Day 58

Tuesday, July 1, 2014 @ 11pm

This morning got off to a late start.  My six year old woke me up around 7:30am.  I got up, got us breakfast, drank my morning caffeine, and then laid back down on my bed next to my daughter to watch some cartoons with her.  I ended up falling back asleep and didn't wake up for another hour.  When I did wake up I jolted up to look at the clock and saw it was almost 10am...crap!  I hurried to get ready for work while at the same time trying to convince my six year old to get herself ready.  She can me such a little diva in the morning.  The is a major perfectionist and that can through a serious kink into trying to get her dressed quickly (since her outfit has to be "perfect").  This morning was no different.  On top of the usual morning drama, my daughter's daycare was going to the pool so I my daughter and I had to pick out a bathing suit on top of picking out her outfit.  I grabbed the one piece suit she usually wears but she didn't want "that one".  When I went to find her other one piece she informed me that she wanted to wear a two piece instead (even though she never wears a two piece).  Thankfully her two piece was right where I thought it would be- in the bathing suit drawer (this is usually not the case since my kids take things out all the time and instead of putting them back where they found them, they somehow manage to leave things in the yard, on the patio, under their bed, or in one of their many toy bins).  I also had to pack her goggles, beach towel, clean underwear, clean sock, and sneakers (since she wore her flip flops)... and of course the usual sunblock and lunch.

Getting ready took a lot longer than expected and we didn't end up leaving the house until 11:30!  I dropped her off at 11:40am and didn't get to my client's until noon.  Thankfully, my client didn't seem to mind that I got there so late (at least she didn't say anything).  I also knew that I didn't have a heavy workload today so I could afford to arrive a little later than usual.  By 6:00pm I had completed everything that needed to be done.  I picked up my daughter from daycare and then headed to the grocery store.

For dinner tonight I grilled up some boneless skinless chicken breasts.  I bought a couple new spices to try out on the chicken.  I grilled three breasts: one with some mesquite seasonings, one with an Italian seasoning, and one without seasoning for my six year old.  Both seasonings turned out to be pretty darn delicious.  The only chicken breast left over was the one without seasonings.  I also cooked some steamed broccoli, instant mashed potatoes, and some gravy.  Dinner turned out excellent but, more importantly, I felt completely satisfied afterward.

The only issue with cooking a dinner with several dishes is the cleanup process totally sucks.  Since I am a single parent, I am the one who always does the cooking and cleaning.  My six year old had picked out a movie from one of those RedBox machines in the grocery store.  Since we have seen the usual picks (Frozen, Lego Movie, Despicable Me 2...) we always end up renting low budget kid movies with pretty bad graphics.  Once in a while we get one that's actually pretty good.  Tonight's movie was not one of those.  The movie was called Big Bear or something like that.  Not only were the graphics atrocious, the story itself was awful.  I had planned on relaxing with my kids on the couch after dinner to watch the movie, but since the movie was so poor, I ended up doing housework instead.

As soon as the movie ended the kid's and I sat on the large couch and I read a chapter of the first Harry Potter book (we were at chapter nine).  We started reading the book a few months ago.  Every week or two we sit down for another chapter.  Ideally we would read a chapter every night (at this pace it's going to take us several years to get through the entire series) but my older daughter would much rather play on her phone than sit down with her little sister and me to read a book.  I usually end up making her, which doesn't go over to well...But she enough, after a couple minutes, she is drawn into the story.  A few times she has begged to to read a second chapter.  lol

I am looking forward to tomorrow since I will FINALLY be able to start going to the gym again.  It is also my weekly weigh-in day...not sure how that's going to go.  Well, I'm off to bed.  I'll check back in manana.  :)

Day 57

Monday, June 30, 2014 @ 8:43pm

Today didn't quite go as planned.  I was very excited to go to the gym today and get back into my usual workout routine.  I arrived at my clients at 9:45am, which is earlier than I usually get there.  I figured it would take me anywhere from 2-4 hours to finish the work that needed to be done.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize how much work there was to do.  When I finally finished everything and left it was already 5:30pm.  That only gave me thirty minutes until I had to pick up my six year old from day care, which was no where near enough time to go to the gym beforehand.

