Toe Socks to Cinder Blocks

For this week's blog post I want to do a two-part post. One for today, to tell you about my awesome obstacle race experience, some things I ate this week, and catch up on what I did last week (since fun and sun with my handsome gentleman mixed with scholarly endeavors sort of took my Sunday). Then tomorrow I'll do a quick post to let you in on my Chalean Extreme progress. I do my last workout of the first phase. Want to take some pics and measurements and see how this has worked out for me! Even if I have no body changes, I'm super strong, and that's all that matters!

So last weekend? Last Sunday I got myself up and proverbially gnawed my nails until it had reached the proper temperature to go out and try my first 7 mile run. I did write a little last weekend, so here's me, quoting myself:

I've been really low on cash recently. Which is a problem because as my runs get longer, I'm finding that I need more stuff. I splurged with some Amazon points and bought myself a new pair of running socks to try. I still have that problem with my left toes where I get crazy blistering. These, though, completely cured it. Done. Figured it out. Now I just need to get more of them! Toe socks... who thought? Used to have these in high school just because I liked crazy socks. These are super thin and super comfortable. Worked great in my running shoes, which by the way, I'm in love with these running shoes. I have to wear Nike because I have crazy narrow feet that only a sweatshop worker knows how to properly equip... these I found on the clearance rack and it's funny because the reviews on them scared me! People were getting shin splints with them. But they work great for me. I still don't know what a shin splint is... and I've been running for over a year now!

Another thing I want to buy is a water belt thing... I have been putting if off because I think they look terribly ridiculous, but there are times that I think a little hydration could improve my runs.

Like this morning.

I ran with 8 oz of water and a bag full of gummi bears in my left hand. Phone in the right hand. I was ready to try for a 7 mile run when I went to bed last night.

And I tried to pace myself. I'm terrible at that. So I turned my phone over in my hand so I couldn't just glance down and see it. I decided that I'd finish when I finished and just wanted to enjoy the sun and the movement. I felt amazing. It was about 46 degrees out when I started, ran in shorts and a long sleeve tech tee and was plenty warm from the start, since the blue, cloudless sky provided enough warmth...

I managed those 7 miles like it was nothing... I finished in an hour and 12 minutes and was so pleased with myself.

I caught up on Chalean Extreme, obviously, since tomorrow is the last workout in the Burn Phase. I ate fairly well this week, but my impending period caused some crazy sugar cravings that I gave into! I ran 3.5 miles during lunch on Wednesday because I was going down to Lowell, Mass that night to see the Jillian Michaels show. 

 I did learn a few things but it bums me a little that I could have definitely gone without the VIP Experience portion. It was essentially a time where people with an unlimited list of excuses could ask Jillian to bless their list of excuses as to why they couldn't work out or eat right. There was also the girl who asked if masturbation was good for your heart... in front of her mother... and I say girl because if she was over 17 I'd be surprised. Just silly. I'm not a prude but I had my head in my hands. But I digress...

I had some interesting food choices this past week. I've really been taking advantage of strawberries being in season, though Jillian taught me organic for strawberries is best because of the thin skin, they're able to absorb more pesticides that other fruits... but I made a tasty strawberry protein shake using:

Juice of 5 strawberries (yea, I used my juicer! Bam!)

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1 frozen banana, sliced

6 oz unsweetened almond milk

Blend that bad boy up and stick a straw in it. That's it! It was so good... tasted just like a strawberry milkshake!

I made another strawberry protein shake with some spinach juice included... this green shake was made up of the following:

Juice of 5 strawberries and some spinach

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

Slash of almond milk

Ice (because spinach juice is not cold)

I just stirred this one together.  Nom.

One more food... and more strawberries (I didn't want them to go bad...).  This time I used a serving of the Fiber One Chocolate Cereal, a cup of almond milk and some strawberries.  Very low calorie tastes-like-chocolate-covered-strawberries cereal treat!

So... about that obstacle race...

I'm SO FREAKING PROUD of myself for what I did today!!!  This race was a 5k with 18 obstacles.  While running I jumped over hurdles, went under hurdles, carried a cinder block, crossed a shallow stream on wet rocks, climbed over walls (lots, lots of walls), waded through two bodies of water, climbed 2 A-frames, did a zig-zag uphill/downhill maze with hurdles, pulled a car tire behind me on a rope, bounded over a stack of hay bails (handsome gentleman enjoyed that one for some reason haha), climbed a structure and slid down the other side, ran through tires uphill, bounded over those gigantic spools, crawled under spider webbing...  I only took one mulligan.  I can't do monkey bars.  I went to the second one and couldn't hold on.  I had gloves.  

Before the race!

After the race!  Can't tell how wet I am!

My handsome gentleman came with me and there's just something about the way he hugs me and tells me he's proud of me that makes me all warm inside.  Warm feelings too were gotten from myself when I was running and literally bounding over some of these obstacles that I FINALLY had the upper body strength to make things happen.  It's all the pushups.  I came in 40th in my wave... waves were 75 people, if everyone showed up.  I remember a time when I could not have heaved a cinder block up on my shoulder and boogied with it.  Barely.

In celebration, ran a couple errands this afternoon which included going to Target for a legitimate bikini.  A real one.  Not a tankini... but a real belly-showing bikini.  I'm pale as all get out and I'm still got my stretch marks, but I don't care.  I'm small enough... and with some color I think it'll work out great.  I can't wait until it's warm enough up here to spend my Saturday afternoons at the beach...  

