Weekend Indulgence

This was definitely a weekend of indulgence for me. Friday afternoon, I checked out a local clothing boutique and grabbed lunch from a restaurant that serves local food, Beehive Cafe. I LOVE their butternut squash sandwich - roasted butternut squash, spinach, tomato, cheddar, and an herbed yogurt on harvest grain bread - it is phenomenal! It also comes with spiced chickpeas, of which I only ate half.

That night, Tim and I went to PPAC to see Alton Brown and ate at one of my favorite Mexican places in RI, Viva Mexico. They have a version of  Papa's Tacos similar to San Marco's in Toledo, so I had to splurge and try them - three crispy taco shells with potatoes, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream. I was going to get the veggie burrito that I had when I was there over the weekend, but I wanted to see if the papa's tacos were as good as San Marco's. They weren't. Now I know for next time. I also ordered a berry mojito, which was really good, but definitely very sugary. The show after dinner was pretty funny. I've always enjoyed Alton Brown's shows. It was a little quirky at times, but I laughed the entire time.

Saturday I got back into the swing of things working out. I started Turbo Fire up again and got in a great workout (HIIT 15 and tone 30)! Lunch (and breakfast today) was two over-easy eggs with spinach and onions on an english muffin with feta and hot sauce. It is definitely filling. I think I need to start sticking to one egg rather than two, because one egg alone has over 60% of cholesterol for a day. 

Last night, we went to dinner at a place in Barrington, Bluewater Bar, for another indulgent dinner to celebrate Tim's father visiting. We ordered the raw seafood appetizer (shrimp, oysters, and little necks - the oysters were by far the best I've ever had; I could have eaten an entire tray of those!) and I had the sea scallop dinner. I was debating between it and gnocchi (which I always love), but wanted something a little lighter. The scallops came with Israeli couscous, spinach, onions, butternut squash, and a cider reduction. I also had a kinky ginger fizz and coffee to drink and we split dessert - Jack Daniels bread pudding - the best bread pudding I've ever had! The food was so good, but I felt like I needed to work out again when I got home! I even figured I could do my cardo stuff in the hallway so I wasn't over my neighbor's bedroom, but by the time we got home, I was exhausted and went to bed. So, this morning I had to push myself even harder!

This morning brought Fire 45 EZ and Stretch 10 - I was extremely sweaty and exhausted after. I now have an 8 hour work day ahead of me, so I am going to drink my Shakeology as an afternoon snack to help keep my energy up. I wish I could lounge away all day like Cat!

On an unrelated note, I took BuzzFeed's "Which Friends Character Are You?" quiz and got Chandler Bing, which I found amusing since I really don't think people know what I do for work; sometimes I don't even know what I do!

The Light is Getting Closer

Our week of Athletics Phonathons has ended; it was a very successful week, but always more hectic than a regular week of Phonathon because of all of the prep involved. I think by the end of next week I will be able to breathe again. We have a double shift Sunday, regular Phonathon and an Athletics Phonathon on Monday, and a consultant visit Wednesday and Thursday. It is going to be insane!

I definitely need to pay more attention to the number of veggies I am eating - I only had one today in my smoothie. Definitely not good.

Meals:

1. Vanilla Shakeology with blueberries, spinach, and banana
2. Caribbean spiced mahi mahi with mango salsa (and red onion this time!)
3. Cottage Cheese and toast with peanut butter
4. An apple, cheddar cheese, and 10 small croutons

I also had another chocolate from work hoping it would be better than the one yesterday - it wasn't. 

Water: 90 ounces

Workout: None - I am spending the evening with my boyfriend who I've been neglecting over the past few weeks and I didn't get one in this morning because I went into work earlier than I had initially anticipated.

Temptations, Temptations Everywhere!

One thing I've found is that I do much better with structure when it comes to my meals. Having a program like the 21 day fix/nutritional challenge really made me evaluate what I am eating and it is something I want to continue thinking about moving forward. But, it definitely takes planning. The biggest downfall of my job is the weird hours. Both yesterday and today I worked 14 hour days, which leaves little time (or patience) to prep, and today it showed. I ran out of food by 3 pm and still had 6 hours to go. But, I tried to make smart choices along the way. Another "perk" that can be detrimental to healthful eating is easy access to snacks for the callers. Last night we ordered pizza for an athletics phonathon and I really wanted a slice, but I did not indulge (plus, I can only imagine how upset my stomach would have been after cutting out fried/oily foods for virtually the past month then eating greasy pizza). Tonight we had chips and crackers and chocolates, but despite my stomach on the verge of growling, I did not eat any. Instead, I made some food when I got home just now and only ate what I needed to consume to keep me from starving and going overboard later.

