Days 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 (Or 15-21)

     Technically, I should be done with the 21-Day Fix, but since the mirror, my pictures, and my wardrobe say otherwise, I have decided to press on - at least until we leave for vacation.

     Since recovering from my injury, I have done the Upper, Lower  + 10 min Abs, Total Body Cardio, Pilates, Cardio, Upper, and D30. It's all over the map as I have been picking and choosing my workouts based on my mood - a major no-no. I know I'm supposed to be doing double workouts, but I keep putting that off...

     The past week has been a blur, but nutrition-wise, things have been deceptively simple. I have developed a rhythm as it comes to food preparation and choices; and instinctively, I know what I have eaten and need to eat as the day progresses. I'm no longer filling containers and packing food for the day, opting instead to opening the fridge when I'm hungry (which interestingly enough happens at 2 hour intervals), taking inventory, and making a choice based on what I have on hand and what's left to consume.

     I have added a smoothie component to my daily routine - 1 scoop whey protein powder, 4 oz of 1% milk, a handful of strawberries, half a peach, half a banana, and greek yogurt. I'm eyeballing the amount based on how much it took to fill one of those red containers- which is a lot.  I realize I'm might going over slightly with fruit, as I'm not measuring the 1/2 peach and strawberries out, but I'm not super-concerned as the fiber fills me up and it enhances the taste of the shake. These shakes are doing wonders to not only keep me satisfied for most of the morning/early afternoon, but they are helping me get my protein in, which I have struggled with.

     As I've mentioned before, I have never had a problem drinking enough water, and I've been consistently consuming between 64-96 oz per day. I've been doing some reading about helping the bpdy flush toxins (especially those produced by exercise), so I've taken to adding some freshly squeezed lemon juice and a few cucumber slices to my water container. It all started when I noticed that the big bowl of cucumber slices in the fridge had begun to freeze and I figured, why not use them to chill the water, since it hasn't been in the fridge long? (We distill then filter through a Brita.) But, since I have always felt that cucumber makes my water taste slightly salty - which is weird since cucumbers have no salt - I decided to add a few drops of the lemon juice that DBF uses in his H20, just so he can get some down at all.  We have so many cucumbers from the garden, it's another great way to consume them.

     The garden has been a godsend and has really kept the grocery bill down. It also makes DBF happy that the fruits of his labor are being consumed and enjoyed, rather than sitting and perishing as they had in past years. Once those plants start producing, it's a never-ending supply until fall that is difficult to keep up with, but I'm keeping pace! Other staples in the fridge have been sweet baby peppers, hard-boiled eggs, olives, hummus, and my balanced breaks. The salt on the nuts have begun to concern me, but these snacks are just the ticket when I start to get hungry. I would rather have one of these towards the end of the day when there's a genuine rumbly-in-my-tumbly than allow my body to panic and go into starvation mode. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I'm prepared. Turkey patties, and little fresh mozzarella pearls have also enhanced my offerings.

There were two breaded chicken cutlet strips left in the fridge, so I warmed them slightly and used them to top a tomato, cucumber, and sweet pepper salad with herb dressing.

Sliced turkey burger with tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, black olives, sweet peppers, and cucumber slices, with a squirt of herb dressing.

Warm grilled turkey burger over cucumber, sweet pepper slices, tomatoes, black olives, and mozzarella pearls with some dressing.

Shredded rotisserie chicken breast over tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, black olives, black beans, sweet pepper slices, cucumbers and herb dressing.

Shredded rotisserie chicken breast with black beans, olives, mozzarella pearls, tomatoes, pepper slices, cucumbers and a hint of hummus.

     I'm learning that I don't have to use a full container of a given ingredient in my salads, or for other meals or snacks, which offers a bit more variety. For instance, by cutting the milk in the shake by half (yellow), this leaves a half container of black beans to round out my salad and make it more satiating (in addition to adding another interesting texture). You might also be wondering about the mozzarella pearls: simply put, we bought them on sale and they needed to be eaten. They count as a blue, but as you can see above, by not filling the blue container completely, I was able to add some hummus, too. While I did use the container the measure the cheese each time - because I love cheese and could easily go over - I simply used a teaspoon to put a glob of hummus, as a bit more of that is a bit less damaging.
 
      And these salads are filling. I wind up eating them at about 3-4pm, which works out perfectly for dinner. Also, by having my other proteins earlier in the day, I wind up have some snap peas for a snack at around 7 or 8pm and I'm good for the night. And if I'm not, a balanced break goes great with my wine!

Day 17: Or is it 14?

     I have to work today. It's only 8:30- 12:30, but since we have practically no food left in the fridge, I pick up breakfast at the deli to eat when I get there. I can't bring stinky hard-boiled eggs, but I have no trouble eating a bacon (orange?) egg (red) and cheese (blue) sandwich (4 yellow).

     I do some food shopping after work and I'm still not hungry when I get home. After putting the groceries away, I change into my workout clothes and move the furniture before I get tempted to just sit down and relax. Since I lost 3 days, I decide to do the Cardio Fix instead of Yoga (which would be next after D30). I feel a bit weaker than I should, but I am sweating pretty well afterwards and cool down my core by finishing the full 32oz of water I brought in for the workout. I know I should fuel up a little and I need protein, so I toss some strawberries, yogurt and a scoop of protein powder in the blender with a few ice cubes. The smoothie could have used some citrus, but it was a quick, easy way to get the protein in (2 purple, 2 red).