My shoulders are already sun-kissed from today... and bruised... and my knees are bruised and the backs of my legs scratched up from the bark on some of the hurdles.

socks... hanging up to dry...

Tomorrow, right after my last workout... I'll report on Chalean Extreme results.  Hopefully the macaroni and cheese I enjoyed this evening will not skew any results ;)

To be continued...

Breaking Records and Getting Results

The biggest lesson I've learned about weight loss in the last 5 years is there are stages. Everyone has to change their lifestyle gradually and embrace each part before they can move on to the next part. Detoxification of your habits, if you will. Here's how I see those stages:

1. Embracing Portion Control: The first stage of weight loss has really nothing to do with WHAT you eat, but how much of it you eat. It's where you learn what a human sized plate of food is and you are slowly taking out junk food. You notice that you can eat more healthy food and satisfy your hunger, but you only do that every once in a while. You will have more instances of overeating in this stage which either convinces you to quit or teaches you a lesson. You also drink a ton of water during this stage.

2. Minimum Movement: Once you have portion control down and have dropped a few pounds, then you start moving. It could be walking or an aerobics class. You do it to keep up the losses you've obtained from the first stage. Many times you reward your good behavior with bad food: “I walked 3 miles today, let's go to Dairy Queen!” But it's something you have to go through. At least now when you do eat the wrong things, the principles of portion control are there. You may order a large, but you may not finish it. You may try a kid's meal at a fast food restaurant.

3. Knowledge of your Body: You're moving regularly (I'm not ready to call it exercising) and you only have one helping at dinner, now you're starting to learn that some things won't be tolerated anymore, not by your calorie count, but by your digestive system. Since you're eating more healthy foods and less solid fats, you sneak that donut during the morning meeting at work and find that you end up with stomach cramps. I think this is a pivetal stage. This is when your body punishes you for changing your mind. It wants to be healthy and is enjoying the good treatment. You may not mind the pain of overindulging on junk food, but for most of us, this is where we really start to not go back.

3a. The Plateau: I call this a subsection of stage 3, but really this is a subsection of every stage. The dreaded plateau. These are the times when your knowledge of your body is shaken and when moving turns to exercise. You're tired of the scale standing still so you change walking to running on the treadmill or moving to the elliptical. You might even start some light weight lifting. Anything to get that number to go down again, the way you were accustomed. You may also learn in this stage that your “trigger foods” are probably unnecessary and you may try to give them up completely. You'll go through this stage a few times. I had a plateau for every 20 pounds. That's at least 4 plateaus. It's a normal process.

4. Nutrition: Once you've lost enough weight and you've gotten many of the things that you used to eat out of your system, you get to the point where overeating and eating the things that make your stomach turn just aren't worth it anymore. You'll have more little produce baggies in your cart than cardboard boxes and you don't miss processed sugar because you have enough natural sweetness to enjoy until your heart's content. It's not that you never have a cupcake, but you've learned that this is a treat and not a meal. You feel better.

5. Fitness: You put your good diet to good use. The Nutrition stage and the Fitness stage are interchangable. They work together. You work out harder, not just 45 minutes on the treadmill, but you really push yourself and you sweat and you eat well not because you know you should, but because you worked out so hard you don't want to hurt it with bad food. You seek out new challenges and you try to make it all interesting.

6. Maintenance: The final stage, once you've reached your ideal weight, you have to try to keep it there. It's the easiest hard thing in the world. Nutrition and Fitness work together to make your body work like it should. You eat very few processed foods and you sometimes forget how it started. It's hard for you to remember how you ever ate what you used to. It's hard for you to watch other people going through steps 1 and 2. You want to smack that Special K chip out of their hand, but it's the start of their journey.

I'm somewhere between steps 5 and 6. Technically I haven't turned my calorie count onto “Maintenance” mode because I secretly would like to see 129. The thing I'm forgetting is that many of you are still caught in steps 1 and 2. You're going to eat the bad stuff. You've got to get it out of your system. I don't buy bread anymore, but judging from the gigantic aisle at the grocery, some people still do.

I think the main reason I started today's post like this is to remind myself that there are stages. Remind myself that it took me 5 years to get here. I've been below my goal weight since September and my fitness stage has really taken me to new and more awesome places.

On Thursday night I did my last workout in Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I didn't have the same visual changes that I had when I was finished with Ripped in 30, but my abilities have increased. For reference, today is the 30^th day, however I am a runner so I couldn't spend all of my time inside doing a DVD when there was sunshine and pavement outside. I did each Level a total of 6 times.

As a Ripped in 30 graduate, Level 1 was nearly a cake walk the first workout. I added weights to my cardio just because it was so much easier. Of course, that made it harder. I stopped doing any of the modifications (except abs...) and I did all of my push up moves and plank moves on my toes. Level 2 was tough because of the number of reps. I'd increased my weights for a challenge, but adding weight and doing 1 minute worth of reps makes for a difficult go. Level 3, just like the 3^rd Week of Ripped in 30, that's where I noticed a real change. Traveling Push-Ups and Walking Planks are FANTASIC. I moan and groan the whole time, but the more I did it, the more I could do.

Here's some comparison pictures:

Before 30 Day Shred

After 30 Day Shred

Before 30 Day Shred

After 30 Day Shred

I feel like the biggest changes this time as far as my physical form have been my arms and my shoulders. My legs are pretty boss too, but it's hard to take pictures of your own legs...

I've lost ½ inch in my hips, my waist is the same, though I feel like I have a little more definition in my obliques. According to the little caliper I have, I'm now 19% body fat and in the “lean” category. I started 30 Day Shred at 132.9 lbs and I'm 131.9 as of this morning, so one pound gone. That means I only have 25 lbs of fat, right? I won't pretend to be good at math.

