match.com and avocado tuna salad nom nom nom!

i was 152 this morning...slow and steady wins the race, right?!

so excited cause i made this recipe from CorePower Yoga for tomorrow: Avocado Tuna Salad and i tasted it off the fork and it was deeeelicious! i REALLY like the wheat belly diet if anyone's considering it.  between that and trader joe's i eat SO MANY VEGETABLES!  i feel like i am a plant!!  i mixed my avocado tuna salad with a TON of chopped carrots, onions and celery and then a little greek yogurt and even less mayonnaise to give it some sticking power.  i also added spicy aioli mustard (only 10cal/tsp) and 21 gun seasoning (salt-free!), all from trader joe's. even healthier!

i'm also psyched because i "won" (is it really winning if you're still paying for it?) this amazing dress on re-lilly:

i am soooo psyched i loved this pattern when it came out.  only problem is it's only a 4, but it was $39 so if it doesn't fit i can resell it easily and probably make more money haha :) ideally it will though, and since the girl selling it was only 1 cup size smaller than me i think it should! can't wait for it to come!

i also 'gave in' and got an iPhone 5 because i lost my 4 somewhere, and it's so fun to play on! isn't it funny how new phones seem so different and novel, even when they're not?!

finally, my boyfriend and i broke up, so back to the drawing board for me!  wish me luck here in san diego, also known as 'never never land' because no one wants to grow up!

xx,

a

shopping small and supportively!

i am a SUCKER for daily shopping emails...so badly that i have to blog about them and unsubscribe so i stop buying something every day! without further ado:

Bourbon & Boots features locally hand crafted, small business goodies - everything from gently loved cowboy boots to delicious bourbon marshmallows and amazing license plate koozies.  they send daily/weekly/whatever emails to let you see their newest additions and they're all sooo wallet tempting!

Daily Grommet is also super cute, except i've fortunately only found it to be cute in theory.  still haven't found anything i want to buy there. 

unfortunately, i've found wayyy too much lifeguard press lilly stuff...i already have a fun-brella (lilly) a work umbrella (black) and i live in san diego.  three reasons why i DON't need this:

but i really want it!! i love the chiquita bonita print!! i already have the market tote and it is SO cute! 

so, weighed in at 153.8 again this morning...so disheartening :p but if i'm honest with myself, i've been following wheat belly to the letter of the law in that way where you know you're following it but you're not quite following the heart of it...long story short: i had cookies and ice cream for dinner last night.  but it was all wheat/gluten/rice/oat/etc. free!  totally within the boundaries!!  POUNDS WHY AREN'T YOU MELTING OFF?!!?!

xx,

a

workout clothes, diet fails and scale triumphs!

so, i figured i'd check back in to update...myself, evidently.  my weight yesterday morning was 153.8  i am neither surprised nor unsurprised, disappointed nor pleased...i pretty much look the same but am always hoping for a freak ten pound weight loss, so here we are. 
the scale triumph is a small one, but a triumph nonetheless: it has nothing to do with my weight and everything to do with my discovery that my new scale weighs 2-3 lbs higher than my old scale!  BF got on one and got on the other (cause i wasn't about to weigh myself in front of HIM!) and went back and forth and one scale consistently weighed 3lbs higher than the other!  he did it again the next day and there was a 2.6 lb difference! who knows what it is, but it's definitely important to consider that there may be a discrepancy when purchasing a scale.
the GREAT news is i had one little butt cellulite dimple and it is GONE due to bootycamp! if anyone else has that problem where they get fat underneath their butt but it's not a slope butt but it's still bigger around their thighs, go. to. bootycamp! i go 2-3x/week and i have been SO pleased with my soreness and progress!  

i've also picked up the book "wheat belly" and have consequently been cutting wheat, rice flour, rice, corn and potato based foods out of my diet.  good news: as all of the reviews say, i am actually really full all the time! bad news: i have not lost any weight and have been pretty groggy.  it's only been two days, though!  if i'm going to be completely honest (and why not?!), i haven't actually cracked this book open. at all. instead, i went to the website and read the quick and dirty tips and i've been following those!  i put the book down somewhere (i'm assuming in my house) and i haven't picked it up since haha :) oops!

the worst part about the book is definitely the delicious looking bagels on the cover...whose idea was that!?

somewhere in all of this research, i was also lead to the amazing healthy home economist ... so many tips on healthy foods that aren't really healthy, how to read nutrition labels, etc.! talk about a great resource!

