What a Week...Workouts and Food

It's been a few days since I've posted and now that I finally have a few minutes, I figured I'd do some updating. The last three days have been 10+ hours at the office, so my regular schedule has been turned upside down. I have not made it to the gym since Tuesday night, and I am really starting to feel it. Since I haven't been able to hit the gym, I have adjusted my calorie intake to float around 1200 a day to ensure I am not eating without burning calories. Though 1200 is a bit lower than my normal average of 1600, I have found I'm so busy I haven't been noticing my hunger. This is not something I find to be good at all.

Even though I get busy, I need to continue to eat throughout the day rather than chow down when I get home. When my eating schedule is not consistent, I notice I am more easily irritable and absolutely exhausted. Take my advice and learn from my bad habit - even if you are stretched to the max and busier than ever, take 5 minutes every now and again and eat something healthy. For example, I will be buying blueberries this weekend to have on hand at work. I am also going to pick up some more baby carrots and celery to keep in the refrigerator. These are things I know I will snack on throughout the day, regardless of how busy I am because they are quick, easy, non-messy snacks.

Even after my eating failure for the past few days, I have lost another pound. So, don't get too down on yourself if you can't make it to the gym every day, or forget to eat when you should. If you are still eating the right things, and make minor adjustments, you can maintain and possibly lose.

Another thing not to get too down on yourself about is not losing weight as quickly as you'd like. Though I have lost six pounds in the last 9 days, I know this trend is about to be over. The first five are pretty easy to cut when you make a significant change to your diet, but after that, it's all about the effort you put in. Not only is tracking your food extremely important, but so is working out. And, I don't mean the walking from machine to machine at the gym with a 1-2 minute break in between each set of lifts. I mean, full on, sweat like a man, breathing so hard you think you really may puke (several times), kind of work out.

I've received quite a few emails asking what my workouts actually look like, and let me tell you, I'm not pretty when I get done. My workouts start with 5 minutes of cardio at a pretty steady pace to get my heart rate up to about 160 beats per minute. From there I head straight to weights and lift for about 40 minutes. All lifts include 16-20 (usually 20) reps and are pushed out in a pretty quick pace. I then put the weights down and do something to continue to keep my heart rate up - like push ups until I can't push up anymore, planks, a very quick pace on the bike, another lift that piggybacks on the one I just did, 20 lunges... you get the picture. And, if you aren't breathing so hard you kind of want to die when you get done with that set, you didn't push yourself hard enough. From there I catch my breath just enough to move back into the lift. Each thing you do gets three full sets. By the time I get done with lifts, I am sweaty, exhausted, and ready for abs and core. On average, I do 10-15 minutes of abs/core every day. This can include anything from more planks, leg lifts, crunches, side abs, lower back core, big slow circles when planking with the Bosu Ball, and more. Again, I do 3 sets of 20 and it's back to back. I try not to take any breaks at all when doing abs. After that, I'm finally done with abs and it's off to the cardio equipment for 30 minutes of high heart rate fun... And when I say high heart rate, I mean it; at least 180 beats per minute (if you new to working out or at a weight where 180 is way too high, just make sure you get yourself to a pace where you are breathing a bit hard for the whole workout). :)

Another question I keep getting, is, "What exactly are you eating?" I wish there was a way I could remote everyone into my food log, but since there isn't, here's a pretty easy breakdown of what I'm doing. For breakfast I have 1 scoop of protein powder in 16oz. of coffee. I have found this to be enough to last me from about 7:30-10:30 before I start feeling hungry again. Around 10:30 I eat a snack like a piece of fruit or some vegetables with organic hummus. Remember to watch your portion sizes, even with fruits and vegetables. A serving of fruit is about the size of your fist, it's okay to eat a bigger one, but keep that in mind when you are tracking your food. Even healthy food, when eaten in too high of quantities, can throw off your weight loss.

Lunch is usually around 12:00 and typically consists of more vegetables and an animal protein. Usually, it is leftovers from dinner so it includes turkey, shrimp, or chicken. Around 2:30, I will munch on a protein bar if I am really hungry, or, if I can make it until 3:00, I'll have a banana. Bananas are great to eat about one hour before a workout to help fuel muscles.

After the workout I go strait home and make dinner. Every night includes a salad, usually with spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, kiwi and garbanzo beans. I also throw on a small amount of feta cheese so I don't feel like I'm missing out on any of the good stuff. A great salad dressing is Paul Newmans Low Fat Sesame Ginger. It is seriously amazing and I encourage everyone to go out and buy it! Dinner also includes a lean animal protein like trout, turkey, chicken, game hen, salmon, halibut, etc. And, when seasoning, I try to use natural foods like a fresh onion, garlic, lemon juice, lime juice... Get creative! There are a million and a half recipes out there and even more email lists you can get on to have healthy recipes sent your way on a daily basis.

