a workout. I got to the gym around 7:15am this morning and ran for 3miles…I really wanted to run for at least 4 or 5 miles, but I couldn't be late for work! It is such a relief when you are completely done with your workout by 8:00am and know you have the rest of the day ahead of you. I walked into the office this morning to find puppies everywhere!!! Today on the show we had segment with pet expert Harrison Forbes to help solve doggie dilemmas. Some people on the staff brought their pets for the segment. Here I am with our director, Brian Chapman’s dog, Bailey. He is so snuggly!  

And here is his other puppy Cooper who can fit in the palm of your hand. Marco was pretending to eat him!!!  

Playing with them really makes me want to get another dog – I miss my dog, Cookie. We had to put her to sleep in August, but she had a great, long life and no dog could ever replace her!!

After the show we had a quick meeting and Christine Composto, and I went to the ABC cafeteria for lunch. We bumped into Ann Marie Williams (producer here at the show) and all decided to eat lunch together at the cafeteria. I went into the caf with intentions on getting my usual tofu salad with mixed veggies…But Christine ordered a tuna sandwich and it sounded so delicious that I ordered the same exact thing!

After lunch I had a quick meeting with our nutritionist, Katherine Brooking. She is so smart and positive about the Self Challenge – she is very happy with where I am at right now – she really doesn’t look at the number on the scale but the other changes I am making…such as the way my clothes fit, the healthier food choices I am making, the fact that I have much more energy, and how I am focusing more on portion control now. This is NOT about the number on the scale – it’s about everything else we are benefiting from by making these new changes in our life!!!

After my brief meeting with Katherine I came back into the office to find a layer of popcorn cake drizzled with chocolate chips and peanut butter on top of my desk -- companies are constantly sending us their products and this looked delicious!! But instead of trying it, I let the interns enjoy it!!!!  

Here is Alexis with her dog Harry who hung out with us this afternoon too!!!

  

Not sure what is for dinner tonight, but I do have some minestrone soup leftover. I had it for dinner last night and really enjoyed it. I promised that if I liked it, I would share the recipe with you. Here you go!!!!

MINESTRONE SOUP

2 cans of low sodium chicken broth

1 can of chopped whole tomatoes

2 cups of chopped celery

2 cups of chopped carrots

2 cups of leeks

1 onion

1 sweet red pepper

½ cup of whole wheat elbow pasta (optional)

In Large saucepan pour in chicken broth. Heat should be brought to medium-high heat.

I added a cup of water too.
Then add onion, tomatoes, celery, carrots, leeks, and any other vegetables you might like in your soup (I wish I had zucchini)! Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover for about an hour. Add pasta to pan and cook for about 10 minutes (or until pasta becomes tender).

Whatever soup you do not eat…cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to three days or freeze the soup for a later time. Enjoy!!!!

Here is what I ate yesterday and today...

Thursday’s Menu

Breakfast – Coffee with skim milk and plain oatmeal with strawberries

Lunch – Mixed greens with ½ cup of tuna salad and Activia Yogurt

Dinner – 2 cups of Minestrone Soup

Dessert – Smart Ones Mint Fudge Ice Cream Sundae (3 pts.)

Friday’s Menu

Breakfast – Weight Watchers bagel with weight watchers cream cheese (total = 3pts!)

Morning Snack – Apple

Lunch – Tuna fish, tomato, & lettuce on whole wheat bread with side of steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Afternoon Snack – Pear

Dinner – TBD

Have a great weekend!!!

TACO NIGHT!!

Wednesday was an uneventful day….after the show we had a major production/lunch meeting which lasted nearly 4 hours. That is 4 hours of the staff sitting at a round table, looking at each other, listening to pitch ideas, and wishing you were working out instead!! Actually, all in all, the meeting wasn’t bad – they are actually quite entertaining and interesting. The only bummer was that I didn’t really get much work done and definitely had no time to work out. After our meeting, I was absolutely starving! I had a snack or two when I got back to my desk knowing that I was headed to my boyfriend’s for a big dinner!!! It was TACO night…Italian style!!! Every few months we have TACO night with my boyfriends family – it is one of my favorite meals!! But since Vinny had the day off yesterday, he really catered to my new eating habits…he grilled a ton of veggies & grilled chicken on the BBQ and went food shopping on his own…I must say that he really impressed me!!! He prepared most of the dinner and even bought me whole wheat wraps and fat free sour cream. It was a TACO night that I definitely didn’t feel guilty about eating…check out this spread!!!!

Here is the cutest picture of little Vincent who had too much chocolate for dessert -- i gave him most of mine!!!! Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast - Coffee with skim milk, cup of plain oatmeal mixed with strawberries

Lunch - half of "Vegetarian Delite" which is sandwich on whole wheat bread with avocado, cabbage, tomato, lettuce, and peppers. Mixed greens salad with lite italian dressing.

Afternoon Snack - Pear and 10 almonds

Dinner - Whole wheat tortilla filled with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, fat free sour cream and tons of grilled vegetables including eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and broccoli.

Snacks - 10 grapes

Two Day Recap

Monday night I went to bed a little too late – the reason for that was because I had so much energy from working out after work. I usually do not workout after work but since I was swamped all day, I went to the gym with my friend Jessica at night. I had all this energy after our workout that I found myself reading cookbooks, watching shows I never watch, and just browsing the internet until 11:30 at night. Since I have been working out with my trainer Camille for the last two months, I have all these new exercises that I love sharing with my friends….even though this is nothing new, Jessica and I did several planks…even though my back doesn’t look as straight as it should be, here is proof that we did some!

Not really sure what got into me today (Tuesday), but I had so much energy for my training session. Actually, I have had way more energy in general since we started this challenge. I think I have finally figured out the best lunch/workout plan for me….Since I usually meet my trainer at 2pm I would normally eat lunch before our workout. Well, I wasn’t giving myself enough time to digest. So, yesterday I ate a protein bar and an apple around 1:00pm…I ordered a seaweed salad that was waiting on my desk for me by the time I finished my workout. That plan worked for me and I am sticking to it!! We have been starting my workout with one legged squats on the bosu and then did leg presses with 100lbs! Sounds like a lot of weight for someone my size, right? I must admit that my legs have always been the strongest part of my body since my cheerleading days. I used to lift girls over my head, so pressing 100lbs with my legs should be a breeze! Actually, I take that back…it is very challenging but if Camille reads this she might have me pressing 200lbs next week!! Here I am doing some leg presses…

                               

In between my leg presses I got my heart rate going by doing 1 minute of jumping jacks. I had a great workout with Camille who has really been pushing me with my push ups…I really see a major difference in my back and shoulders from doing all these push ups. A few months ago I struggled doing 6 push ups…now I am doing nearly 15-20 at a time!! I usually do sets of push ups in between some weight training. After my workout with Camille I ran for one mile and then headed back to the office.

When I returned to my desk I enjoyed my seaweed salad. Two hours later I had a yogurt as a snack. When I got home last night I made minestrone soup…I haven’t tried it yet, but it smells delicious! I used a weight watchers recipe and the soup is ZERO points. So, when I indulge in a bigger lunch or have had one too many snacks, I like knowing that I have a healthy meal waiting for me when I get home. Once I eat it, I will share the recipe with you. I would hate to share a recipe with you that isn’t enjoyable!!!

Here is what I ate over the last two days...

Monday

Breakfast – Coffee with skim milk and two equals, Activia Blueberry Yogurt and Pear

Lunch – Romaine salad with tofu, carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes, broccoli, red onion and balsamic vinegar/mustard dressing

Dinner – Lean Cuisine Turkey Dinner meal and mixed greens

Snack – Healthy Choice 100 calorie fudge bar

Tuesday

Breakfast – Coffee with skim milk and two equals, Activia Vanilla flavored yogurt with ¼ cup of blueberries

Lunch – Organic Cliff Bar, Apple, and Seaweed Salad

Snack – Activia Vanilla Yogurt

Dinner – 1 ½ cups of Fiber One Cereal

Dessert – 5 Dates

Home Sweet Home

I never thought I would be so happy about coming home to NY. After our week in LA, I realized that the eating and working out wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Today was the BIG weigh in and not to my surprise, I lost just under 1lb. I didn’t think I was losing weight, nor am I disappointed about not losing many pounds. I just really wish we focused more on our body fat percentage and how most of us are changing in different ways…the Self Challenge isn’t about the Biggest Loser…it’s about making changes for life and I hope all of you realize that and aren’t disappointed that I am not losing a ton of weight. But I must say – I feel great and I have finally reached my 4mile mark.

On Thursday when I got back to NY, I couldn’t wait to run since I only ran twice in LA. I had a great run that day and had a group exercise workout with Meaghan from SELF, Elyssa, and our instructor Svetlana. Even though it was a small class, we managed to get a lot in with just 45 minutes. On Friday I met with Camille who must have made me do about 100 push ups…well, maybe not 100 but close to 100…in between each exercise she had me doing about 20 push ups.

On Thursday night, I went for a fitting of my bridesmaids dress for my best friends wedding…the wedding is less than two weeks away and our dresses just came in…Outrageous! But I was happy that my dress was way too big on me and has to be taken in a lot…here is a picture of me, Jessica, and Margaret trying on our dress for the first time since we picked them out months ago.

Afterwards, we went to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate Jackie’s (Bride To Be) Birthday…since I was in LA for her bday, my friends were nice enough to wait for me to return. We didn’t allow her to eat cheescake, so instead they brought her a small dish of whipped cream!!

I was on my best behavior this weekend when it came to what I ate – I barely even went out because I didn’t want alcohol to be in my surroundings nor did I even want the chance of a late night visit to the diner. So, I stayed in most of the weekend with my boyfriend --  I  bought a ton of new songs to add to my IPod – if you have any suggestions on great running songs, please let me know….I love all types of music! Since I don’t have the luxury of living close to the gym near our job, I wasn’t able to workout at the gym. However, I managed to do my own workout routine at home which consisted of push ups, crunches, and lots of running up and down my stairs.

Today was the big weigh in – If you saw it, you know there wasn’t much of a change for me. Everybody seems to be doing really well! Since it is our first day back to work in NY, I was completely swamped all day so I am tagging up with a friend after work to workout at her gym. Although I am a little concerned about my best friends wedding on March 15^th, I plan on taking this next month very seriously…not that I haven’t thus far, but I will make plenty of time for workouts. I have one trip planned in March but I will be able to run outdoors since I am heading to Florida – I cannot wait for that!

Your Questions…My Answers to come this week…Pinky Swear!

Here is what I ate today…after the weigh in.

Breakfast – Coffee with skim milk, Activia Yogurt, and Pear

Lunch – Romaine salad with tofu, mixed veggies, and pear

Snack – Flavor & Fiber Peanut Butter Bar by Gnu Foods

Dinner – TBA

I am thinking about tossing up a personal PITA PIZZA...check out this great recipe I got from www.self.com ...

Obviously, you can substitute the toppings with your favorite vegetable toppings!! My favorite is mushrooms and black olives -- delicious!!

It's cheesy, nutritious (only 279 calories!) and won't take you more than 12 minutes to make!

PITA PIZZA

INGREDIENTS
1 tsp olive oil
1 6-inch whole-wheat pita
1/4 cup canned, diced tomatoes
1 basil leaf
1/4 cup torn fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup roasted red peppers
1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

Bye Bye Sunny California!

As usual, on our last day in LA, the sun starts to come out and it is gorgeous outside!! I didn't even need to wear a jacket today and made use of my sunglasses! But fortunately and unfortunately, I have to go home tomorrow. I am happy about going home so I can get back to my normal daily routine and not so happy that I have to go home to 30 degrees weather and possible snow!! Yay!

Monday's weigh in is finally starting to hit me - these last few days have really thrown me off my normal food regime...since our days start extremely early in LA (4:00am on Monday) I don't get to eat a hearty breakfast like I normally do. I had to throw out my bag of almonds because I cannot stop reaching in the bag for more. I haven't had much time to workout -- since I arrived on Thursday, I only worked out 3 times. I am looking forward to our group class on Thursday and meeting with my trainer on Friday.

Last night we taped Kelly's Behind the Scenes at American Idol tape piece...I am absolutely obsessed with American Idol and had so much fun going on the shoot. As a true American Idol fan, I had many questions that I thought would be fun for Kelly to ask the contestants, judges, and Ryan...hopefully you got to see the piece on this mornings show...I didn't get to see it, so I am looking forward to watching it when I get back to NY. After the shoot, a few of us stayed to watch the taping of American Idol. I have been fortunate enough to watch a taping of American Idol each year that we come to LA and I wasn't going to let this year go by without taking advantage of the chance...especially since there are so many good contestants...the boys performed last night which will air Tuesday night. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photos backstage but I was able to sneak one with my I-Phone. And thanks to our web producer, Kelli Cardiff who snuck a couple backstage when no one was looking..

Today (Tuesday) we taped two shows and started a little later than yesterday. Our call time was 9:15am and it felt good to sleep in a little later. I should have woken up early to work out, but I think I have been sleep deprived lately so I though getting an extra hour of sleep might help me! It is 5:15pm right now and I haven't had a real meal yet -- picking picking picking all day! I had a fiber bar and fruit this morning...had some raw veggies around lunch time and lots of almonds...and plan on going out to dinner with Lori S. and two of our friends from PIC-TV -- Greg and Glenn from PIC-TV are based out here in LA and help get us great prizes for our trivia wheel and audience prizes.

