Thursday 1/12

This blog post should be titled "What's the Next Step?".

I know it's only the second week of the new year and there will be lots of hurdles that come at us for the next 50 weeks but I feel like my workouts are going well so far and I have been feeling really good about my portion control. I think this is the first time that I've had tortilla chips and dark chocolate in my house at the beginning of the week and it's still here at the end. However, with that being said that still means that every day I may eat a chip and a piece of dark chocolate. I'm trying not to get back into my crazy WW mentality of tracking everything because then I just feel way too guilty about everything and every time I mess up I feel like I've committed a crime. I don't want to put myself through that. I want to find a way to live healthy and a way of life that I can keep for the long haul.

Okay, the entire paragraph above is a preface to how I've been feeling today....good and bad. I feel good because I feel stronger and healthier but I don't feel as good as I could. Along with portion control and food needs to come some healthy guidelines that I haven't been incorporating. Where are all my servings of fruits and veggies? Where is all the fabulous lean protein that sounds good whenever anyone else describes it? My food this week has been mixed. Mainly a lot of it has to do with starting a new job and eating there twice already this week because of special occasions. And last night Sarah and I had pizza so that wasn't super great (but it was tasty!). All the other meals have been planned out though and relatively healthy. However, I still feel like I'm missing something. I don't want to go hardcore food diet so I need to reach some healthy middle ground. Maybe the 80/20 that most people talk about?

So I've been thinking about how to do this and have some realistic target to aim for and this is what I've come up with to try for the next week. Get in my water no matter what. Even if the thought of water disgusts me. And journal how I feel after each workout because I guarantee I'll notice a difference with my energy. Eat at least one serving of fruit/veggie at breakfast and two servings with lunch/dinner. Have only one non-healthy item in the house (so I must choose between chips or chocolate for instance). I will still eat when I'm hungry. But if I have only healthy items to choose from let's see if that will change how I feel.

***On a totally separate note I've been thinking about getting body fat and metabolism measured. I'm not worried about either of them but how cool would it be to account for them now and at the end of the year to see how much changed? I would be really interested to see what the numbers look like. What do you think?

Protein Week

This week, one of my goals is to get more protein.  Specifically, I'm aiming to get 100g per day, which is a lot when you actually have to eat it all....  I've been studying online about all of these really buff girls and the one thing they all do is to up their protein during their training. So I followed their calculations and decided to do 1.7g/kg a day, which ends up being around a hundred grams a day.  At first, I tried just eating more eggs/meat/cheese/etc to up it, but realized pretty quickly that this was extremely difficult and I was WAY to full.  So I decided to dig out the giant tub (5lbs!) of protein powder James bought a while back....cake batter flavored.  It smelled alright-good, even.  So I thought, why not? and dived right in.  The powder is whey protein and is sweetened/flavored with Splenda, so it is low carb/sugar free.  It tastes pretty good too.  Here's what I've done for the past couple of days:  

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 4 ice cubes
• 1/2 scoop protein powder "cake batter" 
• 1 egg
• a shake or two of "apple pie spice" and a teeny bit of vanilla
• splenda to taste
• Blend and enjoy

Ok,ok,ok, now before you get grossed out about the raw egg--I only do that to make it lower carb (1 scoop powder=3carbs) and to thicken it.  You can't taste the egg at all (just as you can't in batter), but you could easily just omit the egg and do a full scoop of powder.  It doesn't really taste like cake batter to me (probably because my Mom's cake batter is the best in the whole. wide. world.) but more like a fancy milkshake.  

(And yes, it brings all the boys to the yard.)

My second recipe is lower in protein, but also tastier and it has, gasp, vegetables in it!! It's a pumpkin pie batter shake.  I got this idea from making crustless pumpkin pie for us for dessert the past couple of weeks.  It is awesome because pumpkin counts as a veggie and you can make it with splenda, so it has been a life-saver.  That being said, I enjoy licking the spatula almost as much as I do eating the pie--so I thought why not make it a shake?

• 1/2 c. canned pumpkin (I use a 1/3 c. because it is lower carb, but it is tastier with more pumpkin)
• 1 c. almond milk 
• 4 ice cubes (it is best to run water over them before adding them--they will blend up easier)
• pumpkin pie spice, little bit of vanilla, pinch of salt
• I also add one egg (because my pumpkin pie actually has eggs in it and I really liked the way the batter tastes and for protein) but you could omit.  
• Could add a dollop of whipped cream for more fun!

While we are on the subject of protein, I would also like to add something about the supplement I bought to use as a workout-booster.  So far, I really like it!  It is calorie free and has "Branched Chain Amino Acids" or BCAA's, which aim to help reduce soreness and promote recovery.  I have been seriously impressed with it.  When I drink it during a workout, I don't feel sore the next morning; in fact I don't feel sore until the next evening, which is strange to me but I'll take it.  There are some BCAA's in my protein powder too--apparently they are the new hot thing in working out/strength training.  It doesn't taste the best, but is similar to gatorade I think.  Overall, I think it is a win since I'm not miserable after strength training.  

