The plan for today was to have a friend over to go swimming and spend the night. The kids were excited because I was going to let them pull out the hide-a-bed and play lots of video games.
What actually happened was that my youngest son threw up. Sleepover was cancelled. I alternated cooking and playing halo with the older kid while the younger napped, puked, and played star wars.
We were inside almost all day and its making me nuts. My knee still hurts a tad but it I decided to give cardio 2 a go anyway because i was feeling fat and disgusting and couldn't take it anymore.
Turns out the secret to cranking out amazing burpees is to have tons of pent up energy. Yay for being stir crazy, I guess.
The little guy is much better now. He even did part of the workout with me and asked how many packs i have so far. He said he has about 18 and it's true. That kid is cut!
I'll post pics later of my amazing zucchini creations. Spoiler alert: hummus is on the list- excellent idea!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The zucchini project
This is week 2 of my veggie farm box delivery service. I've been eating veggies like a crazy person and loving it.
But I didn't really get to the zucchini last week. This week even more arrived. I have 12 zucchini and I'm going out of town tomorrow.
I'm having 2 with my eggs this morning. I'll fin a healthy recipe for muffins and freeze them today. I have a recipe I want to try for couscous stuffed zucchini that could be good.
Any good zucchini recipes out there? I'm going to need some help!
But I didn't really get to the zucchini last week. This week even more arrived. I have 12 zucchini and I'm going out of town tomorrow.
I'm having 2 with my eggs this morning. I'll fin a healthy recipe for muffins and freeze them today. I have a recipe I want to try for couscous stuffed zucchini that could be good.
Any good zucchini recipes out there? I'm going to need some help!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Knee problems
My right knee hurts. I'm pretty sure it happened during the woodchopper move where you swing the weight from your shoulder across your body and lunge.
I skipped my run today to let it rest. I've had meniscus repair surgery on this knee several years ago. It's not quite that painful so I'm crossing my fingers that it will get better with a little rest and glucosamine. I'm going to do cardio 2 tomorrow but I'll be smart about it.
On the bright side, the veggie quinoa stir fry makes a million servings and I'm the only one who will eat it. Too spicy for the kids and the boyfriend hates quinoa. I love it. I made it a couple weeks ago and froze the leftovers. It reheats really well. I just finished a hassle free dinner.
I skipped my run today to let it rest. I've had meniscus repair surgery on this knee several years ago. It's not quite that painful so I'm crossing my fingers that it will get better with a little rest and glucosamine. I'm going to do cardio 2 tomorrow but I'll be smart about it.
On the bright side, the veggie quinoa stir fry makes a million servings and I'm the only one who will eat it. Too spicy for the kids and the boyfriend hates quinoa. I love it. I made it a couple weeks ago and froze the leftovers. It reheats really well. I just finished a hassle free dinner.
Day 33: it's hard to photo your own abs
So here's the work in progress. I retook this picture about 20 times trying to get it right. You should know Im flexing and sucking in and this is early in the morning before I've eaten anything. Also I picked a shot where you can't really see the flab so well. I promise you, it's there. But not for long!
I just finished workout 6. It goes by really fast. I actually thought there was going to be another circuit and all of a sudden it was over. It's heavy on the abs. Yay!
One of the many awesome things about my boyfriend is that he notices things. Yesterday he noticed my two pack and got really excited and happy for me. We were lying down in the morning and I curled to get up and that's when he saw them. He had me do the move over and over so he could see. It was really cute and sweet. Now I know they're not just in my imagination.
I am so tired. Last nights work party was fun but tonight I just want to sleep. I get the kids back today and next week is spring break so I'm taking off a few days and we'll go visit my mom and step-dad. I'm looking forward to relaxing for a bit.
I just finished workout 6. It goes by really fast. I actually thought there was going to be another circuit and all of a sudden it was over. It's heavy on the abs. Yay!
One of the many awesome things about my boyfriend is that he notices things. Yesterday he noticed my two pack and got really excited and happy for me. We were lying down in the morning and I curled to get up and that's when he saw them. He had me do the move over and over so he could see. It was really cute and sweet. Now I know they're not just in my imagination.
I am so tired. Last nights work party was fun but tonight I just want to sleep. I get the kids back today and next week is spring break so I'm taking off a few days and we'll go visit my mom and step-dad. I'm looking forward to relaxing for a bit.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Day 32: Stuff you should know about workout 5
I woke up really early today and couldn't sleep. It's because I took my boyfriend out for dinner last night for his birthday and had a couple beers (a draft beer called kiltlifter - so good). More than one drink makes it hard for me to sleep so that was a dumb move on my part. Someday I will learn this lesson.
Anyway, At 4:30 This morning I decided since I wasn't sleeping I may as well get up and do workout 5. I was expecting it to suck. It was super hard on Monday and that was after a rest day.
It was easier. Not easy, but easier. The sun salutations were the perfect warmup. When we do those jumping warmups in the other workouts my knees creak and crack like I'm 80 years old. Today it was nice to slowly wake up my muscles and get them primed for what was coming.
Here's what I want everyone to know about workout 5:
1. There are 4 circuits. At the end if the 2nd one Jillian says there's only 1 more. She is mistaken. Don't listen.
2. The 1st and 3rd circuits are harder than the 2nd and 4th. You will think while you're doing the 1st that there's no way you can keep up this intensity for 30 minutes. You won't have to so you may as well blast it out.
3. You will be sore. I've been doing a funny walk since Monday because my butt cheeks hurt. Give those jump squats your all and you too can walk like a monkey and cringe every time you stand up! I love the pain though. It means it's working.
I'm so tired now. Today will be a toughie. I have to go to the dentist to get a mold done for a crown this morning. Then I'll work. Probably skip running since I'll be in late.
Tonight is a work party at another restaurant with a great beer selection. I plan in sticking to water. Yesterday I skipped my snack thinking it would compensate for going out to eat. I think it backfired and made me eat too much (i could have had half the salmon instead of the whole thing). Today I'll have my celery and almond butter right before I go out so I'm not famished when I get there.
Anyway, At 4:30 This morning I decided since I wasn't sleeping I may as well get up and do workout 5. I was expecting it to suck. It was super hard on Monday and that was after a rest day.
It was easier. Not easy, but easier. The sun salutations were the perfect warmup. When we do those jumping warmups in the other workouts my knees creak and crack like I'm 80 years old. Today it was nice to slowly wake up my muscles and get them primed for what was coming.
Here's what I want everyone to know about workout 5:
1. There are 4 circuits. At the end if the 2nd one Jillian says there's only 1 more. She is mistaken. Don't listen.
2. The 1st and 3rd circuits are harder than the 2nd and 4th. You will think while you're doing the 1st that there's no way you can keep up this intensity for 30 minutes. You won't have to so you may as well blast it out.
3. You will be sore. I've been doing a funny walk since Monday because my butt cheeks hurt. Give those jump squats your all and you too can walk like a monkey and cringe every time you stand up! I love the pain though. It means it's working.
I'm so tired now. Today will be a toughie. I have to go to the dentist to get a mold done for a crown this morning. Then I'll work. Probably skip running since I'll be in late.
Tonight is a work party at another restaurant with a great beer selection. I plan in sticking to water. Yesterday I skipped my snack thinking it would compensate for going out to eat. I think it backfired and made me eat too much (i could have had half the salmon instead of the whole thing). Today I'll have my celery and almond butter right before I go out so I'm not famished when I get there.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Day 31: Motivation
It was really hard to get out of bed this morning. I'm sore. Mostly in the butt cheeks. It's a good, worked out feeling, but butt cheeks are big muscles ( that's why they're called gluteus Maximus) so its a big hurt.
I did it though. Another day of cardio 2 is in the books.
Last month I was motivated to get up in the morning because the workouts were short and I'd rather get them done than lie awake in bed pretending I was going to do them later.
Today my motivation changed. I realized that I haven't missed a single workout. I'm streaking! I'm in the habit now and I don't want to break out if it.
I was also thinking about my six pack goal. There's definitely a vanity aspect to it. But I also just want to see if it's possible. I always figured I was hard wired for belly fat, but what if that's not true? Let's find out!
Kinda makes me wonder what other aspects of myself or my life I've assumed are "just the way it is," you know? I am in control of my life. Might as well see what I can make of it.
I did it though. Another day of cardio 2 is in the books.
Last month I was motivated to get up in the morning because the workouts were short and I'd rather get them done than lie awake in bed pretending I was going to do them later.