Well, that is really it for now -- I will be back to myself hopefully by the weekend. I fly home tomorrow morning and am looking forward to getting as much sleep on the plane as possible.

The Challenge -- LA Style

Hello to all you bloggers...I'm writing from LA and apologize for the delay. But LA is not a time for play...we are constantly working and have no time for play...hence, no time for blogging. I figured I would try to get some blogging done while I sit here with some of my co-workers and watch the Oscars.

I don't even know where to begin -- got here on Thursday night and was exhausted. Even though there is only a 3 hour time difference, you wouldn't believe how much it screws me up. I cannot even remember what day it is...I have been thinking it was Sunday for the last two days. I tried taking a bunch of pictures to recap my last few days in LA and I hope you enjoy them!

Friday we met at 8:30am for our first production meeting. Here are some pics of the staff from our meeting -- doesn't everyone look so thrilled to be here?!

              

Friday night a few of us went to see a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live. The Kimmel studio is on Hollywood Blvd. which is where the Kodak Theatre is as well.

Even though it was a cool, rainy night, I tried taking some pictures for you to see!

Unfortunately, we were in traffic for over an hour and got to the studio just in time for the beginning of the show. The green room at Jimmy Kimmel is like a party! It consists of a game room, a bar, couches, flat screens, and food...really good food! It's not like our green room at all. We watched the show from the Green Room. To our surprise, Sam Champion was a guest on the show that night. It was nice to see a familiar face on Jimmy's show. Here is a photo of the pool table in the green room.

After the show we ate dinner at Geisha House. Geisha House is a pretty well known Japanese/Sushi restaurant on Hollywood Blvd. I am a complete spaz when it comes to using chopsticks...I absolutely LOVE sushi but I could never use chopsticks properly. I always blame it on the fact that I am a lefty, but I just prefer "my way" of using chopsticks. Here is a picture of Marco trying to teach me the correct way of using chopsticks. I had a two delicious rolls at Geisha House and a miso soup -- check out the proper way to use chopsticks in the photo of Marco! After Geisha House we went to a bar/lounge on Hollywood Blvd and of course, Jennifer Ulrich (one of our producers) is always causing trouble -- here she is kissing up to one of the bouncers who was questioning her age -- she forgot her ID at home and he almost didn't let her in...it was very funny!

                          

Saturday there wasn't much going on -- no meeting and no field shoots which was nice. Once we were done with our work, we had the day to ourselves. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to workout. I wanted to get my workout out of the way in the early morning, so I decided to run on the treadmill for a little bit and then went for a run outside because the sun was starting to come out. Unfortunately, the weather in LA hasn't been the sunny LA weather we all hoped for, so I wanted to take advantage of any little bit of sunshine I could get. So, I ran to Starbucks and walked back with my skinny latte. If you haven't tried a skinny latte from Starbucks, I highly recommend it. When I want a change from my usual coffee, I go for a skinny latte. They even offer it in vanilla, mocha, and hazelnut -- all sugar free! My brother was flying into LA on Saturday, so I decided to wait to eat lunch with him. When he arrived around 2:30pm, we decided to take a drive to West Hollywood. We ate at this little cafe called "Who's On Third?"....It was really good....I had a soup and salad while he was enjoying his BBQ cheeseburger.

        

After lunch we walked around some popular shopping streets and did mostly window shopping. Saturday was a really long day and it was very chilly outside. Thank goodness I brought my winter jacket and scarf that I wear back home...LA's weather has been disappointing, but since we aren't here to sunbathe, I guess it shouldn't matter that much. Saturday night Dave Mullen, my brother Rob, and myself ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant near our hotel. I ate a tofu salad and chicken with asparagus. I am really trying my best to make healthy decisions while I am away from home...so far, I think I am doing pretty well. My only complaint is that we are constantly around food -- although it is mostly fruit, I keep finding myself picking at whatever piece of fruit is in my sight.

Sunday was our first day of taping -- this morning we had to be at the studio by 7:30am for a 10:30am taping -- today we taped the show that will air on Wednesday. Our set in LA is identical to our set in NY...here are a few pics from the set. Middle picture is me, Kelli Cardiff (web producer), and David Mullen (producer).

         

The show went really well -- after the show the fitness challengers were off to shoot our tape piece. There were 5 cars following each other to the location in Malibu -- I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say that this workout was NO JOKE. We went to the dunes in Malibu and climbed up an extremely steep mountain covered in sand. Afterwards, we had a beach workout using 5lb poles. I could really get used to working out on the beach with the waves crashing behind us, sun shining in our face, and sweating at the same time. It was absolutely gorgeous and something we don't have the opportunity to do in NY. We were starving by the time we finished the workout and stopped at this little seafood joint on the way back. It was packed and the fish was so fresh! I had an ahi tuna burger on whole wheat bun. Here are some behind the scenes photos of us....make sure you tune into the show on Friday to checkout our workout.   

I am so sorry for the length of this blog, but I a lot has happened over the last few days. Hopefully I will have time within the next few days to write again...I cannot make any promises because I do know tomorrow we have a packed day which begins at 5:00am....which really means I need to be up at 4:00am...Longggg days while we are here in LA. I hope you are all keeping up the good work and I will be in touch soon. When I return to NY, I will answer your questions....that's a PROMISE!

Until next time....Ciaff xo

The Challenge Is Back On

After a fun filled weekend with the boyfriend and parents, I am back to the challenge. We have been so busy at work that I really haven't had much time to blog -- and I apologize. I feel like I really slacked this weekend and made some bad food choices. Well, let me take you back to Saturday night when Vinny and I decided to leave for Mohegan Sun around 8:00pm. Since we knew it was going to take at least 2 hours to get there, and neither of us ate dinner yet, we decided to grab something quick. So, we went to my neighborhood pizzeria and I ate one slice of pizza topped with broccoli, red peppers, and mushrooms. When I used to make really poor food choices, I would have to eat either two slices or one slice and a mini calzone. I figured since the slice was topped with veggies it would hold me over for the car ride. Well, it wasn't my idea of a satisfying dinner, but it sure satisfied Vinny. Wouldn't you be satisfied after eating a buffalo chicken slice of pizza and two meatball calzones. Yea, I am sure you would!

By the time we arrived to Mohegan Sun it was 10:00pm. For those of you who do not know what or where Mohegan Sun is, it is a casino/resort in Connecticut (about 2 hrs. north of NYC) and we went for the weekend. After checking into our room, we walked around for a little bit and noticed this really long line. We walked closer to the beginning of the line to find that all these people were waiting on line for Ben & Jerry's ice cream! People were licking away at their giant cream cones and I was very jealous! I wanted ice cream so badly...and after looking at the menu I noticed they offered low fat frozen yogurt -- so, that was my treat for the night! After questioning the cashier on what flavor had the least amount of calories, I went with a cup of half baked low fat frozen yogurt. Whether or not it was really low in calories, I wasn't sure...but I enjoyed every bit of it!

Sunday we woke up early and ate a healthy breakfast. After losing more money than I would have liked in the casino, we went to see Regis and Joy's show at 3pm. His shows are always very entertaining and the ladies go absolutely crazy for him!!! If he ever takes his show to a town near you, definitely check it out!! Here are some pictures from the show and after the show with Regis, Joy, Vinny, and my parents.

Sunday night my parents took Vinny and I out to dinner at Mohegan Sun. We ate at this phenomenal steakhouse and I made some wise food choices...but check out what I had to look at all night behind my salad -- my favorite, fried calamari! For dinner, I had salmon over potatoes and asparagus! And I enjoyed a glass of white wine with my salmon.

I feel like this blog can go extremely long since I haven't written...but I will try to warp it up as quickly as possible so I don't lose you -- Monday I finally had a deep tissue massage at the spa -- afterward, my neck and back felt great!!

Well, now it is Wednesday and I met with my trainer yesterday. As usual, we had a great workout and also had the privilege of being taped during my workout. When the camera is on you, it is very difficult doing one legged squats on a bosu -- but tune into the show tomorrow (Thursday) to take a look at the classes we have been taking and some of the exercises we do with our trainer!! I have a feeling I am not going to be happy with the turnout when I see myself on camera -- ughhh....the camera is not for me.

I was extremely swamped today and haven't left the office all day -- well, I left the office once to pick up my lunch but that is it! I have been packing all day for LA and preparing itineraries...I always think I am forgetting something and have to go over my "to do" list a hundred times before I feel 100% confident that I am not forgetting anything. I think I am just about ready to go -- my glamorous workout outfit (for the show) is packed and I have some last minute things to pack when I go home. I hear we are doing a fitness segment on the beach in California which scares me just a little bit -- I don't think I ever worked out on the beach and the thought terrifies me...we'll see...and YOU will get to see when it airs one day next week. As of right now, the staff fitness piece will air on Friday, February 29th -- so tune in!!!!

I don't want to bore you with everything I ate over the last few days, but here is what I ate today.

Breakfast - Coffee, Activia Yogurt, Weight Watchers English Muffin with Weight Watchers Cream Cheese. (I ate the yogurt before the show and finished the remainder of my breakfast after the show) -- All of this for 4.5 pts on Weight Watchers!

Lunch - Romaine salad with tofu, carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, chick peas, and the special balsamic dressing (as you can see, I eat the same lunch nearly everyday -- I am hooked on TOFU!)

Afternoon Snack - Apple

Dinner - TBD

Sorry for the long blog, but I am not sure when I will be able to blog again...hopefully we will have some time in LA because I want to answer a lot of your questions. Keep writing in and keep up the good work! Sounds like a lot of you are doing great and that really motivates me!!!! Laurie xo

The Weekend Is Here!!

I cannot believe we just celebrated Valentine's Day?! Wow, where do the days/weeks/months/years go? My boyfriend and I decided to skip the pre-fixed menus and crowded restaurants, and ate a delicious dinner with his parents which was really nice. They always prepare a healthy meal when they know I am coming over...and they love it because they have to eat healthy too!! I actually woke up on Valentine's Day feeling really achy and sick. I hoped that I wasn't coming down with some sort of bug, because I hear there is something going around our building. I was supposed to see my trainer, Camille that afternoon and tried re-scheduling our appointment. Unfortunately, she did not have any time (except 10:00am on Friday) to see me the next day. Since I knew I wouldn't be able to see her twice next week because we are leaving for LA on Thursday, I prayed that by 2:00pm I would be feeling better So, I ate a light breakfast and by the time 2pm came around, I was feeling 90% better. By the end of the workout, I felt 110% better! Working out is like medicine -- I swear! There is never a time when I leave the gym and say "Boy, do I feel like $h*T!" ... I may not always have positive things to say walking into the gym, but by the time it is over, I am like a new person!  Before I met with Camille, I ate a Think Thin bar. I heard about the Think Thin Bars from Elyssa and always wanted to try one. Although the bar was delicious, after I ate it I realized how many calories they were -- 240 calories!! In my opinion, that is way too many calories for one bar -- unless you are replacing the bar with a meal! It got me thru the workout, but didn't hold me over for lunch. I finally remembered to bring my camera so I have some pictures to share with you. I mentioned last week that we did a ton of lunges on the bosu...well, here is how it should look -- I really do love doing them. Camille also has me doing a ton of crunches on the bosu -- I attached those pictures as well!

If you are keeping up with Lori Schulweis' blog, you would know that she is in Napa this weekend with her boyfriend. When Lori decides to take off from work, I am the lucky one who gets to do her work for her!!!! Every time I fill in for her, I realize that there is no reason she needs to be at work till 7-8pm every night. Even though she didn't leave much for me to do, I completed her work and my work by 5:30pm and left work to meet up with Vinny!

Friday was an early morning since again, I was filling in for Lori S. Since I was a little off my normal routine, I decided to eat breakfast after the show. Neil Patrick Harris filled in for Regis today and was hysterical! Baby Week is over and now we are preparing for our LA remote. There is never a dull moment in the world of "live". After the show, I ate breakfast and we had our production meeting. Christine Composto, Dave Mullen, and I decided to go out for lunch. I was planning on going to the gym around noon, until the idea of eating out for lunch was brought up! So, I decided to take a break from the gym on Friday and went to this Asian/Sushi restaurant near our office. It's been a while since we actually went "out" to lunch and after the crazy week we had, I think we deserved it...especially Dave who honchoed the entire Beautiful Baby Contest!! Friday night I had no plans to go out because I wanted to pack for this weekend. My parents, Vinny, and myself are going to Mohegan Sun for the weekend. Some of you might know that Regis is performing there on Sunday, so we are going to see his show and hopefully win lots of money!!! All I wanted for Valentine's Day is a massage, so on Monday morning, I am going for a deep tissue massage at the spa at Mohegan Sun -- I cannot wait! But before I went home to pack on Friday night, of course I went out to eat...AGAIN...but all I had was sashimi and a salad with ginger dressing. If you aren't into raw fish, then you won't appreciate this photo -- sorry. 

And now it is Saturday, and I already accomplished so much! I worked out with my best friend Jackie this morning at her gym. Since she is getting married in 3 weeks, she finally decided to start working out. It was hysterical! I was giving her a similar workout that my trainer gives me -- I cannot wait to see how she feels in the morning! I went to the health food supermarket in my neighborhood and bought these new bars that I really enjoy -- well, they are new to me! They are called flavor & fiber by Gnu Foods -- they have 12g of fiber which is great because Katherine (our nutritionist) wants me to increase my fiber intake. The bars come in a few different flavors...so far, I tried the banana walnut bar and had it as breakfast before my workout this morning. And if you are on Weight Watchers -- the bar is only 2pts! I am spending the rest of the weekend in Mohegan Sun and am leaving in a few hours, so I wanted to catch up with all you bloggers before I left.

