Three Day Meal Plan

So I more or less stuck to the past three day meal plan.  A few switches, mainly due to cravings, time and need to use certain items & ingredients!

I have managed to keep up the average of losing ~2 pounds a week.  Officially the lightest I've been in almost 3 years and 14 pounds to go to my goal weight.

Officially down 7.7 pounds since January 6 when I started the detox and delighted with my progress and success!  Just hoping I manage not to back track this time ... Like all the others.

I feel foolish saying it feels different this time ... But it does, I feel like I'm changing in many ways for the better, not just focusing on eating but my overall well being, work life balance, emotional and physical health.  And hoping I can continue to keep it up :)

Friday 

B - Quinoa Porridge

L - Salmon and Salad

D - Zucchini Pasta & Tomato

S - Watermelon

Saturday

B - Poached Egg with Asparagus

L - Salad and Fixings

D - Gluten Free Mini Pizzas

S - Chia Seed Pudding

Sunday

B - Banana Pancakes

L - Tomato Lentil Soup

D - Three Bean Chili

S - Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie

Need more salad and soup recipes to keep me going for good lunch ideas :)

Three Day Meal Plan

I still need to write a blog about the detox ... But one thing I liked was the homework assignments where we had to make a three day meal plan (drove accountability, increased planning, reduced waste of food, reduced the stress of "what do I eat tonight" and caving for something easy).

So I figured, it's one thing I should keep doing and commit myself to :)

Meal Plans

Tuesday

B - Quinoa Porridge

L - Lentil Soup

D - Zucchini Pasta & Tomato

S - Watermelon

Wednesday

B - Banana Pancakes

L - Kale Salad with Avocado 

D - Grilled Salmon & Asparagus

S - Chia Seed Pudding

Thursday

B - Avocado Breakfast Pudding

L - Lentil & Carrot Soup

D - Three Bean Chili

S - Sweet Potato Smoothie

2014 ... A year of new beginnings

Every year I start with over ambitious goals, a laundry list of health inspired resolutions, self betterment, trying new things ...

And this year the underlying theme is similar, but I'm trying to approach them differently mentally and physically.  Mind over matter.

This year I have the added "bonus" of turning 30 and have some failed goals, e.g. Be at my goal weight, see all 50 states, etc.  I'm finding its just more incentive to try and start living life more and becoming and being the person that I want to be.

I've learned and become more aware of my own propensity to set unachievable goals and in turn, failing to meet them  which ultinately leads me to become unmotivated.

So to combat this, and my never ending to do list, my resolution this year is to decide each day one thing I will do that day.  The list of possibilities is endless, from mail a letter at the post office, to try a yoga class, to make a meal plan for the week.

And so far, just over two weeks into the new year and it's been quite a success; because I did mail those letters and I did try my first yoga class (more on this later) and I've done a two week detox with lots of mini achievements (such as making meal plans and listening to the group call recordings - more on this later too!)

And the two days thus far that I never really set goals for myself (despite that laundry list existing in my mind!) I was pretty much a bum on the couch for the day, with no idea where to start on my list.  It just becomes this stress hovering over me and smothering me.

So I have to say, of all the "new years resolutions" I've made and lifestyle and motivational changes I've tried to make, this year has been the most successful.

On top of that, I've lost 4 pounds through this detox and new diet (clean eating) so my motivation levels are sky high at the moment.  

Let's see how long it all continues!

Week 22: Pounds +0.3; Points +41; Activity +17; Workouts 2 (plus moving!)

Week 21 Summary:

Hmm ... does packing, cleaning & moving (well the pieces the movers didn't!) count as exercise?

Pounds ... my Monday weigh-in had me up 0.3 pounds ...annoyed at myself because 1) I've been working out & tracking again the last 3 weeks & while my increases are small ... they are increases, not decreases!

Points ... went 41 points over my daily allowance & activity points ... still not tracking 100% as well as I should ... and a chuck of this was alcohol points Saturday night ... (although was planning not to drink til post-race ... so a bit of a failure here!)

Activity ... earned 17 points (2 jogs & some walks)

Improvements vs. prior week ...