Today my motivation changed. I realized that I haven't missed a single workout. I'm streaking! I'm in the habit now and I don't want to break out if it.
I was also thinking about my six pack goal. There's definitely a vanity aspect to it. But I also just want to see if it's possible. I always figured I was hard wired for belly fat, but what if that's not true? Let's find out!
Kinda makes me wonder what other aspects of myself or my life I've assumed are "just the way it is," you know? I am in control of my life. Might as well see what I can make of it.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Chocolate makes you skinny?
Interesting article today in the Times about a study linking frequent chocolate eating to a lower BMI.
"The people who ate chocolate the most frequently, despite eating more calories and exercising no differently from those who ate the least chocolate, tended to have lower B.M.I.’s. There was a difference of roughly five to seven pounds between subjects who ate five servings of chocolate a week and those who ate none, Dr. Golomb said."
"The people who ate chocolate the most frequently, despite eating more calories and exercising no differently from those who ate the least chocolate, tended to have lower B.M.I.’s. There was a difference of roughly five to seven pounds between subjects who ate five servings of chocolate a week and those who ate none, Dr. Golomb said."
Day 30: Workout 6
Day 30 out of 90! Wow! Seems like a good day to celebrate--with a little morning workout 6!
This workout was awesome. I definitely feel like workouts 5 and 6 take it up a couple levels. The hardest part for me was the weighted superman. She says to use your light weights. For me that's 5 lbs. the first time around I could barely move my arms so the second time I used one 5 lb weight and held it in both hands.
Cardio intervals involve higher jumping. I haven't had any complaints from my downstairs neighbors yet so hopefully I didn't wake anyone. I tried to land as lightly as possible. The first cardio interval where you jump and tuck really got my heart pounding.
I love how the last interval here is abs. I know these next two weeks are going to bring some crazy tone in my abs.
Yesterday's food choices were spot on all day and I feel much better. I ate too much last weekend but I'm glad to see the consequences aren't permanent. Last night I made leek and potato soup using the veggies from my farm box so I'm set for lunches in my new lunchbox for a while. Also yesterday I tried almond butter for the first time. Holy moly that stuff is delicious! It takes some stirring but it's totally worth it.
Finally some thoughts on weights. I use 5, 8 and 10 and that seems to work well for me so far. I used to have a theory that there's a special type of weights that look like weights but are really made of foam and are used in workout videos so the instructors can talk and workout at the same time. I wonder if that's ever true.
This workout was awesome. I definitely feel like workouts 5 and 6 take it up a couple levels. The hardest part for me was the weighted superman. She says to use your light weights. For me that's 5 lbs. the first time around I could barely move my arms so the second time I used one 5 lb weight and held it in both hands.
Cardio intervals involve higher jumping. I haven't had any complaints from my downstairs neighbors yet so hopefully I didn't wake anyone. I tried to land as lightly as possible. The first cardio interval where you jump and tuck really got my heart pounding.
I love how the last interval here is abs. I know these next two weeks are going to bring some crazy tone in my abs.
Yesterday's food choices were spot on all day and I feel much better. I ate too much last weekend but I'm glad to see the consequences aren't permanent. Last night I made leek and potato soup using the veggies from my farm box so I'm set for lunches in my new lunchbox for a while. Also yesterday I tried almond butter for the first time. Holy moly that stuff is delicious! It takes some stirring but it's totally worth it.
Finally some thoughts on weights. I use 5, 8 and 10 and that seems to work well for me so far. I used to have a theory that there's a special type of weights that look like weights but are really made of foam and are used in workout videos so the instructors can talk and workout at the same time. I wonder if that's ever true.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Workout 5
This is going to be really effective. I just finished workout 5. It's hard. My triceps are dying.
The yoga moves in the warmup are a nice stretch but I had to laugh because of the techno in the background.
The first circuit with the pushups into side plank are awesome. The woodchoppers make me nervous that I'm going to hit myself in the kneecaps but I can feel my abs working so it's worth it. My least favorite move is still here but with a tougher modification. Crab dips with a raised leg. I hate these because I just can't get my body to bend that direction. I feel like a moron. I actually did just tricep dips using my coffee table for the 2nd set because my shoulders were hurting and not in a good way.
This is the first workout where I couldn't make it through all the moves. I feel challenged and I'm excited to do this again on Thursday.
The yoga moves in the warmup are a nice stretch but I had to laugh because of the techno in the background.
The first circuit with the pushups into side plank are awesome. The woodchoppers make me nervous that I'm going to hit myself in the kneecaps but I can feel my abs working so it's worth it. My least favorite move is still here but with a tougher modification. Crab dips with a raised leg. I hate these because I just can't get my body to bend that direction. I feel like a moron. I actually did just tricep dips using my coffee table for the 2nd set because my shoulders were hurting and not in a good way.
This is the first workout where I couldn't make it through all the moves. I feel challenged and I'm excited to do this again on Thursday.
Day 29: I reward myself again
At the beginning I this program I fantasized about the rewards I would treat myself with after every two weeks. Dinner at a fancy schmancy restaurant, a weekend at great wolf lodge with the kiddos, a spring clothing shopping trip...
Then I had to fix my car and the car insurance and rental insurance bills came due and my grocery bill has gone up and life is just expensive.
But this little beauty makes me feel treated AND it was on sale for about $7. Its a lunchbox for grownups. I've been packing my lunches in to work every day without fail but I've been using plastic grocery bags. I'm really happy about this.
Today is one of the Monday's where I'll be working out with Jillian in the afternoon so no Workout 5 report until later tonight or tomorrow morning.
Also, for future reference, once I start justifying cheesecake and cookies back to back on this blog it's a good indication that Im starting to feel entitled to take a huge leap off the wagon. I could have made better choices this weekend.
Today is a reset day. Hello phase 2!
Then I had to fix my car and the car insurance and rental insurance bills came due and my grocery bill has gone up and life is just expensive.
But this little beauty makes me feel treated AND it was on sale for about $7. Its a lunchbox for grownups. I've been packing my lunches in to work every day without fail but I've been using plastic grocery bags. I'm really happy about this.
Today is one of the Monday's where I'll be working out with Jillian in the afternoon so no Workout 5 report until later tonight or tomorrow morning.
Also, for future reference, once I start justifying cheesecake and cookies back to back on this blog it's a good indication that Im starting to feel entitled to take a huge leap off the wagon. I could have made better choices this weekend.
Today is a reset day. Hello phase 2!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Day 27: Goodbye Phase 1!
It's been a great 4 weeks. I just finished my cardio and tomorrow's my rest day. I'm down another pound this week for a total of 5 pounds in 4 weeks. I started at 130 so I'm very happy with that pace.
More important to me is the increased tone in my arms and abs. I've still got some jiggle in my arms, but I also have rounded shoulders and biceps and triceps that you can see if I'm holding my arm out from my side.
My six pack is developing from the top down. My upper abs actually look pretty good. I still have a muffin top, but there's less of it and I can feel the abs underneath getting prepared to show off as soon as this layer of fat is gone.
The big surprise this week has been that I haven't been hungry. I think I've broken the snack habit. Knock on wood. I have my breakfast about 7am and then eat lunch between 11:30 and 12. My snack I'll eat at 4 or skip it if I'm going out to eat. Dinner is around 7 or 8. And I'm satisfied. It's bizarre.
Remember how I was thinking I'd run 4 times this week? I didn't. I had to take care of some stuff so missed the run on Friday. I knew the day before that this would happen so I just upped that run. So the tally is Monday 5.25 miles, Wednesday 4.8 miles, Thursday 8 miles.
Also the big cheat last night was cheesecake. Its a calorie bomb. I checked my feelings and I didn't want it because I was bored or stressed or missing anything in my life. I just wanted to taste cheesecake because it's delicious. I've been really good with the food this week besides that and eating it actually made me feel even better about going back to normal today and for the rest of this week.
I'm pumped to start phase 2 on Monday. Happy weekend everyone!
More important to me is the increased tone in my arms and abs. I've still got some jiggle in my arms, but I also have rounded shoulders and biceps and triceps that you can see if I'm holding my arm out from my side.
My six pack is developing from the top down. My upper abs actually look pretty good. I still have a muffin top, but there's less of it and I can feel the abs underneath getting prepared to show off as soon as this layer of fat is gone.
The big surprise this week has been that I haven't been hungry. I think I've broken the snack habit. Knock on wood. I have my breakfast about 7am and then eat lunch between 11:30 and 12. My snack I'll eat at 4 or skip it if I'm going out to eat. Dinner is around 7 or 8. And I'm satisfied. It's bizarre.
