Day 34 - Morning Check-In

Good morning.  As I mentioned before, I have reading the book "The Doctor's Diet" and I have found a lot of useful tips in it.  One of the tips was to eat protein and fruit for breakfast.  For the last few days I have wanted to try this but every morning I wake up I crave cereal.  This morning I woke up and, like always, craved cereal.  I remembered that I had wanted to try eating a protein rich food instead and my initial reaction was to put it off until tomorrow.  But then I remembered that today is Sunday and if I wake up a little late tomorrow (Monday) I will have to grab something quick which will most likely be cereal.  If I am going to start switching it up, a weekend morning is the best time to start.

In the book there's a list of food that's high in protein.  Most of the foods on the list are not what I could consider "breakfast foods", for example: chicken, turkey, meat,fish, and beans.  The only foods I could imagine having with breakfast are: milk, eggs, and yogurt.  The problem was, after my first pregnancy I stopped eating eggs and after my second one I stopped eating yogurt.  Both foods grossed me out due to the experiences I had with them while pregnant.

One of the things I have noticed since I started eating healthier is that my preferences are changing.  When I started this diet I wasn't a big fan of broccoli or asparagus.  I ate them because they were healthy, not because I enjoyed them.  One of the other tips from the book is to slowly eat your food to enjoy all of the flavors.  The books says that your tastebuds will go through a trasformation after you cut out the processed foods and sugary foods from your diet-- you may even enjoy some healthy foods that you used to dislike.

I decided that I would yogurt another go last week and bought several flavors of Yoplait that I used to like (orange, lemon, and lime).  I also bought several containers of Greek yogurt, something I've never done before.  Last Thursday I brought a vanilla Greek yogurt with me to a clients as one of my snacks.  I paired the yogurt with a cup of fresh raspberries.  I was shocked out how freakin' good it was!  Since then, I have not eaten my usual snack of pretzels and instead of yogurt with raspberries.

So back to this morning (wow, kind of got off in a tangent there)... When I woke up I craved cereal and did NOT feel like yogurt.  I was tired and I wanted to grab something and go sit down so I could enjoy my morning caffeine.  I knew that today was the best day to start eating protein in a.m. but I really didn't feel like it.  But then I remembed that it was that type of thinking that got me into this mess in the first place so I grabbed a cup of yogurt and my caffeine and came back here to sit down.  I didn't grab the raspberries because, even though I'm hungry in the morning, I can't eat a lot.  The yogurt I chose was Dannon Light & Fit Greek Raspberry Chocolate.  It wasn't bad but it wasn't a favorite of mine.  I ate the entire container and will be focusing on how I feel for the next couple hours.  I ate the yogurt at 8am and it's already 11am and I am not hungry at all.  Maybe eating protein in the morning is better.  The next step will be trying some scrambled egg whites for breakfast.  I haven't eaten eggs in over twelve years so I have no idea how it will go.

For those of you interested, here is the list of protein rich roods:

1 cup milk: 8 (grams) of protein

1 cup soy milk: 6-8 grams

1 large egg: 6 grams

1 large egg white: 4 grams

½ cup low-fat cottage cheese: 12-15 grams

3 ounces meat: 21 grams

8 ounces of plain, low-fat yogurt: 14 grams

½ cup cooked beans (black, kidney, etc…): 7-8 grams

½ cup cooked lentils: 9 grams

½ cup chickpeas: 6 grams

3 ounces chicken or turkey: 24-27 grams

3 ounces sirloin steak: 18-21 grams

3 ounces tofu: 6-13 grams

Today is supposed to be HOT.  The weather app on my iPhone says it supposed to be around 95 degrees today!  I wasn't sure what we were going to do today but after seeing how hot it's going to be I am leaning towards going to the beach or going to the pool.  I have really wanted to go stand-up paddle boarding.  Maybe today will be the day.

