Day 31

I am doing great on the working out this week, but awful on the eating. It's not that I am eating hamburgers, french fries and donuts.,... I think it is that I am not eating enough. For instance, yesterday after exercising I had 1400 calories to hit for the day. It was an eat-a-thon. The bad thing about this is my body must think it is going into starvation mode, so I am saving every piece of fat and sticking it to my ribs. lol! I haven't gained weight.. I just haven't lost. I am trying to get lean.... and what I am doing is not working, so I am going to try this Herbalife thing. It is so against everything I believe in, i.e. two shakes a day and a bunch of vitamins, but I think it is worth trying for a month to see how it goes. I'll have a little coach and everything. Let's see how the next thirty days go!
Breakfast: Fiber One
Lunch: Oatmeal
Dinner: spaghetti with chicken, garlic, salt and pepper. a bite of stir fry, a skinny cow..
Snacks: baked goldfish
Exercise: 1.3 miles bike 20 minutes. Yay!

Day 30!

Wow, so I think I hit a slump last week. I was cheating left and right and lost focus of my goal. I plan to keep my new found energy to the end! lol! Part of what I am excited about is that I am making progress on my workouts. I never said I was here to actually lose a ton of pounds, but rather to get lean. Well, I think my clothes are fitting a bit better (even though the scale doesn't think so)... but my times are getting faster. This is embarrassing to admit, but when I started running at the beginning of this challenge my goal was to do one mile in 15 minutes (yes, that included time for walking). Today I ran a mile (without stopping) in 9 minutes 30 seconds. Now, for many of you that is slow! For me, that is super sonic fast! lol! It felt great! I also rode the bike today, but felt rushed to get home to Sophia. The good news is that I got a great workout in a thirty minute session... which to me is better than not going at all.

Breakfast: Full shake, w/banana
Snack: Fiber One bar (140 calories, really good, but almost too good)
Lunch: Subway Sandwich
Dinner: a scoop of stir fry and two pieces of Papa Murphy's Med. Delite pizza
Dessert: half a skinny cow.

One of these days I will cut the desserts out!

Day 29

This is how all days should go! I ate well, exercised and had fun. The only downside to today was the bitter cold!
Breakfast: 1 scoop shake
Lunch: 6" turkey sub!
Dinner: stir fry... oh, those veggies were so good!

Exercise: ran 1.3 miles. best time yet! Seriously, it went by so fast. I kept walking only because my stupid head got in the way, my lungs weren't burning... my legs weren't tired, but I slowed down anyway. doh! I also rode the bike for 20 minutes. I was working out during my late lunch break which made me anxious to get back to work. Tomorrow I plan on getting to the gym earlier.
Woo hoo!

Day 27

Yesterday was a great day. I love having a larger lunch and lighter dinner. Also, yesterday we played and got exercise while doing it! It was great!

Breakfast: Shake
Lunch: taco from Lone Star (so good!), Plus three chips
Dinner: snacks at a open house

Exercise: Carried Sophia to and from our car at the Holi Festival, at least one mile each way + extra 36 lbs on my back = great workout!

Day 26

Friday, Friday. Fridays are my hard days, there is always someone who wants to go out to lunch or dinner.. all play.

Breakfast: Shake
Lunch: hamburger and fries. Yikes! I know!!
Dinner: some healthy spinach dip, and some unhealthy pita chips.

Boo for today! No wonder it took me two days to write about it!

Day 25

Holy cow,
Ate a ton yesterday! Somehow I was within my calories by 50 calories. I think my big down fall was going to Cold Stone with Conrad. Then a family spaghetti dinner. Not only that I totally forgot my stuff for the gym, so there I was in the gym parking lot, full and exhausted and more than happy to find an excuse to not go inside.
Breakfast: shake with banana
Lunch: two eggs, toast and a little bit of potatoes
Dinner: spaghetti, bread and a quarter of a skinny cow

Day 24

Okay, so I can be disappointed and say I lost .2 lbs last week and am maintaining the same fat % or I can say, hey I put on my "tight" jeans and they are actually loose. I am going with the latter. =)
Day 24. I ate super healthy... and did okay at the gym. I was planning on staying for 2 hours, but only lasted for 1... which is totally better than none!

