Day 8 of 14 (r2)

Breakfast :
Oatmeal with raisins
Coffee with Almond milk

Snack :
Protein shake (Almond milk & perfect for protein powder)
Chobani
Apple

Dinner:
Chicken,  green beans & zucchini/squash medley

Snack:
Blueberry protein pancakes
Green tea

Day 7 of 14 (r2)

Breakfast :
Oatmeal with raisins & cinnamon

Lunch:
Banana
spinach & chickpea salad with lemon juice and evoo dressing
Protein shake

Snack:
Kind bar
GenetixHD
Chobani

Dinner:
Turkey meatloaf, peas,  zucchini & marinara

Snack:
Kind bar

Apple

Tofu kielbasa (1/3)

Day 6 of 14(r2)

Weigh in: 154.6 lbs

Preworkout :
GenetixHD

Workout :
2.4 mile run

Breakfast :
Oatmeal with blueberries
Coffee with Almond milk

Snack :
Yogurt

Lunch :
grilled chicken sandwich on multigrain
Salad with Italian

Snack:
Grapes
Kind bar
Spinach & chickpea salad with lemon juice and evoo dressing

Preworkout :
Oxyshred

Workout :
. 5 mi run
Squats 3x15 @35lbs
Leg curl 3x15 @45lbs
Leg press 3x15 @120lbs

Postworkout:
Protein shake (Almond milk & scoop perfect fit protein)

Dinner:
Chicken, zucchini w marinara, peas

Day 5 of 14 (r2)

Breakfast :
GenetixHD
Oatmeal with blueberries
Coffee with Almond milk

Snack :
Yogurt
Banana

Lunch :
Spinach & chickpea salad with lemon/evoo dressing
Hummus &  cucumbers
Grapes

Snack:
Kind bar
Oxyshred

Dinner:
Chicken,  squash & gb
Zucchini & marinara

Snack:
Orange

Day 4 of 14 (r2)

Breakfast:
GenetixHD
Blueberry protein pancakes
banana

Snack :
Yogurt

Lunch :
apple
Turkey meatloaf,  gb & vegetable medley
Healthy pumpkin cookie

Snack:
Kind bar

Dinner:
Chicken,  zucchini &  marinara,  peas

Day 3 of 14(r2)

Preworkout :
GenetixHD

Workout :
2.2 mile run (334 calories)

Breakfast :
Blueberry protein pancakes

Snack:
Greek yogurt with blueberries & strawberries
Black tea
Kind bar

Lunch:
Tuna salad (made with nayonaisse - a soy based mayo)
honeydew
Zucchini & marinara

Snack :
Apple

Preworkout :
Oxyshred

Workout :
1.4 mile run
Chest press 3x15 @ 30lbs
Lat pull down 3x15 @ 40lbs
shoulder press 3x10 @ 5lbs
Arm curl 3x15 @ 10 lbs
Arm extension 3x15 @ 40lbs
(374 calories)

Dinner:
Kind bar
Baked chicken,  gb &  butternut squash

Day 2 of 14(r2)

Preworkout:
GenetixHD

Workout :
2.5 mi run (335 calories)

Breakfast:
Blueberry protein pancakes
Coffee with Almond milk

Snack :
Chobani
Green tea
Apple

Lunch :
Zucchini & marinara
Hummus & cucumbers & tomato
Banana muffin

Snack :
Kind bar
Apple
Cliff bar

Dinner:
Lemon chicken,  butternut squash,  green beans

Snack:
Half banana muffin

Before pictures

So it's a couple days in,  but better late than never! I mostly just wanted something to compare to at the end 

Weight: 158.6 lbs

Day 1 of 14 (r2)

Breakfast:
Blueberry protein pancakes
Coffee with Almond milk

GenetixHD

Snack :
Honeydew

Chobani & almonds

Zucchini &  tomato sauce

Lunch :
Salad with steak &  Italian dressing

Snack :
Banana protein muffin

Apple

So my meals were a little spaced out and sporadic.  I worked a double at the bar so I just ate where I could,  thus the spacing

14 day challenge.... Round 2

Since I didn't make it to 14 days last time,  I'm sticking with 14 days for this one.  Each time I successfully complete a challenge,  I'm going to add more days to the next one.

