So it has now officially been one month since I started this new journey. Happy to report I have lost 12 pounds. Most of those pounds were in the first week thanks to the Dr. Oz 3-day cleanse, but I am stoked that I didn't gain any of that water weight back and continued in the right direction. I am not following any kind of specific plan, but I am definitely trying my best to stick to 1250 cal per day and making sure I log in a food diary everyday (usually after every meal). I am currently using My Fitness Pal and I love it!
A few things I would like to focus on this month are eating out less and drinking more water. If I do these two things, I am confident February will be just as, if not more, successful as January. This includes packing my lunch, which I always seem to forget!
One thing I am proud of is my decision making this month. While I might have had a few minor slip ups, no major binging or fast food runs. And I never let one "bad" meal mess me up for the entire day, which is usually very hard to do. Although I have still eaten out a lot, I always did my best to choose the healthier options versus my favorites. I am also proud of the fact that I have still been eating lots of fruits and vegetables Eating these as snacks versus other processed options really does make you feel so much better!
Again, would I love to lose 40 lbs by May 2nd?? Of course! But if I don't, I will not be disappointed as long as I did my best.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
One week in...first normal weekend
So today marks exactly one week since I started my diet/journey/lifestyle change" whatever you want to call it! I have to say, I feel great! I really do. My knee pain has decreased considerably--I think because I have been eating so many anti-inflammatory foods and drinking more water! I need to find a little more variety in the foods I eat, because I find myself hungry at work and don't want another apple! Another thing I need to work on is incorporating those leafy greens into my meals. They were easy to do with the smoothies, but not as easy to eat regularly!
The above paragraph was actually typed up on Friday, which marked my one week. This past weekend was my first "normal" weekend, since last weekend was hell--I mean, the detox. I was a little disappointed with my 1 lb loss this morning, but then I forgot that I had already lost 8 lbs the week before, so I'm just glad I didn't gain any of that back! Plus, I didn't do as good as I should have this weekend. Nothing major, but here's a recap.
Friday night: Dinner at Red Robin. I ordered the Avocado Cobb salad w/ grilled chicken. It was huge and delicious and I ate all of it. With the dressing, it was about 800 calories. Minor splurge, but at least content wise, it was pretty healthy. I also had a diet coke for the first time all week and boy was it good!!
Saturday: Lunch and movie with an old friend at The Cheescake Factory. I already peeped the menu before I arrived, so I knew I was going to order the Ahi Takaki salad off of their skinnylicious menu. It was amazing!! For an appetizer we got the salmon spinach rolls, which were also delicious. At the movies, I got a small bag of trail mix and ate about half of it. I did have a few of my daughter's cookie dough bites though. Dinner was at Sardi's (Peruvian) and I had Pollo Saltado which came with white rice and plantains. Such a splurge but damn it was good. Super high in sodium, however.
Sunday: Pretty good day, typical breakfast and lunch. Dinner was sushi which included 1/2 California roll, 1/2 salmon roll, seaweed salad, and miso soup. Didn't really think about the sodium's effect on the scale this morning.
So overall, this weekend was not bad at all--just not ideal for what I am trying to accomplish. Still proud of myself though. I have no cravings or desire to go completely off the path, ie. desserts, junk food, alcohol, etc.
Started fresh again this morning with egg beaters and spinach for breakfast, smoothie for lunch, and I have some yummy chicken and peppers waiting for me in the crock pot to make some healthy fajitas for dinner!
The above paragraph was actually typed up on Friday, which marked my one week. This past weekend was my first "normal" weekend, since last weekend was hell--I mean, the detox. I was a little disappointed with my 1 lb loss this morning, but then I forgot that I had already lost 8 lbs the week before, so I'm just glad I didn't gain any of that back! Plus, I didn't do as good as I should have this weekend. Nothing major, but here's a recap.