Tomorrow I will be working in Lucas Valley all day at my Tuesday client's office and there is no way I will have enough time to go to the gym.  I will have to wait until Wednesday which is a bummer but what are you gonna do...?  At least I am feeling much better.

For breakfast today I ate a bowl of cereal.  We were out of my usual Special K so I had to eat some Chocolate Toast Crunch my bf bought for our kids.  I was so busy at work I didn't stop to make my lunch.  Instead, I ate two servings of sourdough nibbler pretzels.  For dinner I cooked some tacos using 96% lean ground beef from Trader Joes (plus the taco sauce and seasonings I cook the meat with), Mirancho organic corn tortillas, and 2% shredded jack & cheddar cheese.  After dinner I had a sweet craving and really wanted to eat a couple of the kid's Double Stuff Oreos (another food their father bought for them).  I decided I would calculate my food for the day to see if there was even an option of having dessert.  I am very happy I did that because it turned out I only had around 70 calories left for the day.  I could have eaten one Oreo but instead I opted for a small bowl of Haagen Daaz Lemon Sorbet (1/4 cup).

It is time for me to get the kids ready for bed.  After adding that cup of sorbet to my food log I ended up under my daily calorie (if only for 11 calories).  I am happy to say I am officially back on the wagon, not that I was ever really "off".  I was very worried I would start making excuses or start procrastinating like I have done in the past.  I don't really feel "back on the wagon" yet.  That won't happen until I get back to my usual workout routine on Wednesday.

Good night everyone.  :)

Day 56

Sunday, June 29, 2014 @ 12:05pm

On Friday I attempted the juice cleanse again.  Once again I made it through the entire day by only drinking the juices provided.  I started drinking the juices around noon though and was only able to finish five of them by the end of the day.  I was so hungry I tried chugging the fifth drink and ended up making myself feel sick.

I went to bed around 10:30pm feeling very hungry, tired, with a headache.  Overall I felt pretty crummy.  Just the thought of drinking the cucumber/spinach/kale/parsley drink for breakfast made me sick to my stomach.  I wasn't sure how I was going to manage, especially since I had a funeral to go to the following day.  I decided not to worry about it and try to get some rest.  I was woken up at midnight and was so hungry and miserable I could will myself back to sleep.  I gave in and ate a small bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats which made me feel much better.  But I didn't stop there.  I then grabbed a piece of the pepperoni pizza my mom had ordered earlier that night and popped it in the microwave for a few seconds just to warm it up a bit,  It wasn't the pizza I was craving but the pepperoni.  My stomach had shrank from not eating much of anything for five days so I wasn't able to eat much of the pizza- about half of it.

After eating I felt better but was kind of disappointed that I had given in to the hunger.  I figured I could still continue the juice cleanse the following morning but that didn't exactly happen.  I woke up around 7am feeling much better than the previous few days and I was sure it was in part due to eating my midnight snack.  I took the last six juices out of the freezer, leaving juice 1 and 2 on the counter to defrost quickly and juices 3-6 in the fridge.  Around 8am I cooked up Swedish pancakes for my kid's breakfast.  I was starting to get pretty hungry but my juices had not defrosted yet.  By 11am I was really hungry and the juices were still pretty frozen.  My boyfriend arrived at my house a little past noon to pick up the kids and I to head to the funeral.  The juices still weren't defrosted and the hungry was really starting to bother me.  I decided to forgo the juices and opted to pack a small lunch for the kids and I consisting of raspberries, carrots, crackers, cheddar and turkey slices, and a few other snacks.

