June Goals - The return of my {not-so-successful} goal-setting

In the past, my goals have probably been a bit too "big" {I put that in quotes because it is so relative...} for my current state of being. In other words, I was setting myself up for disappointment and failure.

So I'm starting small. So, so small. If for no other reason, to feel a teensy bit accomplished ;-)

So here we go - June's goals {a week late!}:

1. Keep up with the Summer Shape-up and lose weight! Enough said on that one. So far, so good!

2. Hang at least 1 thing on our walls. We've been there almost four months... and haven't hung a single thing... unless you count bike racks in the garage ;)

3. Create our Summer Fun list! Last year we made one and we did pretty well - definitely need to get this done ASAP!

Ok, now I'm pumped up to get all of this done this weekend... watch me GO!

What's Working for ME

I've made a real committment to eating better and sticking to a fitness routine as of late, and it's been paying off - to the tune of 6lbs lost! I'm nearly to the weight I was at the start of last summer, which I'll take. This year started off so rough with me in the body {okay, and mind} department, and this shift in thinking, eating, and exercising has been GREAT for me mentally and thankfully now physically as well.

I'm committed to losing 30lbs by the big 3-0 this December, so I'm on my way! Six down, 24 to go :)

A few things that are working for me:

1. The return of the 5:30am alarm. People are always *shocked* that I get up at 5:30 to exercise, and it makes me laugh. What other time of day would you like me to fit it in? I'm either working, cooking, cleaning, or spending time with my husband and child. Exercising before work {and before any of those demands get to me} ensures that I get 'er dun and have the rest of my day to take care of everything and everybody else. And frankly, I'm just too tired to put any big effort in at the end of the day. Plus, you get used to getting up early {and then you end up freaking out on Saturday morning when you think your alarm didn't go off, until you realize it's Saturday and you don't have to get up that early!}.

2. Meal prep and go-to meals. A no-brainer, really. Meal planning and prep is so beneficial in so many ways, but I've always had a hard time getting on board with it. Mostly because I was trying to change it up to often. Lately I've been sticking to salads for lunch {see next item on the list}, then a simple protein {usually grilled BBQ chicken} with a carb {rice or baked potato} and salad for dinner. I cut and wash lettuce a few times each week - thanks to the OXO salad spinner hubby got me for Mother's Day! - along with veggies to add to the salads. I'll also slice up some fruit to enjoy throughout the week {a la fruit salad... fruit - fruit salaaaad...} and marinade some chicken. For lunch I'll pack a salad with either grilled chicken or some lunchmeat, then have a cup of yogurt and a piece of fruit. Easy peasy. Dinner is quick and easy on the grill. Voila.

Big serving bowl o' fruit, which lasts us the week

3. SALAD, gone gourmet. Way back when I did the South Beach diet, I spent the first 2 weeks choking down plain salad. It was so hard to eat and I never felt satisfied. I loved {and still love} restaurant-prepared salads, so I knew I could like eating salad as a meal, but I had such a hard time eating salad at home. As of late, the lightbulb went off and I thought "I'll just recreate restaurant salads at home!" Dur. So that's what I do. I make my salad like those I have at a restaurant. Lately, it's been a cobb salad - lots of romaine, broccoli, cucumber, red pepper, hard boiled egg, sprinkling of cheddar cheese, 1 slice crumbled bacon, grilled chicken and lite honey mustard dressing. Delicious and satisfying, with lots of veggies and protein!

Mmm salad.

4. Having a PIC named VIC. Vic was shaping up and dropping pounds for a 24-hour endurance race over Memorial Day weekend {24 hours of BURN}, so he was committed to cutting out the junk and getting off our butts. That made it so much easier for me to stick to my routine and good eating. It's always good to have someone to hold you accountable; it's even better when you live with that person {and they see you nakey!}.

5. Summer! It's FINALLY here {2 months late!}. The rain has ended, at least for now. Nothing better to remind you that you will need to eventually wear shorts and tanks. Better shape up those legs and arms! Not to mention the sweating... oy. You know summer is in effect in NC when you stand there doing nothing and sweat profusely. I'll take it any day over winter, though - no complaints here!

This week I started the Fitnessista's Summer Shape-Up, and it's been going well so far! She provides a workout plan along with instructions and pictures to help you out. I love her blog!

So that's what I've been doing lately. Habits I hope to keep up to keep myself and my family on track.

Have you made any changes lately that are working for you and your family?

A Friday "Cheer Up" Post

I’ve been in a hard-core slump this week for some reason, and I’ve totally felt like that limp wind-up doll from that Pristiq commercial. I was even sitting at my desk yesterday bent forward, head on my wristrest, looking just like that doll {I was stretching my back, not imitating the doll.}.

From Google Image Search

Basically, I’m just having a hard time getting my heart to catch up with my head. I know I have SO much to be happy and thankful for, but the sadness in my heart is often paralyzing, and then I feel like a schmuck for having a wonderful life but still feeling sad when there are so many others dealing with things that are so much worse. I’m sure it will shake off and pass soon, but for now this is what I live with.

It’s also been such a heavy, sad and confusing newsweek - my heart and thoughts go out to everyone affected in every which way and in every place this week. What a reminder that life is so fragile and precious; nothing is guaranteed – not our safety, not our freedom {scary thought!}.

From Pinterest

 In light of this, and because it’s Friday and the “end is in sight” for this week, I’ve composed a list of things that make me happy:

1.       Hearing my husband and son play together while I cook and/or clean up dinner.

2.       Making dinners that my boys actually like {a rarity in our house – a cook, I am not!}.

3.       Warm, perfect spring days filled with bright green leaves, fresh-cut-grass smell, and endless Carolina-blue skies and sunshine.  It’s hard to be down with such perfection surrounding you!