Breakfast: Shake
Breakfast snack: Yogurt w/berries
Lunch: 6" turkey subway... they make me mad, these aren't on sale on Weds anymore. =/
Dinner snack: healthy cookie dough, if you can call it cookie dough. I swear I was going to pass out after my work out so I gobbled a couple of teaspoons
Dinner: egg whites w/green salsa. Oh my gosh, so good and so filling! I didn't even need dessert!

Workout: 45 minutes on the spin bike and 15 stretching. Felt great!

Day 23

What a great day! I have felt so much better eating a more "solid" breakfast rather than just a shake. I also made it to the gym for 1 1/2 hours plus! Thank goodness our main accounting system at work went down, so I was able to leave the office an hour early. It was so nice not to feel rushed at the gym.
I am still really enjoying the bikes in the spin room. I think I like that I am usually the only person in there. It also helps that I am now watching Brothers & Sisters. It is such a great show.. each is about 45 minutes, so I know if I am really into the show I am going to get a great workout. =) Pathetic I know, but if it gets me focused on somewhere other than the pain of working out I am all for it!
Breakfast: Rice pudding (with brown rice)
Lunch: my soggy 1/2 Subway Sandwich
Dinner: enchilada (used an 80 calorie whole wheat tortilla... it was quite good)
Snacks: piece of donut (I know... I am never going to lose the cottage cheese legs!), a bite of ice cream (literally)

Day 22

Ugh! I am so disappointed in myself. I left my scale at my parent's house.. so I put a smiley on my hand so I wouldn't forget to pick it up.. and I did. So, here it is Tuesday (even though I am posting about Monday) and I still haven't had a chance to weigh myself. I am going back tonight and my smiley face is ten times bigger, so I promise not to forget it.
Today I didn't workout, instead I went to the chiropractor to see if I can get my shoulder/back up and running again. I was good about food though. =)
Breakfast: Rice Pudding
Lunch: 6" sandwich
Dinner: Egg whites with portabello mushrooms, onions, avocado and green salsa.
Snacks: two girl scout cookies, three rice crackers, some of Sophia's little snacks (probably about 100 calories worth.)
Oh man, after looking at that, maybe it wasn't such a great food day. lol.

Day 21

Day 21, not much to say. It was a lazy Sunday. Went to a cooking demonstration and then "swimming" with Sophia, although today was a more of sitting and watching as she played with her dad. My calves were so sore today.. I ran on my toes yesterday and I am pretty sure that is why it kills to flex my toes. It feels great though and I can't wait to get back to the gym. It is just too bad the gym's kids club isn't open on Sunday's because that is a day it is easy to get out.
Breakfast: shake with a banana
Lunch: taco w/guacamole
Dinner: tacos no guacamole, and rice pudding
Snacks: cookie dough (no worries... it was made with apple sauce, oatmeal, a little peanut butter, yogurt and protein shake).

Day 20

Sophia and I had a great day today. We started out with Sophia's first gymnastics class. It was cute and fun to watch, but so hard to not jump on the equipment myself. I wonder if other parents have this problem. After Sophia's class we went to the gym. I ran a mile and rode the bike for 45+ minutes. It was great! When I was running I tried to just stay on my toes, like we did in gymnastics. It actually made running a lot easier, the only problem is that I was extra sore after...(new muscles being used).

Breakfast: Shake
Lunch: 1/4 subway sandwich. 10 pita chips
Dinner: portabello mushroom/beef tacos using corn tortillas (50 calories). Rick gave me this recipe.. it was so good! My downfall was the bit of guacamole and the glass of wine.

Day 19

What a great day! I was expecting to be crazy sore, but I wasn't. I need to keep working at getting in better shape, it was really hard during the 5k to have people who weighed at least 100lbs more than I leave me in the dust!

Breakfast: 1 scoop shake
Lunch: 3/4 Subway sandwich
Dinner: Chicken salad sandwich. Oooh so good... on 45 calorie bread, so even better!

Day 18

So I did it! I ran a 5k today. Okay, walk/ran, but I did better than I thought... I finished in around 37-38 minutes. I am waiting for my official time, as they didn't have it today (who knows what happened, maybe I didn't hit one of the three mats right.. grr). The toughest part of continuing to run was getting my head out of the game... it kept playing tricks on me like saying "it would be great to just walk"... "don't worry, walking is okay".. or... "oooh, doesn't that kind of hurt a bit". lol. So obnoxious!