What about changes you can't see? I do all of my push-ups on my toes now. I can do 12 push-ups before “failure.” I can run an under 9 minute mile, which leads me to my next topic of the St. Patrick's Day 5k I ran yesterday. I was smashing personal records left and right.

I wish I could run a 5k every weekend. It's so much fun. I love being in the big group of people. I love hearing the thundering of footsteps and the breathing of the other runners and virtually no other sound. I train with music, but I don't wear headphones during races mainly for safety and because music tends to change my pace and can sometimes make me run slower. The core work in 30 Day Shred has really made me feel stronger and running has become much easier now that I have a stronger core (I don't stay it's strong... but I'm getting there). I finished this 5k with a net time of 27:47. They were calling out split times, so if my focused brain remembers correctly, my first mile was 8:15 or so and I reached mile 2 in 17:10. I didn't just run the first two miles in less than 20 minutes, I smoked those first two miles. Now I understand how those girls in Cross Country can finish those races so fast.

I'd really like to find one to run in April, but with two races in May I'm not sure I will. With every race I feel more and more like a runner. I met some nice people afterward who were kind enough to take my picture and we chatted about running and it feels so good that even though I've only got a year of it under my belt, I'm accepted as if I've been able to do it forever. The beer afterward was awesome.

Progress is awesome, but I know you're really here for the food. I tried a couple variations on my morning oatmeal this week that were DELICIOUS. First was honey and banana. The honey melts and you can taste it in every bite. Was inspired by the Chobani Flips with the banana and honey mix in. Also had “peanut butter and jelly” oatmeal with some strawberry. That was pretty good and it was just because I was out of bananas. I eat a banana and a Tbsp of peanut butter every day pretty much.

I took some pictures of some of the other foods I ate this week just because they looked so delicious. 

I also started working on cleaning out my closet and my drawers of all of the clothes that don't fit anymore.  I went to Old Navy yesterday with a coupon and got three new pair of shorts (among other things).  I bought size 4 where last year at this time, I was in a size 10 pair of the same shorts there.  Here's what I look like in those shorts now:

I also played fashion show with some of the clothes I wasn't sure I could wear.  Of course I have two pair of size 8 jeans that fit perfectly.  It's funny how different sizes can be.  I think maybe Old Navy just wants me to feel good about myself because I'm in size 4 and extra small tops there.  

 

So what's my next challenge? So glad you asked. I'm taking a trip “back home” to Kentucky over Easter weekend, so I don't want to start another program until I get back. Going to do some Jillian ab workouts, some yoga and some running until I get back and then start ChaLEAN Extreme. Next Sunday I'm going to do the fitness test you're supposed to do beforehand to see your progress. I'll post the results here so that I'll have a place to keep the data to see how far I come in 90 days. This'll be my first 90 day program. I'll also be working my way up to 12k running for my race at the end of May.

NEARLY forgot to mention... in the spirit of last week's post of getting what you want... I purchased my ticket to go to Jillian Michaels' motivational talk in Lowell, Massachusetts on May 1st.  I bought the VIP tickets, where you get to go to a 30 minute Q&A with Jillian afterward.  I'm going to take my Ripped in 30 DVD in hopes that I can have a signed copy :)  I'm so stoked.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Drink a bunch of beer. That's my main source of carbs ;)

Resolve & Resolutions

I never make the traditional “New Year's Resolutions” because they don't work. We've all seen it. January and February your Weight Watcher's meetings are jammed packed with people who will hang around long enough to lose 10 pounds and then you don't see them again after March. The parking lot at the gym is so packed that you have to park way over by the Olive Garden and hoof it in the freezing, windy weather. Then walk the half mile back out to your car wet and sweaty. Cold. And you're frustrated because you know it's all because those freaking resolution-making-people are wasting their time and yours. You're angry because they're going to quit and you're working so hard not to.

Maybe it's hateful to think, but people that quit really get me down, even more so recently than in the past. I've had to try a really long time to get where I am today and though I try to be as humble as possible (I haven't been 217 pounds in so long, I barely remember what it was like, so that makes it easy to shrug off progress and think, “oh well, so many people have done this!”). Don't quit.

Quitting is impossible if you're changing your lifestyle. Giving in to one piece of chocolate cake isn't quitting. Not exercising for a week isn't quitting. Even gaining some weight back isn't quitting so long as you're actively aware of what you're doing. Quitting is letting go day after day, thinking, “Well, I've broken the rules already today, so this day is a wash.” You can't succeed that way. If you screw up at lunch time, do better at dinner. If you screw up today, do better tomorrow. Each morning is a new chance, a fresh page on your food log. The first day of the year is just the next new chance, just like the second day of the new year will be.

My size 8 pants are getting big...

I do take a moment to reflect on the past year and come up with a short list of things I'd like to see happen in the upcoming year. On December 31, 2011, I wanted to see 150 lbs in 2012. I wanted to read more. I wanted to write more.

Can't say I read more... with taking up running that doesn't exactly leave much time for reading. I did read a few books and I definitely purchased some books with good intentions. I saw 150 lbs on the scale! And then I saw 145... and 140... and now I'm chilling well under the 145 goal at 137. I wrote more! Look at this blog! 48 posts now. I also kept up with my poetry and in 2012 I finally submitted something to a literary journal. Got an honorable mention on the first thing I've submitted in my adulthood, so I'd say that's pretty awesome. Still have the letter attached to my fridge.

