Check out my new blog!!

Hey Bloggers!!

Wanted to take my last post on Good Gals Inc to let you know I've started a new blog!! It's called Diet Coke Straight Up

http://dietcokestraightup.blogspot.com/

I'd love for you to follow me as I talk fashion, my adventures in reality TV production and tales of my absent mindedness. I'll also be doing a weekly "Kirby reads the hits". Where I will pick a rap song from R's iTunes at random and read the lyrics. Trust me, it's preeeeeetty funny.

Hey I'm also on twitter! @DietCokeStr8Up

The end of GG's Blog

This is the last blog post from Good Gals Inc.

I'll be back on another blog and it will be private. It will be better than ever!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cookies of the week!

I started making cookies for the crews for the show sorta as a joke. But then it's become something I really look forward too every Tuesday. So last week I departed from my typical iced sugar cookies and used some recipes I found online to make last week treat boxes:


Gotta love my Ashley Brook Design post-it notes as a finishing touch!!! I used treat boxes I had left over from Valentine's Day.

Here are the recipes I used:
Magical Peanut Butter Cookies by Paula Deen
Fluffy Oatmeal Rasin cookies by Paula Deen (except I didn't make them sandwiches)
Sugar Cookie "Smooch", I just winged this one. It was a bag of sugar cookie mix then you push a hershey kiss in it!

I really think it helps boost moral of the crews when they come back on the first day of the week to some fresh cookies. A lot of them are away from their families and loved ones and it me making cookies keeps people happy, then I love it!!

Can't wait to show you guys this weeks treat....tomorrow I'm making CAKE BALLS!!

The cookies I made during "the toe break of 2010"

Alright, if I broke my toe making cookies, they BETTER had been worth it, right??

Worth it they were! Maybe it was the meds they gave me, but I got inspired. And my detail work got a lot better. I wanted to go with a beach theme (for no other reason than I saw these adorable cookie cutters on Copper Gifts.com

Here's a little picture of what each crews gift box looked like.

Bikinis and board shorts

Some colorful one pieces

Close up of the board shorts. I tried to do some detail but my icing kept messing up...I won't say what I think these look like.....

I think the palm trees were my favorite. I just loved how simple they turned out!

So while I did get hurt while making cookies, at least they were fierce!!

Bake em cookies, you'll get hired!

So what started out as just a one day event as me working back in TV Production has turned into a full time gig!! (Well full time for the 8 weeks they're shooting)

I'm really happy to be back in Production. I've missed it and luckily it all comes back very naturally. Everyone in the office is so nice and it's going really great.

I think me being hired back had something to do with the Texas Themed cookies I made for the crew....

So make cookies and you'll get hired!! I hope that I'll find time to regularly blog still. Because one of the things that I do not miss about production is how your life comes to a HAULT! Working 13 hour days leaves little time to do anything but sleep. Getting to do little things like laundry will go undone for about 3 weeks. I had Sunday off and had the best time cleaning and just tending to my apartment.

One of the best things about this job is that Mike and I are working together in the office. I'm very happy about this because if we didn't work in the same place, we literally would never see each other. Of course everyone thinks it's funny when a couple works in an space together. (When it's not that strange because we've always worked together. But we enjoy being the main part of the days entertainment).

Biggest Loser: Fitness Ridge-Final Thoughts!

So after a full week at the Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge, here is my final assessment. I’ve tried to break it up into categories.

Travel:

-Pros: Well…there are none. It is what it is. I came into Utah on Saturday and I’m thrilled I did. If you can, I would recommend this option. A lot of other people did this.

-Cons: If you fly into the Las Vegas Airport there are some crazy time change issues when getting into St. George, Utah. You fly into Pacific time zone then go into Mountain during the hour and half drive. So it’s just something to keep In mind. A lot of people missed the opening events on Sunday because of this. Also unless you rent a car, you need to take a shuttle from LV to St. George. This is an additional cost.

Food:

-Pros: The food is wonderful! I was really surprised as to how filling the 1,200 calories a day was. The wait staff is very accommodating to people food allergies, diets and preferences. Also, there is a salad/fruit bar that you have access to all day. So if you need a little boost mid-day that is available to you.

-Cons: CAFFEINE!! This was a huge issue for me. They do not allow caffeine at the Resort. I thought it was because caffeine dehydrates you but you learn mid week that there are no real side effects. HELLO?? Then why can’t I have it? (Granted it’s pretty easy to just leave the privacy please sign on your door and keep something on ice all week but of course I didn’t do that J ). Also there were one or two days where I just didn’t like the meal. The thing that sucks is that there is really no other option.

Accommodations:

-Pros: The rooms are amazing! Lots of space, TV with a DVD player, free internet, very comfortable bed. The rooms were actually enjoyable to just rest in.

-Cons: With that said, the walls are made of tissue paper! You can hear everything. So if you are a light sleeper the best place for you to be is on the 2^nd floor at the end so the wall your headboard is on is not shared. Some people said they could hear the person next to them snoring!!! The air conditioner also sounds like a diesel truck. So bring a small fan with you if you need some light noise.