Food.. Wow I had a half shake this morning. I was starving by 1.. I mean starving.. Like shakes, yada yada yada. I went to quiznos and ate a bullet and a small salad! I mean in a matter of minutes.. I have no idea how I even ran this evening.. I was so full. It does explain why I wanted to barf at the first mile. lol.

Breakfast: 1/2 shake... so not enough!
Lunch: Pesto turkey bullet & southwest salad (no dressing)
Dinner: 4 shrimp, 4 pot stickers, two scoops ice cream, two thin mints!

Okay okay, it's a holiday and family is in town. Next week will be better (there is that mental thing again!).

Day 17

Okay, I am totally in failure mode! lol. I ate a donut yesterday morning! I had the worst headache I have ever had and decided to feed it! For lunch I had a 4 piece kids meal from Chick Fil A. AHhh!! Last night we had a birthday party for my niece and had pizza delites from Papa Murphy's and cakes. I haven't totalled my calories for the day, but I am pretty sure I was over! Okay, so we are going to have these days, right? But after looking in the mirror last night I decided it is time to get serious. I am going to start up on either P90x or Insanity on Monday. That way I know for sure that I am going to get some good exercise in!

Day 16

Tuesday!
Yay, it started out as a great Tuesday with a shake for breakfast. Then came the downfall, Conrad and I went out to lunch. There is a restaurant called Au Naturale. They have "healthy food", like their fries are baked, not fried... etc. By the way, don't waste your time getting the fries as they are expensive and terrible once they get cold. Bleck! My sandwich on the other hand was great. Tuesday night I broke down and got a cafe rio salad. Too lazy and too busy is my excuse. I actually think the part I need to remember is to schedule things ahead of time. It is much easier to stick to a healthy lunch if I bring it to work. You know?

Breakfast: Shake
Lunch: Au Natural turkey and avocado sandwich on whole grain bread
Dinner: 1/2 cafe rio salad (less the tortilla)

No exercise. Nt nt nt. How are you guys keeping up with your exercise?

Day 15

Monday weigh in day! Man, I was scared of my weigh in. Good news, I didn't gain any weight, bad news.. I didn't lose any. Nor did my body fat change. I think this is due to my lack of exercise during the later part of last week. Plus all of the eating out. I would have to say, my intake has decreased... my food choices still aren't the best.

Breakfast: Shake/ 1/2 banana
Lunch: standard turkey subway
Dinner: gross meatloaf (which is good because I hardly ate any). A few bites of mashed potatoes and a skinny cow with strawberries!

I also worked out. I did 45 minutes on the bike. Love working out, just need to make more time for it!

Day 14

Sophia and I had a relaxing day 14. We spent the morning at a cooking class at William Sonoma and had two two bite samples. After our class we went to the swimming pool. I have no idea how many calories I burned, but I am positive I lost a few while chasing after Sophia. We had so much fun. I am seriously excited to incorporate her into my workouts!

Breakfast: two bites
Lunch: shared a slice of pizza from whole foods with Sophia
Dinner: tacos (with the leftover meat from our philly cheesteaks).

Not the healthiest day, but it sure was fun!

Day 13

Yesterday was an interesting day, as I didn't feel very well... my stomach still hurt and my back was spasming. Long story short I didn't do much thinking in regards to my goal. I am scared for the weigh in on Monday, as I feel like I slacked as far as exercise and healthy eating throughout the week.

I have no idea what I ate... it wasn't bad, wasn't good. doh!

DAy 13

Day 12

Breakfast: protein shakey shake!
Lunch: ughh.. no lunch
Dinner: frites from Bruiges (yes, I know, bad but oh so good), tuna ceviche, scallops, a few bites of beef, and some chocolate brownie.

After eating all the dinner last night, I got sick. Ugh, I don't know if I have the stomach flu or if the food was too rich. Boo! The dinner we had was home made and oh so good. Conrad and I decided that we can save money, eat healthier and make tastier food than any restaurant.... It is awesome! I really enjoy cooking together too.. it makes a great date!