Remember how I was thinking I'd run 4 times this week? I didn't. I had to take care of some stuff so missed the run on Friday. I knew the day before that this would happen so I just upped that run. So the tally is Monday 5.25 miles, Wednesday 4.8 miles, Thursday 8 miles.
Also the big cheat last night was cheesecake. Its a calorie bomb. I checked my feelings and I didn't want it because I was bored or stressed or missing anything in my life. I just wanted to taste cheesecake because it's delicious. I've been really good with the food this week besides that and eating it actually made me feel even better about going back to normal today and for the rest of this week.
I'm pumped to start phase 2 on Monday. Happy weekend everyone!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Day 26: Veggie Delivery!
Workout 4 is officially history. The hardest move is still the hollow man, but today I did much better at it.
Amber over at her blog (see link to the right) reminded me about something I've been meaning to do for a while--sign up for a farm box delivery.
I was a member of this farm's CSA program a couple years ago, but I had fruit and veggies delivered and the fruit would sometimes arrive bruised. I decided to try again, but this time with just the veggies.
My first delivery arrived yesterday. Organic carrots, celery, potatoes, leeks, zucchini, lettuce, broccoli, parsley and a tomato. I see leek and potato soup in my near future.
Isn't it pretty?
Amber over at her blog (see link to the right) reminded me about something I've been meaning to do for a while--sign up for a farm box delivery.
I was a member of this farm's CSA program a couple years ago, but I had fruit and veggies delivered and the fruit would sometimes arrive bruised. I decided to try again, but this time with just the veggies.
My first delivery arrived yesterday. Organic carrots, celery, potatoes, leeks, zucchini, lettuce, broccoli, parsley and a tomato. I see leek and potato soup in my near future.
Isn't it pretty?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Imperfection
"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." - Robert
Schuller
I saw this quote today and loved it. It's so easy sometimes to get bogged down with all the little failures when it comes to diet and exercise. We can forget the big picture and all the things we're doing right to achieve our goals.
Of course this all may just be me justifying that cookie I ate. White chocolate macadamia nut. You know what though? It was delicious. I also ran about 8 miles. I'm satisfied with my day.
Schuller
I saw this quote today and loved it. It's so easy sometimes to get bogged down with all the little failures when it comes to diet and exercise. We can forget the big picture and all the things we're doing right to achieve our goals.
Of course this all may just be me justifying that cookie I ate. White chocolate macadamia nut. You know what though? It was delicious. I also ran about 8 miles. I'm satisfied with my day.
Day 25: How I started running
I just finished up my last time with workout 3. It's amazing how quickly these weeks fly by.
A few of the body revolution bloggers have mentioned running and it got me thinking about my own running.
A couple years ago my bro-in-law asked me straight out "why do you run?" it wasn't a philosophical question. He was genuinely baffled. To him it seemed like the most insane torture you could inflict on yourself.
It was funny to me because I felt exactly the same way when I was a teenager. Almost all my brothers and sisters (I have a step-family with 10 kids in in it!) we're runners. I honestly thought it was some kind of eating disorder and I refused to do it.
In college, one of my sisters tried to get me into it. I would jog with her for about 2 miles but I only did it because I thought it would help me lose weight. I still hated it.
It wasn't until I was away from all my family members at grad school that it clicked. I really enjoyed doing hour long intense step aerobics classes so when a friend asked me to start running 2 miles every other day with her I said sure. I thought of it in terms of cardio time. 20 minutes would be nothing next to the hour I was used to.
My friend wanted to run a half marathon. I told her I'd train with her up to 5 miles but that was it. We had a 2 mile loop and a 3 mile loop we started alternating every other day.
I remember vividly the day we put those loops together and I ran 5 miles for the first time. I couldn't believe it! My legs were jelly and I kept thinking for the rest of the day, "my legs have carried me over 5 miles today."
I took myself to a chain running store in the mall and bought my first pair of running shoes. Before I'd been running in cross trainers. I was legit now!
We started doing long runs on Saturdays. The farthest I got with her was 11 miles because I got pregnant and had that severe kind of nausea that gets you hospitalized and on an IV drip. She kept going and did great at the half marathon.
After my pregnancy I picked up running again to help me lose the baby weight. This time I was running by myself. I loved having some quiet time to myself where I could listen to a podcast an enjoy the fresh air. Eight months after my son was born I ran/walked my first half marathon. Since then I've run another half marathon, two full marathons and lots of other smaller races.
When my brothers and sisters get together they've always enjoyed going out for a run together. Now I join them instead of staying home. They get a kick out of the fact that I run way more than they do. Most people I know now can't imagine that I ever wasn't a runner.
And here's a random picture of my breakfast because I like pictures.
A few of the body revolution bloggers have mentioned running and it got me thinking about my own running.
A couple years ago my bro-in-law asked me straight out "why do you run?" it wasn't a philosophical question. He was genuinely baffled. To him it seemed like the most insane torture you could inflict on yourself.
It was funny to me because I felt exactly the same way when I was a teenager. Almost all my brothers and sisters (I have a step-family with 10 kids in in it!) we're runners. I honestly thought it was some kind of eating disorder and I refused to do it.
In college, one of my sisters tried to get me into it. I would jog with her for about 2 miles but I only did it because I thought it would help me lose weight. I still hated it.
It wasn't until I was away from all my family members at grad school that it clicked. I really enjoyed doing hour long intense step aerobics classes so when a friend asked me to start running 2 miles every other day with her I said sure. I thought of it in terms of cardio time. 20 minutes would be nothing next to the hour I was used to.
My friend wanted to run a half marathon. I told her I'd train with her up to 5 miles but that was it. We had a 2 mile loop and a 3 mile loop we started alternating every other day.
I remember vividly the day we put those loops together and I ran 5 miles for the first time. I couldn't believe it! My legs were jelly and I kept thinking for the rest of the day, "my legs have carried me over 5 miles today."
I took myself to a chain running store in the mall and bought my first pair of running shoes. Before I'd been running in cross trainers. I was legit now!
We started doing long runs on Saturdays. The farthest I got with her was 11 miles because I got pregnant and had that severe kind of nausea that gets you hospitalized and on an IV drip. She kept going and did great at the half marathon.
After my pregnancy I picked up running again to help me lose the baby weight. This time I was running by myself. I loved having some quiet time to myself where I could listen to a podcast an enjoy the fresh air. Eight months after my son was born I ran/walked my first half marathon. Since then I've run another half marathon, two full marathons and lots of other smaller races.
When my brothers and sisters get together they've always enjoyed going out for a run together. Now I join them instead of staying home. They get a kick out of the fact that I run way more than they do. Most people I know now can't imagine that I ever wasn't a runner.
And here's a random picture of my breakfast because I like pictures.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Is a Calorie a Calorie?
Great article in the Times today.
More confirmation that eating real food and not packaged "convenience" food substances is the way to go. Here's an excerpt:
An important question, then, is really something like, “What can I eat to keep from putting on weight?” and here the answer turns out to be not only easy but also expected. “If you’re eating a lot of fruits and vegetables,” Nestle says, “you’re not taking in as many calories as you would if you were eating fast food and sodas.” Yes, that’s a calorie issue; the latter group is way higher in calories than the former. But though there’s a difference between eat less and eating better, “eating better makes it much easier to eat less.”
More confirmation that eating real food and not packaged "convenience" food substances is the way to go. Here's an excerpt:
An important question, then, is really something like, “What can I eat to keep from putting on weight?” and here the answer turns out to be not only easy but also expected. “If you’re eating a lot of fruits and vegetables,” Nestle says, “you’re not taking in as many calories as you would if you were eating fast food and sodas.” Yes, that’s a calorie issue; the latter group is way higher in calories than the former. But though there’s a difference between eat less and eating better, “eating better makes it much easier to eat less.”
Day 24: Cardio 2 ahead of schedule
I waited until the last minute this morning to decide if I would finish out phase 1 with cardio 1 or skip ahead to cardio 2. Probably not being able to run yesterday afternoon was the biggest factor. Getting up just because it was only 26 min wasn't going to do it. I wanted a good burn. Cardio 2 delivers!
I had lots of energy and cranked that sucker out. There's lots if jumping in this one (sorry neighbors) but also some of those punching moves that I always look stupid doing. Plié jumps are the hardest for me. That's a good thing though. I want to feel it! I still feel like I have more to give after this was over which is good since I told a friend I'd run long with her today.