I'm starting on Sunday November 3.

Wish me luck :-)

Day 13 of 14

So before I share what my meals were this day, I have to provide a caveat. I did not eat 100% clean today. After much deliberation, I made the decision to stop on this day. It was partly out of necessity. Kevin and I had a surprise party to go to in the evening. During the day I ate completely clean. I was planning on eating a meal prior to the party, but I had a hair appt that took longer than I expected and I was just short on time. I figured I'd be able to order something clean at the restaurant, but it turns out the people throwing the party had simply provided a buffet. Given my hypoglycemia, I could not simply skip eating and wait until I got home, plus I had already made it 12 days. So I decided to just enjoy the night, and eat what was available. That being said, here's what my day looked like:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with blueberries

Snack:
Yogurt w/ blueberries, pom & yogurt

Lunch:
Banana & Kind bar

Dinner:
2 glasses of Chardonnay
Andouille sausage quesadillas
Pulled pork
Chicken tenders
Perogies
2 pieces of fudge

Day 12 of 14

Breakfast:
Protein smoothie (Oatmeal, protein, almond milk, blueberries, strawberries, chia seeds)

Snack:
Kind bar

Lunch:
Greek Salad with chicken and house vinaigrette

Snack:
Banana

Dinner:
Rice & beans
Yogurt w/ peaches & granola

Day 11 of 14

Breakfast:
Oatmeal w/ blueberries
4 hardboiled egg whites, tomato

Snack:
Yogurt with blueberries, pomegranate & granola
Green tea

Lunch:
Rice & beans with guacamole
Grapes

Snack:
Salad

Preworkout:
GenetixHD

Workout:
2 mi run
3x15 120 lb leg oress
3x15 45 lb leg curl
3x15 10lb arm curl
3x15 40 lb arm extension

Dinner:
Grilled Chicken, sweet potato, green beans

Day 10 of 14

Breakfast:
3 hardboiled egg whites, tomato, sauteed spinach
Oatmeal with blueberries

Snack:
Yogurt w/ peaches & granola
Green tea

Lunch:
Rice & beans
Grapes
Kind bar

Snack:
Kind bar

Preworkout:
GenetixHD

Workout:
2.4 mi run
3x15 40lb lat pull down
3x15 30lb chest press

Dinner:
2 Hardboiled eggs
Grilled Chicken, sweet potato, green beans

Day 9 of 14

Breakfast :
Banana
Oatmeal with blueberries
3 hardboiled egg whites, tomato, sautéed spinach
Coffee w almond milk

Snack :
Yogurt with blueberries and granola

Pre workout :
GenetixHD

Workout :
2.3 mile run
3x15 leg press @120 lbs
3x15 leg curls @ 45 lbs
3x15 lunges with 10 lb hand weights
2x10 squats with 18 lb kettle bell
(roughly 500-600 calories.  Didn't have polarft watch to keep track)

Lunch :
Rice & beans
Grapes

Snack :
Kind bar
Green tea

Dinner :
All natural chicken sausage sautéed with peppers and onions
Steamed green beans and peas

Snack:
Grapes

Day 8 of 14

Breakfast :
Oatmeal with blueberries
3 hardboiled egg whites, tomato, sautéed spinach
Coffee w almond milk

Snack :
Yogurt with strawberries and blueberries and granola
Green tea

Lunch :
Salad with chicken & Italian dressing
Veggie soup

Snack :
Kind bar

Dinner :
All natural chicken sausage sautéed with peppers and onions
Steamed green beans & peas

Day 7 of 14

I've made it a whole week! Woo-hoo! One week left until I can have a cheat meal. Hehe.

Here's what my day looked like :)

Breakfast:
Oatmeal w/ blueberries & cinnamon

Lunch:
Rice & beans

Snack:
Kind bar

Dinner:
Chicken w/ peas & green beans

Snack:
Granola, trail mix

Back to the gym tomorrow!!!

