3d30Day9: Modifications Here and There

I did Level 1 of the Shred this morning and followed it up with 20 minutes of Pilates (legs and abs). After my training session yesterday, I was going to give myself a break and just do either Level 1 or Level 2 of the Shred, but I was feeling good and decided to keep going with the Pilates.

Today is my second day 2 of the FBD jumpstart diet, and I had to modify things again. I had some routine bloodwork done this morning at 9 am prior to which I had to fast, so I didn't eat any breakfast. So, I was not able to follow the diet to the letter today, much to my chagrin. As I said yesterday, it's always something with me, and there's never a good time to start an actual diet, but I'm determined to muddle through and make good choices as best as I can.

Breakfast: I'm hungry (but, surprisingly not starving) after I break my fast. I'm also in a decent mood this morning. I'm wearing a pair of pants that were pretty tight on me a month or so ago. Today they are kinda loose, that is addimg to my perky mood.

Hunger before: somewhere btw. -3 and 0.
Hunger after: 3

Lunch: Hunger before: Not hungry, somewhere btw. 0 and 3
Hunger after: 3

Mood: I'm in an ok mood.

Snack: skipped the pinapple smoothie b/c I was not hungry... but later, I took the kids and a friend for ice cream, and had a small vanilla... I know, I know, but it was my reward for the afternoon... again, I know, I know, that's no way to lose weight.

Mood: Fine. It was hectic at the park trying to keep track of 3 kids.

Dinner: Hunger before: 0
Hunger after: 3

Mood: It was a long afternoon. The little one was tired and cranky after having too much fun ;) It was an absolutely beautiful day today, the kind we don't see enough of around here. What is it with kids? The more you give 'em, the more they want... My mood is fine.

3d30Day8: Destined to fail, determined to try again

Ok, so starting the flat belly diet on Thursday was never a good idea knowing that we had guests coming over for dinner on Friday night and a Red Wings Game on Sunday. You knew that and I knew that. I just really wanted to get started and not make any excuses that would lead me to "start on Monday." For me, there's never a good time to start a diet, any diet. I like to eat, I like to go out to eat, I like to have friends over and cook for them, I like to drink adult beverages when I'm out with friends at hockey games. I did really well with the diet on Thursday and Friday, but there isn't much room for error on the 4 day anti-bloat jumpstart portion of the flat belly diet. I tried to keep things going on Saturday and Sunday, but the wheels finally came off completely on Sunday afternoon during the Wings' game. I won't recount the gorry details, but there were Captain and Diet Cokes involved and half of a Qdoba Burrito.

I did get my exercise in, so it wasn't a total loss, but for me, exercise alone does not help me lose weight, I must eat right, too.

So, today is a new day. I am starting over with the flat-belly diet's anti-bloat jumpstart program. We have a busy week this week, but I should be able to keep up the diet Monday through Thursday and also be on track for the weekend.

Next week, will be a problem as my husband and I are headed to Norway, but I can certainly think of worse places to try to eat healthy. I know I won't be able to follow the flat-belly diet exactly, but I'm sure I can at least do decent job of eating healthy. I'm taking my Kindle with me, and I already loaded the Flat Belly Diet Book on to it, so I can study it on the plane, and be prepared. I know the timing is bad for this trip, but it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for me that I couldn't pass up. I also didn't want to put off starting the diet just because of the trip. I'm sure I'll start again with the anti-bloat portion of the diet when we return. But, at least for this week, I'll see how well I can do.

I'm afraid of the scale

I can't step on the scale. I just can't do it. Despite what some people say, to me, the number on the scale is not "just a number," it is an indicator of whether all of my hard work is paying off or not.

I know I am working out hard, daily. I know I am making decent food choices 90% of the time. Yes, I have some indiscretions here and there, but I try to keep all things in moderation. So, if I step on that scale, and the number isn't lower than it was the last time I stepped on it, I know I will be frustrated or worse, quit all together. I'm determined not to let that happen, again, this time. So, for now, the scale will continue to sit on the bathroom floor, untouched. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing and hope that it's enough, and when I work up the nerve to step on the scale, hopefully I'll be satisfied with what I see. I don't know if that's the right approach for me for the long term, but for now, it has to be ok.

Accomplishments for this past week:

1. I worked out every day.
2. I ate well (ie made healthy choices) Monday through Saturday afternoon. (Saturday evening and Sunday, well, that's a different story.)
3. With the 80 degree weather we're having here, I pulled out my summer clothes from last year, and they all fit! In fact, some are quite a bit looser than they were last summer.

Goals for this week:
1. Finish out the week doing Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred.
2. Complete week 2 of the push up challenge.
3. Make healthy food choices
4. Only one mid-afternoon snack
5. No more ice cream, sorbet is ok.
6. Maybe step on the scale on May 1, maybe.
7. Drink more water.

That's all for now. I've got a training session tomorrow morning, so I won't be posting about my workout until later.

2d30D15: Mostly

For the most part, I followed Natalie for the third day in a row of Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred. I did my push up sets (for the 100 push ups challenge) yesterday, and my shoulders were really sore this morning, so I allowed myself to do the modified travelling push-ups. I did do Natlaie's version of the walking plank and the strength move where you're in a plank position, on your weights, and you lift one arm, then one leg, and then the other arm and other leg (I wish I knew the name for that exercise), so all in all, I followed Natalie as best as I could. Oh, yeah, I just remembered, I didn't do the Rock Star Jumps, I substituted "butt kicks," but I held onto my weights, so that has to count for something!