I also worked out last night at 11:00 pm, after I had written my post, but later went back and edited it. However, I am truly taking tonight off from working out. My body needs time to recover and I am going to take that time tonight to catch up with things I've been falling behind on.

Meals:

1. Tropical Strawberry Shakeology with mango, dark cherries, and spinach
2. Blueberry greek yogurt, greek quinoa and a clementine
3. Vanilla Shakology protein ball, half an english muffin with peanut butter, and an apple
4. Apple cinnamon oatmeal - this wasn't an ideal meal because it was prepackaged, but it was one of the healthiest options I had available
5. Carrots
6. Blueberries with feta and honey, half an english muffin, and cottage cheese, which I didn't eat all of

I also had a Russell Stovers chocolate that was offered on Friday, but I saved until today. It was a lemon creme chocolate, and pretty disappointing. 

Part of the reason I might have been starving all day was because I didn't have large meals, balanced meals, and I didn't even get to eat (drink) my first meal until 11:30 this morning. I had to go over to our Phonathon room to do some damage control from last night and ended up hanging this awesome wall decal I had order from Etsy - some callers had requested a map of the US with the state initials so I got one to hang and it was a 2 hour project!

Water: 85 ounces and counting, plus half a cup of coconut water, which I am obsessed with! I've even thought about subscribing to Amazon's timed delivery so I never run out. 

Workout: None! 

My First Day in 22 Days Not Working Out

I had to work from 8:30 am to 9:00 pm today, which means no a late workout. It is a little weird, but I know there will be days like this where I won't be able to get a workout in or it will be a last minute workout. I had hoped to be able to do something after work, knowing it would be a long day, but my neighbors are sleeping and I don't want to be rude; instead, I did a toning workout before bed! I actually anticipate the same problem tomorrow, which is extremely unfortunate. But, Thursday I should be able to go in late and work out in the morning.

Meals:

1. Vanilla Shakeology with almond milk and spinach
2. Lemon lime tempeh and greek quinoa
3. Cottage cheese and two clementines
4. Spinach and green onion salad with tuna and Simple Dressing's yogurt based ranch dressing

I also ate a Lindt chocolate at work today, which was definitely too sweet. 

Water: 100+ ounces - I lost track!

Workout: None :( Turbo Fire Tone 30! There is no cardio which means it is a quiet workout!

Now for a quick shower and bed :)

After!

Yesterday concluded my 21 day nutrition challenge. Here is what I've learned so far:

• I need to eat more vegetables. This is definitely where I fall short and I need to get back in the habit of eating veggies.
• Not every workout has to be intense or long - I just need to do one a day! Even on days when I did not feel like working out, I still did and most of the time I felt better afterwards. And, even on the two days when I felt like crap, I at least felt better mentally knowing that I made an attempt. 
• I have a better understanding of the portions I am supposed to eat. This is HUGE for me because I know I have had a problem with portion control. 
• My cravings for sugar have gone away, which I believe Shakeology is 100% responsible for. That being said, I am not going to cut desserts out. Rather, I will be mindful of what I eat and how much I am eating. I have so much extra Greenberry Shakeology that I've wanted to make a key lime pie with it, so I will make it and bring it to work to share with people so I can enjoy it but not eat an entire pie by myself. 
• I don't have to eat a ton to be full, I just have to eat RIGHT! 
• I may not look drastically different, but I feel different and I feel good.

Here are my before and after measurements and pictures:

Before Measurements:

Chest: 36.75 inches

Right Arm: 12.75 inches

Left Arm: 12.75 inches

Waist: 43 inches

Hips: 43.75 inches

Right Thigh: 27.5 inches

Left Thigh: 27.25 inches

Total Inches: 203.75

Weight: 186.8

After Measurements:

Chest: 35 inches

Right Arm: 12 inches

Left Arm: 11.75 inches

Waist: 39 inches

Hips: 42.5 inches

Right Thigh: 26 inches

Left Thigh: 26 inches

Total Inches: 192.25

Weight: 181.8

Total Inches Lost: 10.75

Total Weight Lost: 5 pounds

After

Comparison - Before on left and after on right. I don't think I can really tell a difference except maybe my arms, but I definitely feel better and can fit into pants I haven't worn in months so I know I've changed!

 Comparison - Before on left and after on right. Again, I don't think I can really tell the difference but I can tell my body is getting smaller. One way I know is from my stretch lines not being as stretchy!

While I am somewhat disappointed in the before/after pictures, I am not disappointed in my results or the good habits I've created. I am still going to try to post every day, but I won't always advertise it - only when I have delicious recipes to share (like the coconut protein balls or key lime pie I am going to make) or weekly results. Yes, I am still gong to post a weekly weigh-in and measurements! Anything that will keep me accountable and get to a point where I am healthy again :) Thanks for following along and your words of encouragement!