I think having goals or aspirations for the New Year is a good thing but just like anything you need to go into it being okay to fail. Don't aspire for something that HAS to be done or something that if you don't meet the goal, it will ruin your life. Like quitting smoking... losing weight. Honestly, I was around 162 lbs this time last year. If I didn't meet the goal of 150 by the end of 2012, it's not like it would be the end of the world. If it's quitting an addiction... smoking, eating, drinking... don't make a resolution: slip on your resolve and just make it happen.

Without the “New Year's Resolution” you can still achieve great things! I had no idea I was going to start running when 2012 started... then March rolled around and I started Couch to 5k and 2012 brought with it approximately 200 miles between two pair of shoes. Now I can't imagine being without the ability to do it. I've said before that it takes 30 days to create a healthy habit. That takes resolve.

For the past couple of weeks I've been thinking about what I want my “things I'd like to see” list for 2013 to include. I'd like to stay below my goal weight of 145 lbs in 2013. I don't think that's going to be a problem because I've got a pretty solid lifestyle going here. I'd also like to keep a log of my fitness this year. I estimated my miles ran up above because I honestly don't know. I was keeping track through Couch to 5k, and then Bridge to 10k keeps track of my total miles ran also, but I forgot the log prior and then I never use anything while running a race, so there's 12.4 miles not counted. I'd like to see what I'm capable of now and how hard work makes me more capable in the future. I ordered a 2013 running log tonight.

I would like to read more. I've worked on trading in some old dvds and books to Amazon and I've done enough to over the cost of a small elliptical machine. That will give me something to read ON... since I feel that chilling on the couch reading is only something I can do if I've exercised today. And then I fall asleep because I'm tired... it'll be nice to move and read simultaneously.

I'd also like to keep up with my race participation. I kicked off the New Year by running a 5k this morning. It was pretty freaking cold and the wind was up, but running through Portsmouth, NH I turned the corner and I go to see the ocean. It excites me knowing what I can see and knowing that my feet are the only things I need to get me there. This afternoon, I signed up for another for March. I've got aspirations to run a half marathon this year in September. Plenty of training will happen once it gets warmer. I'm a little tired of running in the cold.

What's been going on the last week or so for me? Well, food has been interesting. Lots of opportunities for candy and cookies at work and I've had my share. I used those Perdue Simply Smart chicken tenders to make a buffalo chicken salad that was less than 200 calories. Frank's makes a buffalo sauce that is so delish.

I treated myself to breakfast Sunday morning at my favorite cafe and though I usually get pancakes when I go there, I decided to be a good girl and order what they called the Egg White D'Lite. This was two egg whites cooked omelette style then topped with a grilled portabella mushroom cap, swiss cheese, spinach and tomato... topped with pesto. Came with multigrain toast, two triangles I dipped in the pesto, the other two I indulged in some grape jelly, which I hadn't eaten in forever. If this cafe were closer to my office, I'd eat there all the time. They make some kick ass salads.

Weight loss is remaining the same... actually a little more the same than usual. Usually by now I've put back 2 pounds that I hang on to until mother nature deems it necessary for me to let it go. Right now I'm stay within a half pound of my lowest recent weight, so not bad.

Working out has been fun recently. I thought I was going to die in that 5k today because I haven't gone running in forever (i.e. two weeks). I still finished in under 32 minutes though, and I guess what I've been up to in the warm inside helped with that. With my Christmas gift cards I ordered some new workout videos. I've been doing Leah Sarago's Ballet Body and Jillian Michael's Kickbox Fast Fix. Both of these are super; the kickbox one is just fun and it completely gets my mind off the fact that I'm working out. Ballet Body is hardcore and tough and I've cried... and screamed... and I come back for more. I've done the lower body DVD twice now and the upper body workout once. Both were amazing, very slow and deliberate. I've got a few more workout DVDs to try out; love having the variety.

I've worked out a couple times at my handsome gentleman's house in the last week or so. He has his weight lifting equipment down in his basement and there's a mirror down there. I had no idea that I was getting so tiny... I had to take some pictures. Look at my shoulder... I think it looks so strong... haha. The awesome part about these pictures is when I look at them I see a little “fat roll” right under my sports bra. But that's my rib cage. That part is hard. Pretty amazing.

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Year celebration. Now to let the confetti settle and get back to normal. Get back to living life the way we do... and remember that quitting is impossible. You have the resolve not to quit. 

A Week Off to Myself

I know what you're wondering. It's a question that's been plaguing you for weeks now... and you just haven't had the courage to ask. But I'll answer it for you. Right here. Right now.

Yes. You can make Chinese stir fry with spaghetti squash.

And it's about 150 calories.

That means, you can have an egg roll with it with ABSOLUTELY zero guilt. Because your stir fry is 100% vegetables. You could have crab freaking rangoon with this (if you like that kind of thing... eww...).

This concoction came out of sitting around tonight with 600+ calories left in the day but not feeling any of the regular things that I have in the fridge. Today starts my week of vacation that is also a week without my handsome gentleman who is off doing manly things with guns. I'm hoping he'll bring home some venison for me to try (since I've never eaten it before). Today, I grocery shopped to keep myself from eating out every day during the week.

I went to Target for groceries. They have some fantastic prices on frozen food. Lean Cuisines and such. And great selection too! I got 4 different types of pizza. Produce is ridiculously priced, so I had to swing by the grocery store for my avocados and apples. I also broke down and bought a whole gallon of milk because Target doesn't have store brand in the ½ gallons and ½ gallons of Deans is something like double the price.