I'm still afraid to step on the scale. I've been working so hard, I know I faltered in the eating department a few times last week, but I'm trying really hard to keep my portion sizes down. I just want the scale to reflect all my hard work, and if it doesn't I know I'll get discouraged.

Right now, I'm just going by the fact that my clothes fit well. With the warm weather we had over the weekend, I was forced to pull out some shorts. In years past, when I've pulled out shorts after a long winter's hibernation, I've had to run to the store to buy new shorts, but this year, everything I have from last year fits just fine. So, that's a good sign...

I need some vegetables!

What a terrible weekend... at least it was in the "making healthy choices in the eating department." I should say the last 24 hours of the weekend have not been so great. It all started when we decided to take advantage of the glorious 80 degree weather by hanging out with our neighbors. I had good intentions, really, I did. For my contribution to the party, I cut up some veggies and made some fat free dip. My plan was to munch on the veggies and use the dip sparingly. I was going to allow myself 2 or 3 glasses of wine.

Well, needless to say, I didn't stick to my plan. The wine tasted too good, and the veggies just weren't cutting it compared to the spinach and artichoke dip, the chips and salsa, and the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

If that had been the end of my weekend binge, I probably wouldn't be writing about it. No, we decided to try out this new burger joint near our house called "Five Guys Burgers and Fries." No matter how many good choices you make for topping a burger (mustard instead of ketchup and mayo for example), it's still a burger loaded with a ton of calories. I also had intentions of not ordering fries, which I did stick to, but that didn't keep me from eating the unclaimed fries in the bottom of the bag or from eating them off my daughter's plate.

Again, if that were the end of my poor meal choices for the weekend, well, that would not be noteworthy, either. The penultimate poor choice came this evening.

My husband noticed that we had a coupon for a local ice cream shop that was set to expire at the end of the month, of course we had to use it. Driving over to the shop and even walking through the doors straight to the cooler where the sorbets were supposed to be, I intended to order a single scoop of one of the sorbets. However, the sorbet choices were not in the same spot as they were last year, and of course, I spotted a flavor that I really wanted to try... Raspberry Chip Cheesecake. I should have stopped at the teeny-tiny taste that I asked for, but no, I ordered a single scoop on a cone. I was going to stop eating once I got to the cone part, really, I was. And, just as I took my first bite into the cone, my son dropped his not even half-eaten cone of Superman Ice Cream on the floor. Like any loving mother, I swooped in and gave him the rest of my ice cream. I'm not sure he enjoyed Raspberry Chip Cheesecake ("It doesn't taste like cheese, does it mom?" he asked.) as much as he was enjoying his Superman flavor, but he was thankful for the ice cream, and I saved myself additional unncessary calories. So, I guess it was win-win for both of us.

Tomorrow, back to making healthy choices.

I heart chocolate!

This week is Easter Week. When I was growing up, the week after Easter meant I could pig out on chocolate and not feel guilty. As a child and even as a young adult, my Lenten observance usually involved giving up chocolate. So, on Easter Sunday, the Easter Bunny filled my basket with nothing but chocolate. Not much has changed over the years. I may not get an Easter basket filled with chocolate anymore, but it is funny how the Easter Bunny mainly brings my kids the kind of candy that I like, chocolate. Oh, sure, the bunny brought some "Bumpy Nerd Jelly Beans" that I don't like, so at least I won't be eating those.

Unfortunately, I bought way too much chocolate this year. One day last week, on a pure whim, I took the kids to the Morley Candy Factory, which is a stone's throw away from our house, and well, let's just say I went a little crazy in the chocolate department. I love their chocolate eggs, and I just couldn't resist the mini foil-covered molded bunnies. I bought marshmallow eggs covered in chocolate and peanut butter eggs covered in chocolate. The kids each picked out a solid chocolate bunny. And, the piece de resitance?!? While we were standing in line, a lady was offering those of us in (the long) line, chocolate samples. I ended up buying a box of Pecan Torties, caramel and pecan covered in, you guessed it, chocolate. Those are mine, all mine!

I think I have written before that I am not the kind of person who deprives herself. If the kids are having a small dish of ice cream, then I will have a small scoop as well, just to "taste." I'll eat cake if I'm at a birthday party, and I'll certainly have a small piece or two of chocolate occasionally. I don't hoard stashes of chocolate in my nightstand drawer. I simply try to eat in moderation. That will be put to the test this Easter given all the temptation that's made its way into the house this week. Hence, I've replaced my "snack log" side bar with a "candy tally," at least for this week.

Days 18 and 19: Slipping...

I can feel myself losing steam. I didn't get up to work out yesterday or today. I did meet with the personal trainer yesterday afternoon for my assessment. He had me walk one mile on the treadmill, do 12 "real" push ups and as many crunches as I could in 30 seconds. He also had me use some sort of leg machine and arm machine and rate on a scale of 1 to 10 how hard the exercises were. I'm hoping to start next Thursday. My schedule will be Tuesdays at 1 pm and Thursdays at 9:30.

I ate terribly yesterday. I just kept snacking. I was trying to make decent choices, but at some point, even if you're eating carrots and celery, you're still just eating calories that you don't need. I had a taste for "something," I'm not sure what it was, I thought I wanted something sweet, so I kept eating handfuls of yogurt covered raisins, but nothing was satisfying to my palette.

I may try to get some sort of workout in this afternoon, but we'll see.