Day 6 of 14

Breakfast/Lunch:
Protein smoothie (Almond milk, oatmeal, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, protein powder & chia seeds)
Iced coffee w/ almond milk
5 hr energy

Dinner:
Marinated chicken, green beans, peas
Yogurt w/ strawberries & blueberries

Snack:
Banana
Cucumbers & carrots w/ dressing

Rice & beans
Monster Rehab



I know this doesn't follow my normal meal format. Saturdays I bartend so I sleep late and I'm up late, and I don't always have time to spread my meals out accordingly. I still managed to keep it clean though!

Day 5 of 14

Breakfast:
Oatmeal w/ almond milk, blueberries & cinnamon

Snack:
Yogurt w/ strawberries, blueberries & granola

Lunch:
Taco Salad
Apple

Early afternoon Snack:
Kind bar
Green tea

Later afternoon Snack:
Protein Smoothie (Almond milk, protein powder, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries & chia seeds)
Cliff bar
Iced coffee w/ almond milk

Dinner:
Marinated chicken, Mixed veggies & peas

Snack:
Cucumbers & carrots w/ italian dressing
2 Ryvita crackers & pb

Day 4 of 14

Preworkout :
GenetixHD

Workout :
Run
342 calories

Breakfast :
Banana
3 hardboiled eggs,  tomato, sautéed spinach
Snack :
Yogurt with strawberries and blueberries and granola

Lunch :
Taco salad (lettuce,  ground turkey,  fresh salsa,  Greek yogurt,  sriracha)
Apple

Snack :
Kind bar
Green tea

Dinner :
Quinoa salad
2 ryvita crackers with natural pb

Day 3 of 14

Preworkout :
GenetixHD

Workout :
Run
298 calories

Breakfast :
Cliff bar,  banana
3 egg whites,  tomato, sautéed spinach

Snack :
Grapes
Yogurt with strawberries and blueberries

Lunch :
Sliced turkey with lettuce, tomato, onion & mustard
Grapes, strawberries,  honey dew,  pineapple
Vitamin water

Snack :
Kind bar
Green tea

Dinner :
Salad
Cliff bar

Day 2 of 14

Preworkout :
GenetixHD

Workout :
2.4 mile run
368 calories

Breakfast :
Banana
3 hardboiled egg whites, tomatoes and spinach

Snack :
Yogurt with strawberries and blueberries
Green tea

Lunch :
Salad with grilled chicken
Hummus
grapes
Apple

Snack :
Kind bar
Veggie soup

Dinner:
Tacos: ground turkey,  chili powder,  guacamole,  Greek yogurt,  pico De Gallo on Boston lettuce wraps

Only 12 more days to go...

Day 1 of 14

Today started out a little rough.  I got up at 630 to go to the gym,  got all the way there and realized I forgot my work clothes (ugh!). Fortunately my father hadn't left for work yet and was able to grab them.  (savior!).  Had a good workout, and have eaten clean all day.  Here's start my day looked like:

Preworkout :
GenetixHD

Am workout :
2.5 mile run
350 calories burned

Breakfast :
Banana
3 hardboiled egg whites,  one roma tomato,  sautéed spinach

Snack :
Fage w blueberries & strawberries
Grapes
Kind bar

Lunch :
Salad
Veggie soup

Snack :
Cliff bar

PM workout :
1 HR yoga
200 calories burned

Dinner:
Baked Mahi crusted with almond meal,  lemon,  garlic and dill
Peas
Carrots, broccoli, snow peas &  water chestnuts

My 14 day challenge

    The last couple months I have been slacking HARDCORE, and I feel like absolute shit. I just can't seem to get it together. I recently saw a picture of Dwayne Johnson's cheat day (12 pancakes, 3 pizzas, and 21 brownies, oh my!). He had just completed 172 days of eating completely clean. No cheat. Strict diet and exercise regime. So I decided if he can do it for 172 days (Christ that's like 6 months!).

   So I decided to crack down. I don't think I can jump into 172 days of straight clean eating, but you gotta start somewhere, so I've decided to start with 14 days. For the next 14 days I'm going to eat 100% clean. After the 14 days I plan on having a hefty cheat day, and then I'll kick it up a notch. My goal is also to make it to the gym 6 times in the next 14 days. I will hopefully make it more than that, but I didn't want to overwhelm myself.