4.     Admiring my cleaned-out flower beds and the flowers that Valentino and I planted together last weekend.

5.       The intense happiness and excitement Valentino gets from taking packages to the Post Office. I’m currently selling a lot of stuff on ebay, which means we make weekly trips – he loves every second of it {probably because right now, his favorite thing to do is play “delivery man”}.

6.       Iced coffee! I’m going to make Pioneer Woman’s recipe this weekend. I made it last year {or the year before?} and I think I remember it turning out decent… I’m going to give it a whirl again, to save some $ and time in the mornings.

7.       Super sore muscles. I’ve been getting out there more – running, lifting, and doing workouts in our “gym” {aka: garage}. My hamstrings and hips are still worked over from a killer leg workout I did on Wednesday night (thanks Fitnessista! )… I’ve also cut out the nighttime snacking and I’ve been super conscientious about what I eat. A few pounds down, many more to go! By the way, I will be treating myself to a hair chop-off once I reach a certain goal. I’m really over having this super-long hair and I desperately want my hair {okay, and BODY!} to look like this:

Pinterest via johannarogersrff.blogspot.com

 

8.       Valentino’s Rainbow Tea – the preschool is putting on a little “show” for us today {the kids will be singing songs about springtime and the colors of the rainbow, then they are serving rainbow-themed refreshments afterwards}. Valentino has a small speaking part, and he is totally geeked about it. He and I assembled rainbow fruit skewers {strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, green grapes, blueberries, red grapes} to share with the kids and their parents.

"Mom, we're like real chefs putting these together for people to eat!"
{Idea via Pinterest - OF COURSE!}

 

Side note: If you’ve seen “This is 40,” do you have the urge to say “fruits” like the Indian doctor all the time, too? I pretty much can’t say “fruit” without wanting to say it his way… I’m a nut.

9.       Lunchtime walks {minus the silkworms}. Bright, refreshing moments for me during long, seemingly never-ending days.

 

Here's to a restorative, happy, and relaxing weekend! Please take your time, Monday.

The Swift and Uncomfortable Kick in the {flabby} Buns

Today a co-worker, trying to make small talk in the break room, asked me “So, is your son excited to be a big brother?”

I didn’t hear him clearly, so I asked him to repeat himself. I was at the water cooler, filling my cup and when he said it again, I just looked over at him and stared. Then I said, “Oh, you didn’t hear? That’s… well… I’m not having a baby… I lost the baby at the end of January when I was 15 weeks along.” His jaw almost slammed to the ground and he turned pale. He apologized and I went on to explain that it’s okay, that we’ve all dealt with it and my son has been okay with it so far.  He apologized again, and I smiled and walked out of the room.

As I’m walking down the hall back to my desk, I’m thinking “WTF. So I look chubby/bloated/etc. enough that someone feels that they can bring up me being pregnant?!” Now, I can only imagine what was running through my co-worker’s head – he had just not only brought up a sensitive matter, but he had just second-handedly insulted me. I’m sure he feels terrible, but that doesn’t lessen the sting.

There have been so many nudges – okay SHOVES – lately telling me to get my buns in gear and lose this weight! This interaction with my co-worker.  Pictures of me three years ago, when I first started this job – younger and 20-25lbs lighter {no wonder he thought I was still pregnant!}. The amazing weight loss of two people on my Facebook feed {one of whom used to tell me what an inspiration I was to her!}. I feel horrible that I’ve wasted so much time and let myself slip back into my old skin.

I’m tired of feeling bad and not having anything to wear. I hate catching unflattering glimpses of my reflection and thinking “holy shit, is that really what I look like?” Summer is practically here, and I don’t have shorts, shirts, or a bathing suit that fits and/or looks good.

I’m committing to lose this weight NOW. I’m going to be super picky about what goes in my mouth, and I’m going to be serious about keeping up with my workouts. I want this weight gone ASAP.

Going nuts... for COCONUT!

If you follow me on pinterest, you've undoubtedly seen that I pin just about everything coconut. I, as well as the rest of my family, LOVE coconut in just about every shape and form {besides coconut water - that stuff is gross!}.

After having read MizFit's post about oil pulling with coconut oil, I knew I needed to get my hands on some. Oil pulling has many of its own benefits including improved oral health {stronger teeth and fresher breath}, as well as claims that it helps prevent Alzheimer's and eases sinus/allergy issues. Trader Joe's sells virgin coconut oil for $5.99, so I picked up a jar during my last visit. Since then, I've taken to oil pulling with coconut oil a few times a week for about 5-7 minutes at a time {I can't find time to do it for the full 20 minutes that is recommended, although I want to make a habit of getting started before I hop in the shower}.

A few weeks later, I read another blog post {from who, I can't remember} about the book The Coconut Oil Miracle. Since I now keep coconut oil in our cupboards, I was intrigued to find out about coconut oil's other health benefits.

From all I've read, coconut oil is full of healthy fats and is inherently antifungal. There are also claims that consuming healthy, natural fats such as those found in coconut oil actually promote weight loss, since the fat is more satisfying and helps keep you fuller, longer. I've started consuming it by the spoonful - a dollop in my oatmeal, a dollop in my morning coffee, a spoonful in a smoothie. It's really quite good, especially because I can't get enough of the flavor of coconut. Though I haven't tried it yet, the oil can be used in cooking in baking - I'll be picking up The Everything Coconut Diet Cookbook tomorrow from our public library, so hopefully I'll find some new recipes to try.

I'm looking forward to some of the benefits kicking in... better metabolism and shinier hair? I'll take it!

My "Alternative" Health Habits

I've recently taken up a few new health habits which, while very simple and inexpensive, are supposed to yield awesome results - dry brushing, drinking lemon-infused water, and drinking apple cider vinegar {ACV}.

