Her Bizzy Diet – Day 11

I haven’t posted in a couple of days because I’ve been super busy and not much has changed.  I’m doing virtually the same routine day in and day out.  The only difference is dinner, and quite frankly it’s been jacking up my plan!  We have had a bunch of dinners out due to different events, and this isn’t going to change anytime soon.  February is full of birthdays so there is constant celebration. Stress has also been building up and impeding my progress.  Last night, in fact, I gave in a drank.  Yup, it got that bad.  I was pissed about more financial problems (when it rains, it pours) and add to that no weight loss over the past 7 days.  I’ve been going back and forth between 135 and 136 for a week now.  That’s pathetic and not what I want to see when I’m only doing a 3 week program.  That means an entire week, or 1/3 of the program, is down the drain.  The time, the energy and the money…gone.  The worst part about it is that I have no one to blame but myself and that just pisses me off more!  I had vodka with sparkling water and even managed to make zucchini and a turkey burger patty for dinner, so other than the booze, I actually stuck to plan.  When I weighed in this morning I was 133 and change.  It was nice to see that the scale had finally started moving in the right direction, but I have to be realistic.  It’s likely just dehydration that brought the weight down and I imagine that I will be right back between 135 and 136 tomorrow.

And speaking of tomorrow, that is yet another night out.  My husband got us opera tickets for Valentines day.  We are planning to do dinner beforehand, so again my nutrition is in someone elses hands.  Luckily, the hubs is also trying to lose weight and eating healthy so we won’t be tempting each other with greasy burgers or sugary desserts.   We shall see how it goes.

Workout: None

Nutrition & Supplements:

• 6am – 2 Burn, 1 Tone, 2 whole eggs, 2 slices center cut bacon
• 9am – 3 Balance, 1 scoop Vanilla Chai Delight Protein
• 12pm – 6″ Ham & Turkey on Flatbread, all veggies, mustard, oil and vinegar
• 3pm – 1 scoop Vanilla Chai Delight Protein
• 6pm – 6 Turkey Meatballs, 2c spinach, 1 laughing cow cheese wedge
• 8pm – 2 Cleanse

(Yes, I am fully aware that today’s meals were not perfect, especially since I didn’t workout.  I had hangover belly and I did the best I could.)

Weight: 133.6

Weight: 136.6

Her Bizzy Diet – Day 8

Welcome to week 2 of my challenge!

The weekend proved to be a big obstacle.  Saturday during the day was very easy because I was at work and able to keep on my regular schedule.  After work I picked up my step-daughter, took her for birthday manicures, and then we met up with my husband for her birthday dinner.  We wanted her to pick the restaurant, since after all it’s her birthday.  She chose Macaroni Grill.  I knew from the start that it could pose a challenge because I looooooove pasta, but I wanted to be good so I veered away from that portion of the menu.  However, so many of the dishes have pasta of some sort and I really wasn’t in the mood for chicken or steak since I can make that at home and not pay $18/plate.  I thought I had decided upon a dish until I noticed the calorie contents next to them.  I can’t remember my first choice, but I do remember that it had about 1100 calories in it.  Thanks, but no thanks!  I opted for a Caesar salad and added shrimp.  First off,  yeah, I know, Caesar dressing isn’t healthy, but remember I don’t really care when it comes to fat.  Second, don’t order shrimp to add to a salad because it was a total rip off – $4 to add shrimp and I only got 4 shrimp.  I ended up coming home and making some beef strips so that I could get in more protein.   The next morning I was up about .8lbs which kinda sucked.

Next comes Sunday.  I always wake up earlier than my family so I spent the first couple of hours in my normal breakfast routine catching up on all my trashy reality shows on DVR.  I even made pancakes when the other two woke up and didn’t so much as even taste it.  Then come the temptations.  First it was lunch.  My husband wanted taco bell so the two of them went and picked it up and brought it home.  We all sat at the table and while they ate tacos, gorditos and chalupas I sat drooling, staring and quietly ate my tuna salad.  Later that night we met up with friends for a BBQ – we brought steaks and asparagus so I don’t feel bad there.  However, after dinner the family wanted ice cream.  ICE CREAM!  I dropped them off and went to fill up my car with gas so I didn’t even step foot inside because I knew I would have ordered something.  They brought their ice cream home and I made a chocolate peanut butter protein shake.  I thought I did a pretty good job, although this morning I was up another .8lbs.  GRRRR!!!