Today's food plan:

Mid-Morning Snack: Raspberries

Lunch: Left over tacos or micro meal

Mid-Day Snack: Apple and carrots

Dinner: Cheeseburgers w/ 85% ground beef (the butcher said it's actually leaner than 90%), w/Trader Joe's lowfat white cheddar cheese, and a side of grilled asparagus or artichokes.  I also bought some kale I've been wanting to try so maybe I'll cook some of that up.  I also have some romaine that needs to be eaten before it goes bad so I might also make a salad.  If my family is coming over for dinner I will have to check to see if they can all eat red meat...If not I'll just cook chicken.  :)

Alright, I'm off to do some housework and finish my laundry.  Have a great Sunday everyone!!!  xoxo

Day 33 - Evening Check-In

So I was kinda bummed.  I got a message on MFP saying that I was dropped accidentally from the UAC (Ultimate Accountability Challenge).  The sender asked me to rejoin if I was dropped in error.  I replied letting him know it was an error and that I would rejoin right away.  I spent the next five minutes searching all of the groups on MFP and could not find the UAC June 2014 challenge.  I am pretty sure that was because it was a closed group and you only see those if you are in them.  I emailed the guy who dropped me back to ask for a link or something since I was unable to find the group to rejoin.  I explained that this was my first challenge and I had been working out every day because of the challenge.  I asked him to please find a way of sending me a link or adding me back since I was really hoping to complete my first challenge on MFP.  I sent the email last night and have not heard back.

I seriously hope that I'm added back but either way, I am going to complete the challenge, if not with the actual group than on my own.  When I set out to do something I want to finish what I start.  Speaking of...Today my brother stopped by the house at 1:30pm and asked to take the kids on a walk downtown to the art store.  He said they would be back in 1-1.5 hours.  I figured I had just enough time to get ready and go for a quick run... The only problem was that it was pretty hot out and I have been known to faint when I get too hot.  I have never done that well in the heat.  Usually I just feel crappy and super uncomfortable but there have been a few occasions that I actually have fainted.  In the past I wouldn't go for a walk or hike in the heat let alone a run.  But I wasn't sure I would have another chance to workout today so I figured I would give it a try.  If it turned out to be too hot I would just settle for a good walk.  If I was still too hot I could go home but at least I would have tried.

So at 2:00pm I set out for a run.  This is only my third day in a row running (I usually go to the gym) and I decided to go on my usual route.  I power walk for 1.6 miles and then run back the 1.6 miles home.  During the first half of my workout, during the power walk phase, I noticed there was very little shade since the sun was directly overhead.  I seriously doubted i would be able to run (I wasn't even sure I would be able to finish the power walk).  When I got to the cemetery (which is the 1.6 mark on a dead-end road) I found a small patch of shade where I drank some Gatorade, wiped off some of the sweat on my forehead, and cooled off for about 60 seconds before turning around and set off on my run.  About fifty feet into the run I again seriously doubted I would be able to go much further.  Not only was I overheating, I was also sore from my previous two days runs.  But I kept going and kept pushing myself and before I knew it I was at the half way mark.  At that point I said to myself "I can do this!"  The second half of the run was much harder than the first and the last quarter mile was the worse.  I just kept pushing myself and telling myself I could do it.  By the time I rounded the last turn and could see the end my route I was really struggling.  But I kept pushing myself and was able to complete the 1.6 miles back.

I was so proud of myself!  I never thought I would be able to accomplish something like that...I didn't know I had it in me.  I figured I would give up but I kept going.  It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.



Food for today:

Breakfast:
Honey Bunches of Oats w/Greek Yogurt & Mixed Berried (w/ nonfat milk)

Lunch:
Greek vanilla yogurt w/ 6 ounces of raspberries

Dinner:
Tacos (so good!) made w/96% ground beef, organic corn tortillas (cooked in a tbspn of oil), and 1/8 cup 2% Mexican blend shredded cheese

Looking back I noticed I didn't eat ANY vegetables today...oops.

I have been reading that Doctors Diet book and have started incorporating a lot of the advice from it, mainly to cut as much sugar from my diet as possible.  I am no longer having dessert after lunch of after dinner.  The first day was pretty hard but it's gotten easier since (I am on day 3-4).  The next change I made was to stop drinking diet soda.  The third change was to eat more vegetables throughout the day (that didn't work well today though).  The fourth change I made was to only eat the following three kinds of fruit for two weeks (I'm on day 2): berries, apple, or grapefruit.  The fifth change I made was to eat more protein (I'm on day 3)- you will notice I know eat yogurt at a snack instead of pretzels.  The other changes I'm trying to make are: eat one serving of complex carbs a day (which is very hard) and eat at least 25g of fiber a day.

