First Success of the Year!

Helloooo! I don't know why I didn't update this earlier, because I TOTALLY had all week to do it! I know some of you were in the same situation I was with the Snowpocolypse 2011. I've been home from work all week because of the snow (which is now solid ice, here in Douglasville). However, things look to improve enough for me to be able to go back to work tomorrow (Friday). Just in time for our 3-day weekend! Yay!

Also, a potentially diet-threatening occasion occurred this week. My birthday. My mom, fiance and I celebrated by going to lunch at Cafe Berlin in Huntsville. I stayed away from the fried stuff and got fish (alright, it was potato crusted, but I still lost weight this week, ok!)....and I totally got a piece of German Chocolate Cake for dessert! However, instead of throwing my hands up and deciding the diet was no longer worth following through on, I came back to it for dinner. Not taking home any leftovers really helped with that.

So how has the cleanse gone so far? FABULOUS! The total weight I lost on the 7-day program came to 4 lbs. Not bad! But even better...I'm not so hungry all the time! Between eating well-portioned, natural foods higher in fiber and drinking so much water during and between meals, I really don't feel like I need to race home to eat anything or to pig out all the time while I'm home. This came in just in time for the snow days, because normally I'd be sitting around eating my face off, but I've not! I've sipped on water all day and cleaned the apartment and did laundry. It's an excellent feeling!

AND, having stayed on the diet this week (no longer with the cleansing pills or anything), I have lost an additional 4 lbs so far! So that's 8 lbs total in almost 2 weeks! I'm loving it! When I started, I was at a whopping 237 lbs, and now I'm down to 229 lbs and feel way better and less deprived than when I dropped to the same weight on the Atkins diet. I've also been working out some. Not doing what I'd usually like to do right now, but the snow is getting in the way of a lot of things. But here's what I've been doing with diet and exercise:

DIET

So some of my favorite meals that I'm still using from the cleanse include chicken wraps (with a whole wheat tortilla, spinach lettuce, fresh tomatoes and onions, and all natural brown mustard--who'd a thunk it was so good!), and salads with fresh veggies and all natural balsamic vinaigrette (starting to get tired of it, though), stir fry (with whatever veggies you want really, and preservative-free sauce and sesame oil--I've been putting tofu in it, but you don't have to), chicken and brown rice (I like to sautee some veggies for it too...and only 1/2 a cup of rice), and all natural sugar-free PB&J on whole wheat bread. I made fish for the first time on this diet. I tried grilling a tilapia on the stove. Went ok until it started falling apart on the spatula when I flipped it over. And the marinade is simply lemon juice and olive oil, though I could've just sprinkled some pepper on it, too. I will remember that for next time! My sister is a big fan of the black bean burrito suggested on the cleanse. I'm still tweaking that recipe. Apparently I need way more cilantro.

Some things I've just started doing on my own include cooked polenta (remember that from previous posts? all natural, fat free, FABULOUS) dipped in some all natural Late Night Puttanesca sauce (OMG...SO good), whole wheat spaghetti in the same sauce (and they have parmesan-flavored soy cheese which isn't bad), and chicken and fried brown rice (all marinated in balsamic vinaigrette).

Some of the snacks the diet plan suggested where natural, sugar-free peanut butter on celery, 1/4 cup of natural peanuts (not salted) or sunflower seeds (also good on salads) and some regular/dried fruit (my only recommendation is the dried banana chips..dried fruit grosses me out), baby carrots, and soy yogurt (also good for lunches). I'm sure there are plenty more, but these helped me get through the day fairly well. And you're supposed to drink a good bit of water with your snacks as well as your meals. Juice is good too (all natural of course!)

So, some differences I've noticed so far are that I have way more energy now. Not like I'm bouncing off the walls or anything, but I'm just very alert and aware most of the time. Things taste different to me, and I'm enjoying it more now. It's like I don't have to use as much sauce on things and the german chocolate cake I had, seemed wayyy sweeter than I think it normally would be for me. Regardless, I feel better than I've felt on any diet before and I'm actually enjoying the food. Never thought I'd like vegetables!

But still, if anyone has any all-natural food/meal ideas, I'd LOVE to hear them. I'm considering eating real oatmeal again for breakfasts. That was really good.

EXERCISE

I'm not going to lie, I've been lacking in this department more than I'd like. Especially with a 1/2 marathon in 42 days (YIKES!). I worked out this weekend at the Wellness Center in Huntsville on an arc trainer as well as doing some weights. It felt really good. I also have been trying to run on the ellyptical in the afternoons (it's been really hard to get out to the track to run for some reason), but the apartment complex locked up the facilities Sunday night and during this week they haven't come back to unlock them. So I have done an old workout video at home, which is complicated because my dog barks at me for looking like an idiot and licks my face when I do push-ups, but it's the best I can do right now. The video is really good with strengthening the core muscle groups, but I don't feel like I've had any cardio. I also looked at some exercises posted online by Bob Harper, the trainer from The Biggest Loser. There are some on youtube and they are VERY helpful. You can also find stuff on www.mytrainerbob.com Still seems like more muscle than cardio, though, and I really need to get that up in time for the race! It's not something I can just do last minute, so I'm freaking out a little bit, but next week should be a whole new start and I should be on track. I hope!

