Weigh In

This is so disappointing to report:

Today's Weight: 131.4

Starting Weight: 131.8

Net Loss: 0.4lbs

Goal weight: 124lbs

As I wrote my weight down this morning I noticed that it was exactly the same on the 6th of April!   So for one full month I have stayed exactly the same.  Urgh!   This is such a frustrating process!  

Seeing that number has inspired me to kick it into high gear this week with a 100% clean mentality.  

Today's menu:

B: quinoa bar & egg whites

S: pineapple & cashews

L: leftover salmon & broccoli

S: hummus & celery

D: either leftover salmon again (blah!) or shrimp ceviche in an avocado (yum!)

S: NO SNACK!  I'm not hungry after dinner and I'm not a dog that needs rewarded.  NO SNACKS!  

That scale better react quickly this week and let me see 128 again or it might get evicted from our house!  :)

A little slip but not a slide

This weekend has been a bit rough.  Saturday afternoon we were invited to a friends for drinks and dinner so I slipped off the diet for the night.  And the hangover that followed did not help today go so well either.  Oops!

Everyone is going to have a SLIP right?  The key is to get back on track and not let it become a SLIDE!

I successfully nursed my hangover with a grilled ham & cheese for breakfast and a Philly soft pretzel for lunch, followed by a nice nap with my equally tired little man!  Then it was right back on track!  This was my dinner: broccoli, grilled salmon and a tiny bit of wild rice with quinoa.

When I took this picture, it reminded me of the My Plate from www.choosemyplate.gov.  Half the plate with fruits/vegetables, some protein and some starch.  It is so important to teach our children how to eat properly and to include fruits AND vegetables into their daily meals!  Cooper's plate looked pretty similar to mine with only a few less pieces of broccoli and a bit more rice.  He needs to gain weight after all!

I am hoping my weigh in tomorrow won't reflect too much of my slip.  I was seeing 128 on the scale before the weekend so I'm still hopeful to break 130.  If it doesn't happen though, I had a fun time out Saturday and I just have to work that much harder this week to see the scale reflect my progress!

Breaking 130!

I am horrible at blogging daily!  I'm sorry!

This morning I saw a number I have been longing for now for eight years.....any number under 130!

129.0!   Woo hoo!

I hope it last for my official weigh in on Monday!  I've been doing so well this week by Eating Clean and getting in a few runs.  More about that soon!  The "diet" has been easy this week so far.  I haven't had any cravings or desires to binge.  I also haven't been hungry at all this week.  In fact I forgot to eat dinner last night because we got home from baseball so late.  I had a banana at the field but that doesn't really count.  So that has been a nice change!

Today I ran outside for the first time this year.  It was difficult!  I think it was more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge.  I was so tired during the first mile that I stopped after that and walked for about 30 seconds.  Anytime I stop while running I have a harder time afterwards.  So I finished out three miles around the park (while Coop played on the playground) with walking/running combo.  And now I'm sore!   I was hoping this hip issue was behind me but after tonight it hurts just like it used to!   I'm trying to forget about it and hope it goes away after a day or two!

I will try to update more often but no promises :)

Good luck with your journey!

Another Round of Eat-Clean: Stripped

The first 28 days of the Stripped diet have come and gone!   I was on plan about 90% of the time with awesome results.  I have to say, this is by far the easiest and most rewarding "diet" I have ever done!

Here is a rundown of my weekly weigh-ins

Starting weight:  135.8lbs (4/1/13)

Week 1 weigh in: 131.4 (net loss 4.4lbs)

Week 2 weigh in: 130.8 (net loss 0.6lbs) - TOM 

Week 3 weigh in: 129.2 (net loss 1.6lbs) - early weigh in due to travel

Week 4 Final weigh in: 131.8 

Total loss 4.0lbs

Week 2 was difficult because my TOM started and the week before I am always craving chocolate and sweets.  Then during week 3 I was traveling to Arizona for a conference so I had to be careful with what I was eating.  I did surprisingly well at the airport and the resort.  

Since it was a women's conference sponsored by the fresh produce industry there were many healthy choices at the resort.  I probably ate more than I would have on the Stripped plan because every day we had so many snack breaks!  The problem was I drank a few beers each night.  On the plane on the way home I also had a mini-binge.  It was unintentional thought so let me explain! 

I bought a chocolate chip cookie in the airport store thinking that would be my "dinner" on the plane since we didn't land back here until 10:30pm.  As I was eating this cookie (aka the yummy devil), I read the back of the package and saw 350 calories.  Ok, I thought.  That is a lot of calories for one cookie but since it's my dinner it will be ok.  Then I realized it was 350 calories per serving.  Guess how many servings there were?  2.5!   875 calories for one cookie about 5" in diameter.  Yikes!   I had already eaten about a third and went on for a little bit more so I probably had a good 500 calories worth of cookie!  Urgh!  