Day 11

I went on a secret tour of Whole Foods (thanks Dena)! It was fantastic! I think there is something to remember though... even though it is organic, it doesn't mean it is healthy or low in fat. We tasted some great things, especially the bread and cheese.. mmm mmmm. I am excited to have such a nice store nearby, but I probably wont be visiting much.

Breakfast: Snacks at Whole Foods

Lunch: my left over 1/2 philly steak sandy

Dinner: a little leftover spaghetti (the only dinner-like substance at my mom's)
and a little snackage of philly meat. mmm mmmmm

I didn't exercise today. I am a little worried that I am not shedding lbs because I am not getting to the gym often enough. I do plan on going over lunch today, now that my lunch plans were canceled. =)

Day 10

What a fantastic day! I think the best part of this day was going to the gym around 11:30. Ahh, it was so nice. It wasn't crowded at all! I had the idea of trying out the spinning bicycles as opposed to the plain old stationary bikes. I loved it! I was in the room by myself and able to really get focused. Something that also helped is that I broke down and bought new headphones. This sounds bad, but I watched an episode of Weeds while I was on the bike. First, I was motivated to stay for the whole half hour and second, I didn't have time to think about the "pain". lol. One thing I noticed as well is that by the time I got back to work I was super refreshed.

Breakfast: Herbalife shake. (one of my employees is selling this stuff... it was too thick for my taste)

Lunch: Subway turkey sandwich.. nothing like Weds at Subway!

Dinner: homemade Philly cheese steaks. I was going to forego the bread, but I only ate half of the sandwich.. so I think it is ok. I also had some crackers and guacamole, made with avocado and green chilies. Ya, not the healthiest, but not the worst.

Day 9

I finally got to Costco and bought some egg whites. I am hoping to start my healthy breakfast plan tomorrow. I just need to get up early enough to make breakfast. =)
Big question: How do you balance life with being fit? I am struggling. Food is easy, getting to the gym every day, not so easy. It seems a project comes up or I get trapped in a snow storm at my parents' house. I still haven't found my super groove. I am sure once I do the pounds will start sliding off. I hope!
Breakfast: Protein shake
Lunch: 6" turkey sub (boy was I starving!)
Dinner: Spinach dip... I know, it doesn't sound all that healthy, but I am thinking it is. I'll post the recipe. I made it up, so it is super spicy... just an FYI for those of you who can't handle the heat. =)

Low-fat Rice Pudding

5 Cups Milk 5 eggs 1/4 Cup Sugar 1/3 cup rice 2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp salt 2 tsp Equal In a sauce pan boil 2 cups milk and rice, simmer for 20 minutes until rice is cooked. Meanwhile, blend the rest of the ingredients. When the rice is tender, pour the mixture into the sauce pan. Pour into a 9x13 glass baking dish. Use a spoon to distribute the rice. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until set. 10 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		106.9
Total Fat		2.7 g
	Saturated Fat	0.9 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.5 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	1.1 g
Cholesterol		95.0 mg
Sodium		273.2 mg
Potassium		241.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate		12.7 g
	Dietary Fiber	0.0 g
	Sugars	5.1 g
Protein		7.5 g

Vitamin A	8.0 %
Vitamin B-12	11.8 %
Vitamin B-6	4.6 %
Vitamin C	2.0 %
Vitamin D	17.5 %
Vitamin E	0.2 %
Calcium	16.1 %
Copper	0.9 %
Folate	5.4 %
Iron	2.7 %
Magnesium	3.5 %
Manganese	1.2 %
Niacin	1.0 %
Pantothenic Acid	4.3 %
Phosphorus	17.5 %
Riboflavin	15.2 %
Selenium	4.4 %
Thiamin	3.6 %
Zinc	5.4 %

Day 8

Wow! Congrats to Rick, he is down 5 lbs! That is fantastic.
I am down 1 lb. Not too bad, but I would like to do a little better. My goal is a 1.5lbs this week. I also intend on having a healthier heavier breakfast. I keep repeating the "too busy to eat, then gorge" cycle.
Breakfast: 1/2 shake
Lunch: half turkey sandwich and a cookie! I can't resist cookies and my brother brought me one. doh!
Dinner: 3 slices delite pizza from Papa Murphy's... dinner at my mom's.
Dessert: low fat rice pudding (recipe to come!)