I bought some chili, both the Medium Amy's Chili that I like and I'm trying the Amy's Black Bean chili. Got some Fritos to eat with it which is exciting. Got another can of pumpkin since it's getting cheaper as Thanksgiving approaches. Target also has great prices on my protein shake.

Made a stop at the liquor store too. Nothing reminds me of how much I love New Hampshire than a trip to the liquor store. Affordable booze. Got 2 bottles of champagne, a bottle of Jim Beam and a Kahlua sampler for $35. Guess I'll have to swing by again for some vodka. To go with my Kahlua and my gallon of skim milk. White Russians are tasty with fat free milk.

On with the stir fry!!!

I had some mushrooms, red onion and some frozen brussels sprouts. Saute these things together with a little cooking spray. Once you get the veggies finished to your satisfaction, add 1 Tbsp of your favorite Asian sauce (I chose General Tso sauce, but I considered using sesame oil) and 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce. Mix well then throw in 1 cup of spaghetti squash. Make sure everything is heated through then plate it! This turned up at 158 calories for mine, but it would all depend on the type of sauce you use and if you choose different vegetables.

For breakfast this morning I had some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal. As you might have gathered from most of the things I cook, I hate doing things that take too long! An hour in the kitchen, max. Seriously, if I'm making a romantic dinner, I'd be glad to slave, but generally I'm hungry when I start cooking and unless I want to eat a peanut butter sandwich and spoil my meal while I'm cooking, it's gotta be quick.

In the spirit of fast food, I used Quick Oats, which I cooked according to package directions (yea, I'm a rebel) and then mixed in ½ cup pureed pumpkin, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, and 1 Tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips. Was pretty good!

In exercise news, I've had a pretty active weekend. I'm gearing up for a Turkey Trot in a nearby town on Thanksgiving, so one of my runs this weekend was in that town. Hills. Hills. Hills. And the course is supposed to be hilly so wanted to get some of that in. I did 3.5 miles today and 3.5 miles yesterday. Yesterday's was just short of 40 minutes since it was so hill-acious. My run today was downtown and a slight incline, so did that 3.5 miles four minutes faster. Awesome. I'm going to do a quick 2 miles on Tuesday and then rest on Wednesday. Wednesday I pick up my bib, so I'm pretty stoked!! Sort of getting addicted to races.

3.5 miles, 36.08

This is great for the abs...

I've made a running wish list for 2013. I'd like to run the Capital Area Race Series. You get a special piece of clothing for completing 6 out of 7 races. I did one of the races in the series in June, so I'm excited to give the whole thing a try. The first is a good drive away from here, but it'll be something fun to go toward. I'd also like to do a local obstacle race and I need to find a 10k. I have aspirations to complete a Half Marathon by September. I have one in mind. I like running. It makes my legs look hot. And being bored at 6:30 in the morning leads to pictures of them. Crazy. I know.

Yesterday I also played some soccer with my handsome gentleman and his kiddos. Sort of intimidating because they're all so sports oriented... but I'm proud to say I got a goal in on him. Of course while I was trying to protect my goal, I ran down a slight incline, tripped over myself and face planted in the dirt. My whole front was covered. The zipper and button on my jeans embedded itself in my lower belly. I've got quite the bump... and it's red... and it's gonna be a killer bruise. My elbows kind of got rug-burned from the inside of my sweat shirt. My glasses flew off. And I wouldn't have traded the afternoon for anything in the world.

I have a fun filled week planned for myself. Missing him like crazy but knowing he's off doing what he loves helps. Tomorrow I'm having lunch with a friend that moved an hour and a half away... so I haven't seen her since she moved!! Tuesday I'm dyeing my hair, getting the highlights out and going for a darker brown. Wednesday I'm having a facial and possibly getting my hair trimmed. I'm making up for the money I'm spending on the facial by doing a home hair color. I'd like to go out to breakfast at least one day this week and I know exactly where I want to go! Thursday is the Turkey Trot and I've no plans on Thanksgiving... but then Friday I'm going to see some new friends for dinner. Get some things done on Saturday... and look forward to seeing him again when he gets home...

Hopefully there'll be some sleeping in, too.

No weight loss this week... but I'm still below goal. That's pretty much my weekly aspiration for the rest of my life.

9 Minute Miles and That Peanut Butter Taste

The last couple of weeks have been pretty interesting in the land of food, drink and exercise. I'm happy to report that I had my monthly bit of weight loss, bringing me down to 138.9. That's the 130's my friends. Very freaking exciting!

The reactions to this have been interesting. If you'll recall it's literally been a month since I have had any real weight loss... it was nearly a year ago now that I started this blog and have lost 31 pounds in the last year. That's less than a pound a week. But now that I've reached the 130's I'm starting to have people give me negative responses. “Don't go too far...” “Don't lose too much...” If it takes me a month to lose 2 pounds I seriously doubt I'm going to be able to do much too much too fast. I ate Wendy's today if that helps...

I just wonder where those same words of concern were when I weighed 217 pounds. Rarely do people say anything when you're too fat... but they have no problem saying something when they think you're too thin.

I'm definitely not too thin by the way. I enjoy the fact that I do now have bones in my body and I get to feel and see some of them. I've had to lay off the exercise for the last week so I'm thinking it's going to give me a little set back to get back on the stick with that.