I was back on Wednesday but had a dinner party in Delaware that evening (and no groceries to speak of in the house) so I decided to "wing it" Wednesday and start again Thursday.  I had good intentions but I didn't exactly follow through on them.  

That brings us to today and Round (what round is it now?) THREE of the Eat-Clean: Stripped diet.  So here we go! 

Starting weight:  131.8lbs (4/29/13)

Goal weight: 124 lbs

Goal date for goal weight: May 27th

I do have two business trips during these 28 days so I know they will be difficult (and involve drinking!)  I am telling myself that if I am 100% clean for the remainder of the time, the 4 days that I am traveling will not prevent me from meeting my goal!  

June is the "Month of Islands" for me with a wedding on Nantucket on the 14th and vacation in Sanibel Island at the end of the month.  So it is absolutely necessary that I get down to my goal weight before June!  

So today is Day One!   Here is my plan for the day:

B: steel oats w/ cinnamon and 3 egg whites

S: almonds (100 calorie packs are my new best friend) and pineapple

L: spinach salad with leftover turkey breast and grape tomatoes (lemon juice for dressing)

S: 1/2 pear and mixed nuts

D: Salmon with broccolin

S: IF hungry: frozen blueberries

I plan to track daily and hopefully add pictures of my meals but don't hold me to that okay!   Let me know if you are on this journey too and leave me a comment with your progress!   I have a friend who is repeating the Stripped plan with me so maybe she will jump in for a guest blog one day!  

Now get out there and skinny-size yourself!  

Eat-Clean: Stripped (Round 2)

You may have guessed that after my fall from grace (or the Eat-Clean wagon) I did not exactly recover quickly.  St. Patrick's day turned into a busy week at the office with guests to entertain and food to indulge in and before I knew it, Easter had arrived.   I tried to start Stripped week 1 again last week but I was eating out for lunch and dinner Monday through Wednesday so that didn't work too well.

So here I am again - starting over!    This is my new motto:

Back on track - on plan - focused and ready to succeed.  

Starting weight:  135.8lbs (4/1/13)

Today's weight: 132.6 (4/4/13)

Goal weight: 124 lbs

Goal date for goal weight: May 15th

I have given myself a little more than the 28 days on Stripped to get to the goal weight since the book is all about losing the last 10lbs.  I'm hopeful that on Day 28 I will be at 124 though given the current downward trend.  

I started Week 1 on Monday and then the lure of the Easter candy took over.  So I re-started (for real this time!) on Tuesday.  I was probably up a pound or two after my little candy binge but I didn't want to know!  

My friend convinced me that I absolutely cannot for any reason have any candy, sugar or sweets!  This is hard for me because I always reward myself with one or two little chocolates when dieting.  Not anymore.  One or two leads to 10 or 20 and that quickly turns into a fat, fat mess!  So NO SUGAR ALLOWED!  

My days have been pretty similar so I will just post pictures from today's menu with some of the variations I have had this week.  

Breakfast - 7am - 1c oatmeal and 4 egg whites scrambled (some days I substitute for quinoa cinnamon bars)

8am - Green tea when I get to the office - no sugar!

AM Snack - 10am  - usually almonds and either berries or a banana

Lunch - 1pm (after the gym) - Spinach salad with grilled chicken (3oz) and cherry tomatoes with lemon juice.  This time I added egg whites and avocado but usually it's just spinach, chicken, tomatoes and lemon juice.

PM Snack - 3:30/4pm celery and egg whites, celery and hummus or celery and natural peanut butter

Dinner - 6 or 6:30pm - broiled fish with steamed broccoli or asparagus.  Tonight it was one of the recipes from the book - so good!

Evening Snack - only if hungry - fruit!  1/2c of pears, pineapple or strawberries

NO SUGAR!   NO CHOCOLATE!   NO CANDY!   NO SNACKS!

I have also started the Couch-to-5K plan (again) and I am currently on week 4.  So this week I ran on Monday, Wednesday and I will run again tomorrow.  On off days I still go to the gym at lunch and either do the Precore (aka death by sweat) machine or walk the hills on the treadmill.  My goal is to burn 350-400 calories at lunch and I will start to incorporate some weight lifting in next week as well!

Tonight I am going to make my THINspiration board - similar to this one but luckily I don't have as many numbers to cross off!  

 

Update and weigh in

I have to admit, I fell off the Eat-Clean wagon.  It all started with a box of Lucky Charms being in the house for St. Patrick's Day.  They were teasing me and taunting me and then, I fell!   I caved!  I gave in and ate a bowl dry.  And then another!  

I assure you it wasn't a pretty moment but it was a typical "binge" in my world.  Find something you like, bring it into the house under the false pretense of feeding it to Cooper, let it stare you down for a few days and then, like a lion on a hyena - ATTACK!

