Slack/On Track

Now that I've stopped this belly blast, I'm entering a vicious cycle. It's this slack and on track I'm struggling with. One day I'll eat complete trash. The next day I try to compensate. Cheat days are not supposed to be every other day! I had fried chicken for lunch Monday AND Tuesday. So last night I forced myself to work out and today I had a mozzarella and tomato salad. I did have some bread with my salad. But I figure that's still healthier than fried chicken!

Tonight I should work out again. If I can just get myself to exercise more, I know I can continue to accomplish my goals. The scale is showing me to be between 2-3 pounds heavier. I'm between 156-157 now. Change has to happen. Clothes still fit well, but I don't want to take any more chances. Of course, it could be water weight since I gained it so quickly. Or maybe I never truly lost 5 pounds in the first place? Guess I'll just have to keep on trying!

The End of the Belly Blast Challenge

So....I pretty much stopped following the meal plan that was given to me for this challenge. That does not mean that I'm not watching what I'm eating. Just not going by the plan I had. Due to lack of exercise I jumped from 154 to 155 last week. Which of course, motivated me to workout on Saturday again.

I'm trying to stick to mostly salads when I do go eat out. And at home, I just nibble on foods. I incorporate a lot of nuts into my diet. I guess I really don't have that much to stay about what I've been eating lately. I am continuing my celery and peanut butter snack at work, because I truly loved it.

Officially since March I've dropped two pant sizes. Which again, shows me where most of my weight loss has been. Today I'm wearing a pair of pants that were so tight on me that I put them "in the back of the closet." Now they are loose and I could probably go down a size. I would say, overall this journey has been successful thus far. There are still 60 days roughly until I go to Germany. Maybe I can lose another 5 pounds in that time. That would be nice:)

Catch-Up

Wednesday night I went to a Chinese buffet but I ordered Hibachi. So basically it was lots and lots of veggies with some chicken grilled and topped with terayaki sauce. Not the healthiest choice, but not the worst, right? Make better bad choices.

Thursday, according to the calendar was supposed to be a type of "detox" day again and Friday was supposed to be a treat day. Well for some reason, be it hormones, or whatever, I was starved yesterday. I had a green smoothie for breakfast, then tried to eat some celery and carrots. I couldn't. I was so hungry. I decided to make yesterday my treat day. Can't stick to the diet if I'm not happy and if it's not realistic. I went to Red Robin with some co-workers and had the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap. Normally I skip the fries. But yesterday..man I sinned. I even had the fries. I was SO sick afterwards. My body was NOT happy with me. Here are the stats for the wrap:

Calories 771 Sodium 2087 mg
Total Fat 32 g Potassium 0 mg
Saturated 20 g Total Carbs 67 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 4 g
Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 9 g
Trans 0 g Protein 49 g

Which isn't the best, isn't the worst, again. For dinner, my husband made burgers. How could I say no to burgers? I was starved again. No fries this time:) And I still stuck to water all day, but didn't drink near enough.

This morning I got on the scale and I was 1.5 pounds heavier! So today I'm flushing everything out with water. I had some cottage cheese and knaeckebrot for breakfast and some celery and peanut butter for a snack.

My biggest failure this week has not been my diet slip ups. It's been my utter lack of exercise. I haven't worked out since Saturday. So I shouldn't expect any miracles. Next week is my last official week of the 21 day belly blast challenge. Although I haven't completely stuck to it, I've been using it as a guideline. And my pants are still loose:)

Wish me luck in refueling my desire to lose weight and starting up with exercise again! No pain, no gain!

1-0 Win Against Emotional Eating

I am wearing a button up shirt today that I have not been able to fit in for 3 years. Can you believe it? Neither can I. I started off my day with some "knaeckebrot" and cottage cheese. Around lunchtime I got frustrated and wanted to eat junk food because I KNEW it would make me feel better. But I overcame myself and had a salad from the cafeteria with chicken breast, Greek Olives and pecans. I felt so much better later. Even though McDonalds and all those places were calling my name, I resisted. Had an apple for an afternoon snack. Score 1 for Cindy.