I decided to take a chance with my ego and try on these pin-striped pants I got a year-and-a-half ago at the Banana Republic Outlet. Three months ago I couldn't fasten them anymore. Today they fit better than when I bought them. Huge victory. I haven't been taking measurements but I can tell the program is working. So excited.
Here's my version of the chocolate oatmeal muffins. I omitted the oil and put more coconut milk in there because I had some leftover from another recipe. I also tossed in some quinoa crunch and sprinkled extra on top before baking. I wasn't able to find 70% cocoa chocolate chips so I broke up a dark chocolate bar that was on sale and it worked fine. These are pretty good. Definitely dense, but filling. Don't omit the orange zest when you make these. I think it gives them a perfect kick.
I hope everyone has a great day today. I love reading about everyone's progress. Keep up the good work!
I had lots of energy and cranked that sucker out. There's lots if jumping in this one (sorry neighbors) but also some of those punching moves that I always look stupid doing. Plié jumps are the hardest for me. That's a good thing though. I want to feel it! I still feel like I have more to give after this was over which is good since I told a friend I'd run long with her today.
I decided to take a chance with my ego and try on these pin-striped pants I got a year-and-a-half ago at the Banana Republic Outlet. Three months ago I couldn't fasten them anymore. Today they fit better than when I bought them. Huge victory. I haven't been taking measurements but I can tell the program is working. So excited.
Here's my version of the chocolate oatmeal muffins. I omitted the oil and put more coconut milk in there because I had some leftover from another recipe. I also tossed in some quinoa crunch and sprinkled extra on top before baking. I wasn't able to find 70% cocoa chocolate chips so I broke up a dark chocolate bar that was on sale and it worked fine. These are pretty good. Definitely dense, but filling. Don't omit the orange zest when you make these. I think it gives them a perfect kick.
I hope everyone has a great day today. I love reading about everyone's progress. Keep up the good work!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Getting Stuff Done!
I love magazines but I hate clutter. I've been holding on to a growing stack of Women's Health, Shape, Cosmo, Younameit-ode-to-female-insecurity-based-commercialism. I looove them like I love Jersey Shore. In a totally self-conscious yet sincere way.
The plan has been to one day rip out all the interesting recipes and put them in a binder. Today was that day. So nice to get this off the to-do list. I just had to brag.
The plan has been to one day rip out all the interesting recipes and put them in a binder. Today was that day. So nice to get this off the to-do list. I just had to brag.
Day 23: Lunch Date
A co-worker is taking me to lunch today which means 1) no lunchtime cardio, 2) I have to navigate eating out, and 3) I really like this person and we don't see each other as much as we used to so this is going to be fun.
We always go to Qdoba. I've gotten into the habit of looking up restaurants online before I go to check and see if there will be a healthy option and if there's any nutrition info available. This is one of the things that bigger chain restaurants do really well.
Qdoba's online nutrition calculator lets you add stuff and subtract stuff from the burrito (including the tortilla) and keeps a running tally of the total calories on the side. I'll be getting a naked chicken fajita burrito with all the veggies and guacamole. No sour cream or cheese. Comes in around 400 calories. Yum!
I just finished workout 4. Feeling good. I was in bed by 10 last night but then played around on my phone for a bit so I didn't get as much sleep as I should have. Up at 5:30 for my daily date with Jillian. Gotta do better tonight.
On the positive side, I didn't snack last night. Playing music is for the evenings what green tea is for the morning: my diet buddy. Busy hands can't snack!
We always go to Qdoba. I've gotten into the habit of looking up restaurants online before I go to check and see if there will be a healthy option and if there's any nutrition info available. This is one of the things that bigger chain restaurants do really well.
Qdoba's online nutrition calculator lets you add stuff and subtract stuff from the burrito (including the tortilla) and keeps a running tally of the total calories on the side. I'll be getting a naked chicken fajita burrito with all the veggies and guacamole. No sour cream or cheese. Comes in around 400 calories. Yum!
I just finished workout 4. Feeling good. I was in bed by 10 last night but then played around on my phone for a bit so I didn't get as much sleep as I should have. Up at 5:30 for my daily date with Jillian. Gotta do better tonight.
On the positive side, I didn't snack last night. Playing music is for the evenings what green tea is for the morning: my diet buddy. Busy hands can't snack!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Day 22: My Morning Diet Buddy
This little beauty keeps me company between breakfast and lunch. I put about 2 tsp of loose leaf green tea in there and keep filling it with hot water. The bottle has a filter at the top so I'm not actually consuming the leaves.
I'm not saying I'm not hungry, but I do think I'm less hungry. Plus it gets me up out of my seat a few times in the morning which is important if you have a desk job like me.
Finally, I strategically positioned this by pics of my kids. They're amazing little people. I love being a mom.
I'm not saying I'm not hungry, but I do think I'm less hungry. Plus it gets me up out of my seat a few times in the morning which is important if you have a desk job like me.
Finally, I strategically positioned this by pics of my kids. They're amazing little people. I love being a mom.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Day 21: Week 3 Summary
This week was a mixed bag. There were definitely victories, but also some room for improvement.
First of all, the weigh in. I held steady at 126, so no weight lost this week. I'm at a total of 4 pounds lost for the three weeks. I'm not beating myself up about this but it's a good reminder that everything counts if I want to reach my goal.
I did all the body revolution workouts this week. I also ran 5.5 miles Monday, 3.8 miles Tuesday, and 4.25 miles Friday. I did the elliptical for 65 minutes on Thursday. I've been not doing extra cardio on cardio 1 days but I think I'll add in another run day this week and see what happens.
Workouts 3 and 4 are great. Three is probably my favorite so far because I feel like my heart rate is higher the whole time. I'm getting bored with cardio 1. I may switch early to cardio 2 or add in a 15 min ab video I have. I'll decide Wednesday.
So now on to the food. I do great during the workdays and even during most of the day on weekends. It's the evening that gets me. My dinner portions aren't exactly on plan and I have a tendency to give myself an extra snack or an extra bite of this or that.
My plan for this week is to keep my hands busy in the evening. Reading or watching a movie makes me eat, but it's impossible to snack while playing the violin or banjo. I also need to work on going to bed earlier. Lights out by 10 would help in so many ways.
I didn't do so good on my no booze on weeknights, but only two glasses of wine for the week is in the acceptable range for me.
First of all, the weigh in. I held steady at 126, so no weight lost this week. I'm at a total of 4 pounds lost for the three weeks. I'm not beating myself up about this but it's a good reminder that everything counts if I want to reach my goal.
I did all the body revolution workouts this week. I also ran 5.5 miles Monday, 3.8 miles Tuesday, and 4.25 miles Friday. I did the elliptical for 65 minutes on Thursday. I've been not doing extra cardio on cardio 1 days but I think I'll add in another run day this week and see what happens.
Workouts 3 and 4 are great. Three is probably my favorite so far because I feel like my heart rate is higher the whole time. I'm getting bored with cardio 1. I may switch early to cardio 2 or add in a 15 min ab video I have. I'll decide Wednesday.
So now on to the food. I do great during the workdays and even during most of the day on weekends. It's the evening that gets me. My dinner portions aren't exactly on plan and I have a tendency to give myself an extra snack or an extra bite of this or that.
My plan for this week is to keep my hands busy in the evening. Reading or watching a movie makes me eat, but it's impossible to snack while playing the violin or banjo. I also need to work on going to bed earlier. Lights out by 10 would help in so many ways.
I didn't do so good on my no booze on weeknights, but only two glasses of wine for the week is in the acceptable range for me.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Day 20: More recipes = more leftovers
You know how I had this idea that I should make a variety of good food in order to stay interested? I could probably dial it back a notch. I have enough food in my freezer to get me through the zombie apocalypse.
It's been a delicious week. Here's what I tried:
Greek yogurt and quinoa crunch: I actually prefer the kickstart yogurt with almonds. I thought this was way too sweet and my crunch wasn't that crunchy. Maybe if I'd baked it longer. At any rate, my plan is to dump the rest of it into muffins that I'll make today.
Salmon with pepitas and cumin: it was ok. I love salmon. Crust isn't necessary. I actually made this twice because the crust recipe made a ton!
Russet potatoes with arugula: tasty. Next time I'll leave out the lemon juice. It was too strong. I like the crunch of the celery though. One batch of this is lasting me for days.
Chicken salad sandwich: a very satisfying lunch. One batch made enough for about 6 sandwiches though so I've been eating this every day and will have it today and probably tomorrow. I put homegrown sprouts on it instead of lettuce.