Salmon Salad

Ingredients:
spinach
avocado
pomegranate seeds
blue cheese
walnuts
lemon
salmon
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper

Dressing: Reduced balsamic
In a small sauce pan add a cup of balsamic vinegar and the juice of 1/2 lemon, add a teaspoon of salt. Place on high until it boils, let it simmer (reduce) while you cook the salmon.

Salmon:
add a bit of olive oil to a pan and place on medium high heat. Once the oil is heated add a tablespoon of lemon zest. Let it brown just a little bit. Add salt and peppered salmon. Cook for 4 minutes on each side.

Salad: plate the spinach and sprinkle the nuts, blue cheese and pomegranate seeds. Add 4 pieces of thinly sliced avocado to each plate. Place the hot salmon over the top and drizzle a little bit of dressing. Enough to cover the salmon.

Enjoy!

Day 7

There is nothing better than a home cooked meal! Sunday evening we had an amazing salmon salad that Conrad created. I will post the recipe separate. Sunday is my day off from working out, it was also my day off from eating much in the morning. I think I need to get a better mind set that the more healthy I eat, the better it is going to be for me. I need to get my metabolism going... the wine isn't helping either!
Breakfast: nothing... I know I know
Lunch: 1/2 shake
Dinner: cheese and crackers, wine, salmon salad, a little bit of cherry pie, a little bit of ice cream and a piece of banana bread.
See... it is not healthy to leave all of those calories until the end of the day and hit the sack when you get home. Oh well, this is a learning/re-teaching process. =)

How are you guys doing? What are your results so far?

Day 6

Ahhh a most successful day! I actually made it to the gym today and broke a sweat! I am so proud of myself. I am excited for Monday's weigh in to see how I have done. Hopefully my two nights of going out to dinner and small party tonight w/drinks don't hinder my progress. As I have said from the beginning, this must be sustainable, so it is not on the menu for me to stop being social for the sake of losing weight.

Breakfast: Shake, and a bit of Conrad's apple fritter. Luckily he put them in his car and I didn't have a chance to eat more!
Lunch: 1/4 chicken sandwich from last night. Thank goodness the fries were soggy, so they went right into the trash
Dinner: Shabu shabu! What a way to eat healthy and be social. If you have never tried shabu shabu, go for it! I will give detailed instructions tomorrow when I am a little more awake.
Snacks: Costco sample of a Trio bar and a veggie patty... they didn't have many good samples for a Saturday. I was relieved and disappointed!

Day 5

How do you stay fit and live? Especially on the weekends! Well, myfitnesspal.com is totally keeping me in check. It is a little annoying, i.e. counting how many chips I eat, but it is also good. I said at the beginning of this blog that I am all about clean eating. I am still not there. Clean eating, being a ton of fresh vegetables and natural items. I am not going as far as food flavoring drops (yet! we'll see if I hit my goal). Anywho... yesterday I found it impossible to find time to work out. I am creating a calendar to set up my workout schedule. That way I don't have to think too hard about it. Once it is ready I will share.

Food:
Breakfast: Protein shake. If you haven't bought this stuff yet, get to the store. I really love it.
Lunch: 1/6th of an enchilada (last minute business lunch... luckily I talked more than I ate).
Dinner: 1/3 of a sandwich from Outback, a few fries and 2 glasses of wine! (give me a break, it was date night!)

Sure, it doesn't look like I ate healthy, but I was a little under on my calories. Breaking things into way smaller portions helped! I would have had more dinner, but that unexpected late lunch kept me pretty full.

Day 4

Real life!

Real life is my biggest challenge. Between the hours 9 & 5 I don't have to worry much about what I eat, because I really just don't have that much time. At night.. and on the weekends, watch out. I fared okay today. I didn't make it to the gym, my excuse is that I tried out for "In it to win it". Really, it is 10:00 pm and I could still go to my living room and work out, but I would much rather go to bed and work out twice as hard tomorrow.