Dry brushing is basically rubbing down your entire body - soles of feet to neck - with a natural bristled brush or loofah. According to this site {and many other sources that I've read}, dry brushing is supposed to "detox your body, lose weight, lose cellulite, feel better." I've also read that all of those claims are bogus... but I'm sticking with it regardless. I've been using a natural bristle brush that I picked up from Target for about $5, and I've been doing it several times a week for about a month now. I LOVE the way my skin feels afterwards - so smooth and glow-y, almost like freshly-shaved legs every time {you know that feeling, right?}. I also have really weird dark spots on my knees {caused by hyperpigmentation - I've had issues with my skin pigment since I was young} as well as a smattering of those annoying bumps {keratosis pilaris}on the back of my arms - the dry brushing seems to be helping these issues. Plus, it really is invigorating - it gets all the blood flowing throughout my body. I think only time will tell if dry brushing really has an impact on cellulite... I'll keep you updated :-)

If you want to do it: Purchase a natural bristle brush. Rub your skin in a circular motion {start with the soles of your feet) and always move towards your heart.


Since my first experience on the 17-Day Diet {last summer}, I've been drinking water with a lemon squeezed into it. Since early this year, I've made it a habit to drink at least one cup of "lemon water" every day at work. Lemon water is supposed to aid in weight loss, encourage pH balancing/make your body more alkaline, and flush out toxins {it is a diruetic}. I've always liked the taste of water w/lemon, so for me, this habit was an easy one to take on. In the 17-Day Diet book {and elsewhere on the web}, it's recommended that you drink a cup of water, as warm as you can tolerate it, with half a lemon squeezed into it, and you should do so first thing in the morning. I've done this before, but nowadays I drink a whole lemon squeezed into a 20-24oz cup of ice water - it tastes really good, and it does seem to act as a diuretic; if nothing else, it's a good substitute for a soda or coffee.

If you want to do it: Buy some fresh lemons from the grocery store {bottled lemon juice is not equivalent!}. Cut one in half and mix it with some water. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!


My last "alternative" health habit that I've adopted is drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar daily. A quick search of ACV on the web, and you'll find that it's touted as a miracle for just about everything - weight loss, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, balancing pH, and clearing up acne. To me, this is yet another inexpensive "why not?" kind of habit. The ACV costs $3.99/bottle, and it lasts a long time. The taste takes a little getting used to - it's definitely vinegar-y, but I mix it with apple juice and it mostly tastes like apple cider.

If you want to do it: I {as well as everyone else on the web} recommend Bragg's ACV, which can be found at Kroger in the natural foods area {or at Whole Paycheck Foods} for $3.99. I mix it with about 4oz cold water and 4oz 100% apple juice, plus a sprinkle of Truvia. If you don't get the Bragg's brand, search for a fermented ACV that contains the "mother" - that's where all the benefits live!


Like I said, I'm not 100% convinced that any of these habits do much for me, but since they don't take much time, effort, or money, I will continue them to see what happens. I'm particularly interested in balancing my body's pH {doing so decreases inflammation and a host of other issues}, which the lemon water and ACV are said to do. {Side note: being more alkaline is supposed to help promote the x "swimmers," if you know what I mean ;-) }

Do you practice any alternative health habits? Have you tried any of those that I mentioned?

Valuable lessons from my 6.5-Day Diet

Old me.

Even though I didn't successfully make it the full 17 days {again}, my time following the 17-Day Diet plan was beneficial in that a lot of things "clicked" with me. I've read countless health magazines and blogs, and I consider myself full of healthy living knowledge, but a very out-of-control sweet tooth and zero willpower really snuffed out all of that information - I could never live up to what I knew was right. My good intentions were always easily swayed by the offering of a cookie, a bagel, some candy...

Now, I feel like I've learned how to listen to my body more and to truly think about what I'm putting in my mouth. The most valuable lessons I've learned

1. Controlling my sweet tooth: In the first two weeks of the 17-Day Diet, you're limited to eating only low-sugar fruit {no bananas, melon, mango or pineapple} and obviously all starch/bread/rice/etc. is out of the question. In theory, abstaining from these items should break the sugar addiction {which I 100% buy in to - I love any and everything sugary}. I can honestly say that since limiting my sugar intake on the plan, I haven't had as strong of a desire for sugar. I don't stop at the candy dish at work, and I'm not tempted to grab a little something here and there. Breaking the sugar addiciton was a very important piece of putting myself on the right path for weight loss.

My favorite variety of "sweets" nowadays - I love summer produce!
{Old picture of fresh-picked strawberries from Mother's Day weekend}

2. Portion control: I had always read about it and thought that I practiced it, but now I feel that I can truly do it. Since I wasn't "allowed" to have rice, bread, pasta, etc. during the diet, but I sometimes needed a little boost to my meals, I was allowing myself a very conservative helping of rice or potatoes at dinner. The amount was small enough to not make a huge impact, but enough to satisfy my palate. This really hit home to me - I don't need a big scoop of rice or potatoes or a bun on my hotdog to "round out" my meal. A tiny amount or taste will do.

3. Moderation/lower carbohydrate intake: This is slightly related to portion control, too. Meals on the plan were centered around lots of protein and vegetables, which I knew was how I should be eating {in the past, my body has always responded well to reducing carbohydrate intake}. I love all things bread and potato {who doesn't?!}, and there have been evenings when I'd stop and think "Did I eat any fruits or vegetables or quality protein today?" and sadly, I often had not. I'm now really consciencious of what my "plate" looks like - as many vegetables as I can stand, a serving of lean protein, and a very small amount of starch/complex carbohydrate. If I know I'm going to have a carb-heavy meal at some point during the day, I'll be a saint the rest of the day. I knew we'd be having pizza for dinner on Friday night, so all day Friday I made a conscious effort to limit the amount of carbs I consumed.