I know it's a difficult path to follow when one first jumps on board, but after a few weeks it becomes the new norm. The more cravings I push through, the easier it gets, and I can guarantee everyone else the same. Just stick with it, have a little patience, and you'll start feeling and seeing results!

Day 6

Six days in and five pounds down!

Today is day six and I feel better than I have in a long time. My energy level is way up and my body feels better. Since changing my diet, I have not had my typical irritable stomach and absolutely no bloating. For the first time in a while, I don't feel like I have to suck my stomach in when I'm standing up. It is absolutely amazing how quickly my mid-section has slimmed out since I cut out the processed sugar and wheat.

When I first started this food choice, I was worried I wouldn't be able to feel full enough. I have found this to be completely false. By focusing on getting in a substantial amount of protein with each meal, at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and 8+ glasses of water, I am actually more full for longer periods of time. I have also found I feel less tired after eating.

The last thing that has been noticeable is my general mood. I have known for a while that "gym time" helps keep me sane, but over this past week, I have seen a noticeable change in my attitude. I am not so grouchy and wake up feeling ready to start the day. I also don't need coffee the minute I crawl out of bed; I have substituted 16oz. of cold water and finish that before even thinking of starting the coffee pot.

The only thing that has been difficult over these past days are the cravings for those foods that are off limits. I am a sugar addict and dessert is still something I crave on a nightly basis. But, I have been finishing a meal with fresh strawberries or a ripe kiwi so I don't feel like I'm completely missing out or neglecting my sweet tooth. Simple substitutions for healthier alternatives really do help curb the cravings.

For today's final update, I thought I'd throw this in. I went dress shopping this weekend for a friend's wedding, and I'm down to the smallest I've been since my freshman year of college. If you take my previous dress size and cut it in half, you have my new size! Though I still see things to fix when I look in the mirror, it was great to see some major progress in my dress size.

It's Working!

Well, it's day four of no processed sugar and wheat. Though it has been pretty difficult, it is working. This morning when I jumped on the scale, I was down 3 pounds! Now, I do realize a person typically gains 1-2 back when they re-introduce foods that have been cut out, but I still feel great about finally seeing the scale move again.

The other thing I really feel is helping is my food journal. I downloaded "My Net Diary" on my iPhone, and have found it to be a very useful app. I am able to utilize it from both my phone and any computer with Internet access. The great thing is I can track everything from food, to water intake, to exercise, and much more. The fact that I have to log everything I put in my mouth is really holding me accountable, and makes me really think before eating or drinking something. I can also look up food and see the calories before I actually eat them, so I am better equipped to decide if it's something that's really worth eating. At this point I'm not specifically "counting calories," but it is good to see how quickly they accumulate if I'm not paying attention.

I've also started setting goals again, but not ones that are months and months away. For example, my goal on Friday was to get through the entire weekend and log everything I ate or drank. By only having to focus on the following two days, it was much easier to stick to the plan. Also, I made a goal to not drink any alcohol this weekend, and even though I went out, it wasn't extremely difficult to abstain. Since I didn't say, "no drinking for a month," or, "I have to log every day for the next 16 weeks," it was easier to not fall off the wagon.

So, small goals = big results. Just taking things one to two days at a time seem to work better than looking WAY out into the future.

Day One Done!

I made it through day one! Yesterday actually went really well, I made it through the entire day with no processed sugar and no wheat. I have to admit, I had to talk myself out of making rice or noodles to go with the stir-fry last night, but once I made the conscious decision not to, the calories just weren't worth it, and I was able to get along just fine without.

As far as the workout went, yesterday's food choices seemed to have no impact on my energy level. I was able to push through a very difficult leg day and 30 minutes of cardio after the lift (which is pretty standard for me). But, I can say, I'm nowhere near as sore as I normally would be, and I'm thinking the extra protein I substituted for my usual carbs, may have something to do with that.

As for today, I found myself very hungry when I woke up this morning. A quick, easy fix before slugging down a protein shake at work... 15 almonds with 1Tbsp. of organic humus. It completely took the edge off my hunger. I think I just found my new favorite snack!

Getting Started

Well, I have decided that maybe if I actually write about it, I'll get to that final goal! I'm working out 4-5 days a week and have been pushing myself pretty hard. And, as of today, I'm cutting foods that are difficult for my body to process. That means, no more processed sugar, bread, and pasta. I am bound and determined to hit my goal by June 30th.

As I go through the change in my eating habits, I'll blog about my mood, energy level, workouts, etc. to help me see what works, and what doesn't. 16 weeks to lose 14 pounds... I think I can do it!