The drive to the funeral took about thirty minutes.  In the car I ate the container of raspberries and they were soooooooo good.  My boyfriend's father told us to get to the funeral hall by 1:30pm but when we arrived at 1:15pm no one was there yet.  He called his aunt and found out the funeral didn't start until 2:00pm.  It was starting to get pretty hot out so we found a bench in some shade and sat down to eat some lunch.  The kid's weren't that hungry so they only ate a few crackers and turkey.  I on the other hand was pretty hungry but only managed to eat a few crackers with turkey and cheese since my stomach had shrank so much.

The service was very nice.  I was a little nervous that my six year old would have trouble sitting still but she did amazingly well.  After the service everyone went to my boyfriend's aunt's house where they served a delicious feast of barbecued chicken, caesar salad, homemade chili, pasta salad, and warm dinner rolls.  I started out with a small caesar salad (which was delicious!!).  My older daughter filled up on a large bowl of chili so she didn't touch the chicken on her plate.  Not wanting the chicken to go to waste (wink wink) I started picking at it.  It was cooked beautifully and tasted wonderful.  My six year old fought me over the skin, which was the best part.

After dinner they served cookies.  I told my kids they would have ONE and they of course managed to con their great uncle into giving them a second and then third.  There were a bunch of kids there and they all put their feet in the pool to cool off as the day went on.

We ended up heading home around 6:30pm.  By the time we got home everyone was pretty tired so we rented the Lego Movie and relaxed on the couch for a bit.  I barbecued a couple little steaks but only my younger daughter and i were hungry.  After putting the kids to bed my boyfriend and I watched Pain and Gain (which is a pretty weird movie) and I eventually went to bed around 1am.

The kids were bummed that they couldn't swim in the pool yesterday so we agreed to take them swimming today.  My boyfriend is picking us up in twenty minutes so I actually need to start getting ready.  Starting tomorrow I should be back to my usual self and that means back to my low fat diet and daily exercise.

Day 53 - Update & Weigh-In Results

6/26/14 - Thursday

-4.4 lbs

Somehow the dates on my blog posts got kind of messed up. When I have some free time I'll go back and try to fix them all. From now on, I'm going to start writing the date in the actual blog post. 

So as you may have noticed, I haven't written a new post in a few days. That's because I was really sick. On Monday evening I came done with the flu and didn't get out of bed until last night. I started the juice cleanse on Monday but had to quit on Tuesday do to the fact that I was so sick. I am also bummed out that I lost the June 2014 Ultimate Accountability Challenge since I couldn't exercise on Tuesday, Wednesday, or today, and didn't log the Gatorade or few pretzels I ate on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

It's been a rough few days. The only bright side was that I lost 4.4 lbs this weigh-in!!!  I am looking forward to feeling better and getting back to my usual routine.  

Day 1 of the Juice Cleanse

Today I am starting my very first juice cleanse.  I opted for the 3-day cleanse from which I figured would be a lot easier that a 2-week or even a 1-week cleanse.  There is an Urban Remedy shop right down the street from where I live.  While walking my daughter to her friend's house yesterday afternoon we passed by the Urban Remedy store.  I decided that we would stop by on the way back. Several months ago I looked into doing a juice cleanse and found Urban Remedy's website.  I was a little surprised at how much the cleanse costs per day so I held off at the time.  When we stopped inside yesterday I realized it was the perfect time to start a cleanse.  I have eating healthy for almost two months now.  Not only have I lost 20 pounds, I am also feeling better.  I have more energy and just feel happier.  There are several reasons I have wanted to try a juice cleanse, but the number one reason is to "cleanse" my body.  It's like that saying "my body is my temple"... You have to take care of your body if you want health and happiness.