  So here goes. I did my meal plan and preparation for the week. Failing to plan is planning to fail! I'm ready to start crushing some goals!

7/19/13

Breakfast :
Oatmeal with blueberries
Coffee with almond milk

Snack :
Yogurt with grapes
Paleo Bread with pb

Lunch :
Rice and beans

Snack :
Kind bar
Protein balls

Dinner :
Lemon Mahi with zucchini and Asparagus

Snack :
Protein balls
Sweet potato ff

7/18/13

Breakfast :
Banana
Oatmeal with blueberries
Coffee with almond milk

Snack :
Yogurt with grapes
Protein balls

Lunch :
Rice and beans

Snack :
Protein balls

Dinner :
Chicken teriyaki
Shocktop

Evening :
2 Allagash
Loopy & club
10 wings

7/17/13

Breakfast :
Oatmeal with blueberries
Coffee with almond milk

Snack :
Yogurt with grapes
GenetixHD

Lunch :
Rice and beans

Snack :
Paleo Bread with peanut butter
Protein balls

Dinner :
Salad with grilled chicken and veggies

Snack :
Kind bar
Cheezits

Workout :
(328 calories)
CardioMax dvd

7/16/13

Breakfast :
Oatmeal with blueberries and cinnamon
Coffee with almond milk

Snack :
Yogurt with strawberries and blueberries
Green tea
Banana

Lunch :
2 egg whites,  1 egg,  tomato and zucchini

Snack :
2 ryvita crackers with peanut butter
GenetixHD

Dinner :
Rice and beans

Snack :
Kind bar
Trail mix

Workout :
(479 calories)
Run
Cardio max dvd

7/15/13

Breakfast :
Coffee w/vanilla almond milk
Oatmeal with blueberries and cinnamon

Snack:
Yogurt with strawberries & blueberries
3 ryvita crackers with natural pb

Lunch :
Turkey sub on wheat roll with pepperjack cheese, lettuce,  tomato,  onion, peppers, Jalapeños
Grapes

Snack :
Gnc keylime lean shake with frozen strawberries & blueberries

Dinner:
(iron hill)
Tomato mozzarella salad
Southwest chicken dip with tortilla chips
Chicken taco

Coconut chip gelato in sugar cone

Workout :
50 jumping jacks

7/3/13

Breakfast:
Banana
oatmeal with blueberries and cinnamon
Iced coffee with almond milk

Snack :
Yogurt with grapes

Lunch :
Rice and beans

Snack :
Salad with tofu

Preworkout :
GenetixHD

Workout :
2 mile run
Lat pull downs 3x15 @50lbs
chest press 3x15 @30lbs
Arm curls 3x15 @10lbs
arm extension 3x15 @40lbs
shoulder press 2x15 @5lbs
Lunges 3x10
Side bends 3x10
Crunches 3x15
Reverse crunches 3x15

Post workout :
Cliff bar

Snack :
Pear

Dinner:
Honey mustard pork loin(not clean) ,  potatoes Au gratin(not clean) , green beans

Snack:
Berries

7/1/13

Preworkout:
GenetixHD
Banana

Workout :
Hour of Pilates (300 calories)

Breakfast:
1 egg,  2 egg whites,  tomatoes,  onions,  peppers scrambled

Snack :
Yogurt with grapes
Green tea
Triscuits
Cliff bar

Lunch :
Rice and beans

snack :
Pear

Dinner:
Grilled chicken,  tomatoes,  onion,  peppers,  Zucchini & summer squash

7/2/13

Breakfast:
Banana
Eggs with onion,  peppers & tomatoes

Snack :
Yogurt & grapes

Lunch :
Rice & beans w/guac

Snack :
3lindt truffles
Salad

Preworkout :
Cliff bar
GenetixHD

Workout :
Run 1.5 miles
Leg press 3 sets of 15 @140lbs
Leg curl 3 sets of 15 at 45lbs
Weighted squats 3 sets of 10 @50 lbs
walking lunges with 10lb dumbells 3 sets of 10