A couple weeks ago I had a constant headache. I went into high gear with the vitamin C and tea and all that but then one morning I woke up with a sore throat. Sore throat 4 days before my 5k. I was really scared of getting sick in ways that would keep me from running, so I threw down cups of tea and used the neti pot and I was able to keep it out of my chest until this past Monday morning, giving me Sunday to meet one of my two goals for my 5k.

I felt crappy but I had one more training run scheduled and I didn't want to miss it since I didn't want to run the day before the race. I ran just 2 miles to keep it short and sweet but gave it all I had. I beat my previous fastest mile. Ran the first mile in 9:14.

On 5k day I had my handsome gentleman there to cheer me on and I held a pink handkerchief just in case I needed to blow my nose. As you might recall, my two goals for the 5k were to 1) not stop running and 2) beat my time from my first 5k. I met goal #2 with such gusto that I think I'll let myself slide on not making it on goal #1. My first 5k I ran in 33:20. Last Sunday I ran it in 29:36. I was floored when I came sprinting up to the finish line, running past the girl in the Santa socks that kept up with me for most of the race. Floored when I saw the 29 up there on the clock. And the beep of when my bib crossed the finish line. And that feeling that I might throw up and trying to breathe through my nose. It was an amazing day. I felt amazing.

Unfortunately I haven't done any exercising since. I tried doing a little bit of yoga when the cold moved down to my chest but after 10 minutes of Downward Dog I felt dizzy so I stopped. I think I'm pretty much better now and really want to try a quick run during my lunch hour tomorrow. Daylight Savings Time is over and here in the great state of New Hampshire the sun goes away at 4:30. Need to get myself something reflective before I take on running in the dark.

I've felt like a kid standing at the window on a rainy day that really wants to go play outside. Instead my runny nose rains on my exercising parade.

Food over the last two weeks has been concise. I haven't felt very much like cooking so I've tried to eat quick and easy things to just keep me fed. I have tried something new that I'd like to sing the praises of...

Powdered. Peanut butter.

I ordered some PB2 on Amazon and tried it in two different ways. I mixed it in my morning protein shake for a peanut buttery, vanilla taste... then I mixed it with water to make actual peanut butter which I spread on banana slices.

To me it has the consistency of the Reese's peanut butter... I don't know if they even sell that stuff anymore. I don't think it would be very good in a sandwich... it doesn't have that creamy, oily goodness of regular peanut butter. But adding it to shakes it's definitely easier. And even on the banana it wasn't too bad. It's 85% less fat and calories, so changing it up a little bit every once and a while can really save on the calories.

I've also been eating more spaghetti squash. Yea. I'm addicted. I made a sort of macaroni and cheese with it. I just took a cup of spaghetti squash and an ounce of cheese, shredded... I layered the squash and cheese in a small casserole dish and baked it until the cheese was melted and bubbly. I enjoyed it with a chicken breast and some veggies.

I took some to work with alfredo sauce on it. It really does do it for me as a pasta replacement. I'm just not looking forward to when they go out of season. $.79 a pound right now is probably helping the addiction a little. Got one in the fridge right now... next to the acorn squash that I really need to cook but I'm not sure how I want to do it.

Tonight I got it in my head to make a Pinterest recipe but you know, I can't follow directions so I had to make it how I wanted to. It was from a Paleo website. Let's call it Zucchini and Sweet Potato Frittata. Here's what you need:

1 zucchini, sliced

1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 large eggs

4 large egg whites

Seriously this couldn't be easier. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a saute pan (bigger than the one I used, preferably haha) cook your veggies until suitable doneness for your taste. Remember you will be baking these veggies too, so keep that in mind.

In a bowl, beat together eggs and egg whites. Mix in the cooked veggies and put it in an oiled up casserole or baking pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until browned and set. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into 4 servings.

I tried a bite of a little that was stuck in the pan when I scooped it out and wow... very tasty! Looking forward to eating some for lunch tomorrow.

 

I made another Pinterest recipe for a party that I went to yesterday. They call it “Cheesecake Dip.” Essentially you mix together a package of cream cheese, a tub of marshmallow fluff and a tub of whipped topping. I used the 1/3 less fat cream cheese and the fat free whipped topping and this came out to be less than 100 calories per couple tablespoon serving. I topped it with cherry pie filling, which isn't pictured here (I put the cherries on top at the boyfriend's house and again, try not to take pictures of my food in front of him haha).  I served it with Cinnamon Sugar pita chips and graham crackers.

This weekend was the first time in a while where I looked up recipes before I went shopping. I'm looking forward to a couple more recipes that I'll be trying this week... I'm sure you'll hear all about it.

Tomorrow starts my bowling league... first game. I'm on a team with some coworkers and I'm really looking forward to getting that started.

Volume 2 of The "Tasty Recipe" Series: Updates for Archived Posts

I will continue moving over my recipes periodically, though I promise a full fledged post this weekend (or so I say, here with impending sore throat... I have not been sick for a while so I don't know if I'm going to know how to act).

Let's do the time warp again.

Tasty Recipe #4:  Bok Bok Bok
October 12, 2009

I had every intention of putting a couple days between my commentaries here, but this thing that I stumbled into making tonight is just too good to keep to myself. This is absolutely fabulous.

I still had some left over bok choy from making my stir fry (see Tasty Recipe #1)... had it cut up into pieces and chilling out in a produce bag in the fridge, but it's been a little while and I wanted to use it before I lost it. So... TO THE INTERNETS!

I found this simple recipe for a Bok Choy Chicken Soup and it's made like this:

3-4 cups of Bok Choy
3 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth, if you go that way)
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
dash of red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, pulverized into oblivion (or grated, but that doesn't sound as fun).