So that's my spiel for the day!  Hopefully something I shared could help you! 

1/10/12

I'm still getting used to the fact that it's 2012. Does this seem weird to you to?

The job is going really well. I love the environment. Everyone is super friendly and seem really relaxed. Of course I'm really enjoying getting to work with Kirby again. I've already had stuff to do and the days have gone by fast so far. I don't think I'm used to working full 8 hour days. I came home yesterday and was exhausted. I didn't have time to make it to Kickboxing so I told myself I would just do a Jillian video but I kid you not I could not get off the couch. I was so, so tired. More tired than I've been in a very long time. I watched some Sherlock on Netflix and went to bed super early. Btw if you haven't watched the present day BBC version of Sherlock Holmes go and do it now! It is so good!

I got back out there tonight and did some zumba. Class was packed because 200 people bought that groupon (so it was a blessing and curse at the same time). I amaze myself at how competitive I am. Clearly zumba is just for fun but now since I know all the songs I felt like I was trying to out-do myself at class tonight. The good part was that my heart rate was really up there. I averaged 181 tonight for a 56 minute workout.

My body is feeling really good this week. I already feel stronger. I am doing some zumba tomorrow because Sarah and I are having a movie night afterwards but on Thursday I'm planning on getting my strength training in. I liked the Body for Life link you gave me. I think I will try that. Do you have any tips for when you do it?

I'm off to read. Megan got me started on Hunger Games and I can't stop. Have you read them? So amazing!

1/9/2012

I hope your first day at your new job went splendidly, friend.  I hope that this new job is going to be good for your mental well being, since we are aiming for complete health.  Can't wait to hear how it went!

Tonight I went to my first class of Zumba here, which was lots of fun!  The instructor isn't as good/exciting as the ones we had in Stillwater, but it was still a good workout!  I may try a Tuesday or Thursday class since it is a different teacher--just to see if the grass is greener.  I'm also considering joining the little gym here since it is so cheap--35$ per month for a family membership, which includes the classes!  Then I could go to more than one class per week if I wanted to....hrm. The gym is tiny, but has probably 6 cardio machines, a few weight machines and free weights.; it also has a regulation sized pool with 3 or 4 lanes.  Anyway--thinking about it at least!  

Happy Monday!

Sunday 1/8

First week of 2012 down. Man, that went fast. I agree that the year is off to a great start. I tried to focus on working out and was able to get in 6 really great workouts this week. With my food I tried to watch portion control but not track every little thing and it worked really well because I'm down 2 pounds. I feel like when I watch my food too much and exercise this much the scale does the exact opposite.

I have been up doing chores trying to get everything caught up before I start the new job tomorrow. Got the floors clean, dishes washed, kitchen scrubbed, the laundry is drying and now I just need to make my meal plan for the week, grocery shop and go work out.

End of Week #1 Stats

Weight: 156 (down 2 pounds)
Arms: 12" (no change)
Bust: 33.5"(down 1")
Waist: 29"(no change)
Hips: 35.5"(down 1")
Thigh: 25"/24.5"(up .5" on one leg)
Calf: 15"/15.5"(down .5"on one leg)

Got everything done on my to-do list! Made a meal plan for the week (mexican casseroles and zucchini turkey burgers for dinner, turkey wraps and yogurt for lunch, yogurt and chai tea for breakfast). Had a great workout (4.5 miles with hills on the treadmill), made it to the grocery shop and have my casseroles cooking in the oven and just finished reconciling my checkbook and updating my finances. I'm off to watch "Another Earth" which I've heard is amazing then read and go to bed.

Hope you had a great Sunday!

Weekly Report

Well, I definitely feel like I started the New Year off with a bang!
This morning I went and got groceries and purchased my new "bubble bath candle," as I was very proud of myself.  I did not meet all of my goals, but I was sick, so I gave myself slack there.  The best part?  I'm down a whopping 3 pounds!  (WHAAAA?) That is so exciting and motivating to me!!

Here are my stats to begin the week with:

• Weight 134.8 (-3 lbs)
• Arms: 11.5/11.5 (no change)
• Bust: 35.5 (-0.5 inch)
• Waist: 27.0 (-1.0)
• Hips: 36.0 (-0.5)
• Thighs: 21.5/22.0 (no change)
• Calves 13.5/13.5 (no change)

I will post update pics every few weeks I think because there's probably not much difference yet, even though I can definitely feel a difference already in my clothes!  I think most of it was just getting rid of some of the holiday bloat, but hey, I'll take it!