Friday night: Dinner at Red Robin. I ordered the Avocado Cobb salad w/ grilled chicken. It was huge and delicious and I ate all of it. With the dressing, it was about 800 calories. Minor splurge, but at least content wise, it was pretty healthy. I also had a diet coke for the first time all week and boy was it good!!
Saturday: Lunch and movie with an old friend at The Cheescake Factory. I already peeped the menu before I arrived, so I knew I was going to order the Ahi Takaki salad off of their skinnylicious menu. It was amazing!! For an appetizer we got the salmon spinach rolls, which were also delicious. At the movies, I got a small bag of trail mix and ate about half of it. I did have a few of my daughter's cookie dough bites though. Dinner was at Sardi's (Peruvian) and I had Pollo Saltado which came with white rice and plantains. Such a splurge but damn it was good. Super high in sodium, however.
Sunday: Pretty good day, typical breakfast and lunch. Dinner was sushi which included 1/2 California roll, 1/2 salmon roll, seaweed salad, and miso soup. Didn't really think about the sodium's effect on the scale this morning.
So overall, this weekend was not bad at all--just not ideal for what I am trying to accomplish. Still proud of myself though. I have no cravings or desire to go completely off the path, ie. desserts, junk food, alcohol, etc.
Started fresh again this morning with egg beaters and spinach for breakfast, smoothie for lunch, and I have some yummy chicken and peppers waiting for me in the crock pot to make some healthy fajitas for dinner!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Biggest Obstacles
Portion Control
After Dinner Snacking
Those are my two biggest obstacles by far. My first day after the detox and I over ate a lot. Granted, I over ate all phase 1 foods, but I still over did it. Throughout the day I did great, but once I got home and had access to all the food, it was done.
For a pre-dinner snack I made kale chips, which were pretty good and pretty much calorie free. For dinner I made quinoa, brussels sprouts, and chick peas. Perfect healthy dinner, right? Well it WAS until AFTER dinner I snuck back in and ate damn near the rest of the quinoa! I cooked one cup which made 3 cups. I ate 2 of them. Although quinoa is super healthy, the important thing is that everything must be portion controlled! I also ate some pineapple, raspberries, and clementines for dessert. Needless to say, I am stuffed right now and feeling slightly guilty. Things could have been worse though and I think this is a perfect example of keeping only healthy things in the house. Had there been other snack options, I may have went there.
Oh yeah, my "plan"
Like I said in the first post, my main goal is to be at a healthy weight by my 30th birthday, which is about 7.5 months away. My mini goal is to be comfortable and confident when I go to the Dominican Republic in just 4 short months. I know I will only be about halfway to my goal, but knowing I worked hard and did everything in my power to get there, will be good enough for me. I've never been in "great" shape even in my smaller days, but I was still confident and knew I looked good.
I will be using the knowledge and resources I have from previous diet plans I have done over the years including Weight Watchers, South Beach, Fat Smash, and Dr. Oz's detox. The one I will be following most closely, will be The Fat Smash Diet by Dr. Ian from Celebrity Fit Club. It's not a super restrictive or "quick fix" diet, but more of a step-by-step into a new healthy lifestyle. It's also a 90-day initial program, which fits perfectly within my timeline. For the Phase 1, I included my 3 days on the detox because it followed the same food allowances.
Tentative Timeline
1/4/2013 - 1/6/2013: Dr. Oz's Detox/Fat Smash Phase 1 (3 days)
1/7/2013 - 1/12/2013: Fat Smash Phase 1 (6 days)
1/13/2013 - 2/3/2013: Fat Smash Phase 2 (3 weeks)
2/4/2013 - 3/4/2013: Fat Smash Phase 3 (4 weeks)
3/5/2013 - 3/5/2013: Dr. Oz 2 day Detox
3/6/2013 - 3/28/2012: Fat Smash Phase 2 (3 weeks)
At the end of March, I will re-evaluate how things are going, then decide how to proceed.