Enjoy the rest of your long weekend!!

Thursday/Valentine's Day Menu

Breakfast - Coffee, Activia Yogurt with granola bites

Morning Snack - Apple

Lunch - Think Thin Bar and small romaine salad with tofu, carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, and tomato with fat free honey dijon dressing

Afternoon snack - Curves 100 calorie granola bar

Dinner - Baked Shrimp, Spinach, Mushrooms,  and sweet potatoes, half of cooked artichoke (yummy)

Dessert - Mixed berries and apple

Friday's Menu

Breakfast - Coffee w/skim milk and two equals, apple and baked morning minis (100 calorie mini muffins by Quaker)

Lunch - Shrimp with mixed vegetables and 1 steamed vegetable dumpling, 1 shumai, miso soup

Dinner - 7 piece assorted sashimi and salad with ginger dressing

Snack - 1 cup of grapes

Saturday's Menu

Breakfast - Banana Walnut Gnu Bar

Lunch - Lean Cuisine Santa Fe Sandwich w/ small mixed greens salad

Dinner - TBD

Snowy and Wet Week

We are finally getting a taste of WINTER in NY! And boy, do I hate it! On days like today and yesterday, I really wish I were a Floridian!

Tuesday was a crazy morning -- I had a few friends in the audience who got to watch a fun filled show! They even had a bonus and were able to see some post tapes that will air next week! Cindy and I entertained ourself this morning in the control room -- She was the assigned producer for the Control Room during Tuesday's post tape, while I had to control the teleprompter for Salt-N-Pepa. Although they barely looked at the prompter, I think they had it there for safety since they had to cut their song down. Here is a picture of Cindy and I -- we were singing along to one of their biggest hits, "What A Man" even though from these pictures it looks as though we weren't doing much.

We took a class called "On The Ball" which was not one of my favorites -- I enjoy doing ab exercises on the "ball" but a full hour of exercises on the ball is not my cup of tea! The class focuses on strength training, but since I didn't sweat, I didn't really enjoy it. I guess it's better than nothing!

Today I attempted taking a 6:15am bus until I left my house and was practically ice skating down my pathway. By the time I made it to the bottom of my driveway, it was 6:15 and I missed the bus. So, I had no choice but to take a later bus...got into the city by 7:30am and stepped in a ginormous puddle of water (luckily I had on my rain boots) which wasn't a good start to my day. Oh, and needless to say, I was rushing so much that I didn't even have time to pick up coffee from my coffee guy. Not a good morning.

After the show I had some time to go to the gym -- I wasn't in the mood at all but forced myself to run for 30 minutes. As usual, I felt great once I completed my run and enjoyed a delicious salad after my workout.

I promised I would get to some of your questions this week -- so here we go.

Tina asked: What is your next running sequence? Did your trainer give you any rationale for the way she is telling you to run?

My trainer Camille answered this one: "Basically the program I've given you is a training program that conditions you to run a 5K, which is your goal. Many people get turned off by running because they start off too fast instead of training appropriately. When you start off too fast your body will rebel and you will end up miserable or maybe even injured. This program as you have seen is more of a jogging and walking program that progresses and eases you into running gradually, with the end result of you running your 3 miles!"

Tina, I meet with Camille tomorrow -- once she gives me my next sequence I will let you know!!

Carrie asked: I am looking to order some of those skinny crisps. Have you tried all the flavors or just the plain ones?

Answer: I actually had the chance to taste all of the flavors, but my favorite were the Cinnamon ones -- But I did enjoy the plains ones with a little bit of Laughing Cow cheese spread on top. It makes a good snack! Let me know what you think of them. I hope you aren't disappointed..I have a feeling you won't be.

Betsy asked: Both you an Elyssa really had the least to lose but your getting fit. Will you keep this up after the program ends? Will you be able to get away during the day like you do now and, will you still be able to take classes and have a trainer?

Answer: I plan on continuing the program once we are finished on the show - this is a life changing program that I can easily adapt to. Sure at times I miss some of things I used to eat, but I haven't had this much energy in a long time and I feel great! And plus, after all this hard work, I am not going to let myself go...Hopefully, I will continue working out at Reebok...we'll see!!!

Terry O - You mentioned that I posted my blog at 5:45am...girl, are you crazy?!!? Turns out, I had my blog time set to a different time zone -- not quite sure which time zone, but now my time should be more accurate! Thanks for being concerned!!!

Wednesday's Menu:

Breakfast - cup of plain oatmeal with strawberries

Morning Snack - Pear

Lunch - Romaine salad with shrimp, tofu, broccoli, carrots, red onions, chick peas and my balsamic vinegar/mustard/equal dressing.

Afternoon Snack - Apple

Dinner - Steamed chicken with steamed veggies (from Chinese restaurant)

Snack - No Pudge Brownie

Quickie Monday!

Where did this day go? I swear this was the quickest Monday in a very long time. Maybe because I was constantly doing something all day...Well, today kicked off Beautiful Baby Week - I hope you all voted for your top 5! My cousin was at the show today to see Enrique Iglesias -- she absolutely adores him and he actually remembered her from last time he was on...very impressive and very easy on the eye if you know what I mean! Here, take a look...

Anyway, after the show we had a late meeting -- and by late I mean we didn't start until 12:00pm. You can see everyone's eyes gazing around the room because everyone was so hungry. After the meeting I had a soup from a Thai restaurant. I ordered lunch with Michael Gelman today because his lunch always looks delicious when it arrives and smells up the whole office. Since I brought a sandwich to work today, I decided to order a small tofu w/vegetable soup. It was just okay for me -- had too many different herbs and spices in it which my taste buds weren't into. After lunch, Lawrence Zarian, our fabulous "Fashion Guy" invaded our office and started interviewing each of the staff members on the Challenge. Not quite sure what it was for, when it will air, or why people will care about what we have to say, but I just went with it...I am sure whatever I said will be edited out anyway -- I am so bad on camera it isn't even funny. But whenever it does air, I will be sure to keep you posted...I do know it is for the TV Guide Channel!

After our brief interview with Lawrence I headed over to the gym. I couldn't wait to workout since I hadn't all weekend. So, I started with a 10 minute stretch on the foam roller, then I ran for 25 minutes (for a total of 3.2 miles) and stretched out again after my run for about 10 more minutes. I swear I could roll on that roller all day!!!

When I got back to the office is when I realized the day had flown by -- it was already 4:30 and I had a few more things to get finished before I left the office. By 7:30 I was home, ate dinner, and here I am all ready for bed. I have a ton of things on my "to do" list for tomorrow and MUST get everything done! I cannot believe we are leaving for LA next Thursday -- if it isn't a theme week, we are traveling with the show! We never stop going...but that's what gets me thru the day!

Today's Menu

Breakfast - Pear and Activia Mixed Berry Yogurt

Morning Snack - Apple

Lunch - Small vegetable/tofu soup and turkey, fat free American cheese, and lettuce on WW bun.

Snack - Pear (I am obsessed with pears lately!)

Dinner - Mesclun salad with grilled chicken and grilled shrimp with tomato, black olives, and carrots. And of course my favorite balsamic vinaigrette dressing!

Dessert - Weight Watchers Giant Icecream Bar

A Weekend of Wedding Celebration!!

As I sit here and watch the Grammy Awards, I am trying to take myself back to Friday which was such a joyous day for our deserving Wedding couple! Last week was really exhausting with everything going on, so I apologize for not keeping up with my blog. And my neck was pretty sore all week, so I was trying my hardest to take it easy. Friday was a long day for the staff...but well worth it in the end. By 10:00am, the Wedding show was over and was a huge success! After the "live" show we were off to Tavern on the Green for the reception. Every year I look forward to attending the reception because it's the one time we can have a cocktail "on the job" and it's acceptable. It's also the best lunch of the year because who gets to eat lunch at Tavern's buffet on a daily basis?! Although I didn't have my usual raviolis stuffed with mushrooms and cheese, I made some healthy choices and drank lots of water!! They have delicious carrots and string beans!!

Here are some pictures from the reception!

I am not trying to make excuses, but it is difficult for me to get to the gym over the weekend. I do not live near the gym I go to during the week and no longer belong to a gym in my neighborhood. I have to depend on one of my friends to take me to their gym as a guest if I want to workout over the weekend. Most of the time, my friends are too lazy to hit the gym on a weekend. There are many exercises I can do at home, but I really wanted to get in a run or two this weekend, and there was no chance I was running outside in this weather. Well, plan failed but I have exciting news!! On Saturday night, another one of my best friends got engaged! Her boyfriend (now fiance) told me on Monday that he was popping the question and that I needed to be at this bar on the Upper East Side on Saturday night because he would be taking Margaret there for a drink after their dinner. When Margaret arrived (she said "yes"), all of her friends and family were there to surprise her and congratulate her! Oh, and did I mention that her boyfriend got a 3 hour "open bar" for everyone which means I had a couple...and since it was for a good reason I didn't feel guilty having a good time with my friends...All week, I watched very closely what I ate because I knew I would have some drinks over the weekend and would be eating out every night. I usually stick to white wine when I go out, but it tends to make me sleepy. So, I switched up my drink for the night and thanks to David Mullen, I might be hooked on one of his favorite drinks.....I had Vodka with diet coke (and I added a twist of lime)all night...I never think of drinking that, but it was delicious and by the end of the night I had all my friends drinking it too! I researched the calorie count on what one glass would be and if their calculations are correct...each glass equals approximately 51 calories which isn't that bad! After a long Saturday night, of course I had the munchies at 1:30am...instead of eating a burger and fries from McDonalds like my friends really wanted, I bought a bad of soy crisps and snacked on those in my cab ride home. I wasn't happy when I realized I ate nearly the whole bag of soy crisps, but it beats most of the things I used to eat after a long night out....cheese fries, mozzarella sticks, gyros!!! Sometimes I miss those days...haha...not really!!

CONGRATULATIONS MARGARET & BRIAN!!!

This was the first Sunday I didn't revolve my day around a football game...I had a lot of time on my hand and got a lot accomplished. After eating breakfast (Breakfast = Accomplished) at the diner with my favorite boys -- my dad, brother, and boyfriend, I came home and did some major cleaning (Cleaning = Accomplished). Before I knew it it was 5:30pm and my dad wanted to eat out at one of his favorite Italian restaurants. I really didn't want to go because I knew they didn't have many healthy choices on their menu, but I felt bad declining my dad's offer..So, I sucked it up..went to the restaurant...and had a zuppa di pesce which in Italian means fish soup.(Dinner = Accomplished) It is one of my favorite Italian dishes. Whether or not it was a good choice...I am not 100% sure, but it was delicious and I didn't feel too guilty when I cleaned my plate. When I came home, I prepared lunch (Turkey Sandwich = Accomplished) for tomorrow and did some laundry (Clean Clothes = Accomplished) Now, I the Grammy's are almost over and it's time for bed!!!

I know a few of you have some questions that I promise to answer this week...Here is a re-cap of what I ate over the last 3 days...

Friday

Breakfast - Pear and low fat Activia Yogurt

Lunch - Shrimp cocktail, asparagus, carrots, string beans, cold seafood salad, and two pita chips with hummus

Afternoon snack - apple and WW string cheese

Dinner - 2 vegetable steamed dumpling, miso soup, and 6 pieces of sashimi

Saturday

Breakfast - 1 1/2 cups of Fiber One Cereal with skim milk

Lunch - Yogurt with 100 calorie pack of granola bites

Dinner - Salad with grilled chicken, mushrooms, tomato, red onions, carrots, and olives with balsamic vinegar and mustard dressing

Late late night snack - Bag of sea salt soy crisps

Sunday

Late Breakfast - egg whites omelette with mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, and onions with side of green beans

Afternoon snack - apple

Dinner - mixed greens salad, and Zuppa Di Pesce

Snack - WW Icecream sundae

I Got Stiffed

At 6:15am this morning, I knew today wasn't going to be a good day. After my shower, I flipped my head over to dry my hair and pulled something in my neck...muscle, nerve, something that caused so much pain that I could barely get back up and turn my head. This lead me to missing my bus and having a stiff neck all day. I had big plans for today -- aside from wanting to meet Michael Strahan from the NY Giants (I didn't let my pain stop me from doing that) I had planned on running my next sequence today. Well, that plan failed, however I got a lot of work done today in slow motion. This morning Dr. Gelman and Dr. Raptis (Deborah Raptis - one of our producers) said I need to take Motrin or Advil ASAP! Well, I had just taken 3 Tylenol and planned on taking a muscle relaxer later in the day. I took both of the "doctors" advice and took motrin around lunch time. It didn't help much, but what I thought would really help was a massage. I needed someone to put a lot of pressure on my neck. Dr. Gelman didn't offer to give me a massage, so after work I decided to go to my nail salon and get a 15 minute massage. Although that didn't help much either, what really helped was what I did tonight. I literally sat under my shower with the water on the hottest temperature my body could take. The heat felt so good on my neck and started to losen my muscles. Before I go to bed I will put a heating wrap on my neck -- let's see if that does magic! 

But back to my day -- since Michael Strahan was on the show my boyfriend and his cousin from Italy decided to come to the show. I was looking forward to meeting Michael and congratulating him on his victory! He was nice enough to sign a football for me and we even took a picture -- I forgot to ask him to take off his shirt!