4. Mindful eating: I ask myself "is it worth it?" a lot more often now, and as I said, I'm very conscientious of what I'm consuming.

These are all the very obvious steps to weightloss, but until now, I've never been able to practice them. While some criticize the 17-Day Diet plan, I personally found the plan helpful to reset my body and mind in the realm of food consumption.

17 Day Diet: er, let's make that a 6.5-Day Diet

It's safe to say that I fell of the 'ol diet bandwagon on this one - my 17-Day Diet pretty much ended on Sunday evening. I expected the weekend to be really hard, but I actually did fairly well!

Saturday morning, Vic was, shall we say, feeling the effects of having too much fun the night before and he requested that I run to Bruegger's for bagel breakfast sandwiches. I promptly whined "You're sending someone on a low-carb diet to a BAGEL SHOP!!" I really didn't want him suffering through a hangover all day, so I obliged. I ended up getting myself something, but not on a bagel {though it was very tempting!} - I got a breakfast wrap {2 egg patties, bacon, 1 slice of muenster cheese in a tortilla}. I ripped off all of the bready-ends and any overlapping tortilla pieces, so the amount of tortilla I ate was minimal {and the whole thing was so good!}. I made myself proud the rest of the day by having a protein-packed smoothie for lunch and a strawberry poppyseed chicken salad from Panera for dinner {and thus mostly sticking to the diet plan}.

Sunday I was successful all day {eggs and fruit for breakfast, chipotle salad for lunch}, but then we went to the Durham Bulls game, where my company had treated us to a catered dinner.

One of the highlights of his night!

I was hoping they'd have a least one healthy choice, but it was burgers, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, chips, baked beans, and cake. Pretty much only starchy carbs/low-quality protein. Couldn't they have thrown in a fruit salad?! I had a hot dog {tore off most of the bun} and a small scoop each of macaroni and cheese and baked beans, a Diet Pepsi, a pinch of cotton candy, and literally 1 bite of cake. Old me would've had the same things, but a regular soda and much bigger portions {and more cake!}. I was proud of my control.

This boy only asked for Cotton Candy - how could we say no?

So yes, technically I am OFF the diet. While I felt very mentally committed to it and stuck to it relatively well {given a normal -workday- schedule}, my body was not happy. Aside from the ketosis breath, I was so tired in the evenings {from lack of carbs - the nights I had a small serving of rice or beans, I was a whole different person}, and not to be gross, but things weren't "moving" correctly. To me, these are all signs that this diet was not really beneficial for my body. Yes, I was losing weight {3lbs over the course of the week, which has not come back thus far!}, but the deprivation and unpleasant side effects weren't worth it.

Since Sunday, I'm happy to report that I've been more active {running, spin class, and swimming!}, the weight loss from last week has stayed off {and even dropped a little more!}, and I feel great, even though I'm entering the dreaded PMS zone. I learned a lot from my week on the 2.5 week diet, which I plan on discussing in more detail in my next post :-)

Total weight loss for July {as of 7/27}: 5.0 lbs {about 8lbs total since mid-May}

My goal is 10 for the month, but I don't think I'll lose 5 lbs in 4 days! I really feel that I've hit my stride with weight loss and possibly even hurdled myself over a little plateau. I'm very optimistic that great losses {of weight!} are in my future.

17-Day Diet: Days 3 & 4 = getting by

Day 3 {Wednesday} food:
Weighed in at -3lbs for the week. No exercise for the day {I had zero energy and felt so lethargic}.

Breakfast: Scoop of ON protein powder mixed w/1% milk {technically not supposed to be a meal replacement, but I was running so late}, grande skinny hazelnut latte
Snack: Plum around 9:30am
Lunch: Lunch n'learn training session... they ordered Boston Market. Oy. I had some baked turkey {so dry and flavorless...}, half a plate of roasted veggies {broccoli, zucchini, squash, carrots - also kind of flavorless}, about 5 macaroni & cheese noodles, and a pinky-sized sliver of brownie {which I truly regret, especially since it wasn't very good!}. Verdict on Boston Market = SKIP that joint!
Snack: Chobani 0% raspberry greek yogurt
Dinner: Chipotle salad with chicken, smidge of brown rice, smidge of black beans, fajita veggies {peppers & onions}, mild salsa, light sprinkle of cheese and their dressing.

Yes, I had a few carbs today. I truly felt horrible all day and was dragging - I felt that, while it wasn't "by the {diet} book," I needed to add a dash here and there. I needed a little fullness and a little fuel, and by the end of the day, I felt better. No regrets, except that I'm pretty sure all the sodium from both the Boston Market and Chipotle food resulted in some water retention, which I'm resolving today.

Day 4 (Thursday) food:
Weighed in at -2.4lbs for the week {up a little from yesterday - I blame the sodium intake yesterday}. Another 3.3mi run this morning

Breakfast: 1/2 banana before my run {5:30am}, then a smoothie {1/2c kefir, 1/2c unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 frozen banana, handful of berries, scoop of ON protein powder} and Starbucks via iced coffee {1/2 milk, 1/2 water} on the way to work.
Snack: Cherries around 10am
Lunch: Another salad creation - lettuce, grilled chicken, strawberries, blueberries, sliced peaches, raspberry walnut dressing:

Envy of the lunchroom!

Later -
Snack: Chobani 0% blueberry greek yogurt
Dinner: I have a small ham that I'm planning to cook, so although I'll make ham and mashed potatoes or rice for Vic and Valentino, I'll probably make an egg scramble for myself w/eggs, ham, and veggies. {Ham is not really "permitted," but this is lean so I'm fine w/it}.