I will be using the knowledge and resources I have from previous diet plans I have done over the years including Weight Watchers, South Beach, Fat Smash, and Dr. Oz's detox. The one I will be following most closely, will be The Fat Smash Diet by Dr. Ian from Celebrity Fit Club. It's not a super restrictive or "quick fix" diet, but more of a step-by-step into a new healthy lifestyle. It's also a 90-day initial program, which fits perfectly within my timeline. For the Phase 1, I included my 3 days on the detox because it followed the same food allowances.
Tentative Timeline
1/4/2013 - 1/6/2013: Dr. Oz's Detox/Fat Smash Phase 1 (3 days)
1/7/2013 - 1/12/2013: Fat Smash Phase 1 (6 days)
1/13/2013 - 2/3/2013: Fat Smash Phase 2 (3 weeks)
2/4/2013 - 3/4/2013: Fat Smash Phase 3 (4 weeks)
3/5/2013 - 3/5/2013: Dr. Oz 2 day Detox
3/6/2013 - 3/28/2012: Fat Smash Phase 2 (3 weeks)
At the end of March, I will re-evaluate how things are going, then decide how to proceed.
Detox "results"
So after doing the detox for 3 days (Friday, Saturday, & Sunday)...I lost 8 pounds!!! Yay!!!!! <happy dance>
Ok, I KNOW about 7.5 of those pounds are all water weight, but that's great for me, because I needed to lose that water weight. The past few weeks my rings were tighter and I could feel that my face was puffier...and now I can honestly see and feel a difference only after three days. Plus, I feel like if I could do that I can do anything now. It really felt good to be consuming so many nutrients and antioxidants on a daily basis, that I want to continue to do so.
The following are elements of the detox that I will incorporate daily/weekly:
-Green tea w/ lemon...good detoxifier, metabolism booster, antioxidant rich, small amount of caffeine, and great for overall health.
-Coconut Oil...always heard wonderful things about its benefits, but never tried it until adding it to my smoothies. I will be researching online to find more uses for it!
-Kale...HATED this leafy green superfood as a kid and while I'm still not a fan (yet) I look forward to buying it again and finding tasty recipes to use it in. First recipe will be kale chips with what I have leftover from the detox.
-Ground flaxseed...another thing I've always heard wonderful things about, but alas, never tried. You can sneak this stuff in pretty much anything!
-Almond milk...replacing my regular milk for this stuff...tastes better and better for you! It's a little more expensive, but the grocery store almost always has at least one brand on sale, or a coupon available.
Ok, I KNOW about 7.5 of those pounds are all water weight, but that's great for me, because I needed to lose that water weight. The past few weeks my rings were tighter and I could feel that my face was puffier...and now I can honestly see and feel a difference only after three days. Plus, I feel like if I could do that I can do anything now. It really felt good to be consuming so many nutrients and antioxidants on a daily basis, that I want to continue to do so.
The following are elements of the detox that I will incorporate daily/weekly:
-Green tea w/ lemon...good detoxifier, metabolism booster, antioxidant rich, small amount of caffeine, and great for overall health.
-Coconut Oil...always heard wonderful things about its benefits, but never tried it until adding it to my smoothies. I will be researching online to find more uses for it!
-Kale...HATED this leafy green superfood as a kid and while I'm still not a fan (yet) I look forward to buying it again and finding tasty recipes to use it in. First recipe will be kale chips with what I have leftover from the detox.
-Ground flaxseed...another thing I've always heard wonderful things about, but alas, never tried. You can sneak this stuff in pretty much anything!
-Almond milk...replacing my regular milk for this stuff...tastes better and better for you! It's a little more expensive, but the grocery store almost always has at least one brand on sale, or a coupon available.