     At about 3, I decide I need to get my greens in, so I have a handful of snap peas (green). This just gets my fires burning, so I get up for some cucumber slices and instead wind up mixing up the cucumber with some hearts of palm, sweet pepper slices and hardboiled egg topped with balsamic and olive oil herb dressing (2 green, 1 red, 1 tsp).

     DBF has to work late, so I top off the night with some wine while waiting for him to get home.

Day 16: Back to Basics

     Still feeling a bit of a twinge, but I know I can do today's workout as long as I take it easy on my ankle. I have to be creative nutrition-wise, as I won't be going food shopping until tomorrow.

     So, I have 1/2 an Ezekiel muffin (yellow) with peanut butter (tsp) with my coffee. DBF has thrown out the remainder of the yogurt, the rest of the hummus, as well as the rest of the strawberries. So now I have a real struggle for protein and fruit.

     I have decided that today's workout is Dirty 30 (where I left off). Since it's week 3, I should be doing two workouts today, but I really don't want to push my ankle and since I had a 3 day setback, I need to get back into it. (So glad I have those extra days.) I'm feeling excellent afterwards and once I finish my bottle of water, I decide to construct my salad.  Hearts of palm (green), sweet bell pepper slices (green), olives (orange), cucumber slices (green), tomatoes (I'm counting this as purple), hardboiled eggs (red). Another beauty:

     Again, I am fully satiated for several hours. I am longing to go in the pool, but it's another sunless day. At around 4pm, I decide to have a Balanced Break (blue) to hold off "dinner" until DBF gets home. By 6pm, I give up waiting and have a handful of snap peas (green) and the last burger patty (red) with a slice of smoked gouda. Yes, that counts as another blue - oh well. I'll console myself with a few glasses of wine before bed.

Day 15: The Road to Hell

     I still can't walk. I feel horrible that I can't do the workouts and I'm starting to get discouraged. I'm trying to keep up with the nutrition, but since I couldn't walk, we haven't gone food shopping yet; so we're running out of fruits and veggies that don't come from the garden. DD leaves again today, so maybe I can do an easy workout after she leaves.

     I keep up with the nutrition, but realize that I probably should have cut back on the calories since I'm not exercising. But since I'm in the lowest bracket as it is, I don't think I'm supposed to. I resolve myself to trying to fill up on as many greens as possible. Breakfast is the usual - Genesis slice with peanut butter. I decide to hard boil some eggs and slice up some hearts of palm and more sweet peppers. I know I need protein, so I have strawberries with greek yogurt and I'm good until about 1pm.

     Today's salad is stunningly gorgeous and incredibly satisfying.

I won't need to eat anything else until much later in the day, at which time I decide to have a Balanced Break. The inability to workout, coupled with the lack of sunlight which eliminates the possibility of gravity and impact free movement in the pool is really throwing a monkey-wrench into my plan. At least I have an extra 12 days that instead of being used to enhance, will instead help me to catch up.

I have a grilled beef patty - minus the potato roll because we ran out - at about 6pm and I am satisfied for the day. 

Wine and then bed - sounds about right. 

Day 14: Hell to Pay

     I literally cannot walk. My ankle is three times the size that it normally is and so tender, i cannot even massage the fluid out of it. I wrap it and elevate it and determine that there will be no workout today.

     I do, however, carefully track my nutrition so that at least without the workout, I won't go completely off the rails. I have to fight off my daughter every time I have a bowl of sliced veggies or fruit.  Genesis slice with peanut butter, garden cucumbers, sliced peppers, and snap peas with hummus (3 green and 1 blue); olives (orange), yogurt (red), strawberries (purple) - it's getting a bit redundant, but at least the repetition keeps me consistent. Protein is still the hardest for me to navigate, but DBF has grilled up some burgers, so I have one with a potato roll and count it as 2 reds and 2 yellows. I have diced mango (purple) with wine before bed.

Day 13: To Hell in a Handbasket

     I get up a little later this morning and may ankle is still weak and throbbing. I try to walk it out, but to no avail. I have my coffee and Genesis slice with peanut butter. I know that Dirty Thirty is out of the question, unless I want to exacerbate the injury, so I resolve myself to doing the Yoga instead. It's a nice break and I feel like I managed to keep myself going despite the setback. Of course, this feeling of accomplishment is short-lived as DD makes her way downstairs while I'm finishing up and not only continually interrupts me, but annoyingly makes discouraging comments. I'm glad to be done and feel deflated.

     I make sure to eat all of my green containers before we have to leave at 3:30. Tonight is the second concert we are attending with friends and they are Master Level Tailgaters. I know there will be burgers and hot dogs, along with rolls and most likely chips. Most of all, the alcoholic beverages will be flowing.