All in all, I'm getting "used" to this way of eating, and it's becoming easier. I am still quite hungry sometimes, probably due to the fact that I don't eat enough vegetables. If nothing else, this diet is helping me to think more about what and when I eat, and it really is reigning in my sweet tooth.

Lovely side effect: I'm experiencing some weird bad breath/taste in my mouth due to either ketosis or ammonia. I'm hoping it goes away soon :-(

Personal victory: when Vic and Valentino were having ice cream last night, I wanted a bite, but I wasn't sitting in the corner salivating like a starving dog {which is a big accomplishment for me - ice cream is my #1 love!}.

All day I've been thinking and conjuring up more content for a post I've been working on for a few months now about something that's weighing on my mind... I hope to finish it and post soon!

Have you had any personal victories lately?

17 Day Diet: Day 2 = hungry, but ok.

Day 1 = success. I ate as planned in the afternoon {which is where I tend to fall apart} - a cup of 0% raspberry Chobani for a snack around 3:30pm, then grilled marinated chicken and a cup of broccoli for dinner at around 6:45. That was it, and although I had a hard time getting the chicken down {so. much. chicken.}, I was okay with it.

Got up this morning at 5:20, ate 1/2 a banana then ran 3.3 miles {in about 36 minutes... pathetic!}. Weighed myself and I was down 2lbs from yesterday! Yay! I know it's all bloat/water/etc., but it's very motivating! Four pounds down for the month, six more to go :-)

I'm about to dig in to this salad:

Chicken, strawberries, blueberries and raspberry walnut dressing. I'll have a cup of Chobani for a snack later in the afternoon. Dinner will be another thrilling installation of grilled chicken and broccoli... I'm going to have to switch it up tomorrow though, so I don't get burned out on all the chicken.

Is anyone an apple cider vinegar drinker? I had heard about it and all its benefits before, but someone mentioned it on FB yesterday and it reminded me that I should give it a try. It's supposed to have many, many health benefits {my favorite being the appetite suppression!}. I've got to stop at the store and pick some up one night this week - the best variety is said to be Bragg's organic, all-natural, which is carried by Kroger stores. I want to try this recipe from Delighted Momma {I need a concoction - the smell of ACV is enough to make me barf}.

17 Day Diet: Day 1

I totally need to finish my vacation re-caps, but I haven't had a chance to sit down and think about it... so you get this instead. :-)

I've been in need of a plan for a while, and with only 2 weeks to go until the end of July {how the heck did that happen?!} and a goal of losting 10lbs in July {only 2 of which I've lost as of this morning}, I decided to jump back on the 17 Day Diet plan. I've been doing pretty well on the exercise front - I even doubled-up {exercise twice in one day!} two times last week. I definitely feel stronger and ever-so-slightly leaner, but I need to ditch the flabby belly. From what I've heard and read, "abs are made in the kitchen." I'm not going for a six-pack here, but I at least want a belly that doesn't protrude and one that doesn't "roll up" the second I sit down. I know my carb intake is way out of control, so I need to reign that in {I've had success w/losing belly flab by reducing my carb intake before}.

So I've embarked on the 17 Day Diet. I tried it last year for about 5 days, and 5lbs came off in no time - had I stayed the course of the first cycle, I have a feeling I would've ended up losing at least 10lbs in 17 days. It's kind of restrictive, especially for someone who doesn't like vegetables at all - grains/bread/pasta/rice are off limits, and you can only have 2 servings of fruit per day {and before 2PM!}, but you're allowed all the protein and vegetables you want. I'm going to give it an honest effort though, and see where it gets me {Vic's birthday is 8/7, and I'd love to be at least 10lbs down by then}.

Today's eats so far:

Breakfast - smoothie made with ~3/4c. plain/lowfat kefir, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2c. fresh blueberries, and 1 scoop ON vanilla protein powder; venti skinny vanilla latte {needed this to function this AM}

Lunch - wasn't able to prepare grilled chicken yesterday, so I ran to Meridian Cafe for Mango chicken {grilled chicken breast w/mango salsa}, roasted vegetables {broccoli, onion, squash, zucchini}, and strawberry salad {lettuce, strawberries, feta cheese, raspberry dressing}.


Later:

Snack - Chobani 0% raspberry Greek yogurt

Dinner -  chicken breast, broccoli, tossed salad.


I'll be honest here - I am not following the diet to a T {bananas, cheese, any sort of milk, any sort of dressing, and fruit-flavored yogurts are NOT permitted according to the book}. However, I don't really consider these things "cheats" - because I am such a picky eater, if putting a small amount of dressing on my salad or 1/2 a banana in my kefir smoothie helps get it down, I'm going to do it. I'm really using the diet as a guide to limit my intake and structure my meals to achieve weight loss and to break the awful sugar cravings I have. ALSO, the book doesn't recommend exercising during the first cycle - I will be exercising, so those tiny "disallowed" items should be more than cancelled out by any exercise I do.

I'll be posting updates as I go along...

June Goals {a little late}

I ran after work today and I don't know why, but I am seriously wiped out now! I did my usual 4 miles around the lake, but the effort was really hard and I felt sloppy. I'll blame it on being P -5 days ;-)

Workouts since my last post:

Sunday: 14 mile bike ride with Vic pulling Valentino in the trailer {it was mostly leisurely, but a nice calorie burn nonetheless!}

He's grown a bit since the first time we put him in there!
{Take note of the lunchbox full of snacks - of course, we never leave the house w/o  it!}

Today: 4 mile crappy run

I'm planning on hitting the gym tomorrow morning then squeezing in a bike ride after work. Burn baby, BURN!

Amazingly, June has started - I cannot believe summer is in full swing already! I absolutely love summer and I have a feeling this will be the best summer yet!

