Days 7&8: Off the wagon

If I were on the Oregon Trail, I would have been left behind at a trading post for having eaten more than my fair share of rations.

Luckily, I am not on the Oregon Trail and the only person I have to answer to is myself. And myself loves chocolate. And carbs. Womp womp.

Anyway, I took my cheat day on Sunday and cheat I did! Here's the delicious breakdown: Breakfast: chocolate pudding; seltzer

Dinner: wild mushroom burger; french fries; two pieces of bread; red velvet cream cheese cheesecake (all eaten at the Cheesecake Factory...YUM!)

After all of that gorging, I wasn't surprised (though still horrified) when I stepped on a scale the next morning and it read 159...meaning that I've actually gained weight since I started this whole thing. Lamesauce.

Anyway, I'd like to believe that I somewhat redeemed myself yesterday by getting back on track.

Food for thought

Breakfast: seltzer; almonds

Lunch: seltzer; string cheese; deli turkey

Dinner: spinach salad with barbecue chicken, black beans, peppers, onions, avocado, tomato, and bleu cheese; seltzer; half of a Hershey's bar

After dinner: 1.5 white russians

Okay, maybe not. However, when I stepped on the scale this morning, I was back down to 157. Meaning that so far this whole thing has been pretty much a wash. Let's hope I'm on track for the rest of this week!

Day 6: first weigh-in

I had my first weigh-in today and it wasn't exciting but it wasn't terribly disappointing either. I weighed in at 156.2 - which is 1.8lb less than last time I weighed myself. It's also the same weight I thought I was originally. Whatever. By next week, I'm hoping to be down to 154. Of course, next weekend is Easter, so my diet will be shot to hell! But still. Even if I didn't lose any weight, I'm content with knowing that I have been eating healthier and making smarter decisions.

Food for Thought

Breakfast: matzo-brie; turkey bacon; coffee

Lunch: two slices of American cheese; 2 slices of turkey; water; half of a Hershey's bar

Dinner: 3 slices of chourico & onion pizza

Carb fail.

Day 5: the day before judgment day

I'm going to do my first weigh-in since Tuesday morning tomorrow (Saturday) morning. I have no clue which way the scale is going to lean this week. I have been doing a pretty damn good job with this diet and it bums me out that I don't feel any different. I'm hoping that I will have lost at least 3 pounds to keep myself feeling motivated. Not that I'm going to stop sticking to the diet if I didn't lose anything. But still. I need some positive reinforcement here, body!

In any event, I am going to take my second cheat today because we are having a going away party for my supervisor in the Housing Office. Hello, bagel! I will enjoy you greatly.

Food for thought

Breakfast: 100 calorie vanilla yogurt & mixed in "good health energy" (blend of soy nuts, cranberries, almonds & pumpkin kernels)

Party foods: asiago bagel w/ cream cheese; coffee

Lunch: half of an onion bagel w/ cream cheese; carrot sticks

Dinner: chicken breast stuffed with portabello mushrooms, spinach, & goat cheese; brussel sprouts; probably some wine

I will update tomorrow after my weigh in! O_o Wish me luck!

Day 4

I've been cooped up in an office all day, so I haven't had the opportunity to cheat or even think about cheating. However, I'm on duty tonight unitl 1 a.m....and that's about the time that the cravings set in.

I took one cheat last night with Diet Pepsi. Curse you, beautiful brown, sparkling beverage! Afterwards, I felt bloated and gross. I must say that despite having followed this diet for the last 4 days, I don't see or feel any improvement in my body. Granted I haven't done a weigh-in and won't be doing one until tomorrow. But I feel like I saw some pretty quick results last time I started this diet. If I don't see any results by next week, I am going to feel pretty discouraged!

Food for thought

Breakfast: omelette with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, peppers, onions, spinach; cranberry juice

Lunch: almonds; carrots; water

Snack: strawberry real fruit bar

Dinner[anticipated]: deli turkey & mozzarella cheese stick

Day 3: planning ahead

Three days in and the going is good. Or something.

I found this gem of a list: The 20 Worst Foods in America. Truly terrifying. I definitely know of a few things I will not be ordering in the near future. Some of it is no surprise, but who would think that a seemingly harmless salad could hide so much atrociousness behind its leafy green exterior?

I haven't really been tempted to cheat yet, so that's nice. I'm kind of enjoying the diet for the time being, though I miss french fries already. In the life of a normal person, french fries would not be readily available anytime you walk into your meal facility. In my life, there are vats of delicious golden french fries basking in the warm and inviting glow of a heat lamp begging me to eat them. But I will resist, friends. I may opt for a banana. At least they're in the same color family.