     What a great concert it was! St. Asonia, Alter Bridge, Breaking Benjamin, and Disturbed were all excellent. Despite the pouring rain at an outdoor beach venue, we had a wonderful time with our friends. We got entries into the VIP area, so we wound up standing through the whole show. It was worth it through, we had a great view and easy access to food, beverages, and special bathrooms. The finally tally: 3 Mike's Hard Lemonades, hamburger with bun (1 red & 2 yellow) , hotdog with bun (2 yellow, and 4 orange?), 4 tostitos scoops, 1 glass of cabernet, 2 16oz Lime-a-Ritas.

     We are home by midnight and my ankle is screaming.

Day 12: Out in the Wild

     We have to leave the house at 11am to catch the train; but after a relatively late night, we struggle to get out of bed at 8. After some coffee, I force my self to eat a slice of Genesis with some peanut butter.  I surf the internet a little bit while still trying to wake up and before I know it, it's 9:30 already. I tell DBF he needs to get ready first, as I will be doing Cardio Fix from 10 -10;30 then jumping in the shower.

     We finally get to the city at 12:30 and we hold off on eating until we get downtown, as we had plans to eat lunch with DD. However, when we arrive, she tells us she's already had her break, so we get a brief preview of her exhibit, then head out into the village in search of sustenance. We find it in the form of "The Meatball Shop." This is where things get tricky.

     I am trying to stick as closely to 21-Day Fix guidelines as possible, but I am also tempted at the thought of a meatball parm hero. I settle on a combination of classic beef meatballs with classic tomato sauce served over market greens and "sink veggies". What we received was a dish of 3 meatballs over butter lettuce, corn, and avocado with cilantro lime dressing; squash, cherry tomato, and parsley; orzo with pesto and tomatoes; red beans and celery salad. This was such a delightful mix of textures, flavors and temperatures I was truly impressed. Based on the amounts of greens vs. grains vs. meat I resigned myself to this one dish representing all of my food for the rest of the day. It was filling and satisfying and I was truly satiated for the entire rest of the day.

     The rest of the day entailed DD's exhibit followed by retrieval of all her work, the emptying of her locker, and the eventual packing and move out of her dorm room. Once packed, we each had a suitcase and a shoulder bag to haul two blocks to the subway, down the stairs, onto the train, up the stairs into Penn Station, then back down the stairs and onto our train home. By the time we settled in at home, my ankle was throbbing, so I settled in and wrapped it up while attempting to anesthetize it with a few glasses of wine before bed.

Day 11: Just Keep Swimming

     Last night was a late one, due to DBF working on an emergency call until 1am. Yet, I was still up at 7am to make his lunch. I'm a bit tired, but nothing a few cups of coffee can't remedy. Yes, I'm still drinking it with creamer. My body appreciates the whole grain bread with peanut butter, so I have that for breakfast (yellow and tsp) at around 8:30 while packing up some containers for the day.

     I get a late start on the Pilates Fix workout - starting at around 11am - after munching down some hard boiled eggs (red). Again, this "active recovery" has made me sweat bullets. I did fewer of the modifications this time and even did some of the plank exercises on my toes, rather than my knees - go me!  After a bit of a cool down, I decide to have a bit more protein and eat some mange (purple) with greek yogurt (red). I need an H20 refill after that quick snack. Wow - that 32oz went fast! Water is going down so smoothly that DBF was a bit miffed that I drank over a gallon of the amount he had distilled yesterday -- oops.

     I don't know if it was the workout or the late night, but I'm feeling a bit tired and drained. Since DBF mentioned that he doesn't like to go in the pool alone when he gets home, I have decided to wait on my swim until later this afternoon. I hope I don't regret it - it's a gorgeous day and will be the last "hot one" for next week or so.

     I guess it's another "eat day" because I feel famished this afternoon. At the first pang of hunger, I snacked on some snap peas (green). Still unsatisfied, I went for the cucumber slices (green) and, if it's possible, I'm feeling more hungry than before. I'm drinking plenty of water, but still feeling hungry, so I follow up with some chicken (red) and sweet bell pepper slices (green) with a drizzle of balsamic and olive oil herb dressing (tsp) PLUS a baked potato (yellow) with 1/2 tbsp. butter (::gasp!::). Another refill of water - that makes 64oz down by 3pm and will easily drink the other 32.

     After a quick dip in the pool, I settle in with a margarita (we had leftovers from the weekend before). I am celebrating, as tomorrow we pick up DD from Parsons.

Day 10: Getting Fit but Still Fat

     Like those parents who take daily pictures of their children and put them together in a montage to show how they've grown, I've been taking pictures every 2 days in an attempt to track my results - if any- to shown how I've shrunk. Well, nothing to report so far. If anything, I feel like I look bigger. But I do feel better. My posture feels a bit different when I stand up and walk, and I don't feel quite as jiggly - even though I still am. I've resolved to not publish any pictures until I have achieved results that I am satisfied with - sorry to disappoint.

     I am up a bit before 7 today to pack up DBF's lunch. By 8:30, I'm looking for breakfast, so I have one slice of Genesis Multigrain bread (yellow) with my tsp. of peanut butter along with two hard boiled eggs (red). If I hope to sustain any semblance of nutrition when I return to work, I'm going to have to figure out what I can travel with and eat in 4 to 5 minutes while standing. Foods packed for convenience are heavily processed and their equivalents are inconvenient to pack. In addition, timing is everything -  there is no telling at what times of day I will be able to eat in the coming school year.