Time for June's Goals:

1. Lose at least 10lbs. Ultimately, I need to lose at least 20lbs to be close to my "ideal" weight. That being said, this goal will continue to stay near the top of my goal list until it's been acheived completely! I'd love to exceed the 10lb mark in June, especially with vacation and beach trips coming up {in addition to our *hopefully* big plans in July!}

2. Cut the junk. Vic and I are working together to eat healthier and to be more mindful of what we eat. We're going to keep junk food and soda out of the house, and only allow them every once in a while when we're out. So far, so good :-)

3. Fill the frames/get working on our family photo album. I started our gallery wall back in, oh... January? Several of the frames are empty or have temporary pictures in them. I need to get on Snapfish and order some prints to fill the frames, but I keep putting it off.  I also need to get to work on the MyPublisher photobook that I have a LivingSocial coupon for.

4. Have a great vacation! It's going to be interesting - between a long road trip {12 hours} and my unpredictable-ish family - but I know we're going to make the best of it. I'm hoping that the weather is nice and we can visit Frankenmuth {a German-themed city} while we're there, as well as check out some of the other local attractions {zoo? Kensington? something great I don't even know about?}

From our last visit to Frankenmuth in December 2008. It was seriously cold and drizzly/snowy, but we had fun
{Sidenote: my legs look [were] so much skinnier then!}

I look creepy, but German, right? And 4 years younger, of course.

Let's hope I can improve upon my goal failure rate from May!

Weight of the Nation - Encouraging good habits for kids

Vic and I have almost finished HBO's 4-part series "Weight of the Nation." I've found a lot of it very informative and encouraging, but I will admit that Part 3, which was about childhood obesity, bothered me a bit. A lot of blame for this epidemic was put on the advertisements that children are exposed to, as well as the cafeteria meals they are served in school.  The experts in the documentary seemed to think the only way to protect children from ads and bad cafeteria meals was government regulation. I'll spare you the rant about government regulations and simply offer a better and cheaper alternative -- education and encouragement.

Both parents and our schools should educate our youth from day 1 of kindergarten through the last day of high school about the importance of making healthy choices and the health consequences of making bad choices. Encourage activity throughout the day - again, both parents and educators should be doing this. Take stretching or walking breaks during the school day. Make PE mandatory more than once/week. Go on family bike rides, evening walks, and weekend hikes.

I realize there's the argument about low-income and single mothers who have a hard time making ends meet, much less encouraging/enforcing a healthy lifestyle. I feel for those children - they're going to have a hard enough time rising above what they were born into. This is an area where, instead of the government telling anyone what they can or cannot watch or eat, the government {or whomever is in charge of curriculum and education} should be pushing more healthy living education to these kids. Eventually, the hope is that the lack of "customers" {children} purchasing unhealthy foods will lessen the advertising and poor cafeteria foods.

I speak from my own experiences, both with the way I was raised and now how I raise my child. Someday I plan on elaborating on my whole life of weight struggles, but I'll give you a little synopsis here to support where I'm coming from:

Growing up in my middle-class family with two working parents, we always had the sugary-sweet cartoon character cereals and we ate a lot of processed foods, especially because that was what was on sale and was quick to cook, or what my parents had coupons for {and my mom wasn't exactly an awesome cook - sorry mom!}. I often ate school lunches {pizza, hamburgers, pancake day!}, and of course I never chose the vegetables! To top it off, we drank diet soda - yes, "better" than sugar-filled regular soda, but horrible for a child! I cringe when I think of what went into my young body. Exercise wasn't really emphasized in our house either... it was sporadic and never anything we did as a family. Neither of my parents were heavy, but they were both unhealthy in their own ways. Needless to say, my outlook on nutrition and exercise started out pretty badly. I didn't begin to turn my bad habits around until my teen/young adult years when I began to read and become interested in diet and exercise. I educated myself on what I should/shouldn't be eating and doing... and I continue to do that daily, because I still have a lot of nature and nurture to fight!

As a parent, I struggle with feeding my very picky child healthy foods. I feel that I've done well enough - he loves almost all varieties of fresh fruit and yogurt, and he has never had soda nor a lot of juice - but I know I've fallen victim to convenience foods for him, and that I haven't pushed vegetables on him enough {Vic and I are working on that}. We also limit not only the amount of TV that he watches, but also what channels he watches. We stick with Nick Jr. because they do not have any advertising. I know as he gets older, this will change, but hopefully we will have instilled some good habits in him.

One area where I feel we do an excellent job is with exercise. We are both very active, and Valentino has caught the bug for sure.

About 7 months old and riding in our bike trailer!

He sees us ride our bikes. He sees us go running and lift weights. He loves to do all three and wants to participate in everything we do, and we encourage it. It makes me a proud mama :-)

Doing push-ups on the lawn at North Hills.

Edited to add: I in no way think I'm perfect at this subject with my child, nor do I think I know it all about this topic. These are simply my opinions and experiences with it.

I hope to update tomorrow with what I've been up to lately. Until then... your thoughts on childhood obesity?

My reasons

Quickly, here are my top reasons for working out and getting healthier/more fit:

To start with, I'm going to be 100% honest and you can think what you want, but my first reason is pure vanity - I want to look GOOD. For my husband, for myself, for all other moms out there. I'm nearing 30 and although I know I'm still young, I'm very aware that youth is fleeting and that there are many, many more attractive young women out there. I'm not - I repeat, NOT - worried about my husband straying or anything like that, but I want him to be proud to have me by his side. Additionally, I want to be able to shop wherever I'd like and wear whatever clothes I want to wear {especially a cute bikini at the beach!}. And since I'm officially in the "mom" stage of life, I want to be sure I never slip into looking like a typical minivan driving, mom-pants-wearing, soccer mom {yes, I know there are plenty of hot-looking moms like that, but you know what I mean!}.