That’s ok, because at the end of the week I still ended up down 7lbs from my starting weight.  Today was totally on point, so here’s what I got:

Workout:

Day 1 – Cardio & Upper Body

 

Meals & Supplements:

• 3:30am –  2 Burn (according to the plan I am supposed to take 2, this morning I only did because I was exhausted) , 1 Tone
• 6am – 3 Balance, 2 whole eggs, 1 slice center cut bacon
• 9am – 1 scoop Vanilla Chai Delight Protein
• 11:30am – 1 Burn, 1 Tone
• 12pm – 6oz chicken, 2c mixed greens, olive oil/vinegar dressing
• 3pm – 1 scoop Vanilla Chai Delight Protein
• 6pm – 5 oz shrimp, 1 bunch chard, 1/3c coconut milk, 1/2 lemon juice and chipotle pepper flakes
• 8pm – 2 Cleanse, Cup of Vanilla Sleepy Time Tea

Weight: 136.6

Her Bizzy Diet – Day 1

It’s been too long since I have had a valid routine, good nutrition, and a plan of action.  So, after some research, I decided on the Bizzy Diet from MusclePharm.  It’s an intense, 21 day plan with a detailed nutrition, workout and supplement plan.  I decided upon the FitMiss version though, which is specifically for women…and a little cheaper for the stack.  It’s exactly what I needed.  Going it alone has been a disaster and what it’s made me realize is that I really thrive when everything I need to do is laid out and all I have to do is follow. No thinking, just doing.  So, I started today, and here’s what it looked like:

Workout:

20 minute cardio intervals on the treadmill (low intensity 3.5-4; high intensity 7-8.5)

 

Upper Body (20 reps 2x’s through)

• DB Chest Press
• 1 Arm DB Row
• Military Shoulder Press
• Bicep Curl
• Tricep Kickback

10 minute cardio (5 min low intensity, 5 min high intensity)

Repeat Upper Body Weight Training

 

 

 

Meals & Supplements:

• 4am –  1 Burn, 1 Tone
• 6am – 3 Balance, 3 whole eggs, 1 tsp Tapatio
• 9am – 1 scoop Vanilla Chai Delight Protein
• 11:30am – 1 Tone (should have 1 Burn here too but I have to get used to a fat burner first so I skipped it today)
• 12pm – 6oz chicken, 1 zucchini with Mrs. Dash
• 3pm – 1 scoop Vanilla Chai Delight Protein
• 6pm – 6oz porkloin, 6 large spears of asparagus
• 8pm – 2 Cleanse, 1oz almonds

Weight: 143.4

I am definitely not proud of that number, by the way.  It is the second heaviest I have ever been and part of the reason I have to make a change.  I’m excited to see the end results in 3 weeks.  I’m taking a before picture today….but that won’t be posted until the end just in case nothing changes.  No one needs to see that!  😛

 

Relationship with food…

What is your relationship with food? What is the hold it has over you?

Through all the changes that have occurred recently I’ve gained about 20lbs. I’m trying new, different things to lose that weight. I’m doing crossfit which I love and I’m trying my hand at Paleo.

I’m also currently working as a weight control counselor and seeing my own struggles with food and the struggles of other people. It’s really starting to put things in perspective.

I know what to do! I’m a certified fitness trainer. I’m a certified counselor. I can tell you until I’m blue in the face what to do to lose weight and how to do it. Yet for some reason I’m not following my own advice. WTF? Why is it that food has such a profound effect on us?

This is my new quest for information. Do you currently or have you in the past had a battle with a food addiction? What helped you to overcome your obstacles? Tips? Tricks? Advice? I’m looking for anything I can personally take advantage of as well as things I can pass on to my clients.

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

My adventures with overnight oats has continued.  What you are seeing was my batch from last night.  The basic base of oats, yogurt, milk and Truvia didn’t change.  This time however I chopped up 1/2 a gala apple, added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of chia seeds.  Super good.  Nutritional facts are 220 calories, 5 g fat,  38 g carbs and 12 g protein.

Tomorrow, I think I’m gonna change it up and have grapefruit, eggs and bacon.  I don’t want to burn myself out on ONO but I will be making another batch this weekend.  I have a sweet potato that I am planning on using for two recipes:  Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes and Sweet Potato Pie Overnight Oats.  Those posts (assuming the recipes are a success) will be posted Sunday.  See you then and have a great weekend!  🙂

Overnight Oats and my Birthday Countdown

I realized something yesterday: my 30th birthday is approaching fast.  33 days away to be exact.  I’ve decided that all I want for my birthday is to be pampered and to celebrate a month of hard work – the hard work of course being eating right and working out consistently from now until then.  I’ve decided to make a few changes to my routine and nutrition however. 

