Last night was the finale of Project Runway Season 3. This may come as a surprise to a lot of you, but PR is one of the few TV programs I bother to watch (aside from CSI, CSI: NY, and Good Eats). I’ve sewn clothing since I taught myself how to use my mother’s machine in middle school and started drawing outfits for my paper dolls (I was scared of real Barbies) when I was 6, so the program is a must-see for me.

I didn’t have any favorites out of the four finalists, but I was generally happy with the collections I saw last night. Uli had the largest number of wearable outfits, but each of the other three designers, including Jeffrey, the winner, had some spiffy threads as well.

I will say that as much as I loved Uli’s clothes, most of her long, flowy dresses only work on tall, skinny gals. Stick this dress on your average 5′4″, size 14 American woman with fluffy arms, and you get a striped muumuu from hell, not a sexy resort-wear gown. Jeffrey and Michael also designed for the tall, thin figure with a lot of skinny pants and tight shorts that would simply not work on 66% of the women now calling themselves American citizens. Laura’s evening wear collection, while not innovative, does seem like it would flatter the largest number of women.

You can check out their full collections using the links above, but here are my favorites from the show:

Uli -

Michael -

Jeffrey -

Laura -

I’m feeling so inspired right now that I may just try to knock off that shirt dress from Uli’s collection this weekend!

After a lot of thought (possibly brought on by last week’s PMS munchies), I’ve decided to postpone the second half of the Cheapass Challenge for a while and focus on maintenance and maybe a bit of muscle gain through the holidays. Part of making healthy eating and regular exercise a lifestyle is knowing when to pull back from doomed self-defeating behaviors like, for example, trying to do a hardcore cut during Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year.

I have very modest fitness guidelines for the next 4 months:

1. Maintain my scale weight between 130-138 lbs and my body fat below 19% (preferably between 16-18%).
2. Lift weights a minimum of three times a week.
3. Perform cardio for 25 (HIIT) or 30-45 (lower intensity) minutes a minimum of three times a week.
4. Keep my intake at an average of 1800-2200 calories/day.
5. Stay within 40-50% carb / 30-40% protein / 20-30% fat macronutrient ratios.
6. Experiment with at least one new healthy recipe a week.

The challenge for me when it comes to the holidays has never really been the food. I don’t go overboard very often because I’m too cheap to go out to eat all the time or spend money on overpriced junk food at the grocery store. I just get lazy about hitting all of my workouts consistently, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about my body over the years, it is that regular exercise will always have to be a necessary part of my daily life if I want to keep myself out of size 11/12 pants. I never lose muscle when I stop lifting or doing cardio, but my subcutaneous fat cells are quite good at filling back up in case of future famine. It’s as if my butt has a permanent morphic field stamped with a size 12, and constant vigilance and daily exercise are required to keep said rear end from expanding to fill that imaginary space.

I’m going to see what it’s like to actually go through the holidays eating at maintenance while hitting 5-6 workouts a week, even if they are only 30 minute ones.

Call it a test drive of the rest of my life.

:prop:

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YESTERDAY’S EATS

1. 1 scoop dextrose, 1 scoop whey protein, 1 tsp. GNC Creastack
2. 1/3 c. oatmeal, 3 T. raisins, 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites
3: 4 oz. chicken breast, 1 medium pear, 1 c. vegetable mix
4. 1 rice cake, 1/2 T. all natural peanut butter, 1/2 scoop whey protein, 1/2 c. light soy milk
5. 1 rice cake, 1/2 T. all natural peanut butter, 1/2 scoop whey protein, 1/2 c. light soy milk
6. 2 whole eggs + 4 egg whites omelette with 1 c. red peppers, eggplant, and scallions from the garden
7. 1/2 bag light popcorn

Water: 16 cups

Supplements: multivitamin, calcium 600+D, EAS l-glutamine

Calories: 1889 calories (46.3% carb/32.5% pro/24.8% fat)

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YESTERDAY’S WORKOUT

* Chest/Biceps/Triceps (60 min)
* Walk (3.6 mph / 23 min)
* Run (6.5 mph / 10 min)
* Bike HIIT (Lvl 8 - 12 / 17 min)

Calories burned: 826 calories

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DEFICIT: -625 cal