After the show Vinny met with Regis -- Regis always asks me about Vinny and how he is doing on the job. He hasn't seen Vinny since he joined the FDNY, so here they are catching up on the new job. It was very intense! And here's a pic of me & Michael Strahan!!

I had to sneak out of our production meeting around noon to meet with our nutritionist, Katherine. She said that she thinks I am doing great and told me to keep eating what I am eating. After one month, the eating thing is becoming much easier and there is never a time when I am starving. I believe this is because I am NOT depriving myself and have definitely acquired new snacks throughout my day. Over a month ago, I would depend on two 100 calorie packs or a bar as a snack. Now that I have replaced those snacks with healthier snacks such as yogurt and almonds, or yogurt and a piece of fruit, they certainly fulfill my in between meal cravings. I mentioned to Katherine that I am a fan of sugar free hard candies and I wasn't sure how she felt about them. She said that if I eat a sugar free hard candy (no more than 10 calories per piece) to satisfy my sweet tooth, she is totally cool with that! Some of my favorite sugar free candies include Baskin Robbins sugar free mint chocolate chip and Edy's Assorted Fruit Sugar Free Candies -- they are both delicious and help me from indulging into another snack.

Like I said earlier, after work I went for a 15 minute massage -- then I met up with my best friends at our FAVORITE Mexican restaurant. We were due for a dinner night out so we let the bride to be have her way and went to the restaurant of her choice. For someone who is getting married next month, she really doesn't care about what she is eating so we went for Mexican. Her dress is definitely not slim fitting - ours is! Here she is taking over the basket of chips and drinking her sangria -- as she always does!

Since today is Ash Wednesday we couldn't eat meat, so my friend Jeanette and I couldn't decide between two entrees. So, she ordered a spinach burrito and I ordered a shrimp with veggies fajita. We split each order which were both delicious. Some of my friends are really trying to eat healthier the month before the wedding. Here are Jeanette & Margaret drinking water -- I told you they are trying!!!

Although I was in a lot of pain today and very stiff, I had a good day and enjoyed my break from working out. Hopefully tomorrow my neck will be better because I am looking forward to our group exercise class -- we will be working out with Madonna's personal trainer -- do you think we will look like Madonna after the class? Doubt it -- but a girl could dream!!!

Today's Menu

Breakfast - Activia Yogurt with granola bites and apple

Lunch - Romaine salad with tofu, carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, white beans, tomato with balsamic vinegar, mustard, equal dressing

Afternoon Snack - Light Laughing Cow Cheese on 2 skinny crisps

Dinner - 1/2 spinach burrito, 2 fajitas with shrimp and vegetable. 1/2 cup of rice and 1/2 cup of black beans and 1 cup of sangria -- I know this is a lot of food but I can't help myself sometimes when it comes to Mexican food....and at least I enjoyed every bite!!

If Madonna Calls...

I'm at the gym...and missed her! I think I am the only one who missed all the celeb sightings today at the gym. Actually, I had a sighting in the elevator -- remember Larry Appleton from Perfect Strangers? His name is Mark Linn-Baker...well, he was in the elevator with me on my way to Reebok and another lady was completely star struck when she saw him! It was quite amusing!  Although I would have loved to watch A-Rod workout, I don't mind that much because I wouldn't have had an awesome workout today with my trainer, Camille.

I met with Camille today at 2pm, and I am still trying to figure out what works best for me...eating lunch before or after my workout. Today, Christine Composto and I decided to get a salad from the cafeteria around 12:30 -- I thought that would give me more than enough time to digest and feel ready to go by 2pm. By the time I finished my salad it was 1:30pm -- it's impossible to not get disrupted while eating lunch at your desk, therefore it can take over an hour at times just to finish a salad. When I met with Camille I felt stuffed and was whining when I had to do my push ups and lunges. But after 15 minutes, I was warmed up, sweating, and forgot about my stomach ache. I think I may have been using that as an excuse because she was working me really hard today, but I felt great by the end of my workout. We did this really fun exercise on the bosu today -- I wish I had a picture to really explain it to you -- but I will try my best to put in writing. Make sure the flat side of the bosu is faced down and the round part is up like the picture below. 

Start by putting one foot on the center of the bosu -- do a lunge then bring that foot you just lunged on up to your knee (holding your balance) and returning to a lunge. The first few times were very shaky, but once I got going, I loved it and couldn't stop. Camille and I were doing it together -- do this on each foot. It is great for your legs, butt, and abs because you have to squeeze all your muscles together to maintain your balance on your way up...try it!

Camille gave me another assignment for this week -- since I was able to successfully run my last sequence (walk 5, run 10, etc...) she wants me to walk for 5 minutes then run for 25 minutes straight (without a break)...sounds a bit challenging but she thinks it will be easy for me! I am going to give it a try tomorrow -- I will let you know how it goes.

When I got back to the office, I had a ton of work to do -- this week and the weeks to come are non stop for us....this week we are working on our annual Wedding show --- speaking of Wedding, we have a Wedding blog now on our website and you can send your wishes to the couple...click here to read what they have to say and leave them a message on our very new "Wedding Blog" http://blogs.liveregisandkelly.com/lives_wedding_2008/index.html Next week kicks off Beautiful Baby Week -- stay tuned for the bumpers that we will air next week (bumpers are clips that air in and out of commercial breaks if we have enough time) featuring tons and tons of baby entries...I am currently working on them and love putting them together! They are all so adorable!

                                                       Here is one of my personal favorites -- My beautiful godson, Julian !

After work, I met up with my boyfriend and his family for what they refer to as an ordinary Italian dinner...but to me, I felt like it was Thanksgiving. His cousin from Italy is here (he came here to go to the Superbowl!) so the family got together for dinner which included turkey, eggplant, pasta, pizza, sweet potatoes, broccoli, crab cakes, shrimp, and the list goes on...I am not even kidding. It is torture when that much food is put right in front of your eyes. Since everyone knows that I am on the Challenge, they are understanding and not insulted when I pass on their homemade Italian cheesecake or pasta. I survived the Italian feast and am calling it a night.

Today's Menu

Breakfast - Weight Watchers Lemon Pie yogurt with granola bites

Morning Snack - Apple and 4 pieces of skinny crisps (someone sent these to the office, and I think I am hooked! They are delicious - check out their website http://skinnycrisps.com/ )

Lunch - Romaine salad with tofu, carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, tomato, onions, and broccoli with my favorite dressing.

Dinner - Small piece of eggplant, slice of turkey breast, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and 2 slices of sweet potato.

Dessert - Pear 

Superbowl = Super Delay with my blog!

Happy Monday to you and all I have to say is Gooooo Giants!!! What a thrilling game and way to end the weekend. Too bad I could barely keep my eyes open at work today, but the late night celebratory was well worth it. After the GIANTS victory, my brother and I popped a bottle of champagne and celebrated with some friends!!!
                                                         
Since I haven't posted in a while...let's backtrack to Friday night...Seems like so long ago that I can't even remember what I did...Oh, I know...I celebrated my best friends fiance's 30th birthday -- she had a party at their new place and I brought the healthy spinach dip with pita chips. I knew there wasn't going to be much for me to eat, so I convinced one of my friends to bring 100 calorie packs of Hostess cupcakes. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat the birthday cake, so instead, I indulged in 3 mini cupcakes -- my friend Jessica displayed them in a large dish and told everyone she baked them...no one fell for it because they were too good! They come in so many different flavors now -- banana, blueberry, cinnamon crumb cake, and carrot cake just to name a few. Here we are holding out platter of healthy Hostess cupcakes -- but keep in mind that for every three you eat, you are consuming 100 calories -- so, try not to get carried away! They can become very addicting!  

On Saturday, I decided to go to my local gym and try my new sequence in running that Camille gave me. I explained to Camille the other day that I get a little intimidated when people around me are running 6 or 7 miles and I am still only running 3-4 miles at a time. She does not want me to go ahead, because she said we have plenty of time and she doesn't want me to strain my leg muscles. So, this week I had to run the following sequence...Walk for 5 minutes, Run for 5 minutes, Walk for 3 minutes, Run for 10 minutes, Walk for 3 minutes, Run for 10 minutes, and Walk for 3 minutes, then cool down. After completing this run, I ran approximately 3.7 miles and I did this on Saturday and today (Monday). I felt like a champ after my run on Saturday that I decided to go out with the girls for some drinks. However, I decided to b e the designated driver that night so I knew I would NOT drink. My friends were so mad that I wasn't drinking and couldn't believe that I made it thru the night with a only water. Now I am making myself sound like an alcoholic, but it wasn't that bad. Although, I would have loved a glass of wine! After our night out, my friends were begging me to take them to the diner -- at 3:00am -- I was not letting that happen...so instead, they decided to order two pizza pies and two cheeseburgers with fries when we got back to my friends house -- yes, my friends are big eaters!

<~~Here is Roe chowing down on her second slice of pizza -- look what I have to deal with?              And here is Jessica eating her cheese-less pizza ~~>

Instead, I grabbed an apple while they scarfed down their greasy, cheesy, slice of pizza at 4:00am....Yuck!

Sunday was a BIG day as you know -- to sum it up, I couldn't leave my house and had no desire to go to a bar or Superbowl party...this was a serious game and I needed to give my undivided attention to the game with no interruptions. Luckily, everyone in my house has the same attitude when it comes to watching a GIANTS game.  I ate a late lunch/early dinner on Saturday with hopes that I wouldn't be too hungry by game time. I actually would like to share with you the late lunch/early dinner I prepared for my family. Chicken breast glazed in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and garlic. I topped the chicken with thyme and mushrooms. It was delicious, healthy, and held me throughout most of the game!!! I kept some veggies nearby for my commercial break cravings!!

Today was the big weigh in -- and to my surprise I actually lost 1lb!! On Saturday, I weighed myself and was up 2lbs...so, I don't really know which scale to believe, but I will take the number that the scale gave me on the show this morning. Even though I don't feel like I am losing weight, people around me are telling me that I look much slimmer and leaner -- I definitely notice a difference in the way my jeans are fitting me which is great and appreciate all of your comments!!! Please keep the words of encouragement coming and all of your tips! I read them everyday -- even though I don't post my blog as frequently as I would like, I find time everyday to sit and read what YOU have to say..so, thank you!!!

I don't want to bore you with my entire menu from the weekend, so here is what I ate today (Monday)

Breakfast (post weigh in) - Coffee with skim milk and two equals, Weight Watchers bagel with weight watchers cream cheese, and a pear. -- I highly recommend this breakfast! All this for a total of 4.5 pts. on WW!

Lunch - Romaine salad with tofu, asparagus, red onions, tomato, carrots, chickpeas with my new dressing -- balsamic vinegar w/ mustard and 1 pack of equal - and apple

Afternoon snack - Activia Yogurt

Dinner - Progresso Vegetable Soup and banana

Dessert - Weight Watchers Ice cream bar

Surprise...Surprise!

Again...I just deleted my blog -- what is wrong with me? I cannot believe I just did that for the second time. You would think I would learn to save my blogs.

We had a feeling...and we were correct! Today during the show, Regis and Kelly announced that our next weigh in will be on Monday -- yes, the Monday AFTER Superbowl Sunday! Can you believe that? First, they put us on a scale after New Years and now the day after Superbowl Sunday. I am a little nervous because I don't think I am losing weight, and I really don't want to disappoint any of you. But trust me, I am building muscle. For lunch, I went to the cafeteria to buy a salad -- Lori S. was nice enough to share with me her secret dressing recipe -- it was delicious!! Try it -- balsamic vinegar, spicy mustard, and 1 pack of equal!! I think I might be hooked!!! You will be too!!!

Today I actually met with my trainer, Camille who kicked my butt! We started by doing a ton of exercises that focus on my core -- we actually ALWAYS do exercises that focus on my core because it will help me become a better runner. Here are some pictures from my session.

Pictures starting from left to right -- Here I am attempting 15 push ups and Elyssa is trying to hold me down!! Down and Up...5 more to go! 4th pic - these are killers...try balancing on one foot and doing squats on the BOSU...switch feet after 10 squats..5th pic - End of the workout -- Me and my kick a$$ trainer, Camille.

     

Camille actually told me that I am inspiring her to get back into running -- can you believe that? She is like me and is not a huge fan of running...she figured if she can train people to run, why not train herself? We agreed to run together and hopefully run a 5k one day!!

After my workout I came back to the office -- finished some work -- and then headed to my boyfriends house. We ate dinner together and I actually got to bed early.

Breakfast - Coffee with skim milk and 2 equals, dannon Lowfat yogurt with granola bites

Snack - 100 calorie pack of mini peanut butter crisps

Lunch - Romaine Salad with shrimp and mixed veggies.

Afternoon Snack - Apple

Dinner - Salmon with broccoli and asparagus

What Day Is It?

For some reason today, I kept forgetting the day -- I cannot believe it is already Wednesday! Boy, time really flies when you are having fun at work!

For the last two days, I noticed our catering company has been sending pears to our Green Room -- pears are one of my favorite fruits so I went in there during the show to find a few slices of pear not touched. So, I snatched a few slices and had that as part of my breakfast which was extremely filling -- well, at least till 10:15am...although I love my APPLES it is nice to switch up your fruits every once in a while -- at around 10:15am I got hungry since I didn't really eat a complete breakfast..headed over to the gym for a cup of oatmeal with strawberries....Delicious!