Detox Day 3
Breakfast went as usual...no problems. Lunch however, was horrible. For some reason the drink tasted extra sour and chunky. As hungry as I was, I just could not stomach it. I reluctantly got half of it down, but that was all I could do. I had the snack drink (mix of breakfast and dinner drink) much earlier than anticipated. As I was drinking the dinner drink, I had a slight headache and could not wait for the day to be over. After dinner, I re-read the Phase I section of The Fat Smash Diet, to see what I could now eat for the next 6 days. Unlimited fruits & veggies, egg whites, brown rice--paradise in my eyes!! Excited to be able to start cooking again, eating warm food, and chewing! Before I went to sleep, I thought about how proud I was of myself to have completed the 3 days.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Detox Day 2
Went to sleep last night with a bad headache. Woke up this morning feeling fine, until right after I drank my green tea. I started feeling very nauseous, so I quickly began sipping my breakfast drink. Next time I do this detox, I will definitely use frozen fruit, because drinking this thick brown drink warm made the nausea worse! I added some ice and then it was fine.
Today is Saturday which means cleaning, laundry, and trip to the park are most likely in store. Right now I'm watching Paula Dean's cooking show. Not the best idea, but I just love her voice, lol.
The lunch drink was actually really good today! I only used 1 celery stalk even though it called for 4 and that made a huge (good) difference. I'm starting to REALLY miss the act of chewing food!!! I feel like I've been doing this for weeks and it's only been 2 days. I am still super proud of myself though. The third day will be a breeze.
I did have a somewhat weak moment at night. My daughter insisted on using her Easy Bake Oven to make mini red velvet cupcakes. She begged and begged for me to try one, so how could I say no?? I popped the nickle sized piece of cake in my mouth, said "Mmmm", and spit it out when she looked away. I know that eating that one little bite wouldn't have "ruined" my whole detox thing, but it's the principle. If I keep taking "bites" of everything, thinking it's ok, I'll be right where I am forever.
Got another slight headache, but it only lasted for a little while. On to Day 3!
Today is Saturday which means cleaning, laundry, and trip to the park are most likely in store. Right now I'm watching Paula Dean's cooking show. Not the best idea, but I just love her voice, lol.
The lunch drink was actually really good today! I only used 1 celery stalk even though it called for 4 and that made a huge (good) difference. I'm starting to REALLY miss the act of chewing food!!! I feel like I've been doing this for weeks and it's only been 2 days. I am still super proud of myself though. The third day will be a breeze.
I did have a somewhat weak moment at night. My daughter insisted on using her Easy Bake Oven to make mini red velvet cupcakes. She begged and begged for me to try one, so how could I say no?? I popped the nickle sized piece of cake in my mouth, said "Mmmm", and spit it out when she looked away. I know that eating that one little bite wouldn't have "ruined" my whole detox thing, but it's the principle. If I keep taking "bites" of everything, thinking it's ok, I'll be right where I am forever.
Got another slight headache, but it only lasted for a little while. On to Day 3!
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Knee Pain
Let me talk about my knee for a minute. My right knee is...jacked up. Apparently there is a small piece of bone missing and lots of inflammation and some other things going on as well. I am supposed to get surgery to "fix" it, but I am not even going to consider this option for one minute, until I am at a healthy weight. The last 6 months or so, since I've put on more weight, my knee has been almost unbearable at times. I cannot walk up or down stairs without holding on for dear life and after a short walk around the mall, by knee is extremely swollen and sore. This also makes exercising damn near impossible right now. The ingredients in this detox have many anti-inflammatory properties, so it will be interesting to see if I feel a difference after the 3 days. I will definitely be replacing a meal for one of these smoothies a couple times a week.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Detox Day 1
So I decided to start today, Jan 4th. I weighed myself this morning but the # was so astounding, I'm not even going to speak of it. It is, however, burned into my brain. I went to the grocery store yesterday (Giant and Trader Joe's) and purchased everything needed for Dr. Oz's 3 Day Detox Cleanse. I figured it would be a good way to start fresh. I've never actually done a detox/cleanse before, but this one incorporates lots of good fruits and veggies, so it's not as drastic as some of the other cleanses where you drink nothing but lemon water and cayenne pepper. The breakfast tea and drink was good...had it around 8 am. Tastes like a typical smoothie I've made in the past (almond butter, raspberries, spinach, flaxseed, banana). Of course I forgot to take my mulit-vitamin and pro-biotic, but I'll take them tonight. It's 10:43 and I am hungry. I want to hold off drinking the lunch drink until 12, so in the meantime I'm sipping some plain water.I also forgot to make my "snack drink", so I'll probably be famished by the time I get home.