Vegetable stir fry with quinoa: best recipe of the week. I love it. I put about triple the amount of hot sauce in it. There's a ton of chopping involved but it's so worth it. The quinoa recipe calls for 1 cup. I kind of think she means 1 cup after cooking. I cooked up a cup of dry quinoa and it was plenty!
It's been a delicious week. Here's what I tried:
Greek yogurt and quinoa crunch: I actually prefer the kickstart yogurt with almonds. I thought this was way too sweet and my crunch wasn't that crunchy. Maybe if I'd baked it longer. At any rate, my plan is to dump the rest of it into muffins that I'll make today.
Salmon with pepitas and cumin: it was ok. I love salmon. Crust isn't necessary. I actually made this twice because the crust recipe made a ton!
Russet potatoes with arugula: tasty. Next time I'll leave out the lemon juice. It was too strong. I like the crunch of the celery though. One batch of this is lasting me for days.
Chicken salad sandwich: a very satisfying lunch. One batch made enough for about 6 sandwiches though so I've been eating this every day and will have it today and probably tomorrow. I put homegrown sprouts on it instead of lettuce.
Vegetable stir fry with quinoa: best recipe of the week. I love it. I put about triple the amount of hot sauce in it. There's a ton of chopping involved but it's so worth it. The quinoa recipe calls for 1 cup. I kind of think she means 1 cup after cooking. I cooked up a cup of dry quinoa and it was plenty!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Day 19: Myfitnesspal
I know some of you are also using Myfitnesspal to track calories. My user name there is runliftstretch in case anyone wants to friend me on there.
A lot of times I'll enter everything I plan to eat in there in the morning and then adjust as the day does by if I need to. I find it motivational. I also love the pie chart showing macronutrient proportions at the end of the day. And I'm constantly surprised that it has so many Jillian Michaels recipes already in the database.
It seems to think I'm going to die from not eating enough though. It gives me that warning at the end of each day that I'm wasting away. There needs to be an "it's ok, I'm doing what Jillian said" button.
I just finished workout 4. Feeling good. It seemed pretty easy today. Weird to think I'll only be doing it two more times. This week has flown by.
A lot of times I'll enter everything I plan to eat in there in the morning and then adjust as the day does by if I need to. I find it motivational. I also love the pie chart showing macronutrient proportions at the end of the day. And I'm constantly surprised that it has so many Jillian Michaels recipes already in the database.
It seems to think I'm going to die from not eating enough though. It gives me that warning at the end of each day that I'm wasting away. There needs to be an "it's ok, I'm doing what Jillian said" button.
I just finished workout 4. Feeling good. It seemed pretty easy today. Weird to think I'll only be doing it two more times. This week has flown by.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Day 18: My Exercise Studio
I thought you might like a pic of my high tech workout room. Yep, that's one of those car DVD players. I don't have a regular tv. It works out just fine for me.
Today was my 2nd time doing workout 3. I slept awful so expected to phone it in, but I love this workout. It makes me feel really strong. Except those crab tricep dips. I can do every single plank and pushup move but the dips are so awkward. Go figure.
Yesterday got better. I started a string quartet group with some ladies at work several weeks ago and we practice Wednesdays. I play violin. It feels really good to be playing music again.
I also play banjo. I took it up about a year and a half ago and I love it. Does anyone else out there play music?
Today was my 2nd time doing workout 3. I slept awful so expected to phone it in, but I love this workout. It makes me feel really strong. Except those crab tricep dips. I can do every single plank and pushup move but the dips are so awkward. Go figure.
Yesterday got better. I started a string quartet group with some ladies at work several weeks ago and we practice Wednesdays. I play violin. It feels really good to be playing music again.
I also play banjo. I took it up about a year and a half ago and I love it. Does anyone else out there play music?
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Day 17: A Youthful Attitude and Complexion
By "youthful" I mean about 13. I'm super moody and I have a big shiny zit right between my lip and nose. WHAAAAAA!!!!! Also I ran over a curb on my drive to work which is not good for my self esteem or my poor, abused car.
Somehow, I did Cardio 1 this morning. Honestly, there are only two reasons I dragged my ass out of bed at 5:45 and neither of them was 6-pack abs. Reason one: it's only 26 minutes. Reason two: I paid $130 for this shiz and I'm not going to waste it.
I packed my lunch - chicken salad sandwich and two hard boiled eggs - and then left it at home on the counter.
I have a dentist appointment this afternoon. Just a cleaning and it will be fine, but STILL.
Somehow, I did Cardio 1 this morning. Honestly, there are only two reasons I dragged my ass out of bed at 5:45 and neither of them was 6-pack abs. Reason one: it's only 26 minutes. Reason two: I paid $130 for this shiz and I'm not going to waste it.
I packed my lunch - chicken salad sandwich and two hard boiled eggs - and then left it at home on the counter.
I have a dentist appointment this afternoon. Just a cleaning and it will be fine, but STILL.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
More Body Revolution Blogs!
Just a quickie post here. I figured out how to move my blog list so that it shows up at right. Wasn't too hard, turns out. Reading about everyone's progress helps keep me motivated. If I'm missing your blog or if you know of another one I'm missing please post a link in the comments and I'll get it up tomorrow morning. Have a great night everyone, and happy revolutioning!
Day 16: Workouts 3 and 4
I am IN LOVE with Workout 3. I had to do it in the evening at about 9:30 last night because the kids are adjusting to daylight savings still and kept popping out of bed and wanting attention.
The planks were definitely challenging but doable. They gave my arms that nice "worked out" feeling. The only exercise I really didn't like was the crab tricep dip thing. My elbows don't move that way so I felt like I was just moving my hips up and down. I'm wondering if I might hit the triceps better if I do dips on my coffee table next time. This workout flew by and was really fun.
I woke up early this morning to hit Workout 4. It's harder to give it 110% when I've just rolled out of bed, but I think I did pretty well. The hardest move for me here was the hollow man (abs!) so I'm looking forward to making it all the way through both sets of that by the end of this two weeks.
I killed it food wise yesterday. No cheating all day. Last night I chopped veggies and cooked quinoa for the veggie stir fry, made the quinoa crunch to have this morning with yogurt and berries, and made chicken salad for the sandwich I'm having for lunch today. I also have trail mix all ready for when that chocolate craving hits (when, not if). Kind of lame how little is considered a serving. Less than 1/4 cup!
Good luck to everyone today. I'm actually pretty tired because I let my 9-year-old sleep in my bed. He's usually pretty stationary but he's coming down with a cold and was super restless. My 6-year-old insists that to be fair he should sleep with me tonight. That kid is an active sleeper! I admit I love being close to them though so I'm not going to complain.
The planks were definitely challenging but doable. They gave my arms that nice "worked out" feeling. The only exercise I really didn't like was the crab tricep dip thing. My elbows don't move that way so I felt like I was just moving my hips up and down. I'm wondering if I might hit the triceps better if I do dips on my coffee table next time. This workout flew by and was really fun.
I woke up early this morning to hit Workout 4. It's harder to give it 110% when I've just rolled out of bed, but I think I did pretty well. The hardest move for me here was the hollow man (abs!) so I'm looking forward to making it all the way through both sets of that by the end of this two weeks.
I killed it food wise yesterday. No cheating all day. Last night I chopped veggies and cooked quinoa for the veggie stir fry, made the quinoa crunch to have this morning with yogurt and berries, and made chicken salad for the sandwich I'm having for lunch today. I also have trail mix all ready for when that chocolate craving hits (when, not if). Kind of lame how little is considered a serving. Less than 1/4 cup!
Good luck to everyone today. I'm actually pretty tired because I let my 9-year-old sleep in my bed. He's usually pretty stationary but he's coming down with a cold and was super restless. My 6-year-old insists that to be fair he should sleep with me tonight. That kid is an active sleeper! I admit I love being close to them though so I'm not going to complain.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Day 15: Rewards, Resolve, and gRoceries
To celebrate hitting every workout for two weeks I splurged and got myself some nice nailcare stuff. I hate getting professional manicures and pedicures. I find it awkward and uncomfortable and I've read in enough places that cuticles shouldn't really be cut anyway. So I took myself to Sephora and got cuticle oil and those 4 sided buffers and a gift pack of outrageous colors that will last me a long time.
I feel really good about this week even though I haven't done anything yet. I thought ahead and brought some blueberry banana muffins (delicious!) to my boyfriend's house yesterday so I'd have something on plan to eat this morning. I'm running with my bestie at lunch today. I'll be doing workout 3 tonight and 4 tomorrow morning. I'm going to be feeling it by this time tomorrow for sure!