After the show I came back to my desk to find Regis on the floor getting a massage by our talent booker, Kelly Burkhard...it is becoming a daily routine and is really something to see...I thought you should see it too -- check out this pic.

I decided to wait to workout today until later this afternoon -- I had a lot of work to do so I went around 2:30pm....I ran for only 2.5 miles and did tons of stretching -- lately, I have been stretching before AND after my run...today I only stretched after my run and totally regretted it...I probably could have ran longer but I felt my muscles tightening up and if I had stretched on the foam roller beforehand, I probably could have gone longer.

When I got home from work today I decided to go to the supermarket because I was running low on yogurts -- for someone who was going to stock up on yogurt, I managed to fill up a shopping cart and spent nearly $100...I bought more of my favorite Weight Watchers ice cream sundaes, hummus, pita chips, rice cakes, and a couple more things. And since I am such a sucker for 100 calorie packs (even though they don't fill me) I had to buy 100 calorie peanut butter rice cakes -- they looked so cute!  I read somewhere today about all these fun recipes you can do with a rice cake -- imagine that? Once I try them, I will share with you. I absolutely love trying new things!

I had a lovely surprise when I walked into my house this evening -- my foam roller had already arrived!! I just ordered it yesterday -- talk about quick service! So, I just spent the last 30 minutes trying new stretches on the foam roller -- the company sent a brochure of all the stretches you can do on it too! I've said it before...and I will say it again...I highly recommend the foam roller!! Oh yea, after dinner I baked my popular peanut butter cookies -- I don't eat them, but everyone else enjoys them and it is my friends 30th birthday on Friday -- I promised him his favorite cookies!! This is a picture of the cookies I made for Christmas -- but the peanut butter ones are on the far right!!!! Don't they look yummy?!

That's it for tonight --- Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast -- the usual coffee with skim milk and 2 equals, plain oatmeal with 4 strawberries, and a pear

Morning Snack - 100 calorie blondie (what a waste)

Lunch - Romaine Salad with grilled chicken, asparagus, tomato, mushrooms, and carrots.

Afternoon Snack - Apple

Dinner - Lean Cuisine pasta with veggies

Dessert - WW ice cream sundae

Two For One!

Hi bloggers! I slacked a little bit yesterday, therefore you will be hearing about two days in this one blog. And trust me, nothing too exciting has happened over the last two days, but here we go.

Yesterday,  a typical Monday -- got to work around 7:30am...after the show we had a production meeting, I ate lunch and went to the gym. I decided to run for about 35 minutes and am finding it much easier -- and enjoyable too!! It is really important to have some fun songs on your ipod while running -- at least for me! So, there I was running to Kelly Clarkson, Kanya West, and Destiny's Child while watching Paula Dean on The Food Network...I absolutely love her! There is something weird about watching people cook while I am running  -- but it gets me thru it! I guess because everything looks delicious that I tell myself "If you run just one more mile, maybe you can treat yourself to that Cinnamon Bun one morning"...yeah, right?! I would never indulge in a cinnamon bun but it works!! So, I ran a total of 3.5 miles in 35 minutes.

Today was a little more exciting than yesterday. I took the bus into work today with my mom and grandmother. They were spending the day in the city, and why not start their day off with a little love from "live." If it were up to them, they would come to the show everyday -- they love it here. But twice a year is more than enough. I was busy during the show snapping shots of Schully who dressed up as a crazy NY Giants fan -- it was hysterical! See her blog for photos and video if you missed the show. After the show my mom and grandmother chatted with the staff and were on their way. We had a quick, yet exciting production meeting at 11:00am. As we were going over tomorrow's lineup, we heard a screeching scream coming from the back of the room. Sure enough, it was Jennifer Ulrich who spotted a little mouse inside her desk drawer -- she opened her drawer to get a snack and the mouse crawled on her hand and sprinted away. It caused an up roar in the office and was quite amusing I might add -- most of us are petrified of this little rodent, but some people think it is hysterical. Here is Jen who looks like she just saw a ghost!

After the meeting, I ordered my own foam roller, ate a light lunch and went over to the gym for our weekly group class. Today we took a body wedge class which was great! All it takes is some free weights, body wedge, and a great instructor to tell you exactly what to do.                                                 Here is what a Body Wedge looks like...

The class consists of sitting and standing on the wedge doing crunches, push ups, lunges, squats, and lots more. Our instructor, Jon Giswold was awesome and he really explains each exercise and which part of your body each exercise is working on. During the class we had a surprise visit from Regis & Joy Philbin -- they decided to take the class with us and agreed that it as a great class.

Here we are after the class with Megan Buchaan from SELF and Jon Giswold. Megan, thanks for all the stretch suggestions -- I will be sure to try them!!!!

I am finding that I am so hungry after I workout -- although I am eating healthier snacks in the afternoon, I keep getting this craving for something else...is this normal? any tips would be greatly appreciated - thanks!!

Here is what I ate on Monday:

Breakfast - coffee with skim milk 2 equals and lemon non fat yogurt with apple

Lunch - Turkey, lettuce, mustard, on whole wheat wrap.

Afternoon snack - mixed greens salad with lots of veggies and balsamic vinegar (after gym)

Dinner - 2 pieces of grilled chicken, string beans, and salad

Snack - 1 cup of grapes

Tuesday's Menu:

Breakfast - same thing as Monday....see above....

Lunch -- same thing as Monday....see above

Afternoon snack - apple and small mixed greens with veggies (after gym)

Dinner - breast of chicken, asparagus, and salad

Snack - 1/2  cup of grapes

The Week Ends Again...

Where do I begin? Do you want to hear about the two too many glasses of wine I drank this weekend or the creamy spinach I couldn't resist on Saturday night or the bowl of tomato sauce I spilled all over myself and my kitchen?

Basically, it was another non stop weekend of celebrating! Since my boyfriend was working on his birthday, which was Friday, I decided to go out for dinner and drinks with the girls! I consumed only 2 glasses of wine, but you would think I was pounding shopts of tequila all night. Since I am not drinking as much wine as I used to, the wine quickly effected me.                                       

On Saturday, I went out to breakfast with my parents at our favorite diner. My mom and I ate a healthy breakfast, but as usual, my dad and brother could care less if they healthy.                                         

                                          Here is a picture of my delicious, yet healthy omelette! ~>

That afternoon, I headed to Vinny's house to celebrate his birthday! We went to a steakhouse for dinner and met up with some friends for drinks to follow. Everything sounded delicious on the menu, but I decided to go with a healthy fish entree. It was difficult to stay away from the side dishes. We tried ordering the healthiest (or at least close to healthy) dessert on the menu and then went to a bar with some friends...I didn't drink anything at the bar.

Here we are getting ready to eat our dessert -- mixed berries drizzled with vanilla icecream

I woke up at 11:00am on Sunday...It felt amazing to sleep past 8:00am! On Sunday, we continued celebrating my boyfriend's birthday at his house (we always find a reason to celebrate!) and went to a Fire Department Expo at Nassau Colliseum...don't ask. After the Expo, we went back to his house to enjoy a homemade dinner by his mom (she made lots of veggies for me) and we had cake...I passed on the cake. His nephews came by too and kept us busy most of the afternoon. That night, we saw the movie Juno -- Ellen Paige (the main character) was great...but overall, the movie was just ok for me.                                     

                                              Here's a picture of Vinny with his adorable nephews ~>

I didn't get any running in this weekend -- when I don't workout for a day or two, I feel like I am cheating myself. But I worked out 5 days last week which was the most I have done in a very long time. This week I will definitely make up for the two days I did not work out.

Here is what I ate over the weekend:

Saturday

Late Breakfast - Coffee with skim milk and 2 equals and egg whites omelette with spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes. 

Afternoon Snack - Apple

Dinner - This was a problem...One small crabcake, chopped mixed greens salad, grilled halibut over a bed of spinach. Sides included a scoop of creamy spinach (I had to) and grilled mushrooms. For dessert, we shared mixed berries with drizzled vanilla icecream. And we ordered a bottle of wine -- but he drank most of it!

Sunday

Late Breakfast - Coffee with skim milk and 2 equals and pear

Early Dinner - Cooked chickpeas, escarole, sweet potatoes, grilled zucchini, broccoli, one piece of baked chicken.

Snack - WW Giant Icecream Bar and 10 grapes

TGIF!!!!!!

TGIF!! So far, today has been a great day! I got 8 hours of sleep last night and felt great when I woke up this morning. I got into work today around 9:00am...this was only because we didn't have a "live" show. I did some work and met with Katherine, our nutritionist at 10:45am. We went over my food log for the week and I explained to her (as I have been explaining to you) about my feelings on not losing weight. She said it is completely normal for me NOT to lose weight within 2 weeks. She said I actually might gain weight in the beginning because I am building muscle tissue from working out. She also said that once I begin running 3 times per week, I will start to shed some pounds. Katherine is also concerned about my sleeping habits and suggests I get to bed no later than 10:30 on a week night. I will try....

Today is my boyfriends birthday -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIN!! -- and tomorrow night we are going out to dinner to celebrate. I printed out the menu to the restaurant we will be eating and went over it with Katherine. We are eating at another steakhouse and I wanted to hear Katherine's feelings on ordering steak. She told me, for a special occasion, it is okay to eat red meat and some sides. I am not a HUGE fan of red meat anyway, but I know when he is eating his juicy steak, I am going to wish I ordered one too!! We'll see...the menu has plenty of fish choices too!!

After my meeting with Katherine, I went to the gym to go for a run. I successfully ran the same distance as I did yesterday. I ran for a total of 3 miles and stretched before and after my run. I felt great when it was over!!! After my workout I bought lunch at the gym and returned to the office. I got a lot of work done today because it is very quiet in the office. Most people take off on days we do not have a "live" show, but I don't mind coming in because I get a lot of things done.

See...here I am sitting at my desk...writing my blog. If it were another day, this probably wouldn't get done until this evening.

Tonight I am going out for dinner and drinks with the girls...I made sure I ate a light breakfast and lunch because I can certainly use a glass (or two) of wine this evening and want to save my calories for that.

Here is what I ate (so far) today...

Breakfast - Coffee with skim milk and 2 equals, Raspberry Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt, and banana

Lunch - Romaine lettuce mixed with carrots, tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, onions, grilled chicken and balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Afternoon snack - Apple and 100 calorie pack of Snyders pretzels

Dinner - TBD

Turnaround Thursday

I knew by my day ending on a good note was too good to be true! I literally just sat here for an hour and put together a great blog with tons of pictures -- I went to preview my blog and accidentally deleted it. So, I will try my best to write everything again....but now I am really frustrated. Oh, I am so angry at you BLOG and myself...

Let me briefly talk about last night -- I got to bed late..again...For someone who wakes up everyday at 5:20am, there is no reason I should be going to bed at 11:45pm. Yes, it was 11:45pm and I was watching David Letterman...I finally forced myself to get to bed, but of course I kept myself busy all night. When I got home from work last night, I had the urge to attend a Weight Watchers meeting. Even though I have been following the WW program, it has been 2 months since I attended a WW meeting. The meetings are very inspiring, so I decided to go to a 7:00pm meeting. I used to go on a weekly basis and then started slacking when the holidays came around. I wasn't surprised when I weighed in and I hadn't lost a pound. I know muscle weighs more than fat, but it really frustrates me. After the meeting, I was in somewhat of a bad mood, so I decided to go shopping. Did I need to go shopping? Absolutely NOT...but shopping is uplifting when you are feeling down...right ladies?!? I got home around 9:00pm..ate a salad, showered, put 100 photos into an album, and cleaned. I don't know why I had to clean and put photos in an album, but I always feel like there is something that needs to be done which leads me to getting to bed so late. I really have to work on my poor sleeping habits. Anyway, my late night led me to waking up feeling miserable, sleepy, and not in the mood to move. I didn't think it would be a good day.

Morning went by fast as usual...and by lunchtime everyone was heading to the gym as we usually do during our lunch hour. Since I wasn't in the mood to workout, I decided to pamper myself and get a manicure and pedicure. So, my friend Alexis and I spent our lunch hour getting our nails done.

<~~Here are my pretty feet                        Here is Alexis ~~>

After our mani/pedi, we returned to the office and I ate a cup of soup at my desk. Before I knew it, it was 5:00pm and Lori S. had just walked in from her workout. She asked me "Why didn't you go to the gym? What happened?" I told her that I was trying to make my way there after work, but I just didn't have it in me. She told me that she didn't either, but feels great now that she worked out! She encouraged me to go and said I will feel so much better afterward. Well, she was right!! I went to the gym after work and felt like a superstar by the end of my workout. Thanks Lori!

Here is what I did at the gym per my trainer, Camille's request...and she wants me doing this 3 times a week.

I began stretching on the foam roller for 10 minutes...

Christine - you asked for a picture of the foam roller, so here you go!! Camille promised to give me a website where we can purchase foam rollers -- Here is a website where you can purchase your own foam roller -- thanks for that Camille! http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_4918_A_CategoryID_E_487

After my stretch, I walked on the treadmill for 5 minutes, then I ran for 5 minutes, then walked for 3 minutes, then ran for 8 minutes, then walked for 3 minutes, then ran for 10 minutes, then cooled down for 5 minutes. I must admit, that this running thing is becoming much easier for me..and my knees didn't bother me once. I ran/walked for a total of 3.19 miles and have posted my workout summary as proof!!! Honestly, I felt like I could probably run another 3 miles,but I had a train to catch (EXCUSES...EXCUSES)

After my run, I stretched my legs again on the foam roller for 15 minutes. By the time I got home, I was starving. I made myself a small mixed greens salad and warmed up a Lean Cuisine meal. After dinner, I had the desire to bake. I love baking and decided to make these easy, quick, delicious, and healthy brownies. All you need is 3 ingredients -- NO PUDGE brownie mix, non fat plain yogurt (or non fat vanilla yogurt) and a tsp of Vanilla Extract (you do not need the vanilla if you have vanilla yogurt) -- if you LOVE brownies like I do, you should try these...the directions are on the brownie mix box.