When I woke up this morning I was craving my usual breakfast of sugary cereal and a Red Bull energy drink for my morning caffeine, neither of which are permitted on my juice cleanse.  Instead, I allowed myself one small cup of coffee with a little milk (I probably shouldn't have added the milk though).  The juice cleanse instructions say to have a cup water with lemon first thing in the morning before you drink your first juice drink.  The woman at the juice bar said I could have a little caffeine if needed but they don't recommend it.  I usually have a sugar free energy drink in the morning.  I figured coffee was better than the energy drink.  After drinking some coffee I poured some fresh squeezed lemon juice into my water bottle.  Then it was onto my first juice drink.  The way the juice cleanse work is the juices come in packs of six.  They are numbered 1 through 6 and you are supposed to take them in order throughout the day.  The first juice of the day is called "Brainiac" and the ingredients are: cucumber, celery, spinach, parsley, and lemon...that's it, no added water or anything.  I'll be honest...the Brainiac was absolutely disgusting.  I tried a sip and the after taste was so strong and lasted for so long I wasn't sure I'd be able to down a whole bottle of the green sludge.  But I am committed so I plugged my nose and started drinking.  I was pretty proud that I was able to finish the whole bottle.  Before I drank the juice I was feeling hungry and tired; afterwards I my hunger died down and I just feel good.  It's like my body can tell that I just put a whole bunch of healthy crap in it.
Next up is the "Time Machine".  This one consists of lemon, acai, cayenne, and stevia.  This one is much better than the first one, although I still wouldn't say it tastes "good".  You are supposed to drink a juice every two hours, even if you aren't hungry.  If you wait until your hungry the juice won't be enough to satisfy your hunger and it will be harder to stick with it.

It is 12:00pm and I am on juice #2.  I will check in throughout the day to let you know how it's going and to let you know how the juices taste.

Day 45 Check-In

Here's a recap of today:

This morning I decided to go for an uphill walk before work. I wanted to go for a run but figured it was too hot. I ended up walking while talking on the phone for about 15-20 minutes. A good friend of mine moved to New Orleans a year ago and she is about to give birth to her second child. I hadn't spoken to her in several weeks so it was really nice to catch up. As soon as I got off the phone I started my uphill walk (I had waited since I didn't want to be out od breath while talking). On the way back down on the backside of the hill I decided to run and kept running until I got back home. I walked around the block once to cool down and then went inside to stretch. 

I had wanted to get to work around 10:30 or 11:00am but didn't actually get there until 12:00pm. It actually worked out though. I finished work at 4pm but realized the accounting program was having some issues. It turned out the program was corrupted and it took me another two and a half hours to fix. I left at 6:30pm and still had to stop at the grocery store. I was very happy I had already completed my daily workout since I didn't have time to go to the gym after work. 

For dinner I grilled some Top Sirloin Filets from Trader Joe's and had a side spinach salad that was very good. For breakfast I had cereal (Frosted Mini Wheats), and a cup of coffee. During my run I drank G2 Fruit Punch Gatorade (about 8 ounces). When I got home I ate my mid morning snack: medium Gala apple. Around 1:30pm I ate lunch: Smart Ones Mesquite Chicken, and then ate my mid afternoon snack around 5pm: 2 servings of baby carrots. After dinner I was WAY under my daily calories so I ate a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich. 

By the time I went to bed I was craving something sweet so I ate 2.5 sugar free black licorice sticks Nd then a couple pieces of sugar free gum. 

Today was a good day. I came in way under my daily calorie limit and I managed to workout even though it was a busy day. 

5th WEEKLY WEIGH-IN

-3.4 pounds

I am so stoked!! I honestly thought my weight loss had stopped or had seriously slowed down. I was shocked when I got on the scale this morning and saw my weight was 158.8 !!!!!!  First, I am super stoked that if have now lost exactly 20 pounds!! I am also seriously stoked that I am back in the 150 range. I was really looking forward to getting below 160. Now all I have to do is get below 150 and then below 140. 

I was so excited about my weight loss today I went to the gym this afternoon and busted some serious ass. I first ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes, then power-walked uphill for 30 minutes, and then did an hour on the stationary bike. I followed my cardio session with the usual stretching and strength training. 

I'm trying to figure out what I did this past week that was different from the week before. I would love to keep seeing 3 lb losses every weekly weighin. Unfortunately I haven't been very good at keeping up with my blog posts lately, although I'm still entering everything I eat on MFP.