     Anyhow, I fill the morning with coffee, some web surfing, and some light housework. I get to feeling restless at about 10 or so, so I move the furniture and put on today's workout: Lower Fix. I'm using 1 and 2 pound weights today (mostly the 2 pounders) and I'm exactly thrilled with Autumn's "bonus" round. But I manage to get through it and I'm dripping sweat by the end. It takes me a few minutes of watching the commercials on the DVD before my heart rate and breathing come back down, but I feel pretty good. I need a lot of water afterward and nearly finish the full 32 oz within the next hour.

     I'm not up for a big lunch, so I have some snap peas (green) and cucumber slices (green) with hummus (blue). I'm sucking down water like a bathtub drain and go for a 32oz refill before heading out to the pool. The water is a glorious 87.5°, so I swim, splash, and float around for just inside of two hours.

      After a quick shower, it's time for dinner - chicken (red) and sweet pepper slices (green) with a splash of balsamic and olive oil herb dressing. I follow up with dessert a short time later with strawberries (purple) and greek yogurt (red). At this point, I'm almost in need of yet another refill of water.

     I'm hungry at around 8pm, so i have a few bites of chicken (about 1/4 red) and some mango (purple). Still hungry, but not wanting to eat anything else for the night, I have a couple glasses of DBF's shiraz (I'll count one of those glasses as my last yellow). I didn't consume my last orange.

Day 9: Today IS an Eat Day

     Up and about early this morning, but didn't get around to my workout until about 11:30. As I hard boiled about a 1/2 dozen eggs, I also chopped up some strawberries and a couple of fresh cucumbers from the garden and stored everything away in the fridge. Morning coffee lasted a bit longer than usual, so breakfast didn't actually happen until 10:30 - greek yogurt (red) and the strawberries (purple).

     After letting breakfast digest a bit, I put on the DVD for today's workout: Upper Fix. Still can't handle the full 60-seconds on those planks, but I DID use my 1- and 2-lb handweights for the exercises that required them. It may not seem like much, but it's better than I did last week! But boy am I hungry!  Coffee table back in place, I make my way to the kitchen for lunch. I must say, I appreciate not having to move too much furniture around to do these workouts.

     Most of my food for the day winds up in my lunch:




I don't mind though, because it's delicious and filling. All three green~ 50/50 organic lettuce mix, sweet baby bell peppers, and cucumber slices; One red ~ 2 hard-boiled eggs; One blue ~ hummus; One yellow ~ black beans; One orange ~ black olives; plus a free balsamic and olive oil herb dressing.


I still have one purple, two reds and one yellow left for the day.



     By 5pm I feel like I'm starving, so I decide to have a baked potato and some of the rotisserie chicken we bought earlier this week. I've gotten really good at stuffing these containers, I guess, because when I put the chicken out on the dish, it looks like twice as much as I would have figured. As such, I decide that this will count as both reds that were left. The potato isn't very big, so even though it's supposed to be 1/2 a potato, I count it as the one yellow anyway. I put a little butter on it and count that as my teaspoons for the day.

     It's satisfying, but I'm still feeling a bit of a pang. This is not helped by DBF who is offering me potato chips - which he knows is my weakness - and breaded chicken cutlets. He sees I have just eaten. WTF? I hold off on answering the hunger call until about 7, when I have my last container for the day - purple - filled with pineapple. I enjoy the fruit as dessert with a few glasses of wine. Perfectly satiating!

Day 8: Rebound

     So we begin Week 2. Although I wasn't able to do the Yoga Fix yesterday, I decided to skip over it and just do Total Body Cardio Fix as scheduled.

     Changed up breakfast a little: 1 slice of Genesis Multigrain bread (yellow) with a teaspoon of peanut butter. I filled my containers for the day while munching on breakfast: Green~ sweet pepper slices, snap peas, cucumbers; Purple~ mango, pineapple. The rest of the containers were on-demand throughout the day: Red~ curry chicken(with diced mango and grapes), beef patty (count as 2); Yellow~ potato roll; Blue~ thin-sliced gouda; Orange~ skipped - I figure I probably had something that would count there anyway.

     It's time for Total Body Cardio Fix. This was the workout that nearly killed me last week. I think I'll try it with my 1 lb weights :-) . I briefly considered the 2-pounders, but didn't want to regret it - I've come so far, I didn't need another setback. I have to say, it wasn't seemingly interminable like last week. I could breathe afterward. I can walk. I can climb up and down stairs. I get the light housework done without issue. I do find myself stretching my upper thighs, glutes and quads a lot, though. It feels soooo good. Sounds like a great reason to hop in the pool!

     After an hour in the sun, I fill my water bottle for a third time (64 oz down and on my way to 96!). DBF gets home around 4:30 and hasn't eaten all day. This triggers a non-stop binge that I watch in dismay. He's my "Mr. Healthy" and I'm trying not to judge, but he's consuming nothing but crap after crap after crap. I just watch in wonder while I sip my wine.

   

Day 7: Payback's a B**ch

     I have been looking forward to the Yoga Fix workout all week. I know it's an active recovery and will stretch out my tired and sore muscles. Considering that we didn't get to bed until 4am (thanks Cross-Bronx Expressway!), getting up at 9am wasn't too bad. I can feel myself dragging a bit, but figure an early-to bed should cure any lingering fatigue.