Food for thought

Breakfast: a fat free apple turnover-flavored yogurt

Lunch: kale soup!!!!, garden salad, green tea with mint

Dinner: bag of almonds, a strawberry real fruit bar

Staff snack: dark chocolate dipped oranges & strawberries

I'm not sure if it's sad or good that I am able to write out everything that I'm going to eat for the day before the day actually happens. I think it's somewhat healthy to plan ahead - and this diet definitely requires me to do so. I have to know what I'll be able to eat at Res so I don't end up eating crap because I can't think of anything I want. And because I won't be going back to my room until about 10 p.m., I certainly have to plan ahead with some portable snacks to sustain me.

Speaking of planning, I am going to plan on doing a fifteen minute workouts every night once I get back to my room. I know it's not much, but it's all I've got to give for the time being and something is better than nothing. Even just getting my heart -rate up a bit should be beneficial in some capacity. Here are the videos I'm going to use (they're ones that I did over the summer, as well): 10 minute cardio kickboxing, 5 minute cardio workout.

Also, here's a 15 minute desk workout for funsies. Might have to start doing this while I'm at the housing office. Maybe time will go by faster.

I'm also getting back into the habit of taking multi-vits, conveniently in a delicious gummy form.

All in all, things are looking up. Except for my weight. That best be looking down. Way down.

Diet overview

I'm not technically following the 4 Hour Body diet nor am I sticking to the ever-popular Atkins diet. This diet is one that I have designed myself that is a hybrid of a bunch of different diets. It's a diet that works for me because I know the types of foods that I tend to consume / am drawn to. I also know the substitutes I can make in my diet that work for me.

Here are my weaknesses: bread, fried things, pasta, desserts, late night snacking, chips, soda, dressings/dips, going out to eat

I do not eat enough: vegetables, fruit, water

Here is the plan:
- no carbs
- cut down on sugar
- no soda (not even diet. farewell, diet pepsi. you shall be missed!)
- more mid-day snacking
- less late-night snacking
- 2 cheats per week
- 1 full cheat day per week (no bingeing!)
- ...and continue until graduation / until I get into a regular exercise routine

Here are the things I am cutting from my diet until I reach 150 (or less!)
- all breads, breading, grains etc
- pasta
- rice
- potatoes/potato products
- cakes / cookies / most desserts
- fried anything
- soda
- chips / pretzels / crackers / snack foods
- anything with dough / yeast-based
- beer

Here are things that will be staples in my diet:
- yogurt
- string cheese
- almonds
- deli meat (preferably turkey)
- high-protein salads
- peanut butter
- grab 'n'go veggies (carrots, celery, tomatoes)
- berries
- beans (lentils, red beans, black beans, chickpeas)
- tofu
- grapes
- tea / coffee
- seltzer (substitute for soda)

Have any recipes that you think will work for me? Send 'em my way!

I'll keep posting any recipes that I use / useful websites that I find.

I know I've said it before, but...

...140 lb, here I come!

Day 2: food for thought

So despite a carb-less day/night, the scale read 158.2 lb this morning. I'm just going to pretend that never happened...

Aside from this disappointment, today has been pretty much smooth sailing in the diet department. My one complaint is that the salads here are super salty. I've experimented with different dressings (today is Lite Red Wine Vinaigrette) and haven't found anything that satisfied me. I am also trying to stay away from the Portabello mushroom salad option because their mushrooms seems like they are literally stewed in salt water, but they didn't have any tomato mozzarella salads today. Lame.

Food for thought

Breakfast: 100 yogurt, 1 stick of mozzarella string cheese, 1 cup of green tea

Snack: raw almonds

Late lunch: spinach salad with portabello mushrooms, grilled zucchini & peppers, carrot strips, bacon bits, and lite red wine vinaigrette

Pre-class perk: iced latte w/ soy milk & sugar

On-duty perk: medium coconut-mocha coffee (black)

Yep, I skipped dinner. I didn't really feel hungry until about 1 a.m....and there was no way I was going to give in to cravings only to go to bed and let it all sit in my gut. I think I definitely consumed enough calories for the day, but I don't think that I should have had two coffees and I do think that I should have some carrots or something after class.

However, I was still able to stay within the parameters of the diet...and that's what I care about the most. The coffee intake was a fluke because I typically drink plain tea instead. But when you know you're facing a 3.5 hour long class as well as a late late night after having been up since 6 a.m., I'm going to go ahead and say that it's entirely justifiable for me to want a little caffeinated pick me up!

