Week 4 Day 6

Sorry I've been MIA friends!  This has been a big week for us.  On Monday, I had emergency surgery and have been recovering this week.  I have been doing my best to get the rest and nutrition I need to feel better, but, between the pain, fatigue and general business of this time of year, it hasn't been easy.  I am finally starting to feel like myself again and hopefully I'll check out okay at my follow up appointment next week.

It's been a struggle to eat healthy whole foods since I don't have the energy to shop, cook and clean.  Darab has been super husband, taking care of all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, kids and of course his work, which is pretty busy this time of year.  We did have some help from my mom this week, which was incredible and so appreciated.  I might be ready to take some easy walks this weekend and next week, but I need to listen to my body and my doctor and not push myself.  I had trouble with that this week.  I'm going to focus on rest and eating right for now and try not to think too much about how and when I'm going to get back into working out.

Thanks for all your continued support and encouragement!

Week 3 Day 7

Three weeks are just about complete for me!  I can't believe that I'm a quarter of the way into this thing.  I've been thinking a lot about how much I have changed in just 3 short little weeks.  Here is some of what's changed for me...

1. I have dropped a size and have a bunch of clothes that I got to try on and realize that they fit...from my own closet!  It's like shopping, but it's free.
2. I ran with my son in the rain to the entrance to Sunday School and wasn't panting by the time we reached the door.  That wouldn't have been the case a few weeks ago.
3. I wake up in the morning, and I'm moderately happy.  Sure, I would like to have slept past 7, but it only takes me a few minutes to become a happy and productive member of this family.  
4. I am managing my time a lot better now.  I'm no longer feeling behind, rushed or late all the time.  I'm not exactly sure how this happened since I have been spending at least 7 hours a week working out and cooking almost everything I'm eating.  Somehow it feels as if I have more time.  
5. I was excited to shop for my Christmas party dress and the old me would have dreaded it.  The 6 was a little big, so I ordered a 4 and when it came in the mail...it zipped!  
6. I don't miss diet soda.
7. I don't miss bread.
8. I've influenced my hubby.  He's eating almost as good as I am and working out too.  He's looking pretty good. ;)
9. I'm starting to understand that not loading my kids up with carbs as snacks is good for them and I shouldn't feel guilty about it.
10. Feeling this in control of you body and this good in my own skin is something that I don't ever want to loose.  

Can you tell that I'm happy that I am doing this?  It ain't easy, but man it feels so good.  

Today was a rest day and boy did I enjoy it.  We did some errands as a family, and then cleaned and hung around the house.  We made dinner tonight, meatloaf from Everyday Paleo.  I actually saw one of my facebook friends post a photo of his version last night.  I didn't know he was doing the whole Paleo thing, so that was a fun surprise.  Anyway the meatloaf sounded great and I'm blessed with a husband who will try anything, so we made it.  It was pretty easy, and very tasty, but it didn't hold together very well.  When we tried to slice it, it basically just crumbled apart. Here is the before...

And the mixing...

And then me making a little meat baby...

Inspired by The Meat Baby of course...

So wrong.  Anyhow, this is how the meatloaf turned out after it we tried to slice it and it crumbled...

We roasted up some broccoli and brussels sprouts with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to go along side.  Of course I forgot to put the sweet potatoes in the oven, so no baked potatoes to go along with it.  The kids don't really like any type of potato or sweet potato dish anyway, so not a big deal.  I forgot to take a photo of my plate before I devoured it, so here is my girl's plate with her seconds...

She can eat brussels sprouts like there is no tomorrow.  Yum, yum, yum!  Now I'm off to watch the season finale of Boardwalk Empire!  I'm so excited!  Good night!

Week 3 Day 6

Cheat Meal!  I had been thinking about it for hours...definitely throughout my late afternoon run.  We decided on Chipotle after the kids were in bed, so I could really enjoy devouring it without having to constantly say, "Don't play with your food" or "Don't wipe your hands on your pants".  It took me at least 15 minutes with their online nutrition calculator to decide exactly what was worth being in my salad.  I was really surprised at all the sodium in their food.  But I guess even though it's good quality, it's still fast food.  So for my cheat meal I decided on a salad with steak, black beans, fajita veggies, guacamole and something I haven't had in weeks...CHEESE!  I decided to get a few salsas on the side, so I could add a half serving, because the salsas had a ton of sodium.  Who knew?  Here is what my meal looked like...