1) I need to track daily ... I kept a list on a post-it with my food from the week, but forgot some items & didn't have all the nutrition information beside me to calculate correctly
I did better ... but still not tracking in the moment, so probably don't catch 100% & not 100% accurate either.

2) I am still struggling with my frequent chocolate cravings & had quite a few treats this week I need to cut out in future weeks (I am trying to replace sweet cravings with 70% dark chocolate) 
Switched over to dark chocolate, but still indulging too much!

3) I need to increase to at least 4 workouts a week, my body seems to respond better to more frequent, shorter workouts vs longer less frequent workouts
Nope!  But I blame the move for this!

Learnings:


1) When work offers a celebratory free Friday lunch of pizza, curly fries, chicken wings, chicken tenders, and cake ... no matter how good I've been for the week ... I shouldn't eat away all of my successes from the start of the week!

2) I can not try to keep up with my boyfriend in terms of types of food eaten, quantity of food eaten or speed of food eaten!  (I do a pretty good job here generally, but something to keep a watchful eye on)

3) And again ... I need to increase to at least 4 workouts a week, my body seems to respond better to more frequent, shorter workouts vs longer less frequent workouts

Week 21: Pounds +0.2; Points +35; Activity +16; Workouts 3

Week 21 Summary:

Overall, an "acceptable" amount of food and exercise, but also lots of room for improvements.  

Pounds ... my Monday weigh-in had me up 0.2 pounds ... no issues there, essentially flat 

Points ... went 35 points over my daily allowance & activity points (Weight Watchers Points) 

Activity ... earned 16 points (2 runs & 1 elliptical workout)

Learnings:

1) I need to track daily ... I kept a list on a post-it with my food from the week, but forgot some items & didn't have all the nutrition information beside me to calculate correctly

2) I am still struggling with my frequent chocolate cravings & had quite a few treats this week I need to cut out in future weeks (I am trying to replace sweet cravings with 70% dark chocolate) 

3) I need to increase to at least 4 workouts a week, my body seems to respond better to more frequent, shorter workouts vs longer less frequent workouts

A Goal Without A Plan Is Just A Wish

Mission ... 

To lose 25 pounds (eat healthier & work out more), complete a race (original goal was a 5K, revised goal is a half marathon & a triathlon), inspire someone (as I've been inspired!)

Status ... 

Lost 7 pounds ... 18 to go, I jogged my first race in April, a 10k (I'll write a post on that) and signed up for my second in June (taking a hiatus from drinking for 4 weeks until post-race).

Plan ...

I've had some ups and downs (see chart below) but this is the most consistent I've stayed focused.  Slow and steady ...

Pounds to go ...

In the past I might have had a health kick for a few weeks, maybe even few months but then might fall off the wagon for the better part of a year or longer ... But, as time has gone on, my length of staying focused on being healthy have gotten longer and my spans of being unmotivated have gotten shorter.  

On top of that, for the first time, I've actually started to enjoy running ... 18 months ago jogging for even 10 minutes was a struggle and now I can jog a solid 60 minutes.

Title quote: Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Although, per wiki "The earliest appearance yet located of this statement is in 50 Ways to Lose Ten Pounds (1995) by Joan Horbiak, p. 95, where it is quoted as an anonymous proverb. It seems to have circulated as such for a few years before it began to be attributed to Saint Exupéry around 2007."

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Per usual, I've been over ambitious!  

Well firstly, I've signed up for a 10K (my second ever race), 4 weeks from now, number 345.  I planned to do a 8-10 week training plan originally, but similar to last time I think it will be a few sporadic runs to prepare!  (I did my first jog today in weeks of just over 5k with LC).

Secondly, my over ambition on how much I can achieve impacts all aspects of my life ... Such as this blog & how I thought I'd find time to write!  But I have a few draft topics and more ideas ... So I'll get there!

Trying to start a new hobby (blog writing), boyfriend moving in (finally an end to long distance!) searching for a new apartment to move to (unfortunate timing and not planned to need to move), trips away (every weekend!) a birthday surprise for my boyfriend (he loved it!), and starting back to school (does online/self-study count as going back to school?) ... all in the same 4 weeks is a recipe for failure :-)

Hopefully once we are moved into the new place June 1 and I find a good exercise and study schedule, then my blog writing will find its way into my hectic schedule!

Until next time ...