RCR NYC Mini Get Together

So yesterday I met up with some fabulous RCR ladies at Central Park, NY: Lisa, Hailey and Laura. It was so much fun, and just motivational in general. Haha, I will tell you that we saw two really odd things in Central Park yesterday, but then again it is NYC, lol.



Hula hoop adventures in Central Park!! What more can you ask for?!!? Anyhow, we also saw 4 large walking & talking bananas yesterday. Haha, they were filming some kind of experiment... According to the girl, it was "International Banana Day". Haha, I think she made that up. Anyhow, in light of that, I did eat a banana yesterday with some almond butter as my first snack of the day (that was coincidentally before I saw them)!!



Here's a re-cap video of what happened yesterday (plus a good tip about eating while doing other activities). We had a powerwalk through Central Park and then went to eat lunch/brunch Sarabeth's restaurant (very lovely), and all of us pretty much ate Red Carpet Ready. It was awesome! After we left and went our own ways, I tried to hit up the the Capezio store so I could get new dance shoes... I was hoping they'd have some on sale, but they closed at 5pm (right when I got there). Anyhow, I still managed to stop by Lululemon (I just love that store - haha, my bf always makes fun of the name "lululemon")... I got 1 pair of pants that were on sale. Fortunately, they do complimentary hemming, so I'm getting them shortened for my length. P.S. I also picked up a few free pins... their new slogan is "SHOP NUDE"!! ... On April 15th, they just opened up their online shopping site (before you could only view products and not purchase them). It's pretty cool, but I prefer to check out in-store deals/sales. Plus I love trying stuff on!

Easter Sunday & Challenges... Plus 3 Week Mini Progress Report

Here I am (Saturday night), prepping for Easter Sunday and talking about the upcoming food challenges. YIKES !... I made some mini cheesecakes (for portion control) and I also baked a sugar-free chocolate cake (I modified the original hershey recipe and it came out pretty good).




Here I am after all the food madness. FYI, I still ate about 5-6 times a day yesterday... I didn't save up all my calories for brunch or dinner time. Fortunately, I did get in a nice workout in the morning. However, I wasn't sure if I was getting sick or getting allergies (since my nose has been runny for the past 3 days), so I took two of my sister's Benedryl tablets around 11am. Little did I know that it would make me feel *super* sleepy. Bad news is that my alertness level was compromised, and I ran over a curb pretty hard and immediately got a flat tire yesterday (I was literally within walking distance from the dinner party I was going to... and I had a HUGE panic/stress attack since I was worried about how much this mistake was going to cost me ). Good news is that I have AAA and they came in 30 minutes and mounted on my donut tire. FYI, this morning before work, I went to PepBoys and had a real tire placed and mounted. My rim is still usable & safe... but it sucks since my car is pretty new. I'll just have to deal with that for now.

3-Week Progress Report: Ughh, I feel super bloated ... I MUST get back on track. (haha, reminds me of Val... it's a "MUST" and not a "SHOULD"). I took my weight & measurements yesterday and it gave me a reality check (I'm up 2 lbs)... I can't keep experimenting with my food! lol, sometimes it's best to go with what I know works... I'm going to continue with the heavy weight & body weight training for at least the next 3 weeks. I'm just going to have to monitor the food intake closer (as I've been a little lax the past week, and obviously it showed on the scale). On another note, I know I'm trying to gain more muscle, so my focus may shift more towards measurements and body fat readings (rather than just weight alone).

K, I hope everyone had a safe & Happy Easter!! Let's rock & roll these next 7 weeks... we've still got a lot of time left!!

Getting Back on Track!

Nobody's perfect, including me... As Val states, when will power fails, strategy must prevail! This is so true. Anyhow, in the video I'm just sharing a tip from one of the Biggest Loser winners... I've actually used it since Monday and things have been going great! Isn't it crazy how you can find motivation anywhere? :)

Supplex, Cellulite, & Digital Scale

Brazilians know how to keep it SEXY!! That's one of the reasons I bought several Supplex pieces of athletic wear/clothing last year, plus they say it hides cellulite! I bought several brands ranging from Bia Brazil, Brasil Sul, etc... Anyhow, I also own some Bebe Sport clothing which I believe uses Supplex as well (it's a certain combination of nylon & spandex that makes the clothes very durable - fade & shrink resistant, or so they say).