i've also been on the constant quest for more adorable work out clothes and i'm ECSTATIC to show what i found at nordstrom rack:

adorable built in sports bra tops that look like this one and have a little give around the waist!! just what i want while i'm working to get rid of my 'wheat belly'!  they're only $24.95 at the rack and they're still available on the marika site for $52!

finally, cause we all know i can't go a whole post without truly buying something indulgent, i'm OBSESSED with say hay gifts on etsy!  look at all of her cute lilly stuff!!!

first weigh in!

so, it's been...three days? four? since i weighed in previously, and i weighed in this morning.  my period's supposed to start tomorrow so i'm trying to cut myself some slack about being high in general, but boy is this a bummer!  

first weigh in: 153.6

i'm actually just fine with that!  yesterday was my rest day from working out and i went to happy hour with my college roommate, who i LOVE.  we shared an order of edamame and one roll at Ra sushi and it was SO good!  i am not even a traditional sushi fan (give me fried and covered in sauce any day) and it was amazing! 

in other, really annoying news, i ordered the wrong damn maxi dress so when it came yesterday (SUPERfast shipping!) it was too short!  i ordered a small, which, i guess even in the "long" length, isn't actually that long.  so it ended up looking like this:

if mine was blowing around in the wind like that it would show my knees!  i also should have ordered a medium to fully cover my boobs.  oh well, you live, you learn!

besides, as i chose to remind my bf, we all lose/gain weight at different rates [keep in mind he just thinks (or at least pretends to think) i'm crazy about all of this so any discussion like this leads to a glassy look and lots of vague nodding] and that even his favorite celebrities aren't perfect.  i sent him a photo of celebrities without makeup that mocks up "without makeup" vs. "when we 'think' they are without makeup" vs. "with makeup", and he refuses to believe it. men.
 anyway! the point is, when people gave j.simp. a hard time, they had no idea poor kk was around the corner:

talk about thinspiration!  if it can happen to someone who's paid to look good, what hope do the rest of us have? 

diet time!!! here's my yummy lunch:

italian herb flat out wrap: 130cal

tyson's southwest seasoned chicken: 110cal

lettuce/microgreens/pea shoots/grapes: 15cal

zesty honey mustard: 15cal

super filling delicious healthy fresh lunch: 270 calories!

xx

a

new job + new diet = new me?

another day as a naval officer means another abrupt change in my job.  i'm back to engineering, so no more executive department head for me.  instead, i'm an assistant to the chief engineer...but there already is an assistant to the chief engineer...but i am two ranks ahead of him, so...what am i!?  

• saturday consisted of a cardio workout and bootycamp
• sunday consisted of sleeping until 2pm and then getting out of bed for a few hours only to go to sleep again at 8
• monday consisted of TONS of push ups, a brief run, and 45 minutes on the elliptical
• tuesday consisted of a cardio workout and bootycamp
• today will consist of more cardio and then some 12 oz curls...aka happy hour with my college roommate!  the bf is being sweet enough to drop me off so i can be a little generous with myself and the margaritas ;)

 how cute and amazing is this picture? it's my grandfather and grandmother on their wedding day in their native ireland! i went to ireland this new year's with one of my best friends and we spent a week at the gorgeous ritz-carlton at powerscourt (about twenty minutes outside of dublin).  it was freezing, but the people were SO welcoming and friendly and the experience was incredible - we did it through a groupon, so if you're considering doing a trip package with them, i'd totally recommend it!

i'm taking the day off work tomorrow to take care of my to do list...you know, mani/pedi, figure out wtf is going on with my HOA, figure out wtf is going with my finances, clean out my car, clean up my house...i am going to be super efficient since i work all day saturday!!! (if i say it to myself enough, it comes true, right?)

maybe i'll even go for a run, so i can comfortably sign up for a race! and by that i mean a 5k.  and by race i mean fun run:
 runordye.com

thecolorrun.com

finally, i think i'm gonna buy a crock pot today and experiment tomorrow - 

i'm currently checking out these recipe sites and i'm minorly obsessed:
twogreenfoxes.com

skinnytaste.com/2012/12/top-25-skinny-recipes-2012.html

cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/superfast-20-minute-recipes-00412000071183/

greatist.com/health/39-deliciously-unexpected-healthy-avocado-recipes

nom nom nom :)

xx,

a

before...and after. or not.

so, i took a before picture yesterday.  suffice it to say, that before picture is not getting posted until there is a healthy, impressive after picture to post next to it.  and even then...ugh!  here's an example *in clothing*.  personally i think i dress well for my weight so it is not nearly as noticeable as the bikini pic i took yesterday.  

that's me on the left - love lulu (natch) but don't love the size of my thighs! yay for bootycamp though!