This is all you need!!!!

          And VOILA! It's that easy!                                                                     

Here is what I ate today -

Breakfast - my usual coffee with skim milk and 2 equals. Strawberry Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt and 100 calorie pack of granola bites.

Morning Snack - Apple

Lunch - Health Valley Zesty Bean Soup and peach

Dinner - Mixed greens salad with balsamic vinegar and oil, Lean Cuisine meal which included Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes and carrots (total = 6ts on WW)

Snack - one NO PUDGE brownie!

Half Way There...It's Wednesday!!

Today was a good day -- I met with my trainer Camille and as usual, she made me work really hard. I explained to her my running experience from the weekend, and she agreed that I was crazy for running on one of the coldest days of the winter. I ran the other day on the treadmill and later that day my knees were bothering me. Camille said that my legs/knees are bothering me because my muscles are extremely tight....especially in my right leg. For so many years I noticed how my right foot would always turn out when I was walking, running, or even performing stunts back in my cheerleading days. I thought that was just me and didn't think there was much I could do about it. But now, thank god for Camille, who was able to target my problem within 5 minutes of seeing me workout, I now know that it can be fixed with major stretching. So, after my training session with Camille, I rolled on my new best friend aka the foam roller, for about 15 minutes. I also think I am going to get a deep tissue massage on Friday. She encouraged me to get one and said it will really help loosen my muscles.

Here is a little taste of what I worked on with Camille:

Warm Up - 3 minutes of walking...Planks on fitness ball..push ups on the fitness ball...here's what you need to do for the push ups...roll on the ball allowing just your pelvic area and below to remain on the ball...your feet might be hanging off...do 10 push ups...the more you do...the more difficult it gets!! We did a ton of upper body exercises focusing on my biceps, triceps, shoulders, and back. We also did this awesome exercise for your butt...you will need a small bench or even a chair for this exercise...standing on one foot sit back (as if you were sitting in a chair) allowing your butt to tap the chair. And then slowly sit back up squeezing your butt and abs. Do this 10 times on each foot! I am sure my booty will be in pain tomorrow.

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast - Coffee with skim milk and two equals (this is my usual)...and a mixed berries dannon light yogurt and 100 calorie pack of granola bites

Morning snack - Peach

Lunch - Romaine lettuce with a ton of mixed veggies (asparagus, carrots, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms) with balsamic vinegar and oil and apple

  <~~ Afternoon snack - 15 almonds (I buy the 100 calorie packs by Blue Diamond -- it is more controlling when you eat one small bag, instead of constantly putting your hand in a jar of almonds)

Dinner - Another salad with grilled chicken, celery, a few pieces of cheese, walnuts, and tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Sandy, Betsy, and Terry - I appreciate all of your encouraging comments about the number I see on the scale. I know muscle weighs more than fat, but I never want to believe that...and I know I shouldn't get discouraged...but sometimes I cannot help it. I will try to take your advice and stop worrying about the number....thank you ladies!!

Sandy -- Congrats on losing 2lbs...I am very proud of you!!

Betsy -- get on that treadmill and turn on your tivo -- I promise that our host chats will get you thru a few good runs!!! And I have definitely noticed a difference in the way my clothes are fitting, so I guess that is a good thing!!!

Terry - I definitely notice that I have way more energy. I have a 30 minute commute home after work. Normally, I would take a nap the second I find a seat on the train, but these last few days, I have actually been catching up on my gossip magazines and not catching some zzzzzzzsssssssss....

Enjoy the rest of your week -- sounds like you are all doing great!!!!

Laurie

The Things You Can Do With A Ball..A Medicine Ball!

Lately, my days have been flying by...I guess that is because between working, logging my food, working out, blogging, and eating healthy meals, the time goes by much quicker. I am a bit frustrated because I don't think I am losing weight -- I am working out so much more than I have in a while, eating healthy, and have not seen a change on the scale. Although I don't want to lose much weight, it would be nice to see some change in that magical number that we all hate!

Today we took a Speedball class. I actually became hooked on this class a few months ago after taking it once at the gym. After my first class, I tried returning as many Friday's as my schedule allowed. It is a great way to end your week, but unfortunately, our gym has cancelled the Friday class. BRING IT BACK!! Speedball is a class that includes different movements adding a medicing ball to every move you make for resistance. This class is fun and a full hour of non stop movement...it is a great cardio workout and will have you sweating after 15 minutes. Michelle Ho usually teaches the class that I take at Reebok, but today she and the founder of Speedball, Steve Feinberg, instructed the class together. Here is a picture of us before the class...they were going over some basic moves with me! And, here we are posing for the camera!! At one point, we had to partner up with someone...Cindy and I paired up together and did a lot of throwing of the ball to eachother. We also did this one exercise where we were back to back....You only need one medicine ball for this exercise. One person bends over and puts the legs in between their legs and passes it to their partner. Your partner puts the ball over their head and hands it off to you....you keep repeating this..but make sure you don't bump heads with your partner like I did to Cindy on my way up. If you want to learn about the Speedball Program, check out their website...it's awesome! www.speedballfitness.com

Tomorrow I meet with my trainer, Camille!! I will let share any good tips after our session.

Today's menu included:

Breakfast - Dannon Light Yogurt with 100 calorie granola bites

Lunch - Miso Soup and apple

Afternoon snack - 2 Snackwells Peanutbutter wafers (4pts. for 2 on WW) and peach

DInner - Smart Ones Frozen Meal - Santa Fe Chicken with roasted potatoes and broccoli (Total pts. = 6 pts.)

Back to Work on the King's Birthday!

I couldn't get out of bed this morning...I was so tired from staying up to watch the game and all the interviews afterward. Luckily, today was a quiet day at work...since most companies were off today, the phones weren't really ringing and emails weren't coming in...But I can't complain, because I had time to prepare a healthy breakfast, lunch, and workout. I had no motivation to workout but we pushed eachother to get to the gym.  We had no excuses today.

At 2:00pm, Elyssa and I decided to go to the gym and run. Since I had a bad experience running yesterday, I had to get a run in today. So, I did Elyssa's trainers "Fat Burning Run" which begins by walking for 1 minute, and then sprinting for 1 minute. You have to continue alternating until you reach 10 minutes. (The sprint should be at a speed you couldn't sustain for more than 5 minutes. The walk should be fast enough so that you are just catching your breath right before you have to start sprinting again.)This format made 10 minutes fly by! I really enjoyed it. But I promised Camille (my trainer) that I would do my homework and run for 8 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. I did this for a total of 30 minutes and completed 3 miles of running for today! After my run, I rolled on the foam roller to stretch my leg muscles and headed back to the office. Tomorrow, as a group, we are taking a Speed Ball class which is one of my favorite classes at the gym!

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast - WW Bagel, 2 slices of fat free American cheese, 2 slices of tomato, and coffee with skim milk and 2 equals

Lunch - Turkey, Alpine Swiss (light) cheese, lettuce, mustard, on a whole wheat wrap. Apple.

Dinner - Steamed chicken with steamed veggies. 1/2 cup of brown rice

Dessert - WW Giant Fudge Ice cream Bar (2 pts.)

*SORRY NO PICS TODAY *

Ohh what a weekend -- We're going to the SUPER BOWL!

GO GIANTS! What a way to end the weekend! Here is my a photo of my godson, Julian getting ready for the big game too!! What a thrilling and riveting game that was...I am actually so glad it is over. I had a lot going on this weekend, so I will try to recap it without writing a novel.

Friday night -- After a long day at work, I went out to dinner with my boyfriend, his cousin Enzo and his wife/my friend, Marianna. We were celebrating the boys birthdays! They both share January birthdays and wanted to go to a steakhouse. I was so tempted to order a juicy steak, but I chose a healthy fish entree...Sea bass stuffed with crab meat...it was delicious! I couldn't resist and had a scoop of mashed potatoes too! Here we are....

Saturday - What a stressful day! For the last month, I have been planning a surprise party for my boyfriend (Vinny) to celebrate his graduation from the Fire Academy. Well, Saturday was the big day and it was my job to keep him occupied all day. The party was at his house and his parents invited us over for dinner on Saturday night because a few of his aunts wanted to see him....at least that is what Vinny thought. So, to kill time, we did a little shopping...met up with my grandmother for lunch, did more shopping (he wanted to kill me)...I took the longest shower in the world because he insisted on getting to his parents house early. Long story short....Vinny was so surprised and the party was a huge success!! He didn't want to do ANYTHING for his graduation which gave me more of a reason to have a party for him!! I could be twisted!!! There was lots of food...lots of homemade wine...and lots of friends, family, and laughs. I ate a few things I shouldn't have...but those pigs in a blanket looked so good and I kept telling myself that this isn't about deprivation...it's about moderation. So, I only had two little piggies in a blanket!

Here's a picture of a bunch of us trying to squeeze behind the dessert table ----->

Sunday - Since I didn't workout on Saturday, when I woke up on Sunday morning all I wanted to do was run! I promised myself that I would get a run in this weekend and Sunday was my last option. So, Vinny and I bundled up and decided to take a run outside in 20 degrees weather. It sounded good at first until I started running and couldn't breathe...the wind was blowing in my face...and I wanted to give up. Thank goodness Vinny was with me who was pushing me to keep running and to breathe into my sleeve. It helped for a little bit but for a beginner runner, I don't think today's weather conditions were suiting for me. Today really made me dislike running and believe that I probably could never run outside. After running for about 20 minutes we made our way back to the house..(that is all my body could take)...I literally sat on the couch for 15 minutes and could not move or feel my ears. I was sweating and freezing at the same time. It was horrible. But I am glad I did some cardio because I ate a little too much today. The GIANTS played a great game but I at certain moments I was so nervous that it lead me to eat...I was snacking on hummus and pita chips throughout the game and made myself a healthy pizza.

Weekend #2 on the Challenge -- DOWN!

Here's my menu for the weekend...

Saturday

Breakfast - Coffee with skim milk and 2 equals, 100 calorie pack of stella dora cookies (they are great for dunking in your coffee)

Lunch - Salad slice of pizza

Dinner - A little of EVERYTHING - Small piece of eggplant, broccoli, sesame chicken and peppers, one small stuffed mushroom, asparagus...2 glasses of red wine

Sunday

Breakfast - Coffee with skim milk and 2 equals, apple

Lunch - Leftovers from Saturday night - Salad, asparagus, carrots, chicken with peppers

Dinner - Whole Wheat Pita with shredded fat free mozzarella cheese...a sprinkle of salt and pepper...and there you have a guilt free pizza! I even added some salad on top of the pizza!

Snacks - Hummus with pita chips

Thank God For The Weekend!!

I feel like this has been a long week. But I am very proud of myself. I worked out 4 days this week which is more than I have done in a very long time and I feel great! Working out really makes you feel so much better -- although you may not enjoy running when you are running, it feels pretty damn good when you are finished!!

Today I booked a trip to Vegas! Vegas is one of my favorite places and I never pass up the opportunity when it comes my way...Although my trip isn't until June, Vegas gives me more of a reason to want to look my best and feel great. I am going for one of my friends Bachelorette Parties...good times!  Here are some pics from my last venture to Vegas this past October. We went for my best friends bachelorette party!                  Margaret, me, and Jeanette   ~~>

<~~~Me and Rosanna

I am getting ready for a big weekend...tonight I am celebrating my boyfriend and his cousin's birthday, so of course that means I am eating out again. But Sunday is the BIG day for the BIG game! I cannot wait. I just bought NY Giants plates, napkins, and cups for the game. I have to plan my menu because I know my brother will want his usual wings and fried food, so I am contemplating on what I will prepare for myself. Since my brother is used to tailgating at the games, he thinks there is no reason to tailgate when the Giants play away. Here are my brother and cousin at the GIANTS game.

Today after our meeting, Lori S., Jen Ulrich, and I went to the gym to take a speedball class. Unfortunately, this was the last day that particular class was being offered, but it certainly made me sweat. It was a great cardio workout!

This weekend I am going to add some new songs to my Ipod and get my butt running. I have no reason not to run and I hope you find time to run too! Look at me...trying to inspire you to run!! If I can do it, you can do it!!

In reply to your comments today:

Betsy wrote: "Since the pics of Mario generated so many posts on Elysa's blog, how about a few pics of your guy?"  Here is one of him with his shirt on...and one without! Enjoy Betsy!!!

My #1 FAN (Whoever you are) said: "DO YOU KNOW THE AMOUNT OF NUTRIENTS YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON.. WHO EATS JUST A YOGURT AND AN APPLE FOR LUNCH AND THEN GOES TO THE GYM TO WORK OUT????"

To MY #1 Fan - I knew I was going to get some feedback after I logged what I ate for lunch yesterday. Honestly, I usually eat more than that, but I was extremely busy and didn't want to eat too much and then feel stuffed while working out. And I didn't want to lie. I promise to eat more nutrients for lunch...I know that is extremely important! Thanks for your concern.