     I can't bring myself to eat until about 10:30 and go for the standard 1/2 muffin/PB combo (yellow). It's nice to have my daughter home - even if it's only for a day - so I spend the rest of the morning next to her on the couch while she plays a video game. So, no yoga. At around 12:15, I have some cucumber slices (green) with a turkey slider (red and blue) and grilled sausage (red) that one of our friends made for tailgating the night before. We all watch some mindless tv shows into the afternoon and nap a little before my daughter has to get ready to take the train back to the city at 5:30. So, no yoga - maybe after we get back?

     We see her off and do some food shopping - loading up on some yummy produce and a rotisserie chicken that we'll use for salads and such throughout the week. The fridge requires a major rearrange to fit the new groceries, which leaves me barely enough time to text my daughter, reminding her to have her metro card ready to go and all the rest of her belongings secured before she arrives at Penn. I have a serving of pasta with chicken sauce, sprinkled with grated parmesan (yellow, red, and blue!). It takes another 40 minutes to see that she's safely back at the dorm and I am physically and mentally exhausted by this point. So, no yoga.

     I have managed to consume a total of 32 ounces of water for the day and I'm done. I cap off the night with a few glasses of wine and a Balanced Break (blue!). I'm missing 2 greens, 2 purples, and an orange for the day - along with my scheduled yoga workout. I'm not gonna sweat it <--- see what I did there -- all magic comes at a price. We saw a great concert, had a blast with our friends, and I got to spend quality time with my daughter. I'll pick it back up tomorrow.
   

Day 6: Out in the Jungle

     So here it is, the day we knew would come: We have a concert to attend this evening. Guns N' Roses to be exact and I'm not planning on missing the party. Plus, it's the weekend. This is the real test, sticking to the plan when there are other influences around all day.

     The days starts off early with coffee. On weekends, we like to spend the first few hours of the day in the office websurfing together. When I start to feel hungry, I excuse myself and head to the kitchen for breakfast. I'm too impatient to wait the 3 minutes for my english muffin half, and opt instead for the yogurt and pineapple/mango that I portioned out yesterday but just didn't get around to eating. So far so good.

     When I'm feeling impatient, I head downstairs and turn on my workout: Dirty Thirty. One of the things that makes me the most uncomfortable is someone else walking into the room and seeing me trying to do the workouts. We've seen each other naked, and yet I'm self-conscious about being seen exercising? Weird, I know. I shrug it off and pray DBF stays in the office for 30 more minutes. I get to use my handweights today, so I start off easy: 2 lb weights that I would use consistently throughout, rather than switching to a heavier set. Hey, I'm carrying my own extra baggage as it is and that weighs plenty! The name implies a formidable challenge, but I found it do-able. Of course, I am still following the modifier for the most part. Thanks, Kat! I just wish she would demo the modifications as she demos the regular move, so I can get situated prior to the timer starting. Meh - minor critique. But even though I modified, those side planks KILLED me! I worked up a good sweat and finished the last cool down breath just as DBF headed down the stairs. Whew - made it!

     I fueled up with a protein shake (we actually do have this in the house on a regular basis) as we prepared to pick my daughter up form the train station. Once back, I ate the rest of the green container that I hadn't finished yesterday as we chatted about the summer art program she's attending. (You may have noticed that I haven't yet prepped any food for the day - I'll get to that.) I convince everyone to take a dip in the pool and we spend  two hours doing just that - I mean, who wants to get out of an 86° pool on a 98° day?

     After the pool, it's time to get ready to leave for the concert. This is why I haven't prepped anything: We are stopping at Wendy's on the drive there and we'll be having margaritas and possibly chips once we arrive. We make ordering easy and the 4 for $4 deal from Wendy's: Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe w/bacon, 4 chicken nuggets, small fry and unsweetened iced-tea. I calculate this counting as two reds, 1/4 green, 1 blue, 3(!) yellow, and the grease will count as the orange. I don't know how accurate that is and I know it isn't "clean" food - but that's how I'm counting it in my brain. The margaritas we have while tailgating are certainly extra, but we knew this day was coming.

     Traffic is brutal getting back from the concert, which ended at 12:45 and we don't arrive home until 3:30am. I feel thirsty, but I can't seem to consume any substantial amount of water before bed. I honestly don't know how this will affect me in the upcoming days (thank God tomorrow is yoga) but it's a "living in the real world" scenario. I'm hoping that the conscious choices and considerations I made will help me rebound quickly - proving the "lifestyle" sustainable.

Day 5: Cardio Again???