{Note: Next time I do this cleanse, which I'm planning to do once every 6-8 weeks, it would be best to pre-cut/chop fruit and veggies and place into baggies/containers labeled with each kind of drink, so you can just take it out the fridge and throw them in the blender. It took me entirely too long this morning to blend up 2 drinks!!}
12:38 pm
Drinking the lunch drink as I type. Celery, Cucumber, Kale, green apple, pineapple, almond milk, and coconut oil. This thing is gross. It's not the consistency that bothers me, as others have said it's the worst, but it's the immediate aftertaste! It literally tastes like acid reflux. Gross, I know! I only added 2 celery stalks even though it says 4 (as suggested by others), so I can't imagine how horrible it COULD be. I'm not sure what exactly is giving it this acidic taste. If it didn't have that, it would probably be ok. At least it's a pretty, bright green color.
4:24 pm
About to leave work--thank God!! I'm starving. It was dumb of me to not make and bring the snack drink. Glad it's the weekend (I think). This should be easier to do at home, but I could be wrong. My weekends usually consist of non-stop eating out, which almost always includes cocktails and/or desserts. I'll be making the dinner drink as soon as I get home, while I heat up the delicious curry chicken & cauliflower with basmati rice I made, for my daughter.
6:25 pm
Just finished the dinner drink, which consisted of avocado, blueberries, coconut water, more kale, mango, and cayenne pepper. This one is probably my favorite, less the cayenne. I love spicy food, but spicy drinks...I'll pass. I know cayenne is an important part of the whole detox thing, so I'll deal with it for now. Since I didn't have a snack drink, I ate 1/4 of an avocado and 1/2 mango. I actually feel satisfied right now. I have a little headache and I'm a little cranky because I am craving the curry concoction that the kid is mulling over. Took my multi-vitamin, pro-biotic, and Omega-3.
Really proud of myself for completing the first day. The only hard part was resisting taking a bite of the curry chicken--especially when the kid didn't finish it all!
{Note: Next time I do this cleanse, which I'm planning to do once every 6-8 weeks, it would be best to pre-cut/chop fruit and veggies and place into baggies/containers labeled with each kind of drink, so you can just take it out the fridge and throw them in the blender. It took me entirely too long this morning to blend up 2 drinks!!}
12:38 pm
Drinking the lunch drink as I type. Celery, Cucumber, Kale, green apple, pineapple, almond milk, and coconut oil. This thing is gross. It's not the consistency that bothers me, as others have said it's the worst, but it's the immediate aftertaste! It literally tastes like acid reflux. Gross, I know! I only added 2 celery stalks even though it says 4 (as suggested by others), so I can't imagine how horrible it COULD be. I'm not sure what exactly is giving it this acidic taste. If it didn't have that, it would probably be ok. At least it's a pretty, bright green color.
4:24 pm
About to leave work--thank God!! I'm starving. It was dumb of me to not make and bring the snack drink. Glad it's the weekend (I think). This should be easier to do at home, but I could be wrong. My weekends usually consist of non-stop eating out, which almost always includes cocktails and/or desserts. I'll be making the dinner drink as soon as I get home, while I heat up the delicious curry chicken & cauliflower with basmati rice I made, for my daughter.