Secondly, I want to be healthy. I'm terrified of aging, especially the thought of doing so in a debilitating way {our families have dealt with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's - two horrible ways to spend your last years on Earth}. I want a strong, healthy body so that I know I've done what I could to ward off preventable diseases {diabetes, heart disease, etc}.

And finally, I want to set a good example. As a mother, of course I want to set the best example possible for my son, stepdaughter, and any other children that may come into our lives. I've also found that you never know who looks up to you and who's looking to you for guidance - so it's important to live by example no matter who is watching. {whoa, I sounded kind of wise there, no?} Someday soon I'm going to elaborate on this topic a lot more, especially because the root of my {and probably many, many other peoples') weight/food issues is deeply rooted in this topic.

Why do you want to live a healthy lifestyle? It's okay to admit that you want to look good ;-) I won't judge!

Favorite reads of the day:
Breastfeeding Expectations (via Life as Mom) - I couldn't have said it better! Her experience with breastfeeding was SO similar to my own, and she approached it with the same mindset I had. Nursing Valentino for over 2 years is one of my proudest accomplishments in life, and I would do it all over again in heartbeat (and I plan to with our next child).

Smoothie a day in May (via The Fitnessista) - Definitely jumping on board with this tomorrow! I think this will be a great way for Valentino and I to start the day.

Baby steps

Thank goodness this has been a short week. Though travelingand road trips are fun, they are tiring and leave much laundry and *mess* to betaken care of afterwards, plus you lose a weekend of productivity. It’s worthit to get away, but since becoming a full-fledged adult, I now totally understand “needing a vacation from your vacation,” no matter how short said vacation is.

Sticking to my training plan has been a flop as of recently (which is becoming a horrible trend…). I ran Tuesday night {4 miles, 43:33},but so far that is it. I plan on running 4.5 miles after work today as long as the rain holds off. Tomorrow I hope to either attend 5:45am spin class or hop on my bike after work for a session on the hills. Saturday morning will be my long run for the week – 7 miles, which will be the longest I’ve ever run. I’m actually really excited about reaching that milestone!

With May just days away, I’m feeling the “summer’s coming” pressure. I’m not losing weight and I’ve really begun to accept the fact that I need to make some major changes, starting in the food department. I am a classic “boredom eater,” – when I’m bored, my mind immediately tricks me into thinking I need to occupy my mouth. Having a sedentary job, this happens often, and even though I snack on “healthy” foods, they’re all calories in the end.

I saw this last night on pinterest and I was really inspired:

If you want something you’ve never had, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done.

{For me, I want a firmer body – something I’ve never had – so I need to do things – exercise more/better and eat less/better – I’ve never done}

Even though, for me, that quote would apply more for the exercise portion of my life, it’s sparking me to make some eating changes {I’ll cover the exercise portion in another post – I have an exciting, but scary, plan!}.

First, I’m trying to really scale back what and how often I eat. So far:

·        I’ve moved my morning yogurt from 10am to lunchtime. I’m not sure that when I eat the yogurt is that important, but I’m trying to train myself to not NEED something between breakfast and lunch.

·        I’ve been chewing a lot more gum, especially when the munchies hit.

Initially, I want to:

·        Give up eating after dinnertime too – no evening snacks while watching TV NO MATTER WHAT. {no popcorn!} Up until the past couple years, this wasn’t an issue – I never ate in front of the TV. I blame Vic for getting me addicted to popcorn!

·        Quit carbonated drinks {particularly soda}altogether. Yes, they are delicious, but on top of empty calories or artificial sweeteners, they make me feel bloated and gassy. No thanks!

·        Quit coffee. I didn’t start regularly drinkingcoffee until I started working at my current job. Once I was working full time (and taking care of a young child after work on my own), I needed something toget me through the day – coffee was it! Now, it’s a daily habit that costs $$ (such a waste!) and isn’t all that great for my body, even though I get NF/SF lattes. I only drink ~1 “cup”/day, so it’s not a constant thing, but I don’t want to do it anymore. I have some packets of Starbucks VIA iced coffee at home. Once those are gone, I really want to be done w/coffee for good.

·        Brush my teeth right after dinner, to hopefully ward off after-dinner snacking.

On a long-term basis, my plan is to:

·        Eat more “cleanly” by eliminating a lot of processed foods and sugar from my {and my family’s} diet.

·        Incorporate more vegetables into my diet. I struggle with this a lot because I literally gag on many raw vegetables, and there are few cooked vegetables that I will tolerate.

·        Reduce the amount of meat my family consumes.This will be a challenge, as chicken is typically the center of all our meals. Personally,I would love to be meat-free. I don’t especially care for it {I already don’t eat beef – so I’d have to eliminate poultry and pork}.

·        Cook dinner at home at least 5 days/week. I purchased a wipe-off calendar yesterday to aid me in meal planning. I’m already psyched to plan and pre-prepare our meals for this coming week!

On the non-weightloss/exercise-related front, while skimming livingsocial and groupon for deals on a family photographer {anyone have some affordable photojournalistic-style suggestions?}, I came across a deal for mypublisher.com - $19 for a DeluxePhoto Book. I've nixed the idea of having prints made of all our photos, then stuffing them into albums - they're so bulky, and in the end - expensive! Ever since hearing about mypublisher on YHL, I've decided that creating yearly "yearbooks" of our family pictures is the best idea. Now I just have to get on that for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011!!

Fitness Update

Workouts since I last posted about working out... (last Wednesday - I'm a slacker):

Wednesday and Thursday - nada. I was zapped.
Friday: All intentions on going to a cycling class at 5:45 at the Y. That didn't happen, but an 11 mile (51 minute) hill session did!
Saturday: Seriously active day. 6 mile run (1:21 - pathetically slow), followed by a 2 mile (at least) hike, then a 1 mile fast walk back to our car, THEN lunch and walking around Cameron Village. Great day outside!