Couldn't be easier. Bring your broth to a boil... add the garlic, pepper flakes, oil and soy sauce... simmer a bit, then put in your bok choy. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until it's nice and wilted.

I can't tell you how good this is!!! And what's the best part? Oh. It's only 1 point per serving. It's the sesame oil that adds points... in all reality, probably if you take it down to 1 tsp, you'd barely have a point once you split it amongst 4 people (or in my cause, 4 containers in my fridge). The more I cook with sesame oil... the more i LOVE it. You've gotta try this.

I did have a caveat to this... which I will share.  This soup does NOT keep well.  AT ALL.  It turned into some sort of toxic waste JUST overnight.  I remember getting together a portion for the next day and it being so rancid that I didn't even know how to dispose of it.  Make this for a group of people, people.


Tasty Recipe #5:  BBQ Bella Burger
October 13, 2009

There was a party in my mouth when I bit into this delightful concoction. And rounding off at a lovely 6 points for the entire contents of this plate, I'd say I did fairly well!

  I took my gigantic portobella cap and put it in a small skillet with a tsp of Olive Oil, all the while, cooking my asparagus coated in 1 tsp of olive oil, salt and pepper in a 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. I browned the underside of the bella first, adding just a few Tbsp of chicken stock to loosen it from the pan. Flipped it over and dropped my Arnold's Sandwich Thins in the toaster.

Next up... barbecue sauce! I put a Tbsp onto the underside of the bella and swirling it around, coating nicely... then flipped it again, saucing the other side... one more flip and on with the CHEESE! 1/3 c. of a pizza blend grated cheese. I scooped up some of the bbqed goodness from the pan to slap on top to help melt the cheese, then onto my bun... top it off with onion... and ding! 12 minutes and my asparagus are finished.

A 6 point meal in 12 minutes. YES!

Then I bit into this and thought I'd died and gone someone squishy and nice and barbecued


Tasty Recipe #6:  Sweet Potato Chips and Flatout Pizza
October 19, 2009

So I've found that when I don't do these little posts, I tend to do things like eat pumpkin ice cream and finish off a thing of cherry cordial Hershey kisses. So I guess this is good for me :D I made some pretty tasty stuff this weekend. I really can't get over the BBQ Bella Burger... made like 3 of those XD Have another bella cap just waiting...

To accompany a bella burger this weekend, I made some sweet potato chips (if you've heard about my bloodied finger, these are the reason it happened... dunno if I would go so far as to say "so worth it," but they were very tasty. I've mentioned this before.  This is when I took a nice layer of skin off my finger with my mandolin for not using the guide.  Don't believe me.  I have photographic evidence.  Check that out.

 Slice up your skinned sweet potato and soak it in cold water with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar for 30 minutes; this helps the crisping. Make sure to get all the water off before you lay them out on your sprayed cookie sheet. Flip them periodically. I flipped mine in 8-10 minute intervals and could see when they were finished. Let them set a little while and they will crisp up a little more. A few of mine were squishy, but yum. Sweet potato rounds. And just 1 point for using one medium sweet potato.

Next I had a hankering for some 'za... but totally did not have the extra points to spare (you know, with all of the ice cream I was eating) so I made a mushroom/alfredo pizza on a Flatout wrap. I discovered these wraps when I was on WW the first time... and now my groceries carry the "light" ones (not sure what makes it light, I don't see artificial sweetener in the ingredients, one of my big no nos). So here's what that looked like.


Used regular Ragu alfredo sauce and some pizza cheese blend. A personal pizza just how I like it for 4.5 points! I baked the wrap for about 6 minutes (I could smell it, so I pulled it out) at about 375 degrees. Pulled it out... topped it... then baked it until the cheese melted. I don't like dark pizza... but feel free to bake it longer to your liking.

Yay! I weigh tomorrow morning. Hopefully good intentions will fight away some of the ice cream that might stick with me :D

Today I weighed myself on the handsome gentleman's scale which is a funny little concept in an of itself.  He wants to gain weight, you know, muscle mass and all that.  I want to lose weight (not so much anymore, but you get the irony).  So his scale actually reads an average of 2 lbs lighter than mine.  If we'd just switch scales we'd be a lot happier.  Of course his only does half pound increments and that'd drive me crazy if I could see point 9.  But anyway, on his scale I was 136.  That means on my scale in the morning, we might be looking at the 130's for the FIRST TIME on my scale.  I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited to see that.

In other news.  I have a 5k to run on Sunday.  Already have my bib and such.  Also have a sore throat.  Doing what I can to keep this sickness above the neck so I can safely run without doing myself bodily harm.  I'm sure I'll be fine.  Just might not meet that goal of beating my last 5k time.  But I have another one in November that I can try for a faster time. 

Keeping the Negativity of Others in the Cabinet with the Potato Chips

Maintenance is stressful and carefree all at the same time.

Because when you get there, you're 100% equipped with the tools you need to maintain this lifestyle. But then you have those moments where you see that bag of potato chips and you tell yourself that you could eat that whole bag and be just fine. You eat a chip or two. You play with the bag, folding and unfolding the shiny, yellow plastic. And you have to make a choice.

I had an interaction recently that partially hurt my feelings while at the same time gave me the strength to know that no, I can't have that bag of chips. To paraphrase and not throw the other person in the situation into the fire, I'll just say that I was asked if I wouldn't overindulge in a particular food because I was afraid of gaining weight. “Look at you!” You can splurge.

The influence of others doesn't go away when you meet goal.