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast - WW Non fat strawberry yogurt, apple, and coffee with skim milk and two equals

Snack - 90 calorie honey nut granola bar

Lunch - Tuna salad with low fat mayo, lettuce, and tomato on a whole wheat wrap.

Dinner - Just from looking at the menu to the restaurant I am eating at tonight, I plan on ordering Halibut with a side of veggies. We are going to a steakhouse and I am not a huge fan of steak, but I love fish!!!

I drank about 4 bottles of water today...I am currently working on my 5th!

Have a great weekend! I will blog on Sunday after the game -- GO BIG BLUE!!!

Laurie

Thursday of Week 2 - Girl Meets Trainer!

I hope I am not boring you people -- today, I don't have much to say! I came into work at the usual time...it was really cold in NYC today and I had to wait the bus for about 10 minutes. 10 minutes in NYC, in the winter can seem like an eternity. I am amazed by all the runners who run by me as I wait for the bus every morning. They really inspire me -- through rain and sleet and snow, the die hard runners are still outside running. They are just like the postal service! I think to myself...I don't know how they do it and I don't think I could ever do that. But after meeting with my trainer today, she gave me some hope that one day that can be me! I had my first session with my trainer, Camille Boyd. I trained with Camille 3 years ago when we did the Self Challenge the first time. She taught me so much about working out and really got me into shape! She is awesome!! This time around, I know she is going to be harder on me and give me more challenging workouts -- which is exactly what I want -- always up for a CHALLENGE!

When I met with Camille, we discussed what I need to do to improve my running skills. She knows (from last time) that I never enjoyed running. She tested my running skills for about 10 minutes and asked me at what speed I feel comfortable running. On the rare occasion that I DO run, I run at a speed of 6.0 for 5 minutes and then walk at 4.0 for 5 minutes. I try to this for at least 30 minutes. I started running with Camille yesterday at a speed of 6.0....before I knew it, 8 minutes had passed and I was still running and chatting away with Camille. She was like..."You can run!!"...I insisted that I could only do it because she was beside me talking up a conversation. Camille said that running is 90% mental, 10% physical. Anyone can run!! It is a mind game. She thinks my biggest issue is the boredom. So, my goal for the next week is to run at a speed of 6.0 for 8 minutes and then walk at a speed of 4.0 for 2 minutes. She said if I can do that with no problem, I will be able to run in no time.

Tip: For those of you have trouble running or get bored, try doing it in intervals...Start at a pace that feels comfortable for you. Start running at 4.0 or 5.0 for 3 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. If you feel that 4.0 or 5.0 is too slow or too fast for you, increase/decrease the speed that suits you best.

Camille also wants me to start running outside and suggested I start with the lower loop in Central Park.  Here are some pictures of me and Camille working on my core and upper body. She really wants to build up my core because it will improve my running. We also noticed that my muscles are extremely tight and unaligned in my right leg...Using the foam roller, I stretched out my calves and thighs and will continue doing this as frequently as I can...that piece of foam is amazing!! It's like getting a massage. If you never used one, definitely try it!

After work, I went out to dinner with my boyfriend. I didn't eat a big lunch since I knew we were dining out for dinner. After dinner, went home and fell asleep at 9:00pm. I woke up at 11:00 and had this urge for something sweet. I knew I should have just went back to bed, but instead I went into my kitchen and ate a piece of Weight Watchers cake. It was only 1 pt!

Today's Menu

*WW = Weight Watchers

Breakfast - WW bagel with two slices of Borden's fat free American cheese, apple, and coffee with skim milk and two equals.

Lunch - WW nonfat yogurt and apple

Snack - Bag of lightly salted Soy Crisps (2 pts. for the whole bag)

Dinner - Won Ton Soup, 2 steamed vegetable dumplings, 2 sushi rolls (salmon w/jalapeno and eel w/avocado)

Late Night Snack - WW cake (1 pt.) which I didn't really need!

Week 2 - Happy Hump Day

Today I was a little thrown off from my daily routine. I had to take the day off from work because my boyfriend was graduating from the NYC Fire Department Academy...just three years ago I was at his graduation from the NYPD, and here I am again as he graduates from the FDNY. It was a great ceremony and I am so proud of him! Here we are at the Fire Academy.

I was upset I was going to miss Soulja Boy on the show today, but I got to sleep an extra two hours this morning! I felt just a little guilty knowing that most of my co-workers were probably up already for a couple hours while I was dreaming about a loose tooth...weird...I know?! But hey, who I am kidding? I didn't feel that bad.

I didn't have a chance to eat breakfast today, but I ALWAYS keep a little snack in my purse. So, when I arrived to the graduation, I ate my natural fruit soy bar. It certainly doesn't beat an omelette or a bagel, but it held me throughout the 2 hour ceremony.

After the ceremony, we celebrated and dined out for lunch at an Italian restaurant. It is so difficult to escape from Italian food when you are constantly surrounded by Italian people!!! I ordered a healthy dish and no dessert. I am not going to lie about what I did after lunch....I did something that I am NOT able to do on a normal Wednesday. But since it was my day off, I choose to do something I do NOT take advantage of...SLEEP. I took a 4 hour nap and it felt so good. I woke up at 5:00pm hoping that I would get to the gym tonight, but it just didn't happen. So, instead I did an abs workout and some planks on my stability ball when I got home! Tomorrow I meet with my trainer, so I am hoping she will give me some good workout tips that I will share with you.

I am sorry I haven't been able to answer ALL of your questions, but I will try my best to answer a  few everyday...keep the comments coming, they are very inspiring. And if you haven't joined my team yet, please do so!

Betsy - you asked "When is the next weigh in?" -- I wish I knew...for all we know, it could be tomorrow! Gelman sometimes likes to surprise us, but hopefully we will know and then we can promote it. I will be sure to mention it in my blog whenever we find out!! Stay tuned..

Terry O - you were concerned about my sleeping habits...I am definitely going to try to get to bed each night no later than 10:30pm...you are totally right and I do need to get more sleep...It really catches up with me and hopefully my 4 hour nap today made up for some of my lost sleeping time!!

Rosanna - you asked "When you eat cheese on your sandwiches is it ok to have regular cheese or is it better to go for low fat cheese?"....It is ALWAYS better to go for a low fat or even fat free cheese. I love the fat free American cheese by Borden's (only 30 calories per slice)...If you are eating somewhere where they do not offer low fat cheese, try to have only 1 or 2 slices of regular cheese.

Here is what I ate today...and for dinner last night

Last night's dinner - grilled salmon, and steamed mixed vegetables including carrots, broccoli, asparagus, and string beans.

Snack - Golden Delicious Apple

Today's menu

Breakfast - natural fruit soy bar (I would NOT normally eat this for breakfast)

Lunch - Grilled shrimp with broccoli (sauteed in garlic & a little olive oil)

Afternoon snack - Golden Delicious Apple

Dinner - 3 cups of WW vanilla puffed wheat cereal with 1 cup of skim milk

Tuesday - Week 2

Today really flew by! I am still at the office, but know I won't have access to a computer this evening to blog, so here I am! Today is Christine Composto's Birthday -- Happy Birthday Compost!! Here we are at the WABC-TV Christmas party...some think we look alike and mistake us for each other nearly everyday. If you are interested in the b-day girl, let me know!!!

Today I put together my own breakfast...Weight Watchers bagel, with two slices of fat free american cheese, and a slice of tomato. It was delicious and I recommend you try it! I mentioned yesterday that you can have this same snack on a rice cake, but I didn't have any rice cakes today. After our production meeting, a bunch of us rushed over to the gym to take an express definitions class which focuses on muscular strength using weights, body bars, and other fitness props. I also took a 15 minute Abs Only class after definitions. I bought lunch at the gym. The gym offers a ton of healthy choices so I decided to switch it up today!!

I am not sure what I am eating for dinner this evening, but I know it WILL NOT be a frozen meal. I am in the mood for a sushi, or maybe fish...either way, I will let you know.

Here is today's menu...

Breakfast - WW bagel (2pts.) with 2 slices of Fat Free American Cheese, and tomato

Lunch - Grilled veggies on whole wheat wrap and apple

Snack - WW Lemon Pie yogurt with 100 calorie pack of granola bites

Dinner - TBD

Thanks again for all your comments...I look forward to reading them everyday.

Laurie

It's Monday already?

Happy Monday to you! Today was a very successful Monday. In addition to getting most of my work done, I was able to meet with our nutritionist and workout twice today. This morning when I walked in David Mullen, one of the Producers on the show, had a surprise treat for us! He made all of the staffers on the Challenge delicious blueberry muffins that are only 3 points on Weight Watchers. That was my breakfast and it was very satisfying. Here is Dave (the baker)and I while we were on a remote in the Bahamas!

After the show, I had my first meeting with our nutritionist. Katherine gave me so many great eating tips! She knows that my concerns include dining out, and office snacks. I am not sure if I ever mentioned this, but I have been following Weight Watchers since October and Katherine is a true believer in the Weight Watchers program -- thank goodness because I really love WW!! My mom and I do it together which makes it a whole lot easier. Here is a picture of me and my mom - she lost 18 lbs. on WW over the last 3 months. Katherine suggests that I continue following their program because it works for me! I love it because it allows me to eat everything I enjoy, focusing on portion control. Katherine also would love to see me snack on a piece of fruit and/or yogurt instead of a low calorie cookie. One snack idea that my co-worker, Deborah Raptis gave to me (which Katherine thinks is a great idea!) is mixing a 100 calorie pack of granola bites (Nature's Valley makes a really good one!) and mixing them in a low fat yogurt. I ate that today as a snack and it was delicious! Thanks Deborah!! Another great snack (which I am going to try tomorrow) is topping a rice cake with one slice of fat free (or low fat if you cannot find fat free) cheese, and one slice of tomato...it sounds delicious and I cannot wait to try it...you could actually have two of these! If you try this snack, let me know what you think. Any other healthy snacks are welcomed, so please share.

Betsy, in reply to your comment about frozen meals...I am very dependent on frozen meals during the week due to my schedule, however I know need to avoid eating them every night. Our nutritionist doesn't recommend eating them more than twice a week and would like me to eat fresh foods as well. I appreciate your comment and will try my best to ONLY eat them in desperation. Let's see how I do!!!

This afternoon's group class was pilates..it was actually my very first pilates class and I really enjoyed it. Pilates was a great workout, but since I didn't really sweat, I felt there was a need for me to get some cardio in after work. So, tonight I did 3 miles on the eliptical and 1.5 miles on the treadmill. I know it isn't much, but it's a start! 

Here is what I ate today...

Breakfast - Dave's "Healthy" Blueberry Muffin, Coffee w/skim milk and 2 equals

Mid morning snack - 90 calorie vanilla yogurt miked with 100 calorie pack of granola bites

Lunch - Romaine lettuce with shrimp, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, and carrots tossed in balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil

Mid afternoon snack - Red Delicious Apple

Dinner - Lean Cuisine chicken in peanut sauce (5pts on WW)

Our nutritionist said that I need to drink at least 4-5 bottles of water per day...right now, I am only drinking about 3 bottles per day.

Better get to bed....I need to be up in 5 1/2 hours...

Laurie

Week-END!

Hi Everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! I am sorry I haven't been posting, but I haven't sat down for one second until now. All I have to say is GO GIANTS and thanks goodness they won tonight!!! And thank you to everyone for your comments -- it means so much to know that people really care and I appreciate all of your tips. I hope you are joining my team so we can do this together! This week, I am going to try my best to answer some of your questions. I will try to re-cap my entire weekend starting with Friday.

Friday was a crazy day at work -- if you were able to tune into the show, our Fitness Coach Meaghan gave some fitness tips. Since I have lower back pain, and want to learn to run, she thinks I should really focus on strengthening my core to help avoid back pain. She highly suggests doing planks on a stability ball. You should hold the plank position for 45 seconds, then rest, and repeat it two more times. A few times a week will really help you out. She says that the key is to keep your abs tight—don't let your belly sink to the floor; look down, keeping your neck in line with your spine; and don't rest your upper body on the ball. You're propped up on your forearms. If you missed Friday's show and are not familiar with planks -- click on this link to watch the segment http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1365140501/bctid1374413786

It might be difficult to really see what we were trying to do because Howie Mandel was having too much fun rolling on the balls -- but hopefully it will help! I also had time to catch a class at the gym with Marco, Elyssa, and Dave -- the class focused on exercises for your core using only a medicine ball. If you ever get the chance to experiment with a medicine ball, I highly recommend it!

Friday night was the beginning to a non stop dining out weekend. I went to my favorite sushi restaurant with a few people and tried my best to be good. I had a light breakfast and lunch that day because I knew I would be eating out for dinner. We ordered a bunch of appetizers for the table...I did my best to try just one of a few things. For dinner I ordered my OWN rolls and choose not to participate in the 12 assorted rolls that everyone else ordered for the table. I knew if I ordered my own I would be in more control of what I ate for dinner. And of course, after a long week, I couldn't say no to a glass of wine...or two.

Saturday was the longest day -- it began at 10:00am when I went to meet my friends to set up for my best friends bridal shower -- this is my friend who is getting married in March and I want to look my best for her Wedding! I woke up that morning and all I could think about was how I was going to be at an Italian restaurant for about 6 hours that day and didn't THINK I would have much control of what I was eating. Upon arrival, after mingling and decorating, the waiter poured me a glass of wine. This was my first of 3 that afternoon. The waiter announced our choices of entrees and I knew I would be safe with the fish. Everyone was served PASTA -- which has been my biggest enemy this past week -- but I chose to walk away from the table during pasta to chat with people I haven't seen in a while. I knew by the time I was finished having a conversation with one of my high school friends, the pasta portion of the meal would be done -- MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Next, the salad and entree came out which was delicious! And again, I skipped the cake! I was very proud of myself!