Workouts:

-Pros: The workouts are tough. They are what you make of it. If you don’t push yourself you won’t get the results. I see this as a pro because it’s like in the “real world”. I had really great results because I kept pushing myself. The instructors are great for this too!!

-Cons: You are broken up into 3 groups and you work out schedule is different for each group. Sometimes this was great, and other times it just sucked. After an 8 mile hike sometimes you wanted to get in the pool to loosen up or the stretch. For my group we got cardio intervals like 3 times! So it was just hard to get a great calorie burn because you just killed it during the hike.

Hikes:

-Pros: Some of the hikes were just breathtaking. If you are in a smaller hiking group you are basically getting a private tour. Which is just priceless.

-Cons: If the weather is bad or you are not in the Fast Intermediate/Advanced the hiking choices can be limiting. A lot of people got sick of the hikes. (I was in the Advanced so our hikes were new every day) Another thing is that if you are in the Advanced group, they push you, VERY HARD. Almost too hard in my opinion. I think the hike guides (who are outsourced) do not realize the other work outs we do so you can’t go at this crazy fast pace the entire time. Hiking 8 miles in 2 hours is REALLY fast. Just something to keep in mind.

Tips and info:

-FEET FEET FEET!!!!! Take care of your feet. Bring blister gel, blister pads, get blister socks, ect.

-Break in your work out shoes about a month before you are going to the ranch. I made the mistake of wearing my really old tennis shoes thinking they were good and worn in. WRONG, I should have gotten new ones. You end up walking about 12 miles a day. So it’s worth investing in a new pair of shoes.

-If you are not a fit person, you need to start working out AT LEAST two weeks prior to your arrival. You will get more out of the program and the likely hood that you burn out/get injured will be decreased.

-The spa is amazing. Book a massage mid-week so you can make it the rest of the week. It saved my quads!

-The store at the resort is your friend! If you forgot everything, you could survive out of there. Things were not overpriced and the shop manager is very helpful!

-Take advantage of the test that is offered. (RMR and VO2) These will help you when you get back into the real world. If you are there for multiple weeks, get them done at the end of your stay. Weight loss changes the results.

-Bring crystal light or Propel water flavor packets. It will just break up the boring water you drink all week. (Or Starbucks instant Via coffee if you need a pick me up…..wait I didn’t do that! J)

-If you’re wanting to go here to lose some serious weight 30lbs+ you should really consider staying 2 weeks or more. To be able to establish some great habits and get a jump start, the longer you stay the better your results will be.

-I have heard that there is an option where you can stay off campus but still be a guest the ridge. I’m not sure of the price difference in this but if you are trying to cut cost, this could be an option.

All in all this is a wonderful, supportive, and kick ass place to be! I would recommend it to anyone who has any goals for health and fitness. I met people that I hope to stay friends with for many years to come and I learned a lot through our educational classes and seminars.

If anyone has any questions, please please please feel free to contact me! I am very open and honest and will answer anything. KirbyStuart @ gmail.com

There is also a referral program so if you call them and mention my name we can both get something sweet out of the deal! Email me for more info!

My Adventure-Day 8: Stop Sign 2.0 & Testing Out

Day 8: Stop Sign 2.0 & Testing Out

I was really nervous about running Stop Sign again. My feet were killing me and I was just sore and tired from the week. I really wanted to beat my time of 55 minute for the 4.3 mile hike/run. And.......

I ran it in 53 minutes!! 2 minutes off!! WoooWHooooo

A picture of the first four that made it up! I came in 2nd and Judy (on the right) came in first at 51 minutes. She killed it! So proud of her! Yes that is blue tape on my shins. It apparently helps your muscles.

So with all the excitement of finishing early and everything, my iPhone arm band holder flew off my arm annnnnnnnd the screen cracked. AGAIN! DAMN IT! The phone still works but it is just beat up. I am going to go in on Monday and see what they can do, if anything.

My poor phone....My boyfriend told me that State Farm has iPhone insurance. I will probably be looking into that.

The rest of day was spent laying out by the pool and doing laundry. It was heavenly to just relax and not be working out/moving. That night we had graduation. Where they show the DVD that they made for that weeks stay. It was awesome! I'm on there a lot because I was dancing horrible in Cardio Dance Jam. Hahaha! Headband and all. Then who ever wanted to say something about their stay and what they learned during the week spoke. I was very happy to speak and share my story with everyone. That there are ups and downs, gains and losses but that you have to stay focused on your goal and reach out when you need help.

This morning I was very excited to "test out" which is you weigh in and compare your weight and measurements to your test in. I am THRILLED to report that I had the following results:
-Lost 4lbs
-Lost 2.1% of body fat
-Lost 6 total inches

Very happy with my results!! I really have the motivation to keep going and work on hitting my goal. I'm going to do a "Final Assessment" post about all the pros and cons about Fitness Ridge. I learned so much and met some wonderful people!!