The first change I am making is my routine – sometimes I just go crazy, as you could see from my dire need for a rest day.  What I think I really need to do is to be more consistent (consistency is the key to success) rather than hitting it crazy hard for a few days and running out of steam.  That doesn’t necessarily mean that I want to only do one workout a day, but that not every single one of them needs to be a balls-to-the-wall workout.

That being said, I still began my morning with my DailyHIIT routine.  I just love these routines because they are fast and intense but I am not going to kill myself for the rest of the day with it.  I was planning to do some light cardio during lunch break.  Probably just a walk on the treadmill at a moderate incline or a 30 min elliptical session, but I wasn’t able to make it to the gym today.  Instead I am sitting here writing this, so I think it works out.  Tonight I am going to hit another Jillian Michael’s routine.  Even though I haven’t been good about following her plan like I did the first time around – I still love the workouts and go back to them all the time.  Today should technically be my JM rest day, however I didn’t workout Monday so I am pushed back a day.

The second big change I am making is in my nutrition.  Previously I had a plan where my macros were 50% protein, 30% fat and 20% carbs.  While this works to help take off the weight fairly quickly, I don’t feel that this is something that would be healthy for me to continue over the long-term.  It was also creating a “carbs are bad” complex in my head and that is most definitely not true.  I’ve decided to change my macros now to 30% protein, 30% fat and, and 40% carbs.  This is all based on a goal of 1200 calories/day so it comes to 90g protein, 40g fat and 120g carbs.  I’m in the trial phase of this macro count but I’m looking forward to it.  I am now going to be able to incorporate healthy carbs in my diet like fruits, sweet potatoes, brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread, oats, legumes and such.  Don’t ever let anyone tell you carbs are bad and if they do, just smack them right across the face!  Carbs are what our bodies use for energy – you just have to be smart about what types of carbs you are eating and when.  I still don’t plan to have many carbs with dinner, but that is a personal preference and you will have to make that decision for yourself. 

I think initially it is going to be hard to start taking in more carbs, but I found something that is really going to help me out.  Overnight oats!  Ever heard of them???  They are a glorious little concoction I see on blogs all over the place.  They’re super simple to make, a great healthy food, and perfect for a girl on the go such as myself. You start with a nice little base of milk, yogurt and oats.  That’s it!  No seriously, THAT IS IT!  Easy peasy, right?  Below is my first ONO breakfast and I was very happy with the outcome.

 

Ingredients:

1/3 C Oats

1/3 C Greek Yogurt (I used plain but feel free to add any flavor you’d like)

1/2 C Milk (any type will work fine)

Sweetener to taste – I used 1 packet of Truvia but it seems a lot of people use Agave, honey or stevia.  Your choice.

Any toppings you like – in this batch I added 1/2 banana, 3 strawberries diced and chia seeds

Nutritional Facts:  232 Calories, 5g Fat, 42g Carbs, 13g Protein

This is the finished product:

Ok, I know, not really the best or most appetizing photo.  I wasn’t sure how big the batch would be so I ended up using a large soup container from a chinese restaurant. Note to self, large container is too large!  The meal itself though was just the perfect size to fill you up and keep you full until snack time.

I’ve got some apples and cinnamon at home and thinking I might make myself another little batch tonight using those ingredients…maybe even try it warmed up tomorrow.  I don’t know, but I’ll keep you posted.

It’s Monday

Good morning all! I am chipper this morning because I am starting to see my hard work pay off again.

Last week I began my Making the Cut workouts again. I know you’ve heard this a million times before but I always go back to this book because I know it works and I love the routines. I’m trying my own meal plan this time around for two reasons. 1. Time and energy available to put into meal prep is very low these days so I’ve got to work around my current schedule, and 2. I feel that I need to be able to make healthy food choices on my own because I can’t always follow someone else’s meal plan. After 30 days, I’m back on my own so I figure I might as well start now.

That leads me to something that I discovered this weekend and that I’m absolutely in love with. Cauliflower pizza crust – OMG heaven!!! I’d seen this on a couple of blogs before but had yet to actually try it. Friday I used this recipe and both the hubs and I loved it. He made his with sauce, cheese and turkey pepperoni. I’m a big fan of white pizza so I made mine with ricotta instead. Both were delicious. One thing I will recommend however, don’t eat the whole damn thing. I thought it was a personal pizza size but I think you can go halfsies on it. Especially to cut down on calories! I was so tempted by it I didn’t even think to take pics so I’ll try to do this next time I make it.