Saturday night I took my parents to see Howie Mandel's comedy show...I must have burned a ton of calories that night from laughing so much! He was great! But of course, right before the show we went out to dinner...I couldn't win. It was non stop eating that day. But since I wasn't that hungry, I went with a small grilled veggie wrap. They didn't offer whole wheat wraps, so I had to go with flour. After the show, my night wasn't over...I had to meet up with my girls since it was Saturday night! I was bad -- I had two glasses of champagne.

On Sunday, my whole day revolved around the NY Giants game! I woke up pretty early and had a ton of errands to run. I didn't get around to eating breakfast, so I grabbed a 100 calorie snack and an apple on my way out for my car ride to the mall...that was breakfast. While I was out, I purchased my very own stability ball. I figured since I didn't get any workouts in this weekend, perhaps I could give the stability ball a shot tonight! I also bought about 20 -- and I am not kidding when I say 20 -- Lean Cuisine Frozen meals. I was so hungry while I was shopping that I bought nearly every single one they offered. I figured that I would eat one for dinner when I got home and could start bringing them for lunch. Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. When I got home, I ate a 4 cheeses pizza pie by Lean Cuisine -- it was yummy for a frozen meal. I was really concerned about what I would be eating during the football game -- because every Sunday, during the football games, there is an array of cheeses and fried, unhealthy foods in my house. I placed my veggies and hummus right in between the buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks and enjoyed watching the GIANTS win!

Here is a rundown of my menu for the last few days..

Friday

Breakfast - Mixed fruit

Lunch - Mixed greens salad with 2 egg whites, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes - balsamic vinegar and tablespoon of olive oil. Apple.

Dinner - 2 sushi rolls, edamame, 2 pieces of sashimi, 2 glasses of white wine

Saturday

Breakfast - coffee w/skim milk and 2 equals

Lunch - 3 glasses of white wine (normally, I would never drink wine at lunch..but I was at a Bridal Shower)

Tilapia with string beans, Salad w/olive oil   

Dinner - Grilled mixed veggies on flour tortilla, 1 pickle

Late Night - 2 glasses of champagne

Sunday

Breakfast - 100 calorie cake, apple

Lunch - Lean Cuisine Frozen Pizza

Snack - Hummus, Raw Vegetables, and a few baked pita chip

Day 4 - Pasta?!

It is 10:30pm and I just got home a little while ago. I might have to keep this short because I am exhausted. Since we began doing the Challenge on Monday, I have been falling behind on my "work" work, so today I had to play catch up...please don't tell my boss. During the meeting Michael Gelman finally changed my title! If any of you knew Gelman, that is a huge deal and deserved a round of applause (which I received from the staff). After nearly 4 years he named me CEO of a project!! Yea, he named me CEO of the project because he knew no one else would want the project...anyway, it was funny and the title will be taken away from my by Monday! When I was given this assignment, I put my glasses on knowing the rest of my day would be shot. After the meeting I went to the ABC cafeteria and bought brussel sprouts (I get so excited for sprouts!!) and a turkey wrap. I came back to the office, ate lunch, and had to get to my assignment...I couldn't slack after I had just been named CEO. Before I knew it, it was 4:00pm and I knew I wouldn't be able to workout today because I had a meeting to attend at 6:30.

After work, I headed to a restaurant to attend my meeting with the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. I volunteer for the society and meet with the committee once a month. I knew dinner would be served at the meeting, and I was scared to see what was on the menu...if there even was a menu?! Turns out, I was late for the meeting and missed appetizers and salad. I got there just in time for a big bowl of pasta. So many people were interested in hearing about the Self Challenge so I lead the meeting for about 20 minutes talking to everyone about what we were doing on the show and on our own. I think I may have talked some people into following along with us!!! I hope so! Back to the food -- I was able to hold back from the pasta -- I didn't even have one noodle....I felt so bad for my bowl of pasta because it sat there all by itself while everyone else was enjoying their pasta! Since I felt badly asking for something else, I decided to eat a frozen dinner by Weight Watchers when I got home...It was lasagna too! I couldn't resist after seeing everyone enjoying their pasta, but didn't feel eating the "healthier" lasagna. I know it was way too late when I got home and I should have probably gone to bed without eating, but I was so hungry....I didn't know what to do since it was about 9:30pm, but I am going to ask Katherine (our nutritionist) what I should do if I am in another situation like that. I will let you know what she says! Thanks for all the comments, website suggestions, and snack suggestions...keep them coming. I love hearing fro you!

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast -Cup of melon, two peanut butter wafers by Snackwells (4pts. for two wafers if you are on Weight Watchers), coffee with skim milk and two equals

Lunch - Turkey, 2 slices of cheese, deli mustard, lettuce, and tomato on a whole wheat wrap, cup of brussel sprouts

Dinner - Smart Ones Lasagna (frozen food meal)

*Don't forget to drink your H2O -- I drank about 4 of the small poland spring bottles

**Tune into the show tomorrow for some workout tips!!! 

Day 3

First of all, I cannot believe how many of you are actually reading my blog! I am extremely touched by your kind words and motivation. I made one of my friends leave me a comment because I honestly didn't think anyone else would...but you proved me wrong and I really appreciate it! Trust me, after reading your comments, I am even more motivated to know that you are going to do this with me and I promise not to let any of you down. Schully thinks she is the only competitive one, but little does she know most of us are...we just don't brag about it as much as she does. And we all know Schully has a fan base due to her infamous "Project Schulweis" adventure, but some of you may not know that I was a Relly nominee last year. Check out my pic -- Yes, I dressed up as Regis' "double" during our visit to LA last year...long story short...Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser) beat me in the "Best Regis" category, but it was lots of fun!

Anyway, I am so happy to hear that people out there can relate to me. I come across many people who think I am crazy for doing this because I don't have a ton of weight to lose. But as I hope you are learning, this isn't ONLY to lose weight, we are trying to make healthy changes in our life that will help us stay healthy and fit forever!! And if your goal is to lose a small amount of weight (5-10bs) it could be very difficult as some of you may know. But we are going to do this the right way...together!! And as soon as I get some tips on running (I meet with my trainer next week...but tune in Friday because I think our Fitness Coach will be giving some tips!) I will share them with you!

So, let's talk about my day...7:00am arrival to the office. We made a little appearance on the show today and talked about our goals. You also got to meet our nutritionist and fitness coach! They are both very inspiring and knowledgeable. After the show I ate breakfast. After the production meeting, I went to lunch with my friend Alexis who also works with us. We haven't ate out for lunch in a while, so we decided to go to this Japanese Restaurant near our office since it was gorgeous outside. I felt a little guilty after lunch because I think I may have consumed too much food, however I think our nutritionist told me that my normal Japanese meal is a good portion for that cuisine. I will tell you later what was on the menu!! When I returned to the office I was extremely full and couldn't wait to workout after work. However, I am still a little sore from the kick-boxing class we took yesterday, but I wasn't going to let myself use that as an excuse. So, after work I walked over to the gym and who is the first person I bump into? Yes, Johnnie P. who some of you may know from the show. He choreographs many of our performances and travels with us on some remotes. He is an instructor at our gym and teaches a ton of classes! Anyway, you might know him as a dancer...but he kicked my butt!! He had some time to workout with my friend and I before his class so of course that is what we did!! Thirty minutes of NON-STOP cardio which included kicks, squats, jumps, and crunches! He stretched me out pretty good after the work out, but I know I am going to feel it tomorrow -- Thanks Johnnie!! Unfortunately, I don't have much time during the day to blog so I am going to try my best to commit some time each night when I get home. I just finished eating dinner and have to get ready for Day 4 of the Challenge! I wish you all a wonderful workout, enjoyable meals, and I look forward to hearing all of your feedback.

Menu for today - Day 3

Breakfast - Cup of plain oatmeal with fresh strawberries (Cindy's looked so good that I had to get one for myself)

Lunch - 1 Eel Avocado Roll, 1 Spicy Tuna Roll, Miso Soup, and 1/2 cup of Edamame (sounds like a lot, but our nutritionist said this was okay)

Dinner - 2 cups of Special K cereal with skim milk (Believe it or not, I wasn't that hungry at dinner time which is why I ate cereal)

I just realized that I didn't have ONE snack today!! Wow! That is a first...I truly believe that the reason for that is because I ate a larger lunch. A salad sometimes just doesn't do it for me!! But don't forget...snacks are okay! I highly recommend Soy Crisps by Glenny's -- if you never tried them, go out and buy a bag! Low in calories and fulfilling!!!  And I apologize that these blogs are pretty long...once I start typing I cannot stop.

Day 2 - Our First Weigh In (second time around)

Today was a crazy day! I walked into work around 7:00am and would not allow myself a cup of coffee because I knew I would be stepping on that scale about 2 1/2 hours later. I cannot function without my coffee (tip from our nutritionist - Try not to exceed two cups of coffee a day...and definitely go for the skim milk which I always do!) but was energized at 9:00am when the show began and I put on my glamorous workout outfit. My main concern was 'Do I wear sneakers on the scale or not? Do I wear socks or not? After all, it's been weeks since my last pedicure and I don't want to scare anyone away!' I decided to wear my socks which I am sure didn't make a huge difference...like any of you care. Is anyone there? Do you really care about my day? Getting back to the weigh in...I wasn't too nervous to step on the scale because I weighed myself that morning (I am not a fan of surprises) and knew what to expect. I also wasn't too disappointed by the number that appeared on the scale because I have been watching what I have been eating for the last 4 months. I NEVER thought Gelman would allow us to do the Challenge again. So, in October I needed to find a way to drop a few pounds on my own. I used some tips I learned the first time around and chose smaller portions for my meals and cut down on sweets. I followed weight watchers (which is the only diet that has ever worked for me) and lost those 10 pounds that I put on over the last two years. I couldn't have asked for better timing then to start the new Challenge again because I am ready for a challenge and I am ready to get back into shape. After today's weigh in I was starving so I ate a light breakfast. There isn't much time in the morning to eat a big breakfast, so I bring something quick and easy to work (yogurt, fruit, oatmeal) and eat before the show begins. After our production meeting (which took place today from 11:00am - 12:30) I had to order a quick lunch before our workout. Today we had our first group exercise workout at the gym -- we took kick-boxing which is my favorite cardio workout. The class was extremely intense but everyone did great and I broke a sweat!! When I sweat, I know I had a good workout!! After the class, we went back to the office and I had a lot of work to do! I am a snacker and love picking...I usually keep 100 calorie snacks in my desk, but they don't always fulfill me. There are some days when I will eat 3-4 100 calorie packs and before you know it I am up to 400 calories in snacks...not so good. Since today was Day 2 I decided to be good and have another apple. Luckily, I enjoy apples and don't get tired of eating them. Our nutritionist is going to give me some alternate healthy snacks for all you snackers -- as soon as I find them out, I will share with you! And for all you wannabe runners....stay tuned for tips on how to run and how to enjoy running!! I will run a marathon...ONE DAY! Finally, after working for 11 hours I decided to head home and get ready for tomorrow. And that is where I am right now...home...blogging with you because I didn't have a second to do this at work today. I just finished dinner and I am about to hit the pillow...I feel good after Day 2 and look forward to the next few weeks!!

A little birdie told me we were supposed to give you a rundown of what was on my menu for today...so, here you go.

Breakfast - Nonfat rasberry yogurt w/apple

Lunch - Egg whites omelet with turkey, spinach, tomato, and (1 slice) of dry whole wheat bread.

Afternoon Snack - Apple

Dinner - Creamy Rigatoni with broccoli and chicken -- sounds good, doesn't it? I didn't cook this but Weight Watchers makes amazing frozen dinner meals which is what I ate for dinner.

Late Night Snack - 130 calorie ice cream bar

Until tomorrow...Ciaff is OUT!

Day 1

Well, where do I begin since this is my first time blogging? I cannot believe we are actually giving this another shot. And none the less, right after the holidays -- Oh sure, we all stayed away from the alcohol on New Year's Eve and said "no" to the lasagna on Christmas. Not really, but it is probably the best time for us to start this again. New Year...New Me! I am excited about it especially since I get to do it with the people I spend most of my day with...my wonderful co-workers. I find it so much easier to stay in shape and eat healthy, when your neighbor (mine is Cindy Mac) is doing it too! Today, I went to Reebok Sports Club to meet with our nutritionist and fitness director. They measured our body fat but kept it confidential. Don't worry...sooner than later you will all know those large numbers! Over the years, I have learned that I am definitely not one of those girls who can eat a ice cream brownie sundae and not see where it goes 10 minutes later . I have learned how to eat in smaller portions and eat healthy snacks throughout the day. I am a big snacker and would love to learn some alternative snacks that I can munch on in between meals. My diet isn't my main concern, however I need someone to motivate me to get my butt off my chair and go to the gym. I try to go at least 2-3 times per week, but I have no excuse not to go at least 4-5 times per week. My best friends wedding is in March and my goal is to get really fit by the big day! And trust me, I wouldn't mind losing a good 5-10 pounds. We'll see....the journey has just begun!!!