My commitment to this idea of spending the extra money for good food is wavering. My grocery bill for the last two weeks is outrageous. I'm considering putting together a cost analysis for the meals I make because I'm just that nerdy. Fortunately, a lot of the extra expense is for one time purchases of coconut oil or champagne vinegar that I'll use again. I've also been spending extra on fresh veggies when I could easily be getting frozen for much cheaper. If I do end up breaking down meal costs I'll be sure to post them here.
One final note: I've had a few people friend me on myfitnesspal and it's been really fun. If you want to keep up with me there my user name is runliftstretch.
I feel really good about this week even though I haven't done anything yet. I thought ahead and brought some blueberry banana muffins (delicious!) to my boyfriend's house yesterday so I'd have something on plan to eat this morning. I'm running with my bestie at lunch today. I'll be doing workout 3 tonight and 4 tomorrow morning. I'm going to be feeling it by this time tomorrow for sure!
My commitment to this idea of spending the extra money for good food is wavering. My grocery bill for the last two weeks is outrageous. I'm considering putting together a cost analysis for the meals I make because I'm just that nerdy. Fortunately, a lot of the extra expense is for one time purchases of coconut oil or champagne vinegar that I'll use again. I've also been spending extra on fresh veggies when I could easily be getting frozen for much cheaper. If I do end up breaking down meal costs I'll be sure to post them here.
One final note: I've had a few people friend me on myfitnesspal and it's been really fun. If you want to keep up with me there my user name is runliftstretch.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Week 2 Summary
Week 2 went well for me. I did all the Body Revolution workouts in order on the days I was supposed to do them, plus two sessions on the elliptical (Monday-63 min, Friday 30 min) and three days running (Tuesday 3.8 miles, Thursday 5.5 miles, Friday 3.5 miles).
Food-wise, I did ok. I think I probably cheated a little every day. I'm following the recipes for breakfasts and lunches and then trying to stay within the calorie count for dinner. Chocolate was my nemesis so the plan for next week is to make the trail mix and use that as my snack. Hopefully that will be enough.
Booze-wise (drumroll please) I had another epiphany last night. This sounds stupid now that I type it, but it occurred to me that other people having a good time isn't dependent on me accepting beverages from them. It's not as big of a deal as I was making it out to be. So I had two beers over 4 hours last night, a skinny margarita and half a real one on Friday, and a couple glasses I wine with the boyfriend on Wednesday. There's definite room for improvement here. I'm not giving up the sauce, but next week it will be no alcohol on work nights.
The numbers: I almost hate to post this because I'm afraid it's a fluke, but I'm down another two pounds. The only two times I've ever been this weight as an adult are when I was training for marathons. I can tell its coming off the belly too, which is awesome. Another cool number I reached this week was three pull ups in a row. My new years resolution was to do a pullup. I got it by the very end of January and in February was able to do one more. Now I'm seeing if I can add one every month. Twelve pull ups in 2012!
I'm super excited to start Workout 3 tomorrow. I've been hearing through the other blogs that it hits the abs really hard. Bring it on!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Day 13: Booze
Last might I took a friend to dinner for her birthday. I looked up the menu ahead of time and planned what I was going to eat including a skinny margarita (100 calories). It was a bad choice. It tasted like artificial sweetener and wasn't satisfying at all. I think I wouldve done better just getting the ipa I wanted and nursing it. As it was I ended up splitting her second regular margarita with her.
Tonight I'm hanging out with friends at a bar. We've been planning this night out for ages so redirecting isn't a possibility. I've decided no vodka sodas for me. I'm going to just order the beer I want and make a contest with myself to see how long I can make it last.
My big insight of week 2 has been that I need to have meals that I can look forward to even if that means more prep time and a little more expense. Otherwise I feel completely unsatisfied and I will try to fix that by consuming more. The same goes for booze. No more diet drinks that I really don't want. I'm going to have the good stuff and enjoy every sip.
Tomorrow I'll let you know how it went. Truthfully I cave at peer pressure so I'm nervous about this.
Tonight I'm hanging out with friends at a bar. We've been planning this night out for ages so redirecting isn't a possibility. I've decided no vodka sodas for me. I'm going to just order the beer I want and make a contest with myself to see how long I can make it last.
My big insight of week 2 has been that I need to have meals that I can look forward to even if that means more prep time and a little more expense. Otherwise I feel completely unsatisfied and I will try to fix that by consuming more. The same goes for booze. No more diet drinks that I really don't want. I'm going to have the good stuff and enjoy every sip.
Tomorrow I'll let you know how it went. Truthfully I cave at peer pressure so I'm nervous about this.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Day 12: I Uncovered an Ab!
Today I say goodbye to Workout 2. So nice that we get to switch it up every two weeks. I'm definitely looking forward to something new next week.
Speaking of new, there's a new girl at work. Yesterday I invited her to run with me during our lunch break so I could get to know her. Turns out she's a competitive long distance runner. She'd worked out with her coach the night before and did a 7 mile "shakeout" easy run that morning. We ran 5.5 miles at an 8:10 pace and she obviously could have gone much faster. My lungs were burning the whole time. I kept asking her questions so that she could talk and I could concentrate on just inhaling and exhaling. What a workout!
The big news for me is that I have a visible ab muscle! I have to suck in a certain way and twist a certain direction, but it's definitely there. This is a huge deal for me as flat abs are my holy grail for this 90 days. I've always assumed I was genetically predisposed to belly fat and it wasn't in the cards. Maybe it was just beer and bread after all that was covering me up. Doy.
Speaking of new, there's a new girl at work. Yesterday I invited her to run with me during our lunch break so I could get to know her. Turns out she's a competitive long distance runner. She'd worked out with her coach the night before and did a 7 mile "shakeout" easy run that morning. We ran 5.5 miles at an 8:10 pace and she obviously could have gone much faster. My lungs were burning the whole time. I kept asking her questions so that she could talk and I could concentrate on just inhaling and exhaling. What a workout!
The big news for me is that I have a visible ab muscle! I have to suck in a certain way and twist a certain direction, but it's definitely there. This is a huge deal for me as flat abs are my holy grail for this 90 days. I've always assumed I was genetically predisposed to belly fat and it wasn't in the cards. Maybe it was just beer and bread after all that was covering me up. Doy.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Day 11 - Last Day of Workout 1
A little tip from the makers of DontdowhatIdid: -- Get enough sleep!
The kids were with their dad last night so my boyfriend came over and we stayed up until 1. I got up at 5:30 and felt almost hungover. My arms are more sore than ever before. My head hurts. I honestly don't know how I slept so little in college. I have a theory that eating less magnifies the other slipups. If I have a beer I'm hammered. If I don't get at least 7 hours of sleep I'm wasted.
I did Workout 1 anyway, partly because I knew I wouldn't be able to make it up later and partly because I didn't want to let my blog down. It was harder today than it's ever been. I can usually do all the pushups military style (it's hard though), but I think I did half of each set modified. Some days showing up is a victory. Thank you Omar's abs for getting me through!
The Shrimp Laksa was really, really good. My kids would hate it because it's spicy with that red pepper in there, but I loved it. It was different enough that it felt like a special occasion meal. The boyfriend said even better than pho. That's a huge victory in my "eat out less" campaign.
Some notes about the recipe: With all the chopping it takes more than 30 minutes to prepare. I chop kind of slow, but still. Forty-five minutes is more realistic. Ingredients weren't outrageous but I made a trip to the fancy store anyway because I knew they'd have the fresh lemongrass stalks. Next time I'll just use the dried stuff I already have. I don't think it will make a difference. I didn't have turmeric so I added garam masala on a whim. It's so random what spices I have in my cupboard. It worked great. I also put in more than a cup of broccoli because I like broccoli.
I know we're not supposed to have dinner options for lunch, but I forgot to poach the chicken this morning so I'm having shrimp laksa with my vegetable soup today. Yep, that's soup with a side of soup. Noodles don't freeze well and this stuff deserves to be eaten.
The kids were with their dad last night so my boyfriend came over and we stayed up until 1. I got up at 5:30 and felt almost hungover. My arms are more sore than ever before. My head hurts. I honestly don't know how I slept so little in college. I have a theory that eating less magnifies the other slipups. If I have a beer I'm hammered. If I don't get at least 7 hours of sleep I'm wasted.