Anyone else have any great cauliflower recipes? I’m trying to go low carb high protein so any other recipes that fit that description send them my way!!!

An Update for Steph :)

I had a few ladies over this weekend for a Mary Kay party.  It was lots of fun and I definitely needed the dose of estrogen around me since I work with only males throughout the week.  At the party, somehow this blog was mentioned.  I can’t remember exactly how, but I do remember one very important fact.  My friend Steph told me she was waiting for my next post and asked me where it was.  What, what, what?  Someone actually reads this bad boy?  I couldn’t believe it.  And not only does she read it, but she actually enjoys it.  Well, hallelujah!  I told her that all I wanted to do was one more post that simply read “FAILURE” because that is how I feel.  I started this blog to document my journey towards fitness. Instead it has become a diary of all of my pitfalls along the way.  But that is what she likes about it – it’s real.  Sure, I am not the epitome of health and well-being, but I am trying.  No one is perfect and is going to get it right 100% of the time, but the important thing is to keep going back and working at it.  I’m not a failure, I am just hitting a few bumps in the road.  So, without further ado, Steph this post goes out to you.  Thank you for the encouragement and for asking for a new post because without you I don’t think I would have continued. 

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By far the biggest downfall I have is that I love food.  And not just any food but horrible, greasy, fatty food.  I swear if I never gained a pound I would be happy living off of fast food.  Well, maybe not every meal but you know what I mean, right?  It’s just so good, but oh so bad for my thighs…and ass…and gut…well, you get the picture.  I’m trying to venture out a little more so that I can satisfy my palate without compromising my wallet.  This is not always the easiest thing to accomplish.  Prep time has also become an issue recently. Now that I am working full-time with the Coast Guard and my number of clients has picked up significantly at the gym I’m not getting home until 8:30 most nights.  At that point I have to shower, pack up my clothes for the next day, lay out my uniform, eat dinner, make meals for the next day and take care of the dogs.  EEESH!  It’s a lot.  And I really like to be in bed by 9…ain’t happenin’!  So now it’s time to find things that are fast and simple to cook.  Pre-made turkey burgers have been a staple the past couple days.  Fairly inexpensive, easy to cook while I multitask, a good source of protein, and delicious to boot.  I forgo the bun and just eat it with a slice of fat-free pepper jack cheese and some Dijon mustard.  If I’m feeling feisty I may throw in some sort of veggie, such as my fav creamed spinach.  This was lunch Tuesday:

Nutritional Info:  329 Calories, 7g Carbs, 13g Fat, 29g Protein

For breakfast the past couple of days I decided to do something a little different.  While I love my eggs and bacon or eggs and toast or eggs and fruit sometimes you have just had enough eggs. Instead I opted for some 100% Whole Wheat Mini Bagels.  These definitely don’t break the bank and are great for topping with sugar-free preserves, some type of nut butter, or a low/reduced fat cream cheese.  However, I took it just a step farther.  The past couple mornings I’ve been doing cream cheese and smoked salmon.  This morning I got a hankering for avocado so I threw that in the mix with some red onion.  OMG!  Absolutely fantastic!  I highly suggest putting this one together.  It takes no time at all and you can even eat it on the fly if you’re in a hurry.

Nutritional Info:  411 Calories, 30g Carbs, 24g Fat, 20g Protein

And finally, my morning ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) drink.  I am still trying to keep up with this drink.  First thing I do when I wake up in the morning is take the dogs out.  When I get back inside I start this drink by adding 1 tsp of chia seeds to 8 oz of water.  Then, I’ll go and get ready.  The reason I start it first thing in the morning and drink it right before I leave is because I like to let the chia seeds sit and soak up the water.  This gives them a gel-like consistency instead of crunchy seeds and makes it much easier to drink.  Anyone remember Orbitz drinks?  It’s sort of like that.  Right before it’s ready to drink I’ll had a bit of lemonade drink mix and voila – faboo drink!

Nutritional Info:  38 Calories, 5g Carbs, 1g Fat, 1g Protein

So there we go.  My strides in the right direction and my post for Steph.  Now that I know that this blog inspires one person it makes it so much more worthwhile and I’ll try to post more often.  If there is anything you want to hear about just let me know!

Mid-Week Update

In case you were wondering why I haven’t posted any recent updates, it’s because this happened Thursday!