That brings us back to the concept that started this blog. Eating for one. Cooking for one. Cooking whatever the hell I want without anyone else's agenda or desires influencing me to make poor choices. Not having someone else buying potato chips and ice cream and flooding my kitchen with them.

I had a lot of time to think about the question posed in the scenario above and the easiest answer to the question, “What, are you afraid to gain weight” is yes. Yes. Yes I am. And it isn't that my body isn't nourished. I eat all of my calories, I get plenty of nutrients. But I don't have the stomach space to indulge anymore. If I eat more than 2 pieces of pizza, it physically hurts. Sometimes I even make a low calorie meal with tons of veggies and find myself leaving food on my plate because it just won't fit. That's what happens when you lose weight. My days of pounding down a whole large pizza by myself are gone. I eat ice cream out of a tea cup.

When I do push, when I push past satisfied into full and into stuffed, I find myself doing it multiple times a day. I tend to be psychologically confused by stomach pain. I try to fix it with food. Stress eating could be a result of this phenomenon. My stomach hurts, so I must be hungry. I eat, I overeat, my stomach hurts... therefore, I must be hungry. And I eat more.

That's when you have to make things better tomorrow. And try not to do it again.

I brag about him a lot, but my handsome gentleman is about the only person that I can eat with that doesn't pressure me to eat what is bad for me. Don't get me wrong, I don't have people lined up behind me yelling at me constantly to eat bad things... but he's always up for a well-balanced meal. He'll eat a salad at a restaurant. He keeps his potato chips in a cabinet instead of on the counter. I'm always so thankful for that.

We ate some pretty good food recently and I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures of it. I try not to take pictures of dinner when I'm cooking in his kitchen because I don't want to look insane... try not to look insane in front of the boyfriend...

But I love trying out different flavors with the same food items and dinner Friday night was quite tasty.

An aside here: How do you feel about food that was a staple of your family table as you were growing up? The reason I bring this up is every time I make pork I remember the fact that Pork Fried Rice used to be the only pork I would consume. And every time I make a pork tenderloin, marinaded in soy sauce, olive oil and honey, or rubbed with a bbq rub, pan seared then baked, I remember my grandma's pork chops. And though I love(d) my grandma very much, as well as her macaroni and cheese, her mashed potatoes, her cheesecake... I hated her pork.

So Friday night I did the pork tenderloin, a little over a pound, rubbed with bbq rub, pan seared for about 5 minutes on each side, and since I was making roasted red potatoes I had the oven already set on 400. I usually cook my pork tenderloin for about 35 minutes on 325-350. It always comes out good. But since the oven was already at 400, I just cut the time and left it in for 25 minutes.

Oh. Em. Gee. It was tender and as close to perfect as you could ask for. I had to cook the larger side for another 5 minutes (I usually cut it in half to better fit in my boyfriend's bachelor pad bakeware.

I made brussel sprouts as well (you know, since he likes those too) and this time I thought I'd go a little crazy. I melted two tabs of butter in the bottom of a pot, threw in my brussel sprouts which I had halved and peeled off the outer loose leaves, and added about 1 Tbsp of brown sugar. Stir, stir and stir. Cover. To me, brussel sprouts just like asparagus are finished when they turn bright green. They were so good. I moaned out loud when I put one in my mouth. I said, “I wish I could date me...”

So now for the food that I did take a picture of!!! Speaking of pictures of food, this November's issue of Cooking Light is delightful for a food voyeur like myself. And it's NOT full of Thanksgiving food. YUM!

Tonight I made Chicken Parm that was less than 400 calories (393 to be more exact, but you can lower that by using less cheese). The key ingredient was spaghetti squash, of course. I'm pretty addicted to that now.

I used the following:

2 pieces of Perdue Simply Smart breaded chicken tenders (try to get as close to 1 serving as possible, which is 3 oz. I used 3.8 oz to get my stats).

1 cup cooked spaghetti squash

½ c. Ragu sauce (use any kind you'd like, tonight I used the Roasted Red Pepper & Onion)

¼ c. 2% milk shredded cheese

Cook the chicken according to package directions, which involves an oven at 425 degrees. In a small casserole dish, combine your spaghetti squash and sauce, mixing the two together. Top with cheese and place it in the oven next to the chicken when there's 10 minutes left on the timer.

I have these super little casserole dishes that are the perfect size for a single-serve casserole like this.

Once the chicken is cooked and crispy, cut into bite sized pieces and put on a plate. Top with the contents of your casserole dish, being careful to put it on the plate cheese side up.

This was a ton of food. I almost didn't finish this. And it was so good. The breading on those chicken fingers is pretty fabulous.

In running news... last week I beat my fastest 5k time by a few seconds. Today, I beat that time by 1:42. I just felt really good and it was coming so easily. I found myself looking up at the blue sky, littered with clouds, just running along, enjoying the wind (despite the fact that I had to run into it) and enjoying the updated playlist. My second mile was 9:42 which is a record mile for me.

I'm going to be running a 5k next Sunday, which I'm excited about. I have two goals. The first is to not stop running. I know that's completely doable because I set that goal for my first 5k and succeeded. My second goal is to finish faster than the last 5k, which was 33:20. I'm hoping a combination of more practice and having people to compete against (it feels good to pass people) will help me achieve that second goal. It's the first one that is the most important. Need to remember to pace myself. This race starts at a high school track and goes through the trails of a park, so I'm looking forward to the scenery.

I'm trying to reincorporate strength training between my running days. Maybe that's giving me a little more umph too.