Today I saw someone I hadn't seen in about two weeks and she raved about how much weight I'd lost so quickly. She claimed she saw it in my face. It's weird to hear people complimenting me, because it's still not reality yet. I feel like I need to lose more before it'll really show. Tomorrow is almost like another detox day, so it may be a struggle, but I'm sure I'll do fine.

Because Friday, is TREAT DAY!!!!

Pissed Off, in a Good Way?

So I've been buying all of these new clothes to reward myself for my weight loss. Apparently my weight loss has been all in my stomach, butt and thighs, because none of my new pants fit. They are all too loose. I have some capris that are ok. But all of my super cute pants are now super loose. I'm excited and disappointed. And I'm unsure. Do I buy smaller ones? Do I wait? (sigh)

Yesterday morning I had a protein shake for breakfast, celery and peanut butter as a snack, a salad for lunch, carrots and spicy red hummus for a snack and meat and salad for dinner. That pretty much sums up the day. I didn't workout, nor did I feel like it.

Today I had a slice of the Ezekiel bread with cottage cheese for breakfast, celery and peanut butter as a snack and went to Panera to have my Thai chopped chicken salad for lunch. I had an apple as an afternoon snack and I even sinned a bit. I had a few (like a small handful) salted nuts and pretzels. It was kind of like Chex Mix. I haven't had dinner yet. Still debating on what to eat. It's almost 7 and I'm not supposed to eat too late. I might just have a small snack to tide me over, since again I'm not in a workout kind of mood. Of course that might change. We'll see.

I've been feeling kind of stressed lately and I worry about cortizone seeping into my bloodstream and preventing further weight loss. But I figure as long as I continue to watch what I eat and limit my portions, I should be ok. I'm also trying to get enough sleep. That should all help.

Kidding, Of Course

Feeling pretty good and energetic this weekend. Finally got to eat Papa Gyros yesterday afternoon. I was soooo stuffed afterwards, I ALMOST regretted it. But after a few hours I felt good. Later I went for a walk with my dog too.

This morning I strayed from the prescribed diet, only because I hate omelets. So I just had scrambled eggs. I also had some Ezekiel bread (first time) with some cottage cheese. I gotta say, the Ezekiel bread wasn't that bad. It's just different. It was kind of dry. Even though I had cottage cheese on it. Oh well.

We never did go canoeing yesterday. Slept in too late. Maybe today. Then again, it's already noon now. I'm trying to think of some outdoor activities that won't burn me to death. If I had a pool I would go swimming. Guess I'll finish cleaning the house for now.

Early Weigh In

Although usually I don't do this, today I will make an exception. I'm posting my official weigh in one day early because I'm so excited! I've weighed this since Wednesday, after my 3 day starvation. Today is Saturday and I still weigh the same!! So I don't believe it's water weight at this point anymore. One important note to add. When I weighed myself last Sunday I weighed in at 158.2, but I think I was a bit dehydrated, because Monday morning I was back at 160. So if you want to be technical, I lost 5 pounds this week. If I thought it was that easy, I was starve myself 3 days a week every week! I'd have my goal weight in no time!

Last night I went to Earth Fare to buy some organic veggies and they were out of celery! Can you believe it? It's become my favorite new snack and they were out. This morning I'm going to run to Publix to grab some more for our trip today and for next week.

I woke up hungry this morning, which is normal, considering I now eat every 3-4 hours. I debated on what to eat on my "treat day" and decided to go with a strawberry banana shake sans spinach. You know what? It was a bit on the sweet side! That's ok, I'm sure it was healthier than my usual cereal.

I've started doing some housework and I've got some more to do before I run over to Publix. So I hope everyone has a good day. I'll try to continue writing tonight!