That was Friday night.  Saturday and Sunday I was much more in control but still craving something sweet.  After a quick visit to the grocery store to restock my fruits and veggies we came home in the company of these lovely little treats:

I had two with dinner (spinach salad with grilled chicken and lemon juice).  Then I had another two for a snack (still within my calories for the day)  And then I had another two because I couldn't resist.

Moral of the story:  I am weak!  I cannot have sweets or snacks like this in the house!  

After all of that, I still weighed in on Monday morning at 131.8

I know I said I would not do any more juice cleanses BUT I still had two days worth of the Isagenix Deep Cleanse juice and rather than waste it I thought I would do it this week.  Our office weight loss competition ends this Friday so why not.  I am close the leader and "could" win if I put in a little effort, so that is my effort.  I'll drink this cleanse for today and tomorrow and then back to Clean Eating.  

Eat Clean Diet: Stripped - Week 1 Results and Week 2 Menu

Starting weight: 135.0

Today's weight: 133.0

Net loss -2.0lbs

Ordinarilly I would be happy with a 2lb weight loss in a week. That is the amount they (who is "they"?) say you should lose in one week if you're dieting carefully.  I am a little disappointed though because on Thursday and Friday I was in the 131 range.  I didn't weigh in Saturday or Sunday only to discover this morning that I was back to 133.0.  Blech!   

I will confess:  I lost my self control and had one (ok two) cupcakes this weekend.  And maybe a handful of jelly beans.  But that was it!  The rest of the time I was on plan.  I did not exercise in the conventional sense but both days I spent between 3-4 hours outside raking and bagging and did I mention raking leaves and sticks.  Wrestling little pliable sticks into easily torn lawn waste bags is not as easy or as graceful as I made it look!  I broke a sweat both days so I count that as true exercise!   Today I will take my sorry self back to the gym.

Week 2 plan:

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am trying to adhere to this plan more closely.  I hope with fewer substitutions and more variety I will not only be more interested by the end of the week, but shed more than 2lbs this week as well.  

Let's be honest though, another 2lbs would be GREAT but I would LOVE to break the 130 barrier that has been haunting me for years!

New recipes require new spices! Eat-Clean: Stripped

I may not be as adventuresome as I would like in the kitchen, but I do enjoy trying new recipes and experimenting with different flavors.  While I was browsing the Week 2 plan for the Eat-Clean Diet: Stripped this week, I decided to go ahead and plan on making most of their recipes rather than doing my own substitutions.  Last week was very easy for me but by Friday I was bored with the same meals.  I also found that by Thursday night I had used most of what I had purchased last week for the entire week.  That left me debating Friday whether to piece something together or just suck it up and go to the grocery store.  I decided on the latter.

But back to spices.  I was excited to read through some of these Clean recipes and go shopping.  The new additions:

Now I realize these are not unite flavors to most, but they are certainly new for me to cook with at home.  I love to try different flavors and foods when I am eating out and especially when traveling, but I rarely venture from the norm at home.  So please forgive me while I'm a little bit excited to try something new.

I tried the first new recipe tonight.  And the new spice of the day was Tumeric!

Scallops A La Plancha with sauteed asparagus and peppers

This dish was delicious!  I even put too much of the spice on my one person serving and it was still uber delicious-o!

Here is the recipe straight from the Eat-Clean Diet: Stripped book

1lb wild caught large scallops
pinch sea salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1tsp olive oil
1 red pepper seeded and thinly sliced
1 yellow or orange pepper seeded and thinly sliced
2c baby asparagus sliced into 3" long pieces
1/4tsp ground cumin
1/4tsp paprika
1/4tsp tumeric **new spice of the day
1/4tsp onion powder.

1. Heat large cast iron skillet over high heat.  Make sure scallops are dry, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add scallops to dry skillet, turn heat down to medium and cook two minutes on each side until slightly charred and tender.  Remove and set aside.
2. Return skillet to stove and add olive oil.  Add peppers, asparagus and spices.  Season with salt and pepper and saute until tender-crisp, three minutes.
3. Divide vegetables equally among four plates and top with scallops.


This was a very satisfying meal.  It is on the Week 2 menu as a lunch item but since I had the fresh scallops I wanted to try it for dinner.  I only made one serving which means I can have this tasty dish again tomorrow for dinner.

I also made some yummy protein bites (recipe found here)

As you can see, my "bites" did not turn out quite like the picture but I did not roll them into balls so that may be why.  Either way, they are delicious!

Tomorrow I will post my results from Week 1 on the Stripped plan.  As of Friday I was down 3.6lbs!  

Eat-Clean Diet Stripped - My weekly meal plan

 Eat clean.........or get fatter!    That is my new motto.  I either shut up and DO IT or stop complaining about my weight.  I've tried every fad diet, juice cleanse, quick fix out there and none of them have been sustainable or provided lasting results.  So it's time for a lifestyle change my friends.  Are you with me? 