OMG - time to brush off the cobwebs!

Ok, people. This is for real.

Last week I stepped on the scale and it read 158 and I was like "Uh uh, girlfriend. This is not happening."

I have been eating a lot. Going out to eat a lot. Not exercising at all. And I feel (and probably look) wretched.

Since then, I have managed to get down to a solid 156, but I will not be happy until those 6 pounds are gone and I can begin my journey to 140.

So. Drastic times call for drastic measures. I do not realistically have time to workout for the next few weeks. Graduation is only 1.5 months away and I have a lot of things to do. I am getting my bike back on Easter weekend and will hopefully be able to get back in the saddle (literally), but it seems as though my diet is the easiest thing to control for the time being and it doesn't interfere with my productivity.

That being said, I am jumping back in to the no-carb lifestyle. I will allow myself two cheats a week and one full cheat day. I will stay on this diet until I am back down to 150. By that time, I will hopefully be closer to holding a normal schedule and not running around like crazy between all of my jobs and obligations. I cannot wait to graduate so I can finally regulate my schedule and actually get to the gym. I also look forward to all of the students moving out of school so I can have my private gym facility once again. <3 the summer.

Food for thought

Breakfast/Lunch [didn't eat til 1]: 100 calorie yogurt (raspberry cheesecake); popcorn green tea with honey

Snack: grapes, 1 hershey's chocolate bar

Dinner: barbecued chinese chicken lettuce wraps (link to the Rachael Ray recipe) YUMMM; one glass of cab sauv

Off to a good start...let's see how I do once I have to go back to school for the rest of the week...

Clean slate tomorrow, never today...

So I'd taken a brief hiatus from the world of blogging to spare you from the "I'm a terrible cheating cheater!" entries which dominate my entire page at the moment.

However, I will say that amidst all that cheating, I went to the gym one time! Hooray! I ran a mile on the treadmill and did a mile on the elliptical. I would like to say that that set a trend for me, but honestly...college living has to be the worst atmosphere to create a steady life full of delicious routine and good eats. Seriously.

I went away this weekend and partook in much carb-eating. By the end of the weekend I felt pretty gross. My magical jeans which normally fit me no matter my size felt a little snug on Monday and I was none too happy about it.

I had originally decided to screw the diet, because it is terribly hard for me to maintain any big lifestyle changes when my lifestyle is the reason for all of this in the first place. Inconsistent hours, lots of time commitments, and lack of a kitchen really make for bad decisions. However, after stepping on the scale on Sunday and noting that I was back at 155, I realized that enough is enough and I wanted to put those restrictions back on myself.

During the weeks when I was doing well with the diet, I felt SO good. Even though I'd snuck in a few cheats, I just felt slimmer and more confident and more energetic. So I've decided that back to the diet it is. And if I have to cheat a few times along the way, whatever. I think the root of that issue is thinking about it as cheating. If I think of this diet as an obligation, I will fail. If I think of it as something that I genuinely want to do for myself and have the results in sight, I will do much better for myself.

I am also feeling pressured to be more athletic. I know that I am going to have an active summer with people who are far more naturally active than I am, so I certainly have to take the initiative to train and get myself in good enough shape that I can keep up with them.

Motivation, motivation.

Today

Breakfast: low fat string cheese, mint green tea, red apple, tropical trail mix
Lunch: kale soup, turkey breast
Dinner: portabello mushroom salad

Days 15&16: low

I don't know if I'm just feeling the effects of the despondent weather or if I'm suffering from SAD or if I'm just bored, but these last few days I have felt super low-energy and lethargic. I know it's not from lack of carbs, because I cheated three times yesterday. I dunno. I've just felt blah.

Anyway, I wanted to start this week off with a clean slate, but I obviously haven't done a very good job of it. I didn't cheat on Monday, but Tuesday wasn't so good.

Food for thought

Breakfast: 100 calorie yogurt, low-fat string cheese

Lunch: chicken nuggets [first fail], spicy black beans, red delicious apple, chocolate milk

Snack: banana chips with crunchy peanut butter

Dinner [or lack thereof]: two cups of goldfish [second fail], pomegranate seltzer

After dinner: rainbow cupcake [third fail]

Today has been alright so far, but then again I'm only 3 hours into my day. I am scheduled to go to the Maple Ridge Gym @ 6 tonight with a new gym buddy. I feel like I just need to try something to get my spirits up [or at least make me feel better about myself], and hopefully exercise will do the trick.