Almost noon update:)

I started doing some laundry and then mowed the backyard. I was so gross and sweaty, I figured "Well I might as well workout now." So I did my workout, showered, had two slices of bread, a big glass of water and now I'm sleepy:)

Something I wanted to mention, but forgot. Last year when I did the Huntsville Adventure Boot Camp for Women, I got measured at the beginning and at the end of camp. My waist measurement was 38 at the beginning and 36 at the end. Last night for fun I measured and it's only 33 now! That's 5 inches since last year. Amazing, isn't it? Also my hips went down too. They went from 43 to 41.5 last year and now they are 38. Yah!

Not Quite By the Book

So I woke up late this morning and didn't have time to make my spinach smoothie. Instead I grabbed my newly discovered protein shake. I figured that was better than no breakfast at all. My mid-morning snack was celery with peanut butter and for lunch I had a grilled chicken salad again, dressing on the side. It was some sort of peanut dressing again, which was pretty good.

My afternoon snack was an apple. For dinner I had planned on making salmon, which was on the schedule. But my husband had already eaten dinner and I couldn't see wasting salmon because I couldn't eat it all myself. So instead I opted for a barely there slice of German bread with gouda, scrambled eggs and cottage cheese. I didn't think it was too horrible of an option. Better than what I was craving--junk food.

When I weighed myself this morning I still weighed 5 pounds less than I did at the beginning of the week. So I'm really curious to see Sunday's weigh in. Tomorrow is my treat day and I've already planned it in my mind. We're going canoeing on the Elk River so I plan on packing a picnic with some rolls from Publix and my favorite meats and cheeses. Then for dinner I've requested Papa Gyros!

I didn't work out tonight, but I plan on doing so tomorrow. Canoeing will probably burn some calories too. Especially if we plan on doing some hiking. I'm really hoping I haven't gone too far off the diet. It's sooo hard. I can't even tell you. I still drink water like a fish and that's the easy part. But I am peeing about 20 times a day, it's ridiculous. Well I'm off to buy some of next week's groceries (on a full stomach, of course.) Can't wait till tomorrow!!!

Hypocrites Not Needed

I woke up this morning and weighed 5 pounds less than I did on Monday. I'm not sure if it's water weight, since I've been drinking so much water, my pee is clear. TMI? Sorry. Anyways, maybe it's just that my intestines are cleared out. It reminds of those colon cleansers I've read about online. "Lose 10 pounds in a week!" Who knew we carried so much weight with us? Haha.

This morning I made myself a green smoothie which I actually enjoyed. Then for a mid-morning snack I had 3 stalks of celery and 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter. Man it was good!! I can't tell you how good that tasted. I can actually see myself eating this more often on my own as a snack!

But to the point of my story. Some women came into my office this morning and got wind of my diet. Both of these women are overweight. More so than me. This detail is crucial to the story. They began telling me how what I was doing was wrong and how it's all about portion control. I argued that I am exercising portion control, but I'm actually learning what a small portion is. My idea of a small portion is obviously not correct. Anyways, the point is, how dare they berate my lifestyle change? That's like a smoker giving another smoker advice on how to quit smoking. Sorry guys. As long as you're fat, you're not allowed to give advice on how to be skinny. I don't care if this is bitchy or not. I wouldn't try to tell someone how to lose weight! So, what gives them the right? A part of me considered that maybe they were jealous that they didn't have the discipline and willpower to pull through with a true lifestyle change. Keep eating your portions ladies. I'm getting thin.