I know that's a lot of changes to make and I'm not going to be really strict with all of them, for example, I still drank a sugar free RedBull this morning (8 ounce can).  Some of these changes are more immediate (fruit and protein) and some are more gradual (fiber and carbs).  As I mentioned in an earlier post, you can see my entire food journal for the past 33 days on MyFitnessPal.com (mu username is NicoleMarie001).

Alright, it's 8:07pm and I have to get the dishes started.  Hope everyone's having a good weekend so far.  :)

Day 32 - Evening Update

It's 7:30pm and my younger daughter and I are at the grocery store getting a few items for dinner... We couldn't decide between tacos and steak. I left it up to the kids and I think they finally decided...steak.

We're at the expensive grocery store because they have the BEST produce. I was buying my produce from Safeway until I bought some apples from this store and was amazed at out freakin good they were!!! It was then I vowed to buy all my fruit here. It doesn't always work out that way but when I do manage to get over here it's always worth it. To avoid stopping at another grocery store I decided to buy dinner here.

Alright...my daughter was using the bathroom so I came on here to write a post cause I was bored. Now she's done and I gotta go. :) xoxo


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Day 32 - 1 Month Anniversary!!!

Exactly one month ago I woke up and took hold of my life and my health. Since then, I am eating healthier, lowered my daily caloric and fat intake, drastically cut down the amount of sweets and carbs I ate, exercised for at least 30 minutes 6-7 days a week, and cut down on sodas and caffeine (now I drink 90% water). I have been feeling great, better than I have in a long time. I have loads more energy and am doing more fun outside activities with my kids. On top of it all I lost 15 pounds!

This weekend I am going to do a little shopping. Since I hit two milestones (lost 10 lbs and made it to one month) I get to pick out two of my "prizes". I already know what one of them will be: new running shoes. I wanted to get my nails done for the second one but the upkeep is time consuming. If have to make an appointment (which lasts 1.5 hours) every two weeks. I don't have a lot of free time and when I do I use it to exercise. I don't want to miss three hours a month of exercise because I'm getting my nails done. I may get a pedicure instead. Or, what I've really wanted, is a new outfit. I love getting new clothes...but maybe I should wait until I drop a couple more sizes.

I am about to go for my morning run. Have a great day everyone!!! xoxo


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Day 31 Update

When I woke up this morning I did not think I would be able to exercise since I had such a busy day scheduled.  After work I had to go to my daughter's Open House from 6pm-7pm.  We would then need to go to the grocery store and go home and make dinner.  I knew that it would be too late for a walk after dinner so I wasn't sure what to do.  If I didn't exercise for at least 20 minutes I would fail the new June2014 challenge I am doing on MFP (MyFitnessPal).

I ended up deciding to go for a run BEFORE work.  I normally get to my client's between 10am-10:30am.  I knew that if I went on a run I would get there later than 10:30am but I also knew my client wouldn't mind.  I hadn't been on a run in months and even then I could only run short distances at a time.  I figured I would alternate between walking and running.  I set off around 9am (after dropping my kids off at school).  I started with power walking to a local cemetery which is 1.6 miles away.  On the way back I decided to give jogging a try.  I was so surprised when I jogged the WHOLE WAY BACK HOME.  I didn't stop once!!!  I was so proud of myself.  I couldn't believe I could do that.

So tomorrow I want to wake up early (at 5:30am) and go for a run.  In order to do that I have to go to bed ASAP.  It's already 11:30pm which means I can still get six hours of sleep if I go to sleep right now.