By the way, here are my meals, water, and workout for today:

Meals:

1. Vanilla Shakeology with spinach, strawberries, banana, and peanut butter
2. Lemon lime tempeh with greek quinoa salad
3. Half an english muffin with peanut butter and banana and greek yogurt with pineapple
4. Stuffed sol and a baked potato, with parmesan, garlic salt, and sour cream

Water: 70 ounces

Workout: 30 Minute Shred

I went down to Newport this afternoon in search of the ever elusive snowy owl and again came up short. I am beginning to think they do not exist! But, I got in a decent amount of walking. Tomorrow, I have to work from 8:30 - 9:15, so I doubt I will be able to work out. But, if my neighbors lights are on when I get home then I will take it as a green light! 

Day 21!

Today is the "last day" of my 21 day nutrition challenge. Overall, I am been extremely happy and stuck fairly close to the plan. I would say this last week was the worst because I would forget to eat when work was so busy or days when I didn't feel great so I didn't eat much. Overall, I've learned some valuable lessons about how to approach food and I am glad I stuck with it.

Today was probably the worst day as far as meals because I was gone the majority of the day. I had to run to the Providence mall to get my laptop battery replaced; my trackpad wouldn't click because the battery was so swollen. After that, I had enough time to grab a quick bite before meeting a friend at a play. I had brought two oranges and some carrots to eat, but figured I would be starving by the time I got home and I wouldn't want to eat right before working out, so I stopped at a Mexican place I really enjoy right down the street. I probably had the majority of my carbs for the day during that meal, so I made sure not to eat anymore of them after that.

Meals:

1. Vanilla Shakeology with spinach, blueberries, and dark cherries
2. Toast with peanut butter and banana
3. Burrito with rice, beans, veggies, and guacamole
4. Tempeh with greek quinoa

Water: About 65 ounces and counting

Workout: 30 Day Shred - I think I will be able to move on to the next level this week in between Turbo Fire!

Tomorrow will be my last weigh-in and measurement day (with pictures), but it will not be the end of my journey. I am still going to blog daily to hold myself accountable, but I won't always post it, so keep checking back to stay caught up! 

The best part of the day though was putting on a pair of jeans I haven't worn in months and being able to fit into them!

Lazy Saturday!

Today was a lazy day, which was much needed, filled with running errands, napping, and attempting to be productive with my Cat thwarting those plans.

It was another day of half meals because I was either out or sleeping and did not end up eating much.

Meals:

1. Toast with peanut butter and a clementine
2. Eggs with cheddar and chives
3. Vanilla Shakeology with spinach, mango, banana, and strawberries
4. Lemon lime tempeh, greek quinoa with avocado, and a few slices of cantaloupe and honey dew

The shake may have been one of my favorite so far - the combination of mango and banana really brought out the flavors, which sounds weird, but is totally true.

My mom had sent me a recipe for this greek quinoa dish and I decided to make it tonight - it was phenomenal. It is definitely going to become a standard dish. Here is the recipe: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/greek-quinoa-and-avocados/ - it had quinoa, red onion, spinach, feta, tomatoes, and avocado with a lemon "dressing." Yummy!

Water: About 50 ounces. I could definitely tell I was dehydrated since my mouth was REALLY dry when I was working out.

Workout: 30 Day Shred. I don't know why, but I haven't been in a Turbo Fire mood lately. I am still committed to the program, but I wanted to do some stuff that had more strength training. I am planning on doing Turbo again starting Monday and incorporating the strength exercises when I am done with the shorter workouts.

Here is a beautiful picture of the wonderful weather here! Reports say we could get as much as 11 inches of snow, total.

Today Was NOT a Good Day

We had a division meeting this morning and breakfast was kindly provided. I took food with me anticipating not having much there I could eat except fruit, but they had eggs with cheddar cheese and chives, so I had some. They also had "home fries" that looked amazing, so I took probably an 1/8 c of those. Between that, the eggs, and the fruit (which I tried to keep along the same lines of what I would have made myself), I was STUFFED the rest of the day. So, my "meals" were not very complete today.

Meals:

1. Eggs with cheddar and chives (probably the equivalent of 3 eggs instead of 2) and a few home fries
2. Half a grapefruit
3. Tropical strawberry Shakeology with half a banana, spinach, and strawberries
4. Toast with peanut butter and half a banana
5. Greek yogurt with maple syrup

Meals 3-5 were all consumed after my workout at 6:30 because I actually felt sick from breakfast. I still wasn't very hungry, but I knew I needed to eat SOMETHING other than eggs today.

Water: about 80 ounces

Workout: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (with heavier weights!)