I did Workout 1 anyway, partly because I knew I wouldn't be able to make it up later and partly because I didn't want to let my blog down. It was harder today than it's ever been. I can usually do all the pushups military style (it's hard though), but I think I did half of each set modified. Some days showing up is a victory. Thank you Omar's abs for getting me through!
The Shrimp Laksa was really, really good. My kids would hate it because it's spicy with that red pepper in there, but I loved it. It was different enough that it felt like a special occasion meal. The boyfriend said even better than pho. That's a huge victory in my "eat out less" campaign.
Some notes about the recipe: With all the chopping it takes more than 30 minutes to prepare. I chop kind of slow, but still. Forty-five minutes is more realistic. Ingredients weren't outrageous but I made a trip to the fancy store anyway because I knew they'd have the fresh lemongrass stalks. Next time I'll just use the dried stuff I already have. I don't think it will make a difference. I didn't have turmeric so I added garam masala on a whim. It's so random what spices I have in my cupboard. It worked great. I also put in more than a cup of broccoli because I like broccoli.
I know we're not supposed to have dinner options for lunch, but I forgot to poach the chicken this morning so I'm having shrimp laksa with my vegetable soup today. Yep, that's soup with a side of soup. Noodles don't freeze well and this stuff deserves to be eaten.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Day 10: Strategies to Stay On Track
Last night I probably got my furthest off track on the diet so far. Kinda funny because I thought going out to eat with my boyfriend would cause the first slipup. Nope. It's eating my kids' leftovers. I think I may have eaten about 400 extra calories yesterday with the leftover pizza from the end-of-season basketball party on Monday and bites of mac n cheese here and there.
Never fear! I believe I've identified a solution. It's inspired by another Body Revolution blog I found last night that has photos of the meals: http://www.phatsoslim.blogspot.com/. I need variety! I thought the smart and simple thing to do would be to repeat breakfasts and lunches every day. Greek yogurt with almonds, vegetable soup and poached chicken. But it's boring. I don't enjoy my food anymore so I don't feel satisfied.
I've got ingredients and food that I need to use up for the next couple of days, but starting Saturday I'm focusing on variety. I'll still have enough soup to freeze for a future week. Tonight it's Shrimp Laksa!
Also, it seems that drinking green tea in the morning between breakfast and lunch helps control my urge to snack so I'm thinking of getting an herbal tea for the evenings. JM suggests dandelion tea in her Making the Cut book so I'll be on the lookout for that.
All this means I need to go grocery shopping soon. Maybe I'll skip the run today and go to the store. I did do Cardio 1 in the morning. I actually enjoy running though. I like the fresh air and chatting with my friends. Dilemmas!
One more thing: I can't figure out how to move things around on my blog template so that links to other blogs show up on the side instead of the bottom. If anyone can clue me in I'd appreciate it!
Never fear! I believe I've identified a solution. It's inspired by another Body Revolution blog I found last night that has photos of the meals: http://www.phatsoslim.blogspot.com/. I need variety! I thought the smart and simple thing to do would be to repeat breakfasts and lunches every day. Greek yogurt with almonds, vegetable soup and poached chicken. But it's boring. I don't enjoy my food anymore so I don't feel satisfied.
I've got ingredients and food that I need to use up for the next couple of days, but starting Saturday I'm focusing on variety. I'll still have enough soup to freeze for a future week. Tonight it's Shrimp Laksa!
Also, it seems that drinking green tea in the morning between breakfast and lunch helps control my urge to snack so I'm thinking of getting an herbal tea for the evenings. JM suggests dandelion tea in her Making the Cut book so I'll be on the lookout for that.
All this means I need to go grocery shopping soon. Maybe I'll skip the run today and go to the store. I did do Cardio 1 in the morning. I actually enjoy running though. I like the fresh air and chatting with my friends. Dilemmas!
One more thing: I can't figure out how to move things around on my blog template so that links to other blogs show up on the side instead of the bottom. If anyone can clue me in I'd appreciate it!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Evening Workouts Are Hard
As expected, it was really REALLY hard to get motivated to work out last night. I got the kids to bed by 8:30 and then actually sat around in front of the heater for 45 minutes contemplating chocolate.
I went ahead and indulged in a small square of dark chocolate and then I did Workout 1. I got up early this morning and did Workout 2. I want to do a quickie run today during lunch and then I’ll be in the clear to sit around and read and play my banjo tonight.
I’ve been reading blogs and watching YouTube videos about people who are into week 3 already. It sounds brutal and awesome. It hit me this morning that I only have one more time each of Workout 1 and 2. Having a sneak peek into next week’s workouts really makes me appreciate what I’m doing now!
Monday, March 5, 2012
This post includes a kid-friendly recipe link
This morning I noticed that all formatting is lost when posting to blogger from a phone. I went back and fixed it. I’ll be sure to keep things really brief on the weekends from now on though.
I realized something late last night about workouts 1 and 2. I break more of a sweat and feel more challenged during workout 1 so I assumed it was harder. Workout 2 seems really easy when I’m doing it. However, my hamstrings have been sore all week. Earlier this week I thought it was because I’m running outside more often instead of the treadmill. Nope, it’s workout 2. Whodathunk?
Last night I tried a new recipe that was a raging success with the kids – chicken tenders with honey mustard dipping sauce. My 6-year-old couldn’t stop talking about it and he hates all food except cereal and pasta with butter. My favorite compliments were, “This is AWESOME!” and “Mom, I should have told you this a couple of days ago, but you’re a great cook!” I was glowing.
Here’s a link to the recipe: http://www.shape.com/dinner/comfort-food-healthy-chicken-fingers-mustard-dipping-sauce
Today I’ll be running during my lunch break and doing workout 1 at home in the evening. I work at an athletic supply company so getting a lunch workout in and then not looking as nice in the afternoon isn’t a big deal. Usually I like to do a video in the morning since I lose all motivation in the evening, but I stayed up late last night and thought the sleep would be more beneficial. Good luck to me.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Week 1 Recap and Review
Workouts: Workout 1--twice
Workout 2--twice
Cardio 1-- twice
Running--3.8 miles Monday,7.5 miles Tuesday, 3.8 miles Friday
Elliptical--63 minutes Wednesday, 25 minutes Thursday
Additional--upper body/abs Thursday
Recipes tried:
Greek yogurt with almonds--realize halfway through the week I had regular nonfat yogurt instead of Greek. This was still a fine breakfast and really quick and easy.
Vegetable soup with poached chicken--the soup was delicious. the chicken is bland but I stick it in the soup before eating to soak up some of the juices. This was also a great meal for making ahead to reheat at work during the week.
Hummus and vegetables--I think we all know how this tastes. I made my own hummus. It was good. Peppercorn steak--I overcooked it but it was still good. The tomato salad was a bit oily. I sautéed leftover salad with kale an had it for breakfast with an egg each mornin this weekend and it's really good.
Chef salad--huge! I'm eating it now. It's enormous. Takes a while to prepare and eat.
Victories:
--Stayed between 1100 and 1300 calories each day.
--Didn't take the bread at the restaurant I went to on Wednesday.
--Only ate half the portion I was given at the restaurant on Friday. I'd asked for dressing on the side and the manager said all salads were served like that. It came soaked in dressing. Half for dinner and half on Saturday for lunch with the remaining be soup was perfect.
--Lost 2 pounds!
Treats:
--1/4 Theo spicy chile chocolate bar. Yum!
--1 cake pop. This is from the birthday party last night. I had a lengthy convo with the mom about how it took her two days to make them and how she made them to look like the death star and made them out of gluten free and organic ingredients ao she thought they were healthy. They were still cake pops. Not healthy, but not huge portions and it would have been jerky to refuse. I picked a smaller one with no sprinkles. It was really good.
--one 12 oz beer --three glasses red wine
Thoughts and Observations:
You definitely get out of the workouts what you put into them. The first go round was ok, but the second time through I made myself lunge deeper, use every "challenge yourself" modification, and really pump up the intensity. I felt the burn and the burn was good.
The thing I love about Jillian is she doesn't waste my time. I notice when I do other toning videos that there's a lot of transition time. Not here. I really appreciate that. The background people are great, especially the chick with three kids. Holy Moses!
I'm going to stick with the same kickstart breakfast, lunch an snack as last week for another week. It was too easy to give up. Kind of annoyed already at being limited to the salad option for dinner at restaurants but I'm more annoyed at my jiggly midsection so I'll keep with it.