I was driving my husbands Jeep when I completely lost control on some ice.  Luckily a very nice lady was able to stop my spinning with the front end of her car.  ARGH!  It was absolutely terrifying.  Luckily no one was injured, but mentally it sort of put me out of commission for a few days.  Friday I was depressed.  I woke up angry because I cost my husband and me the price of our deductible, we won’t be able to sell his Jeep for what it is fully worth because it’s been involved in an accident, and I felt extremely guilty that I wrecked his car and not my own.  Well, as many people are, I too am an emotional eater.  I started Friday off with a healthy breakfast, but that didn’t last.  By lunchtime I was ready to indulge…and indulge I did!

 

I ate every single morsel you see in that picture.  A salad with ranch dressing and pasta salad on the side.  A bowl of cream of mushroom soup.  A cheeseburger with all the fixins’.  And to top it all off a big slice of red velvet cake.  It didn’t end there either.  What else did I do?  Well I drowned my self-pity in my old friend BEER!

What a sad and pathetic face.  I just curled up in my living room, drank and ate all night  I attempted to have a healthy snack while I was drinking and found something new and delicious that I absolutely love.  Toasted Ezekiel bread with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Swiss and Olive Tapenade.  Sounds weird but it was fantastic!

But that doesn’t really help when you consume more than your daily allowance of calories in just beer now does it?

Saturday I woke up feeling rested and surprisingly not hung over.  I decided to catch up on my 30 day Challenge from Daily HIIT since I hadn’t done my workout Friday.  I knocked that out, and started feeling better.  The rest of the day I did nothing but relax, pick up a few things and relax some more.  Sunday was pretty much the same minus the workout.  Instead of my BodyRock routine I went and walked an indoor track with my friend and got a little time to vent, which I needed…desperately!

Monday, I opted for one more day of rest and relaxation just to make sure all the depressed gookies were completely gone and lo and behold when I woke up Tuesday morning they sure were!

Tuesday I woke up early and knocked out my morning HIIT routine.  That afternoon I decided to hit the gym during my lunch break for a mid-day cardio session.  Those always seem to make the day go by faster and give me a little boost of energy.  At the end of my Coast Guard day I went straight to the gym to train with a few clients and followed that up with an intense Jillian Michaels routine.  You read that right, I got in 3 full workouts yesterday.  On top of all that, I ate impeccably. 

I guess what I am getting at is that life happens.  How you deal with it may not be the same as how I deal with it, however we all have coping mechanisms.  I’m not saying mine is a good one, because lets face it, it’s not!  I do not recommend you eat and drink away your problems because it really isn’t going to get you anywhere.  However, what I do recommend is that when you are ready you get right back on that horse and keep on trekin!  I had a mini-mental-meltdown and it sucked, but today I realize that it’s not the end of the world and I am ready to just keep moving forward.

What mental setbacks have you had in the past, and how did you deal with them?

Venturing Out with Food #2

I woke up this morning ready to knock out my workout and EAT!  The whole time I’m doing my Daily HIIT routine I was going through all the possible things I could make for breakfast.  What occurred to me first was the fact that I had crab left over from my lunch yesterday and I should try to incorporate that into my meal. I’m very excited to present to you what I came up with!

Carey’s Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

1/2 Pkg of Lump Crab Meat

2 Tbsp Plain Greek Yogurt

2 Tbsp Panko Style Breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Red Onion

2 Tbsp Finely Chopped Celery

1/4 Tsp Old Bay Seasoning

1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 Tsp Coconut Oil or your favorite cooking oil

1 Tbsp Chopped Green Onion (optional)

1/4 Lime (optional)

Process:

1.  Heat coconut oil in a saute pan.  While oil is melting, mix all ingredients together.

2.  Create patties with the mixture (I made three small ones so they would cook a little faster –  I was super hungry!)

3.  Cook until golden brown and flip.

4.  Remove from heat and top with green onion and fresh lime juice

Nutritional Facts:  151 calories; 2g fat; 12g carbs; 19g protein

I made these crab cakes with 1 egg over easy and a side of fruit.  The cakes came out pretty spicy but the egg yolk really calmed them down.  Plus, the combo was damn delicious!  Hope you guys enjoy and I’ll have more recipes coming your way soon.

Oh and before I forget, I also started drinking Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) each day.  I make a quick drink using 1 Tsp ACV, a tiny bit of a calorie free drink mix and 8oz of water.  I’m only on day two so I haven’t really started to reap the benefits, but I’m looking forward to everything it can offer.  If you are curious about why I would do this, check out this post from Brittany at Eating Bird Food.