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.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
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!
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!
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
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.
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.
Monday, July 25, 2016
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.
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.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
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.
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.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
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, and1 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.
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
*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.
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.
Friday, July 22, 2016
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
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!
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!
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
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.
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.
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