It was so tasty.  Part of the appeal is that I didn't have to cook it.  I didn't realize until I did this program how much I relied on packaged or prepared food, or eating out.  It really does feel better to cook what you eat and control the quality of ingredients, but it does take a lot of work.  Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of options for eating well while eating out.  It's making me a little nervous for all of the parties and eating out that are going to happen this month.  I'll have to prepare myself and have a plan going into these events.  But back to cheating.  My cheat meal wouldn't be complete without a cheat dessert...and this is what I have chosen.  

I love Snickers and I'm a sucker for all the holiday themed ones that they come up with.  This little guy isn't cheap, calorie wise I mean.  It has 160 calories, 9 grams of fat and 17 grams of sugar.  I'm going to savor every bite.  By the way, I did run today and did a little ab work to.  So hopefully the 761 calories burned today will help out with the cheating.  

Week 3 Day 5

Friday!  This was a long week, and I'm so glad that it's the weekend.  This morning I studied my new chest and biceps workout.  I look up all the exercises online and then email myself a list of everything I need to do along with a link that tells me how to do it.  I probably look like such an ass in the weight room.  Someone who can't do more than one exercise without checking her phone, but really I'm watching a video of what I'm supposed to do.  I was so happy to find out, again, that I am getting better.  My arms started out so weak, and I'm sure they still are, but I'm able to do all the reps where I couldn't before, and in most cases I'm using more weight.  It is so encouraging.  It feels great to know that if I just keep going, I will improve.  After chest and biceps I did abs.  The new ab workout I got was a lot tougher than what I've been doing the past 2 weeks.  It was a real struggle to get through, actually.  Those V-ups...pretty tough.  I think I'll need to do abs more often.

And now the food.  I ate the usual for most of the day...egg whites and turkey bacon for breakfast, protein shake after my workout and crab salad for lunch.  Little One and I left to get Little Guy from school and then we all had to stay for a meeting to plan a preschool movie night.  By the time we left, it was 4:15 and I didn't have a plan for dinner.  We stopped at the store and I threatened the kids several times to ensure good behavior.  They had a pretty major problem with following directions at Seattle Super Supplements earlier this week.  But this time they did pretty well and we bought a good quality rotisserie chicken, some veggies and a little indulgence...sweet potato waffle fries.  The ingredient list on the fries was pretty good, but not perfect.  Even so, I really wanted something that would satisfy a craving for something sort of junkie and this seemed like it could work.  I got home and we got cooking.  The kids were super happy to have at chicken legs and I made myself a fantastic chicken, bacon, avocado sandwich.  I took the skin off my chicken breast, cooked turkey bacon, added a little mayo, tomato and red onion and wrapped it in green leaf lettuce.  It was so delicious!  I didn't even miss bread and cheese.  I ate it with about a serving of sweet potato waffle fries and made a little dipping sauce to go with them, equal parts honey and mustard.  This was the best meal I've had all week.  It was about 475 calories, which is high.  I've been eating smaller meals more often, but I wasn't home at my usual snack time, and was so hungry by the time we did get home.  It felt a little strange to eat a larger meal, but was worth it.

I also found a new treat.  Well I sent Darab on a bit of a quest.  He tried 3 stores in 2 days and finally scored at Whole Foods.  It's called Arctic Zero.  It's a frozen dessert that is super low in calories and sugar, fat free, dairy free and pretty darn tasty.  It's made from concentrated whey protein and is all natural.  I'm pretty sure it's allowed and it is really nice to have a little something sweet after dinner and not feel bad about it.  It's not rich and creamy like ice cream, but it certainly gets the job done and at only 37 calories per serving, I'll take it.  I tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter but they have more flavors that I can't wait to try.  It is possible to eat well and be happy, after all. :)

Week 3 Day 4

I had a first today...I ran on a treadmill!  Once again, was more nervous than something actually is scary.  When will I learn?  The cardio room was more than half full, so I was a little intimidated.  I don't know what I was thinking...that I would trip and fly backwards like a cartoon or sitcom or something.  That didn't happen.  I actually found it to be pretty similar to running on the track outside.  I can find a groove when I'm not paying attention to a path or dealing with different inclines.  I think I still prefer running outside, so I will probably keep doing that on Saturdays when I can use the school track.  But until I'm ready to run in the rain, the treadmill will do the trick.