     I'm feeling pretty good today. I'm up early and get all of my containers filled for the day:

Green: snap peas, pepper slices, cucumbers
Purple: strawberry slices, mango and pineapple (because I didn't have enough mango to fill the container)
Red: greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs, turkey patty (count as 2), 1/4 filled with meat from pasta sauce
Yellow: whole grain pasta
Blue: hummus
Orange: black olives

     As I'm filling the containers, I realize that I'm learning how much of each with fill the container. For instance, I instinctively knew how many strawberries to grab and notices that a green serving is roughly a handful (or two if it's slippery cucumber slices). The most depressing to fill was the yellow, with the pasta. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to overcome the overeating of pasta. ::sigh::

     I am also thinking about how I probably don't need to pre-fill the containers, because I know what each one represents. What I do need, however, is a way to keep track of what I've had and what I have left to choose from. Yesterday, I stacked the caps of the containers and took away whatever color I consumed. Although I have two sets, I still don't have enough to represent everything, however, and it got me to thinking about how I could devise a sort of "chip" system©. Hey, didn't Richard Simmons do that years ago with "Deal a Meal"? Yeah, something like that. Making checkmarks on a printed worksheet just isn't enough of a visual for me - and the kinesthetic act of taking away the chips connects better to my brain, so next time I'm at staples, I'll see what I can find that would fit the bill. (I know that many BB coaches scour the internet for mentions of 21-Day Fix so they can swoop in and offer their salvation - so here's a quick warning: the chip system is my idea - I am claiming it as intellectual property and if you steal my idea in order to peddle it elsewhere, I am coming after you.) 

     Today's workout is Cardio Fix - oh no. I'm scared. Cardio is what nearly killed me and left me in an immobile, weakened state for days. I'm okay, though. I can do this, 'cause Autumn keeps telling me I'm stronger than I was yesterday... So after my morning coffee and surfing the web for a bit, I move the coffee table and start the DVD. Again, it's easier than I thought it would be, but still left me literally dripping sweat at the end. I mean, seriously, I swiped my hand across my forehead and my fingers became wrinkly - not really, but my hand was not just covered, but filled with water, as if I had just run it under the faucet.

     I can go in the pool today! Getting in and out is a breeze. The water feels glorious. I try out our new wi-fi extender on my ipad, but after about a half hour of frustrating dropouts, I put away the lounger and the ipad and just float around with a pool noodle, taking the opportunity to stretch out my legs some more. I spent over an hour in the sun and it wiped me out. By 3 pm, I needed a nap - so I took one, 'cause I can :-) .

     In that time, the mailman delivered my new hand-weight set - yay! Now I'm ready for next week's workouts - although I still feel like my own body weight is enough of a challenge - lol.

     I still have a lot of food left: 1-1/4 red, 1/4 of a green, both purples, and 1 yellow (I'll put this towards an extra glass of wine). But I'm not hungry - at all.  At about 9pm, I have the strawberries with my wine.

*I also don't think I drank as much water today. My pee is pretty clear, though, so I'm not terribly concerned about it.

Day 4: Ahhhhh...Rest Day

     I'm a bit behind on writing this, so forgive me for my brevity. Looking forward to today's workout: Pilates - which is touted as a "rest day".

     The day began as usual: coffee, 1/2 Exekiel muffin with 1 tsp. peanut butter. From what I can remember~  Green: 50/50 mix, cucumber, snap peas. Purple: mango, pineapple. Red: hard boiled eggs, beef patty (counted as 2). Yellow: Black beans, 1/2 muffin (^). Blue: Sargento Balanced Break. Orange: olives.

     The Pilates Fix was a nice respite from the last few days. My muscles needed the good stretch. This wasn't exactly a walk in the park either - I was still dripping sweat by the time the 20 mins. was over. Since the lawn guy is supposed to come today, I can't go in the pool. (I mean, who wants to be splashing around in the pool when the Tru-Green guy is doing his chemical treatment thing, amiright? He winds up not coming until about 4 - which blows my whole chance. So instead, I clean both bathrooms - woohoo! go me!

     Time for lunch: I combined the 50/50, cucumbers, olives, black beans, and sliced up the hardboiled eggs to create a salad. But it looked a little blah, so I sliced up two baby sweet bell peppers and voila! that pop of color made all the difference. YUM!

     Take aways: Yes, I had a potato roll with the burger. Yes, I'm running low on protein. I'm trying to figure out how to raise my protein intake, but I get so full, I'm not really wanting anything else. No, I'm not giving up my coffee. Yes, I still had two glasses of wine at the end of the night.

Day 3: I Can't Move, But I Can't Stop Moving

     Every time I even look at the stairs, I can hear my quads pleading from within me to "please stay away." But of course, anything I need to do around the house requires either a trip up stairs or down stairs. And going downstairs, oh my goodness, feels like thousands of tiny aliens ripping apart my legs from the inside.

     I'm really enjoying my 1/2 Eziekiel Muffin with a teaspoon of peanut butter, so I have that again for breakfast. It goes nicely with my coffee. Just like I won't give up my wine, I will not be giving up my coffee with creamer. I look at it this way - if a "lifestyle" requires sacrifices that make you miserable, then what kind of life are you living?

     Since I already know what I'm doing for breakfast, I use the toaster time to fill some of the rest of my containers. Green: fresh cucumber from the garden- sliced, sweet baby bell pepper slices, organic spring mix. Purple: strawberries and mango. Red: Poached chicken in yogurt curry sauce with diced mango and quartered grapes, a turkey burger patty (I'm counting this as 2 because it is a large patty), greek yogurt. Yellow: aforementioned 1/2 english muffin and black beans. Blue: Sargento Balanced Break (This is enough of a match that I'm not too concerned about the white raisins mixed with the cashews - and besides, I love cheese). Orange: Salad Dressing that I later find out is a freebie.