My boy and I on our hike

Sunday: "Rest" day. If you count running errands all day and entertaining a 4-year old boy and cleaning the house "REST."

This week is off to a good start. Monday was supposed to be a 4 mile day, but it was rather warm (and let's be honest - my favorite sports bra was dirty!), so I swapped Monday and Tuesday's workouts and only ran 2 miles (in about 21 minutes). It's weird that 2 miles seems so quick and "easy" now! Tuesday was 4 miles (~47 minutes), which was pretty difficult - I was tired from working all day, plus it was fairly warm out. I was a sweaty mess at the end.

Unfortunately I'm facing the monthly bloat and both the scale and my clothes are reminding me at the moment, on top of my ravenous appetite. But I'm trying to keep myself in check - if I can get through this, the rest of the month should be smooth-sailing!

Here's to keeping up the momentum!

Friday Love!

Although I despise and cringe and shutter when I hear (or read) "Happy Friday!" I feel it necessary to say "Happy Friday before Easter!" (somehow, "Happy Good Friday" just doesn't seem right - I secretly want to post this someecard that I saw today, but it is highly inappropriate!).

Everyone's always giving three or five reasons why they love something. Well, my favorite and lucky number is 4, so I bring you my top FOUR favorite things this week!

1. Coming to terms with renting. We've gone back and forth since our lease contract expired last February (we're now month-to-month). Our rental now is affordable and in a wondeful area, but our neighborhood is, well... interesting. It can get a little wild at times, and it's not always pleasant. However, the rental market in Raleigh is so tight and competitive - as soon as a rental is listed, it's snatched right up. Plus, rent is going up. This is due to 2 facts: a. Raleigh is the 5th fastest growing metro area in the country b. with lending rules tightened, people can't/aren't buying homes as much as they used to and they end up renting instead. We've come to terms with the fact that, until we are able to buy a house, we'll be staying put and saving up. This has been good for me, as I now wish to make our little home as comfortable and ours as possible.
2. Springtime is here, which means more activities! Egg hunt last weekend. Birthday party and Easter this weekend. Cycling will be in full effect in no time. Soon there will be strawberry and blueberry picking, trips to the beach/MD/MI, and SUMMER! I absolutely love April-November in NC! I've started compiling our "Summer 2012 List" (of things we want to do over the summer) and I'm getting so excited!
3. My Grandma. My Grandma and I have always been close. I spent a ton of time with her when I was younger, and she and I have always kept in touch since I've become an adult. She has been the most constant person in my life, and we have a deep connection and bond. I'm always amazed at how she immediately knows if something's wrong, just by the tone of my voice. Now that I have my own child, she has been an amazing Great Grandma too! Valentino calls her several times a week, and she happily chatters with him about his day and all kinds of other silly things (sometimes I feel bad because he's being a little pest to her on the phone, but she insists that she just loves hearing his voice). She frequently sends him cards and small gifts in the mail, which is always ecstatic to receive - just yesterday she sent him a box stuffed with books and fun Easter things, including a sweet little Easter bunny that he slept with last night :-) Even though they haven't seen each other since he was 2 (which I'm sure he doesn't remember) they too have an amazing bond already. It really makes feel so blessed to have her in our lives.
4. My awesome husband and son. Valentino practically begged Vic to buzz his hair on Monday, and I finally gave in. I just didn't want to let go of my baby's beautiful blonde locks. Once the buzz was complete, Vic and I just stared (and continue to stare even now) at our beautiful son. With the mop of hair gone, we can see all his features so clearly and we are both amazed by his perfect skin and features. He is one good looking boy! It makes me feel so proud to know that the two of us have created and molded this child who is so beautiful inside and out, and I am so excited to someday hopefully create another sweet little being with Vic. We may have our differences, but in the end, we are a great team and we balance each other wonderfully.

And as a bonus, you get my FOUR goals for the rest of April. I plan to re-cap on 5/1, to fill you in on my progress.

1. Lose at least 5lbs. Enough said. Summer is so close (since it basically starts in early May here in NC), and I'm in no shape to be seen in anything put long sleeves and jeans. Fudge.That brings me to #2...
2. Keep to the 1/2 marathon training schedule. This week was a bust. 5 miles on Saturday, 3.5 miles on Tuesday. The rest of the days? Couldn't get myself out of bed (except Thursday - I had all intentions of going to the gym, but Valentino got me up at 4 and I fell asleep in his bed until 6). SO embarassing and shameful. However, I have been doing more pushups and arm exercises at home (and my arms feel it bigtime), so there has been some improvement in my work. But not much, nor enough. Tomorrow calls for another 5 miles. I WILL be out there pounding the pavement, you can count on that.
3. Add money to savings. We have so many things that we want (like a bike rack/hitch for the car so that we can haul our bikes) and so many places we want to go this summer (MI trip in June, beach weekends, trip to the mountains), so it's really important that we start socking away some cash to make these things possible.
4. Get stuff DONE. Procrastination is my middle name, so I'm resolving to actually take care of things. First on the list - meal and budget planning. For meals, I want to create a theme for each day (pasta, mexican, grill, etc...), and then get groups of recipes for each theme and rotate them out. For the budget, I'm going to take some advice from this lady, who has a family of six that lives on $28,000/year! AMAZING and so inspiring! If they can do it on so little, I'm sure we can figure out ways to shave our spending. I also need to get my front end fixed, which I screwed up by having a stupid accident in February (where I re-ended someone.. time to kiss $500 goodbye!). I know getting these things done and off the "to-do" list will make me feel so much better.

Happy Easter!