Also, while I was in Huntsville this weekend, I went by Fleet Feet and got measured and fitted for an awesome new pair of shoes. They are Brooks and they're not cheap, but SO worth it! After working out in them at the Wellness Center, I completely forgot I was wearing shoes! They are excellent and I can't wait to do some more stuff in them! However, they are orange, but that was the only color in my size. Such is the curse of the big foot. It's worth it, though.

Catch back up with y'all later and will hopefully have some new pics!!

Bring It On, 2011!

I hope everyone had a happy New Year and a Merry Christmas!

Though I wasn't really good over the holidays, I could've been MUCH worse. The good thing is that I did one work-out in the week of Christmas and one more over New Year's. I'm not saying that working out once a week was the best I could do, but it could've been worse! I'm down to 51 days before the Disney Princess Half-Marathon on February 26. I'm absolutely determined to finish it this year and not end it at 10 miles like I did last year.

So it's the start of a new year and I am starting something new! Seems like every time I'm writing one of these things I'm trying something new. Hopefully this one will stick. Here's what I'm doing:

I started this 7-day cleanse from GNC on Sunday. It came highly recommended from my sister and her personal trainer. After hearing about what all it entails, I figured, it couldn't be a bad thing! Like every other cleanse, you take pills with meals in order to help your body flush out the bad. But this cleanse actually comes with a diet plan. And it's a diet plan I've never tried before, and it's not bad at all! A big focus of this cleanse is to eat all natural foods and flush the toxins from processed foods out of your system. You also have to cut out dairy because of the hormones in it. It sounds bad, but soy milk, yogurt, and cheese have all been really yummy. And did you know that soy milk has more protein and calcium in it than regular milk? Go figure.

I've felt really full for the most part on this diet. It has a snack factored into it, and nothing goes over 1,600 calories a day. It's great! And I've never been so stocked up on produce in my life! Yes, the grocery bill was a little higher, but I think it's worth it! And most of the stuff I bought I have plenty of, so I'll be able to make it again soon. It almost makes me want to plan my own garden, but that's not gonna happen. The real test of all of this will be what I do next week, after the cleanse is over. Right now I'm thinking, "Once I flush all that crap out, I don't want it back in!" Also, from what my sister has been telling me, after you go through the whole cleanse (and if you do it like it says to), your pretty much have no more cravings for the bad stuff. How exciting is THAT?! If there is anything I've been wanting to get away from, it is those self-destructive cravings that happen once every few weeks. And especially after it's been a long stretch of dieting. I know some of y'all know what I'm talking about. You're doing so good and then someone brings Chick-fil-A into work and all you can think about for the rest of the day is, "DANG...I remember how good that was." And on your way home you just gotta grab it. Well, I'm not saying this will totally eliminate that, but I'm hoping it will help! I will say that by the end of day 1, I could already tell a difference in my energy level. I've been all over the place cleaning or getting more meals ready for the next day. Even at work I feel like I'm being more productive.

I also wanted to outline my exercise to be ready for the run, so here is what I have:
Every other day I'll be either on a track running outside (getting used to the cold) or I'll be on an ellyptical machine (working on my cardio). The facility at the apartment doesn't really have a whole lot of weight-lifting equipment, but I'll do what I can for my arm flab as well. I hear weight lifting is supposed to help kick up your metabolism.

So pair all that with the new ipod shuffle I got for Chistmas - one that actually has buttons on the outside. YAY! - and I'm even more ready to go! Yesterday I had lost 2lbs already, but today I was the same weight. No big deal. As long as I'm not GAINING anything, right?

Oh yeah, and the main thing that everyone always wants to know about cleanses...Does it make you crap your pants? I have not had a problem with this cleanse at all with bathroom urges, though my stomach does make a lot more noise throughout the day. Today was the first day that I was really gassy, but nothing has made me bolt for the bathroom. I was worried when I read the packet and it said what it was going to do to. Just in case you're wondering, it cleans out all sections of the colon, not just the final threshold...if you know what I mean. Apparently that makes a difference. I thought since it was more cleaning, I'd be spending more time on the pot, but alas, NOPE. This is the first cleanse I've ever done, so I don't know anything about the others, but this one is working GREAT for me.

I'll try and be better about checking in more! It should be easier now that I got my internet hooked up today. I've been living off someone in the apartment's wifi for a while, and I guess they moved or something, because the connection hasn't been there for the past 2 months or so. So I broke down and am finally paying for my own. :-) Ah well!

Also, now that I'm trying this new All Natural thing, I'm really just running on what suggestions the packet has for food and meals. I know there has to be plenty of other ones out there as well, and I'm all about variety. Do any of you have any suggestions of healthy, all-natural meals? Breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack...ANY would be appreciated!