     Today's workout is supposed to be Lower Body Fix and I am petrified. I wonder if I should substitute with the yoga or pilates instead. After some online reading, I resign myself to doing just that. Throughout the morning however, I realize that when I am up and about, I want to stay up and about. The walking actually feels good. Pacing back and forth through the living room and kitchen, I consider whether I should go for a walk around the block - or the backyard even. I decide instead to go out to the garden and harvest some of the new beans that have sprouted. There were even some new cucumbers. Yay!

     Once inside, I still felt like moving my legs so I moved the furniture and put on the workout DVD - I'm going to try the Lower Fix anyway! Am I nuts? No, I just feel like my legs need to move more. Miraculously, I made it through the workout. If it's possible, it was easier than I anticipated. Don't get me wrong, it was not easy - I was still dripping with sweat afterwards. It just seemed easier. Maybe I can do this.

     I was right. Boy did my legs feel good afterwards. Moving around the house didn't feel as stiff. Although they still hurt and my quads still clawed at me, resisting the stair-climbing, I talked them into ascending and descending with the promise of the cool, refreshing waters of the swimming pool. They reluctantly complied and were rewarded handsomely with an hour of gravity-free stretching and relaxation. Getting up and down the ladder was still sheer hell, but certainly not as excruciating as it had been days earlier. I soaked up some Vitamin D on the deck, then went in to eat.

     It's about 2pm, so I'm not sure if it would be considered lunch or dinner. I mixed all the greens, the turkey burger, and the black beans into a salad. It was truly a work of art. (I should have snapped a pic, but I was hungry and just wanted to eat it.) It's funny how putting thought and energy into food choices makes you appreciate them when you place them on a plate. It was very satisfying. I grazed the rest of the afternoon and evening, finishing the day with the reward of a balanced break (blue) and a couple glasses of wine.

Day 2: Not an "Eat" Day

     My quads are still screaming at me and I am hoping I can do the workout today. Internet research shows that today's Upper Body Fix is a bit easier. Stairs in the house still present a major hurdle. I press on...

The eating plan:

     If it were possible, I just don't feel hungry today. I have filled all of the requisite containers, but I can already feel it; "Today is not an eat day." This is an expression I used to use to describe my daughter when she was a toddler. I could never get her to sit and eat a "full" meal (or she would subsequently vomit). After numerous doctor visits, food diaries, and the like, we came to the conclusion that her brain would just cut off the "hunger" sensor when she hit ~500 calories. It didn't matter if it was by 9am - that would be all she would eat for the day! I eventually resigned myself to setting out little cubes of cheese and other nibbles for her to graze on as she went about her business. I always wished my body would work like that; and I think, perhaps it just might have happened.

     I ate breakfast early - about 8 am, which is a change for me. Usually, when I start eating early in the day, I am hungry all day long. Now, as a teacher, you have to train your body to eat (and pee) at certain times - as you don't have the luxury of simply grabbing something when you're hungry. I wonder if this is a contributor to the "starvation mode" aspect of weight gain? I had 1/2 an Ezekiel Muffin with a teaspoon of peanut butter. Anyway, contrary to my usual M.O., I was satiated for a long while.

     Even though I was still sore from yesterday's workout, I decided to just "get it over with" and did today's about an hour later. Afterwards,  I had two hard boiled eggs, because "you're supposed to" fuel up with protein after a workout.  It wasn't until 1:30 that I convinced myself I should have something because, hey it's getting later in the day and there are a lot of containers left. I decided on a red container of yogurt mixed with a purple container filled with strawberries and pineapple. It was delish, but I could feel it then - I just didn't want anymore food. Now, I know I am supposed to fuel up with all of the different kinds of food, but I just didn't foresee myself eating anything else.

     The air outside wasn't oppressively humid, so I decided to jump in the pool. It was slightly easier to get in, but still seriously difficult. Once in though, I tried stretching my legs and walking around a bit. My legs were feeling a bit better - until I tried to get out. Once my right foot was on the bottom rung of the latter - the quads started yelling again. I expended way more energy than I should have to climb down, do I decided to sunbathe to calm my aching muscles.  At about 4pm, I forced myself to have a salad with all my veggies. Mind you, 4 pm is usually when I want to eat dinner - and I still had two reds left, a purple, a yellow, a blue, and an orange.

     DBF wanted pasta with meat sauce the night before, but since I had already consumed most of my containers for the day he had settled on a salmon burger and saved the sauce for tonight. So I waited for him to get home. It wasn't done cooking until about 7:30. I had the pasta as my last yellow with some meat sauce which I supposed would count for a red (?) but it really would not have filled the container and I'll say the light coating of red could be considered 1/4 of a purple. I'm not going to sweat skipping the last few containers.

     Now, I really didn't even want the pasta and could've skipped it, but I didn't want to hurt DBF's feelings, as he skipped having it the day before simply because I told him I had already eaten. But here's the strange part: I wasn't hungry - at all- but I felt like I could have had a second bowl of pasta! It was really, really delicious (my BF is an excellent chef). Thankfully, I had the willpower to resist, but it would've been so easy to go back.