My food:

Breakfast: 1 scoop protein shake
Lunch: 1 1/2 eggs & 1/2 cup black beans
Dinner/naughties: 1/2 enchilada, a few bites of rice, a few bites of beans. 10 chips! Yes, this stupid tracker made me feel guilty enough to count.. and a half margarita (it was a long day!). +)
Oh ya, and a Thin Mint. Darn Girl Scouts!

I am right on track with my calories; however my dinner could have been healthier. My tip for eating out is always get a take home box.... or give half to who ever you are eating with... and be sure you make a healthier choice from the menu. You can still enjoy going out, just be smart about it!

Day 3

Wow! This is tough and fun!

Today was one of those days where I realized that I am trying to cram a jillion things into my day, mainly because I am so busy at work. What I have found is that exercise is my new stress relief! There is nothing better than going to the gym and forgetting about the pile of paperwork on my desk or all the to-dos on my check list.

I am totally in love with tracking my food on myfitnesspal.com. I have it on my phone as an app, but also add some items online. Join and be my friend... tm_7704!

Food:
Breakfast: 1 scoop protein shake
Brunch: egg and a few beans.. a little salsa
Lunch: 6" subway sandwich. Same as yesterday (it was the other half) =)
Dinner: 4 oz boiled chicken (red chili powder, garlic and bouillon), 1/4 avocado, 1/4 cup pinto beans.
Naughties: 2 thin mints and a sliver of danish.... I can't resist.

Exercise: Ran a mile.

Day 2

Today was a great day! A little too busy at work, but over all fantastic!

Food:
Protein shake

Subway sandie... 6" turkey on italian herb and cheese (I know, I know I should have done whole wheat), No cheese, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, jalapenos, salt and pepper.

Egg & black beans with a half of a beer tortilla

I also snacked on 4 or 5 little rice cracker things my mom had at her house. They are the size of ritz crackers but have a lot less fat!

Exercise:

I ran a mile! Okay, for some of you this isn't a big deal... for me it is! It is like running a marathon. lol. My knees are a bit knobby tonight, but I plan on pushing through and becoming an official runner. i.e. I can do a 5k without stopping. =)

I also did some chest and back work as well as a few squats.

Have any of you ever done insanity or P90x? I love both workouts. I have done p90x all 90 days, but didn't really watch what I was eating. Throughout the next 80 days I am going to throw in workouts from both. If you don't own them, check 'em out!!

Faux Cafe Rio Salad

I am so excited to share this recipe with you! It is something I came up with over a year ago (except the tortilla addition is new). If you don't live in Utah, you probably don't know Cafe Rio... they have the most addictive salad around! If you ever come to town you must try the real thing. For now, here is a low fat version.

Salad: Layer in order listed below (tortilla on the bottom)

Tortilla: See recipe below... you really don't need the tortilla... but they are so tasty!
Pinto or black beans: It is best to make these yourself, soak over night, boil the next day. If you are in a hurry or hate cooking beans, just buy the can. Do not buy the refried, rather buy the whole beans. Be sure to rinse them in a strainer.
Rice: Use a whole grain rice
Shredded red chili chicken breast: the best way to make this is to boil it. I use a clove of garlic, chili powder, salt, lime juice and water. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the breast.
Spinach: costco sells a jumbo bag...but it... we'll be using a lot of spinach.
Lime: just a slice
Salsa Fresca: buy it or use: tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, cilantro
Avocado: sliced
Three tortilla chips:

Dressing
In a blender mix the following:
1 Bottle of low fat or no fat Ranch dressing (tonight I am going to try greek yogurt w/a ranch pouch. I'll let you know how it goes)
1 garlic clove
3 tomatillos
2 jalpenos (you can use one if you are scared of heat or add a serrano if it isn't hot enough!)

Tortillas my friend Dena gave me this recipe. They are so good! Even if you are anti beer, try them.. the alcohol cooks out.

4 cups flour (try whole wheat flour!)
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can room temperature beer

Mix all of the ingredients down to the olive oil, then add the beer. Once the mixture comes together knead it with your hands. once the dough isn't sticky and in a ball cover it for 7 minutes to let it rest. Then use your fist to make small balls of dough, tuck the dough under. (i'll make a video so you know what I mean...) Let rest for a few more minutes
roll and cook. It is best to cook these on a flat super hot pan.