6:25 pm
Just finished the dinner drink, which consisted of avocado, blueberries, coconut water, more kale, mango, and cayenne pepper. This one is probably my favorite, less the cayenne. I love spicy food, but spicy drinks...I'll pass. I know cayenne is an important part of the whole detox thing, so I'll deal with it for now. Since I didn't have a snack drink, I ate 1/4 of an avocado and 1/2 mango. I actually feel satisfied right now. I have a little headache and I'm a little cranky because I am craving the curry concoction that the kid is mulling over. Took my multi-vitamin, pro-biotic, and Omega-3.
Really proud of myself for completing the first day. The only hard part was resisting taking a bite of the curry chicken--especially when the kid didn't finish it all!
Back Story...
I suppose this is yet another "weight loss journey/getting healthy" blog and I am sure tons of these pop up around this time of year the most! I've read many and they are often helpful and insightful, so I figured if I am really serious about it this time (even though this is said EVERY time), I can do one on my own!
So who am I? I am a 29 year old single mom who has struggled with my weight my ENTIRE life. I guess I can blame my mom for my chubby childhood years, but after middle school, it was all on me.
A quick timeline: My weight went up and down throughout high school, sky rocketed my first year of college (blame late night trips to Huddle House after a parties), dropped drastically through "eating right" and exercise which I maintained for a couple years, until I got pregnant with my daughter in 2004.
I gained 75 lbs from the pregnancy. I had done so well the two or so years prior, that went I found out I was pregnant, I ate like there was no tomorrow. I was very fortunate not to experience gestational diabetes or high blood pressure! Since then (8 years now!) I have gone up and down up and down. Lost about 60 lbs, only to have 40 of those pounds creep back over the last year and a half. {Recently moved, started a new job, and divorced.}
So where do I go from here? I am determined to make the last year, or 7 months, of my 20's my final year of being overweight, uncomfortable, depressed, and well, lazy. I always tend to get excited at first, only to revert back to my old ways within a few days. This time I have little added motivation, however. On May 2, I will be jet setting off to Miami, then to the Dominican Republic for a 5 day vacation! This is actually my first real vacation and I am so looking forward to it. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure I have the best time of my life--which means being comfortable with my body. I'm not expecting to be in a bikini with rock hard abs. I know that if I do what is necessary and do my best until that time (4 months from now), I will be much better off than where I was at that time last year. My next goal is to be at my ideal size/weight by my 30th birthday, which is 7.5 months from now. Even after that, there will still be work that needs to be done, but right now I'm taking ONE day at a time!
No more excuses, it's time to get my ISH together!!
So who am I? I am a 29 year old single mom who has struggled with my weight my ENTIRE life. I guess I can blame my mom for my chubby childhood years, but after middle school, it was all on me.
A quick timeline: My weight went up and down throughout high school, sky rocketed my first year of college (blame late night trips to Huddle House after a parties), dropped drastically through "eating right" and exercise which I maintained for a couple years, until I got pregnant with my daughter in 2004.
I gained 75 lbs from the pregnancy. I had done so well the two or so years prior, that went I found out I was pregnant, I ate like there was no tomorrow. I was very fortunate not to experience gestational diabetes or high blood pressure! Since then (8 years now!) I have gone up and down up and down. Lost about 60 lbs, only to have 40 of those pounds creep back over the last year and a half. {Recently moved, started a new job, and divorced.}
So where do I go from here? I am determined to make the last year, or 7 months, of my 20's my final year of being overweight, uncomfortable, depressed, and well, lazy. I always tend to get excited at first, only to revert back to my old ways within a few days. This time I have little added motivation, however. On May 2, I will be jet setting off to Miami, then to the Dominican Republic for a 5 day vacation! This is actually my first real vacation and I am so looking forward to it. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure I have the best time of my life--which means being comfortable with my body. I'm not expecting to be in a bikini with rock hard abs. I know that if I do what is necessary and do my best until that time (4 months from now), I will be much better off than where I was at that time last year. My next goal is to be at my ideal size/weight by my 30th birthday, which is 7.5 months from now. Even after that, there will still be work that needs to be done, but right now I'm taking ONE day at a time!
No more excuses, it's time to get my ISH together!!
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