I learned that I'm a fast eater. I thought about slowing down but the intention didn't make it all the way to my hand and fork. I shovel the food in, which leads to me still feeling hungry even when my portion has been consumed. This week I've learned to trust that being hungry doesn't mean I need more food immediately. If I wait ten minutes I'll feel the effects of that food settling in.
Week 2 starts tomorrow. Bring it on!
Workout 2--twice
Cardio 1-- twice
Running--3.8 miles Monday,7.5 miles Tuesday, 3.8 miles Friday
Elliptical--63 minutes Wednesday, 25 minutes Thursday
Additional--upper body/abs Thursday
Recipes tried:
Greek yogurt with almonds--realize halfway through the week I had regular nonfat yogurt instead of Greek. This was still a fine breakfast and really quick and easy.
Vegetable soup with poached chicken--the soup was delicious. the chicken is bland but I stick it in the soup before eating to soak up some of the juices. This was also a great meal for making ahead to reheat at work during the week.
Hummus and vegetables--I think we all know how this tastes. I made my own hummus. It was good. Peppercorn steak--I overcooked it but it was still good. The tomato salad was a bit oily. I sautéed leftover salad with kale an had it for breakfast with an egg each mornin this weekend and it's really good.
Chef salad--huge! I'm eating it now. It's enormous. Takes a while to prepare and eat.
Victories:
--Stayed between 1100 and 1300 calories each day.
--Didn't take the bread at the restaurant I went to on Wednesday.
--Only ate half the portion I was given at the restaurant on Friday. I'd asked for dressing on the side and the manager said all salads were served like that. It came soaked in dressing. Half for dinner and half on Saturday for lunch with the remaining be soup was perfect.
--Lost 2 pounds!
Treats:
--1/4 Theo spicy chile chocolate bar. Yum!
--1 cake pop. This is from the birthday party last night. I had a lengthy convo with the mom about how it took her two days to make them and how she made them to look like the death star and made them out of gluten free and organic ingredients ao she thought they were healthy. They were still cake pops. Not healthy, but not huge portions and it would have been jerky to refuse. I picked a smaller one with no sprinkles. It was really good.
--one 12 oz beer --three glasses red wine
Thoughts and Observations:
You definitely get out of the workouts what you put into them. The first go round was ok, but the second time through I made myself lunge deeper, use every "challenge yourself" modification, and really pump up the intensity. I felt the burn and the burn was good.
The thing I love about Jillian is she doesn't waste my time. I notice when I do other toning videos that there's a lot of transition time. Not here. I really appreciate that. The background people are great, especially the chick with three kids. Holy Moses!
I'm going to stick with the same kickstart breakfast, lunch an snack as last week for another week. It was too easy to give up. Kind of annoyed already at being limited to the salad option for dinner at restaurants but I'm more annoyed at my jiggly midsection so I'll keep with it.
I learned that I'm a fast eater. I thought about slowing down but the intention didn't make it all the way to my hand and fork. I shovel the food in, which leads to me still feeling hungry even when my portion has been consumed. This week I've learned to trust that being hungry doesn't mean I need more food immediately. If I wait ten minutes I'll feel the effects of that food settling in.
Week 2 starts tomorrow. Bring it on!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Some weight loss and introspection about the vanity of my goal
I'm trying this blogging thing from my phone. I don't have a computer or Internet at home. If I type something insane I can blame autocorrect, right?
Here's something insane: I'm down 2 pounds. I've been sticking to 1200-1300 calories per day using Jillian's kick start breakfast and lunch and then doing my best for dinner.
Turns out jack-in-the-box puts calories on their drive thru menu so that helped out. Chicken fajita pita is only about 330 calories. Not the tastiest 330 I've ever had, but it did the trick. My goal for this whole 90 day experiment is to look amazing in a bikini this summer.
I started this at 130, which is a fine weight for me since I'm 5'7", but I've had a muffin top since I was 13. That's 21 years of muffin top. I've never worn a bikini in public. So on my wish list is amazing abs an unreal ripped arms like Jillian's. I have this idea that when I finish month 2 I'll go bikini shopping for motivation.
This goal is vain and kind of silly but I'm curious to see if I can do it. Not to get too deep about it, but I was raised in a body shaming religion and now that I'm over it I don't see the harm in spending some energy on a vain pursuit. Especially if it means Im eating more healthfully and gaining strength.
One last note--I bit the bullet and shelled out for 8 lb weights today. I actually had some car issues that kept me from doing the workout yesterday (I still ran for 45 min though!) so I'm doing workouts 1 and 2 thus weekend to finish off week 1. I'm excited to try this with the heavier weight. I can just imagine Jillian yelling at me, "your arms should be BURNING right now!"
Here's something insane: I'm down 2 pounds. I've been sticking to 1200-1300 calories per day using Jillian's kick start breakfast and lunch and then doing my best for dinner.
Turns out jack-in-the-box puts calories on their drive thru menu so that helped out. Chicken fajita pita is only about 330 calories. Not the tastiest 330 I've ever had, but it did the trick. My goal for this whole 90 day experiment is to look amazing in a bikini this summer.
I started this at 130, which is a fine weight for me since I'm 5'7", but I've had a muffin top since I was 13. That's 21 years of muffin top. I've never worn a bikini in public. So on my wish list is amazing abs an unreal ripped arms like Jillian's. I have this idea that when I finish month 2 I'll go bikini shopping for motivation.
This goal is vain and kind of silly but I'm curious to see if I can do it. Not to get too deep about it, but I was raised in a body shaming religion and now that I'm over it I don't see the harm in spending some energy on a vain pursuit. Especially if it means Im eating more healthfully and gaining strength.
One last note--I bit the bullet and shelled out for 8 lb weights today. I actually had some car issues that kept me from doing the workout yesterday (I still ran for 45 min though!) so I'm doing workouts 1 and 2 thus weekend to finish off week 1. I'm excited to try this with the heavier weight. I can just imagine Jillian yelling at me, "your arms should be BURNING right now!"
Friday, March 2, 2012
Podcasts, Kids, and More About Food
I love the Jillian Michaels Podcast. Jillian is so freaking earnest, and her sidekick, Janice “Moose Knuckle” Ungaro, is so goofy – I die laughing. I saw on Jillian’s facebook that she recorded another one with Bob Harper. The last one they did together was definitely a highlight! Bob is a studmuffin. I’m a sucker for a clean cut guy with tattoos.
The most recent podcast I listened to was the one where she talks about the emotional connection she’s formed with the little girl she’s working to adopt. The part about waking up and pretending to be asleep so the little girl won’t wake up too early was so relatable. I’ve got two sons, age 6 and 9, and I remember those exhausting toddler years well!
So to tie this back to food…I’ve got two pizza parties to attend this weekend. Tonight is my 6-year-old’s basketball end-of-season party. I checked the menu online and they a couple salad options so I’m going that route and should be fine. I’m hoping the boys will want pasta or something so I don’t have tons of pizza leftovers.
Tomorrow night is a birthday party at one of those bouncy house warehouse places. Pizza, cake and soda will definitely be involved. Get this. The party is from 8:30 to 10:30 at night! There’s some sort of black light deal that goes on. Sounds like a rave for elementary school kids. My plan is to eat a good dinner in advance, bring my own sparkling water, and hope I don’t look like an asshole for refusing the food that I don’t want.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Hungry: pros and cons
How about I just jump right in? I’m on Day 4 of Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution. I’m used to Jillian Michael’s No More Trouble Zones DVD, which I love, so week 1 hasn’t been too grueling and I’ve been supplementing with other things like running. I’m concentrating on keeping my calories around 1200 which is new for me and right now I’m hungry.
The hours between breakfast (Greek Yogurt with almonds and cinnamon) and lunch (vegetable soup and chicken) are the toughest for me. Today I’m working out at noon with a friend so I don’t want to fill my belly right before I jump around. If I can get through this part of the day, the rest of the day should be good.
The other problem time of day is dinner. I’m dating someone who loves to go out to eat and loves to have a glass of wine or a beer or two with dinner. Last night I picked the small portion of shrimp louie and it came with dressing on it AND with dressing on the side. Weird. Obviously I skipped the extra dressing and myfitnesspall tells me the calories aren’t too bad. I’m sure there’s tons of sugar in the thousand island dressing. I also had a glass of wine.
But here are the upsides: my stomach feels flatter already and most of the day I feel satisfied. I love eating actual meals instead of grazing on snacky crap all day and then having a huge dinner that lumps up in my stomach like clay. Also, the vegetable soup is delicious. Really, really good. I might just make another batch for next week.
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