 

 

So I revert back to good old fashioned eating clean and burning more calories.  In addition to eating clean, I am also still stracking my calories for reference more than anything. 

 

A few years ago I stumbled across Tosca Reno's Eat-Clean diets and I was able to lose some weight on the Cooler 1 plan.  It was shortlived though so as soon as I went back to eating everyday crap, the weight came back.  I've been waiting for a reason to buy her book "The Eat-Clean Diet Stripped.  The premise is that this diet in particular will help peel off those dreaded "last 10 pounds".   My reason arrived in the form of the flu and an eye-opener that all of these cleanses I was doing are not healthy for me at all.  It took this bout with the flu to make me realize I am not healthy.  My body does not know whether we are dieting or not, starving or not, working out or not.  It's very confused, understandably so! 

 

Starting Weight: (drum roll please) 135.0

 

On to Eat-Clean Stripped.  The core is to spend 28 days trying to shed the last 10lbs.  The program has two weekly menu's.  The first week is posted above.  Next week I will supply the second as well.  The principles are the same as her other books so I am familiar with the core of the program:

• Eat more!  Six small meals a day - ideally 2 1/2 to 3 hours apart
• Eat breakfast every day!  Preferably within an hour of waking up
• Last meal should be three hours before bedtime
• Each meal should be a combination of a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate
• Eat healthy fats (think nuts, avocados, healthy oils)
• Drink 2-3 litres of water per day
• Pack your cooler with "clean" foods so you are never caught off guard
• Depend on fresh fruits and veggies for fiber and other nutrients
• Adhere to portion sizes! 
• Avoid anything that has been processed. 
•  

I like to say "if it doesn't come from the ground or have a mother, don't eat it".   I'm not sure where I heard that but I think it's about as accurate as you could be! 

 

I started my journey by preparing.  My Stripped book didn't arrive until Monday  so I did some internet research and borrowed some photos from other blogs to get started.  I made a plan and a grocery list before ever hitting the store.  On Sunday I spent 3 hours prepping for my week.  (Note: it probably only took 1 hour of actual food prep but I'm a nerd so I had to over prep!)

 

Here is what my day looked like yesterday:

5:15am Wake - drink warm lemon water (#1) before hitting the gym (read: basement treadmill)

6:20am Breakfast - steel cut oats with cinnamon and almond milk.  Four egg whites scrambled.  Water #2

10am Snack #1 - plain almonds, Water #3

12pm  Gym - burned 400 calories running/walking

1pm  Lunch spinach salad with fresh beefsteak tomatoes, hard boiled egg whites, 1/2 chicken breast and lemon juice.  Water #4

4pm Snack #2 - celery sticks and 2 hard boiled egg whites,

6pm Dinner - baked tilapia with steamed asparagus, Water #5

Snack - frozen blueberries, Water #6

 

**Each water was 0.5 liter so I ended up somewhere near 3 liters of water yesterday! 

 

My plan for the week is all spelled out for me in my new little "diet" journal.  One of the steps in the book is to make a written decree of your intentions.  So in addition to tracking my calories on LoseIt just for reference, I have this journal with each meal spelled out so I can easily reference "My Plan". 

 

As for exercise, it is extremly difficult for me to get up in the morning to workout.  Yesterday was an anomoly and today was a failure.  I am going to try again tomorrow.  So if you're wondering why I am sleeping in workout clothes, now you know.   I will get to the gym at lunch every day this week and I will workout at home both Saturday and Sunday.  Any morning workouts I can squeeze in will be added bonuses. 

 

If anyone has any tricks or tips - if you've done this diet before or want to start and go along with me - please just leave a comment!! 





Cleanses make me sick - literally!

I have recently discovered, with some forceful eye-opening from my colleagues, that I tend to get sick right after I do a cleanse.  I am not talking about a little head cold either.  I have had Norovirus after my first Blueprint Cleanse and now the flu after a week of the Master Cleanse.   Also a few other colds, illnesses and stomach bugs after my other extreme diet choices.  

I didn't really believe what they kept telling me - stop fad diets.  I always have good luck (and good discipline) when I do something that is extremely strict, impossible to cheat on and provides results!  That is the hardest part.  They do work!   BUT, they are unhealthy!   As I was looking back through this blog I found the Norovirus post after the BPC.  That really made me take a hard look at this unfortunate trend.

Look, I'm not blaming the BPC for giving me the Norovirus anymore than I think I got the flu because I was on the Master Cleanse.  What I think happens is my body shuts down, weakens itself and loses the ability to fight off these viruses!  

So what's the conclusion: NO more juice cleanses!  Or crazy fad diets - trust me, I've tried them ALL.  Back to eating clean and exercising more!   It's as simple as that! 

Wish me luck!