Ok, so for lunch I kinda cheated a little bit. I had half of a Thai Chopped Chicken Salad which is about 200 calories. I ate all of the chicken, some of the Romaine lettuce and of course some of the drizzled peanut butter dressing. I also had a slice of a freshly baked wheat baguette. Panera Bread's freshly baked bread is to die for. For my afternoon snack I had 1/4 cup of cottage cheese and half a peach. Yum yum! I loved it. I worked out after work. It kicked my butt. I forgot to mention on Monday's workout my legs were very wobbly and almost gave out on me. Well this day was the same. After my workout and a cold shower, I had a protein shake. It's a chocolate whey protein shake (the brand is Pure Protein) with 25 grams of protein, 140 calories, 4 grams of carbs and only 2 grams of sugar. I really enjoyed it and it filled me up! Here's a link of the kind I bought at Publix: http://www.pureprotein.net/pages/products.aspx?sku=044326

I felt great today! I did go to bed extremely early. I literally fell asleep watching TV, somehow transported myself to the bed, and had a great night's sleep!

Belly Blast Day 3

This detox was killing me. I've had absolutely no energy, I've been tired, cranky and sad. Did I mention I've been exhausted? I had my green smoothie for breakfast with only 1 cup of spinach and it tasted much better. Unfortunately, that's the most filling meal I get for the day. At lunch I had about a cup of carrots and a cup of cherries. The rest of the day was water. I had so much water today, every time I realized how hungry I was. It still didn't help:( I even chewed gum twice. The first time, it helped. The second time it didn't. By the time I got home tonight I felt sick. I decided to push my workout to tomorrow, since I was so weak.

Around 7 P.M. tonight I cracked. My husband had baked some fresh bauernbrot this afternoon. If you don't know what bauernbrot is, I wikied the English description:

"Bauernbrot is a bread made in Germany. The bread is made by mixing rye and wheat flour, water, salt, yeast and a leavening agent into a dough, which is formed into a round shape. After 70 to 90 minutes, the surface is cut with a knife do create a decorative lozenge pattern and the bread is baked first at a high, then at a moderate temperature until the crust is crunchy."

Anyways, at the point where I thought I was going to throw up bile or die, I sliced a thin piece off and layered it with a slice of gouda cheese. I was in heaven. I'm not even disappointed in myself. Mostly because I felt so nauseated before I ate the bread. There is no way I could've swallowed some more plain boring salad. Since I splurged and had the bread, I'm cutting myself off for the night. But man it was good. A part of me wants another slice with some cottage cheese. Yum!

My stomach was making an explosion of sounds. I think it's very very happy. I can tell you one thing. I am a much happier person now than I've been in the past 72 hours.

Belly Blast Challenge Days 1-2

As I sit here writing this, I'm angrily eyeing a bowl of salad out of the corner of my eye. I don't want it. But I have to eat. And so my story begins.

Yesterday was probably the worst possible day to start a diet. But I figured, it's now or never bitches! I was awoken around 4:20 to let out the dogs. Ten minutes later I got a call from work. There were serious issues and I was on call. So I ended up staying up and working. Around 8 I finally had my green smoothie. I swallowed the sludge down on my drive into work. I admit, it wasn't as horrible as I expected. But I wouldn't make it for guests to enjoy on hot summer day.

For "lunch," if that's what you want to call it, I had carrots and celery with some cherries. I couldn't finish my carrots and celery, because it was just that plain and boring. I think that's the secret of this diet. The food you're allowed to eat is so gross, you just don't want to eat at all.

I'm pretty sure I went through food withdrawl yesterday. I had a splitting headache for most of the day. Of course, it's possible that the headache came from a combination of lack of sleep and lack of food.

"Dinner" was particularly excruciating. I went to Ol' Heidelberg with some friends. Everyone had generously portioned dinners with slabs of schnitzel slathered in rich creamy sauces. Mmmm...and the pan fried potatoes. The cucumber salad drenched in dressing cried out to me. Alas, I drank my water in silence and swallowed a boring salad. I picked out the croutons and ate every last piece of lettuce. It might have been iceberg which is against the plan, but oh well. The birthday boy had the most decadent, chocolatey, creamy slice of cake for dessert. I was dying a little bit on the inside. If you've ever seen the movie "Matilda" think back to the scene where the Headmistress makes the boy eat the chocolate cake. That's what it looked like. It hurt to watch.