Now onto food.  Turkey bacon and eggs whites for breakfast.  The newness of eating breakfast has worn off and I really don't like egg whites, but I'm getting used to it.  I have noticed that I am relying on coffee much less in the mornings.  I used to have 2 cups before I left my house in the morning, now I have one and sometimes I don't even finish it.  It may have a little something to do with the fact that I gave up flavored creamer for black coffee, but I think it mostly has to do with getting a good nights sleep and more energy throughout the day, including first thing in the morning.  I have never been a morning person, but since I've started this, I'm closer than I've ever been.  We've also been early to school most everyday in the last 3 weeks.  It's been nice.

After I picked up Little One from school, we went to have teriyaki.  My daughter calls it chicken and rice.  It's a place that we would go once a week or so, but haven't been since I've changed what I've been eating.  I had to ask how they cooked the chicken and ask them to grill it without oil and to steam the cabbage instead of cook it in the usual wok.  I felt a little high maintenance, but they were really nice about it.  We ordered chicken breast instead of the usual Lunch Special A, which is chicken and gyoza with vegetables and rice.  We still got the rice, but I didn't eat any.  I also avoided any extra teriyaki sauce.  So we had a nice little lunch together.

I have been craving something sweet and satisfying and chocolatey for awhile now and today I found something that fit the bill...in a diet sort of way.  I found a chocolate brownie protein bar by Quest Bar. It has 20 grams of protein, 19 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar and is only 190 calories.  The only downside is it's $2.50 a bar, which seems high to me.  But the bars seem like a really good option for when I am on the go, especially right after a work out.  Let's hope my new food coach approves.  Yep, that's right, my old one parted ways with Fit Systems, so I have to get to know someone new.  I'm sure he will be great, but I'm a little nervous.

Overall a pretty good day. :)

Week 3 Day 3

What a difference a day makes!  I had a much better day today.  For starters, I got close to 8 hours of sleep last night.  The kids got up and going a little earlier, which made the morning less rushed.  I was ready for my workout as soon as I dropped the kids off at school.  There was a Step Class that started at 9:30 and a few weeks ago I went and it was full.  Today I got there almost 20 minutes early and got one of the last few spots.  It was so great.  I still really sucked at the choreography, but I could keep up with the whole cardio element.  It felt so great to notice improvement.  After class, I did legs and again, noticed that I had developed more strength.  Next was shoulders, and even though I'm getting better, I don't feel like I'm developing strength in my arms as quickly.  I'm sure it'll come if I'm patient.  By the time I left to pick up Little One I had burned 1077 calories.  That was a great way for me to get my head back in the game.

I ate a protein bar after my workout, since I wouldn't have a chance to go home for awhile.  I went for high protein and low sugar and it was pretty good.  Later in the afternoon, I made myself a yummy crab salad.  Who needs a sandwich when they can have this for lunch...

It was so yummy.  I didn't realize that crab was so high in protein and low in calories and fat.  It's a little pricey, but it's nice to switch up what I'm eating.  For dinner, I made spaghetti squash and meatballs.  Meatballs aren't quite the same when you leave out the parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.  They were okay, but I'm going to have to find a way to make them great.  

Tomorrow it's supposed to rain, so I will have a first.  Either my first time running in the rain or on a treadmill.  I'm pretty nervous about either option.  I'll just do what I've done pretty well for the last two plus weeks...just do it.  I guess Nike was really onto something.  Well, I'm off to finally watch Boardwalk Empire with my sweetie. 

Week 3 Day 2

I was in a big slump today.  I didn't wake up with the most energy today and the first thing I do in the morning is weigh myself...and I was up 0.6 pounds.  I've dropped 4 pounds in 2 weeks, so I was discouraged to see the number go up.  I'm trying to keep it in perspective.  I know I'm still doing what I'm supposed to be doing and it will work...today was just one of those days where I never really found my groove.  Little things weren't going my way and for some reason I thought that a sandwich or chocolate would be a good solution.  I actually ended up eating really well today, but my goodness, eating junk sounded so good!

My heart rate monitor wasn't working consistently during my run, so I don't have an accurate number of calories burned for today and that was really frustrating for me.  I'm pretty sure I did enough as far as my workout, but I don't have that number to prove it.  Ugh!  I think some of the initial excitement I had has worn off and I'm crashing pretty hard.  What I'm doing didn't change today, just how I feel about it...so I'm really trying hard to remember that I trust this process and everyday isn't going to be easy.  In fact, no one ever told me this was going to be easy, but everyone is saying that it will be worth it, and I do still believe that.  I really didn't want to whine during this whole process, but I do want to be honest about how each day is going here.  So I made it through today and I hope tomorrow is better.