FYI, I found a pair of white supplex pants hidden in my drawer yesterday... Ha!! When I first bought these pants, they didn't hide an inch of cellulite!! If anything, it MAGNIFIED it (deceptive marketing I'd say)!!... Anyways, I'm happy to report that the pants look so much better on me now.

In further news, I'm also happy to report that I got a brand new digital food scale!! ...Anything that adds convenience into my life is key! (especially if I'm trying to make the diet/nutrition aspect stick around for the longterm). :)

From Action Hero Babe to Bikini Babe

The 10-week Bikini Babe Journey Begins!





Workouts might be posted in the Red Carpet Ready Club Forum... So stay tuned! :)

Diamond Dinner 3-14-09 - Special Celebrity Appearance

If you've been following me, then you'll know who the special celebrity guest on this video was.

I apologize for it being so dark... I had no control over the lighting. Enjoy!!



P.S. She's gorgeous in person, and so down-to-earth. I really wished she could've stayed longer. It was fun while it lasted. :)

Diamond LA Weekend

Okay, here's a sneak peek into my weekend!

Friday - Afternoon flight to LA... I had planned a morning workout, but didn't have time... Took much longer than I thought to pack!! My gosh, I was on one of the cool Continental airplanes... they had movies, music & games on-demand!! My flight was 6 hours long, so I watched 2 movies: Forever Strong (with the cute guy from the movie "Never Back Down") & Australia... I later went out for dinner with some of the Diamond ladies (and one of their husbands) to the Ocean Ave Seafood Restaurant (http://www.oceanave.com/). Although I didn't order seafood, the chicken was great! ... It was a long day, but I definitely enjoyed it!


Saturday - Yup, I woke up super-duper early!! But after I walked around for a bit, I was able to go back to bed for a few more hours. I later went to eat breakfast and chatted up with a few of the Diamond gals (it was later that we surprisingly met the fabulous LindaM at the breakfast restaurant area)! Since LindaM was also staying at the Doubletree, some of us were fortunate enough to fit in a quick 15-20 minute workout with her before the Diamond group activity hike!! At the group hike (which was quite a workout and probably lasted 1.5 hours), I also met the lovely Valerie Waters, Nikki, Mary Bess and the rest of the Diamond ladies (Ryan wasn't there for the hike). Honestly, everyone looked so good! ... After the hike, a few of us went to visit the Santa Monica pier and then went to eat lunch at the BOA Steakhouse (http://www.boasteak.com/balboa/index.htm). I also stopped by Lululemon to pick up some goodies. Honestly, I ♥♥♥love♥♥♥ that store!! (If it's one thing I like treating myself to, it's athletic clothing... I've got tons of Lulu & Bebe sport stuff at home - haha, you should see how "mad" my sister gets when she finds out I bought another piece of sports clothing).

On another note, I didn't take any footage of the hike/Diamond dinner, but I will say I had a blast!! (I know Val was having the event recorded though). P.S. Val was the *perfect* party/dinner host, Gavan was an *excellent* cook, and Ryan's a cool dude! I especially enjoyed sitting down and speaking one-on-one to Nerida Joy (even if it was only for a few minutes). She truly has great skin. I'm sure she knows it, but I still had to tell her that! We also had a special celebrity guest stop by for like 2 minutes (Val invited her, but didn't think she would've been able to stop by b/c of her prior engagements). The whole day/experience was just surreal. It was definitely worth the trip!! I also enjoyed the lovely gifts the other Diamond ladies gave to Val... It definitely made the trip memorable!!

I want to say it again: Thanks Val! You Rock!

Sunday - Flying back home to East Coast!! I really wish I could've staying in Cali longer... This was actually the first time I visited California and I would've loved to have visited some tourist attractions.