This morning started off better, although I was still pretty worn out from yesterday. I chugged my sludge on the drive in. I attempted to take shots, like one would with tequila. That helped a little bit. For "lunch" I had baby carrots (which again I couldn't finish) and cherries. My co-workers are finding this diet particularly amusing. So they taunt me with their peanut butter jelly sandwiches and chips. Later they taunted me with a bag of oreos. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel like grabbing the bag and eating them Cookie Monster style.

I don't know what I'm feeling. I'm not sure if I'm kicking some sort of addiction, or it's just the desire within me. The hunger pangs only comes in waves. After awhile, it's like the body stops begging and takes a break. I watched my cat eat his canned food with envy tonight. I seriously would've had a bite.

Is this what it's like to starve to death?

Reluctantly I went into the kitchen and made myself a green salad tonight. I threw in some cherry tomatos, red bell peppers and garlic. I'm not convinced it will taste good. Honestly, I would rather eat nothing. But I have a feeling, that isn't the healthiest option.

As far as working out goes, I got through half of my workout last night. But then I got a phone call from Germany and by the time I was done, it was time to shower and get ready for the birthday party. Tomorrow is my last day of detox and I "get" to workout again. Oh joy. I can't tell you how excited I am for real food on Thursday. And even more excited about "treat day" on Saturday. I'm pretty sure if obese people did this diet, they wouldn't need any kind of stomach stapling surgery. Mine is probably the size of a bean right now.

Well I guess I'll try to swallow this bit of salad and watch some TV to get my mind off of the wonderful foods that I'm missing out on. Afterall, I've got a lifetime to enjoy foods, right? And obviously, I've overindulged in food for far too long, or else I wouldn't be in this current predicament. Down the chute it goes.

21 Day Belly Blast Challenge!

Well I won a contest from my former personal trainer. It's called the 21 day belly blast challenge. It implies you can lose 5-10 pounds. At first I was a bit skeptical. I was even more skeptical when I read it. It included a grocery list, a meal plan, and a workout plan. Payday was this past week, so I went grocery shopping and tomorrow is my first official day. I wanted to include today's weigh in, so we could see the improvement over the next 3 weeks. I'm very excited. And very scared.

The first three days are detox days. That means you get to eat a whole lot of nothing. And by that, I mean nothing. In the morning you get to have a smoothie. Sounds great! Except it's not your average smoothie. Let me list the ingredients. 1 cup of strawberries, 1 cup of water, a banana and 2 cups of spinach. Yes...SPINACH. Now I'm not anti-spinach or anti-vegetables. I just don't usually drink my spinach. Especially not for breakfast. I prepared the blend tonight with feelings of both disgust and sadness. My husband tried the blend. It looked like my dog ate a bunch of grass in the yard and threw it back up again. He swore it tasted great. "It tastes like kiwis! Wanna try?" No thanks. I'll be forced to drink it for breakfast every day for the next week.

Then I got to prepare my lunch. Two cups of chopped vegetables and one cup of fruit. I opted for celery and carrots for my vegetables and cherries for my fruit. As a snack, I'm allowed to have water. Yes. Water is my snack. Imagine you go to someone's house "hey, I'm a bit hungry got anything to snack on?" "Sure! Here have some water!" They'd probably punch you in the face.

For dinner I'm going with some friends to celebrate a birthday at a German restaurant. My diet plan says I can have salad with lots of veggies and a squeezed lemon as dressing. I think I'm going to puke. How can I swallow dry salad? No oil? No vinegar? Oh man...It's not going to be pretty.

Oh and to top it all off, my very first day is also a workout day. So I get to workout after eating virtually nothing all day. Twenty two minutes of fun. So excited. I also have to drink half of my body weight in ounces every day. And if I get hungry, I should chew gum. Oh joy. That's half a gallon in water, or rougly 10 cups. That shouldn't be too hard since it's ridiculously hot outside.

Let the games begin.