SO as fitsp/thinspo/any kind of inspo, i have started reading these blogs and i'm loving them:

greatist.com

keepingupwithkatie.com

itsuxtobefat.com

skinnytaste.com

hungry-girl.com

feedmeimcranky.com

ronisweigh.com

i also got a two year subscription to cooking light! i hope that it's good/i actually make the recipes.  i'm pretty disheartened-i tried to make soup this weekend but the directions never said to "stir" after combining the ingredients! wtf! so i scorched about 8 servings of soup, but since i am crazy i still kind of like it.  unfortunately, my boyfriend didn't :p domesticity - 1. alanna - 0. annnd then last night i tried to make super healthy chicken salad by using canned chicken (which in theory i think is revolting but in action i actually liked when i used it for my soup as per the previously mentioned disaster).  i bought tyson's brand instead of trader joe's because i was at the commissary, but when i used it and combined it with low-fat (not light) mayonnaise, it was the most disgusting fake tasting mush-mix i had ever tasted.  my boyfriend liked it. go figure.

here's the good news:

 here's the even better news:

xx,

a

maxi dress obsession and victoria's secret binge

so, as per usual, i've been shopping.  i've also been thinking about my weight - par for the course.  unfortunately, i think i've finally reached the opposite side of the dreaded fence: my body confidence is too high!  i've spent too much time reading pro-body love articles, loving on my thighs and thinking that my curves are kim kardashian like, not just kind of squishy and not really proportionate.  the fact is, i have thin limbs and a not particularly large frame.  i could definitely support being 20 pounds thinner, but my goal is currently to lose 14 pounds.  i had a very indulgent week last week and weighed in at a whopping 155.6.  I haven't been that high since late last year (when i met my boyfriend) which doesn't help - he met me at 158 and liked me then, so he's not pulling a scott disick to kourtney kardashian:

Scott: "Last time around you tried to watch what you were eating, after you had Mason... at least you were losing weight."
Kourtney: "You are so crazy. I'm trying to do it the healthy way."
Scott: "Just do it faster...If I would have fell in love with you a couple of pounds overweight, this would be my ideal weight, but I fell in love with you when you were super skinny."

 fortunately, my boyfriend is no scott disick.  unfortunately, the below still holds true and while my weight is yucky to me, if i'm honest to myself it's my size that bothers me more.  i'm a big fan of showing off skin, but i've felt jigglier and yuckier since i was at my comfortable weight of 142.  besides, if this isn't initiative, what is???:

on what i'd like to think is an unrelated note, i've been super into maxi-dresses this year.  i used to think they were dumb-why wear that much fabric? now i love them, probably because as my boobs have "grown" it's become less cute and more hoochie mama to wear a tiny top and short shorts!  i'm super excited for this gorgeous dress to come in the mail - i ordered a medium in the longer, 39" hem length so i'll let you know if it's a good length for 5'8 curvy girls ;)

victoria's secret maxi bra top dress, $69.50 sale: $55.60! i picked carbon; i think it will look so pretty with a tan!

lest i hide out in maxi dresses all summer and avoid my weight loss goals, i also picked up an adorable bikini - I ordered the top in a Large and the bottom in a Medium; i'll post to update how it fits: 

Victoria's Secret bikini: $33 and $16

i'll take a before pic sometime this week after a weigh in and then i'll make sure to update my blog as i continue on my never-ending weight loss journey!

xx,

a

kate spade sale = retail therapy!

sooo, my dad called me the other day and had a talk with me about my spending (keep in mind i am 100% financially independent - they are just extremely good with money and want me to be responsible).  obviously, this pressure drove me straight to...retail therapy.  new additions:

"toutes les filles sont folles" kate spade idiom bangle (perfect salmon-y/coral color for spring and summer!)

"arm candy" kate spade idiom bangle (um...naturally)

"terry" kate spade canvas tote (how could i resist this, especially with summer coming? and my kate spade purchases were all sale purchases, with an extra 25% off cause of the "sale25" code - good till tomorrow!)

vera wang lavender royce peep toe booties...originally $350, currently selling on hautelook for $175...i got them at nordstrom rack for $75.  

see! how could my parents claim i'm irresponsible with money!?!?

...oops ;)

xx,

a