     I did recognize an interesting phenomenon, however: DBF offers me food all the time. Even after I have articulated that I am not hungry, or full, or don't want any.  Less than 5 minutes after I told him I wasn't really hungry but had saved my last yellow container for having pasta with him, he offered me a chicken and cheese burrito while he was cooking!

Day 1: It's more than I did yesterday...

     I decided to start a blog to track my progress, commitment and results of finally doing the 21-Day Fix. I have done Isagenix and had fabulous results - I dropped from a size 12 to a 4 in 6 months. But, slowly the weight crept back up and I seriously cannot stand to look at myself in the mirror or in photos. I was literally horrified after seeing my thighs in a set of pictures from a family vacation last August. Another set of family photos from February produced an equally displeasing response. While I vowed that I would change this, resolution coupled with inaction yields zero results. And so it begins...

     First, I did not buy the program from a coach or from the BeachBody website, I bought it on Amazon with Prime delivery -because I'm an immediate gratification type of person. This of course was after countless "look at me" posts and pictures passing through my facebook newsfeed - how annoying! Nevertheless,  I was intrigued and began researching the program and finally pulled the trigger on ordering. I was excited when it arrived and voraciously tore into the materials. Then it sat - for months  - six months.

     As a teacher, summer is a super-convenient time for me to try new things and commit time to taking care of myself. Plus, we have an upcoming tropical vacation that I can use as a goal. Of course, I am already foreseeing a few pitfalls within the upcoming three week period in the form of attending concerts with friends. But, it's more than I did yesterday, so anything is better than nothing, right?

     Summer is also a super-convenient time to commit to eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. Our garden is currently cranking out cucumbers and snow peas, plus I can never pass up sweet strawberries in season.


      At first, since I have more than 21 days before our trip, I was simply going to start with the workouts for a week and then add in the nutritional element. But then, as I stood slicing veggies for a salad, I just decided to start filling the containers. It was easier than I had originally thought. As I scoured the lists, I realized that we actually have most of what is recommended in the house on a regular basis. Great!  I kept thinking: "How am I going to eat all this??" In addition, it was going to be tough to consume so much protein. But why am I so fat? It's definitely a combination of being quite sedentary, making poor food choices, and not eating enough. That's right, as I gathered all of the food that I would need for the day, it became clear that I have been starving myself.

     It took about 20 minutes to pack everything up. I did each serving separately, rather than create a salad or portioned plate. What I like is that when I get hungry, I can just grab something that's ready to go. I'm all about convenience and while pre-packing my portions required time and effort on the front end, it much easier to do when you're not hungry - which is when we tend to either make terrible choices or overeat. Anything we eat will require prep-time - unless it's processed garbage. Thankfully, we buy mostly organic and avoid processed foods, but when you're hungry, it's too easy to nuke a hot dog to scarf down while you bake a pan of tater-tots in the toaster-oven.

     So now that my food was squared away (see what I did there?), I did some web-surfing, then finally resolved myself to doing the first workout: Total Body Cardio Fix. I have but two-words: HOLY MOLY! I'm a former athlete trapped in fat-chick, but thankfully I was smart enough to start slow and listen to my body. I followed the modifier, and couldn't complete the full minute on some of the exercises. That's ok though, it's more than I did yesterday. But, I fear that it's more than I will be able to do tomorrow. After shutting off the DVD, I could barely stand. My legs were shaking and I had difficulty balancing. Dripping with sweat, I crawled up the stairs (thank God for having a split-level with half-staircases) and stumbled into the bathroom to strip off my drenched workout clothes and change into a bathing suit so I could jump in the pool.

     I don't think it has ever taken as long as it did to change clothes. Eventually, I made it back down the stairs and outside. I was so stiff, I had to will myself to walk. In order to get into the pool, I needed to drag myself up the ladder using my arms. Now usually, I slowly descend, step-by-step into the pool. But today, I just slid in, again relying on my arms for control.  Finally in the water, I used a noodle to float around, allowing my body to slowly cool down and waited for my heart rate to lower and my breathing to relax. Once it did, I hoisted myself back up the ladder, and placed my knees on the platform. St this point, it was clear that my legs would not be cooperating any further, so I slid down the ladder once again and forced my tin-soldier legs to carry me to the deck, where the sun could soothe my aching muscles. Throughout my life, whenever I engaged in strenuous exercise, I felt it the next day. Never have I ever experienced such soreness minutes after a workout. HOLY MOLY! I hope tomorrow is easier or I will not be able to continue.

     The rest of my day consisted of grabbing a container from the fridge whenever the mood struck me; and in this way, rather than in a strict 3 meal/3 snack manner, I consumed most of my allotted calories. My mistake was waiting for DBF to return home before eating my last protein. He arrived over an hour later than anticipated and boy was I hungry! But I was patient, and once I had my last meal, I was satiated - with one caveat: wine. I did have two glasses of wine at the end of the day, like I usually do. I like my wine and although I know I'm supposed to replace my yellow containers no more than 3 times per week in order to enjoy one glass, I don't foresee myself adhering to that restriction. We'll see what effect (if any) that has on my results. In the meantime, it's more than I did yesterday.