Quick Daily Meal Summary:

*Breakfast: 2 cups Special K Fruit & Yogurt cereal w/nonfat milk (7:00am)
*Snack: 2 servings of baby carrots (11:00am)
*Snack: 1 nonfat Greek yogurt and 2 servings of raspberries (1:00pm)
*Lunch: Chicken Souza Enchiladas by Smart Ones (3:00pm)
*Dinner: 3 ounces baked chicken breast, 6 spears of asparagus, 1/2 cup white rice
Drinks today: 10-12 cups of water and 1 can diet 7-Up w/dinner

Good night everyone.  xoxo

P.S.  Tomorrow is my one month anniversary!!  You know what that means...MEASUREMENTS!!!  I am excited and nervous to post my updated measurements.  Either way, I know I've been kicking @ss.  Nite.  :)

Day 30 - Evening Update

Today has been a pretty good day, albeit a nonproductive one. I really should have spent more time working and less time reading diet blogs.  The good news is:  I FINALLY got my laptop back.  Lol, it sounds like it was being repaired or something...Nope...it was just at my office and I was too busy to pick it up.  :)

I started the day like I always do. I woke up, had breakfast (Special K cereal), and took my kids to school. Afterward I came home, read a little of The Doctor's Diet (a book my mom lent me- more on that later), and took a shower. At 10:30am I was back at my daughter's elementary school just in time to watch her school's dance showcase. The dance was fun to watch. My six year old had a blast and while we were waiting for the rest of the grades to go on, I chatted with some fellow parents.

After the dance I walked my daughter back to her classroom. I then headed back to my car which was parked a quarter mile away (it had taken me ten minutes to find a spot that close) and then I was off to the gym.

I had a fabulous workout. I first went on the elliptical machine for 35 minutes. I busted my butt and pushed myself harder than I usually do. I followed my cardio session with 15 minutes of stretching. I then moved on to 30 minutes of strength training (arms, back, abs, legs (including calves), and butt.

After showering off and dressing in some clean clothes, I went to my six year old's aftercare to see if she wanted to be picked up earlier (which she did).  I took her to my office for a little while because I had a ton of work to do.  Once again, instead of getting work done, I messed around online.  Over the past several weeks I have read a ton of weight loss blogs.  There are a couple that I absolutely love.  Now that I have my computer back I can post links to these blogs on my blog!  Yay.

My daughter and I left my office at 5:00pm.  I had to pick up my older daughter who was at a friend's house.  Instead of driving straight to the friend's house we drove home instead, picked up the dog, and walked to the friends house.  Then the dog, my two daughter's, and I had a nice walk home.  It was roughly 0.75 miles round trip so it wasn't a super long walk but it was nice nonetheless.  It was the perfect weather for an early evening walk...warm but not too hot.

As soon as we got home I barbecued up some steak and steamed some broccoli.  I LOVE steak and i thought that I wouldn't be able to eat it anymore with my new low fat diet.  But, after doing a little research, I found that there are lean cut of steaks that are low in fat.  Yesterday I bought the leanest steak I could find at Trader Joe's: Top Sirloin Filets.  They were delicious!!  They were cooked perfectly and were super juicy.  My kids said it was the best steak they ever had.  The only downside was the steak was a little pricey ($10.99/lb) but it was worth it.  I will definitely be buying this again.

After dinner I did the dishes, got out my laptop, updated my groups on MFP, updated my food journal on MFP, and then came on Blogger to write this post.

That's it for now... xoxo




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3rd WEEKLY WEIGH-IN

-2.8 pounds

Woo hoo!

I lost another 2.8 pounds! It's interesting... I was losing about 3.4 pounds a week when I was going to the gym 4-5 times. This past week I went on walks and stuff but was only able to make it to the gym once or twice and then I lost 2.8 pounds. Don't get me wrong, I am STOKED that I lost 2.8lbs in a week...I just wonder if I would have lost even more if I had gone to the gym more often.

Either way...I LOST 2.8 LBS!! :)

I don't have any clients scheduled today but I do have to go to my office at some point to pick up my laptop. I haven't been able to write updated blog posts on MFP or write update comments in the group challenges I'm in. That's my one major complaint with the MFP app for the iPhone. I should be able to check out blogs and groups on it instead of having to go online.

Since I don't have any clients scheduled today I was definitely planning on going to the gym. My six year old has a dance performance today at her school at 10:30am. I'll probably be done around noon so I'll probably grab some lunch afterward and then head to the gym. Right now it's 8:47am and I am debating whether or not I should go for a quick run before going to her performance. I'm still not quite sure what I'm going to do. Even if I do go for a run, I am definitely going to the gym this afternoon for some strength training. Ill check out the classes to see if there are any Zumba classes in the early afternoon (I've been wanting to try one).








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Location:Hart St,San Rafael,United States