Dinner :
Grilled chicken,  tomatoes,  onions,  peppers,  Zucchini & squash

Snack :
2 ryvita crackers with natural pb

Progress pictures 7/3/13

Down to 155lbs. Still have a ways to go

6/30/13

Breakfast:
Banana
1 egg,  2 egg whites scrambled with onion pepper tomatoes and spinach
Coffee w almond milk

Lunch :
Rice and beans with guac

Snack:
Lean shake with strawberries and raspberries

Dinner:
Tacos with chicken lettuce tomatoes Jalapeños and hot sauce

Snack :
Pineapple

6/22/13

Breakfast:
Oatmeal
Banana bread muffin

Snack:
Cottage ch & pineapple

Lunch:
Chix & veggies
Ice coffee with milk

Snack:
Banana bread muffin
Cliff bar

Dinner:
Rice & beans

6/27/13

Breakfast:
Banana
BB pancakes
GenetixHD

Snack:
Cottage ch & pineapple

Lunch:
Tuna salad over baby spinach

Snack:
Salad with tofu

preworkout:
Cliff bar
GenetixHD

Workout:
(677 calories burned)
Chest press
Lat pull down
Arm curls
Arm extensions
Shoulder press
30 squats
30 lunges
2 mile run
planks
side crunches

Dinner:
Tilapia, peas & broccoli
protein shake

Snack:
handful almonds

5/31/13

So this morning I felt absolutely dead. I pushed myself pretty hard the last couple days at the gym, and this morning I had a hard time getting out bed. I felt like I had been hit by a mack truck, and I hadn't slept in days. So today I decided to take it easy with my workout.

Breakfast:
Lemon water
Oatmeal & blueberries w/ cinnamon

Snack:
Handful of triscuits

Lunch:
3 egg whites + 1 egg scrambled with sauteed onions, tomatoes and spinach, garlic, salt, pepper & cayenne pepper

Snack:
Strawberry protein smoothie (2 scoops strawberry protein powder, 2 scoops dfine8, 2 TBL flaxseed meal, a little bit of organic unsweetened coconut, 1 cup almond milk, cup of water, and about a cup of frozen strawberries)



Dinner:
Salad with tofu & italian dressing
chicken & peas

Snack:
Strawberries
Cliff bar

1 beer

 Workout:
Squats 3x15
Lunges 3x10

5/30/13

Breakfast:
Dfine8
Oatmeal & blueberries

Snack:
Grapefruit

Lunch:
Salad with tofu & italian dressing
Pear

Snack:
Cliff bar
Hummus & veggies

Dinner:
Grilled chicken, potato salad, peas

Workout:
Ran 1 mile
1 hour of Pilates

5/29/13

Breakfast: 

Lemon water

Oatmeal & blueberries

Dfine8

Snack:

Grapefruit

Lunch:

Salad with tofu & italian dressing

Pear

Snack:

Hummus & veggies

Cliff bar

Dinner:

Chicken & asparagus

Strawberries

 

Workout:

Ran 1 mile

Full body workout (leg press, leg curl, lat pull down, chest press, shoulder press, arm curls)

5/28/13

Breakfast:
Oatmeal & blueberries
Dfine 8

Snack:
1/2 Grapefruit

Lunch:
Zucchini "spaghetti" & sauce, sausage & meatballs

Snack:
Hummus, cucumbers & carrots

Dinner:
Chinese buffet: California roll, Kung pao chicken, beef & broccoli, lo mein, dumplings

5/27/13

Breakfast:
Oatmeal & blueberries

Snack:
Protein smoothie

Lunch:
Yogurt & Melon

Snack:
Cliff bar

Dinner:
Chicken, hot dog, salad, potato salad, chips & onion dip
Apple pie
4 beers

5/26/13

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with blueberries

Snack:
Protein smoothie

Lunch:
Tuna salad

Snack:
Fage plain greek yogurt & honeydew

Dinner:
Zucchini "pasta" & sauce, meatballs & sausage

Snack:
Half chicken quesadilla

Workout:
50 squats
20 min run

5/25/13

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with blueberries

Snack:
Blueberry chobani

Lunch:
Tuna salad on whole wheat wrap
Leftover Chipotle salad

Snack:
Honeydew

Dinner:
Rice & beans

Snack:
Tasty cake honeybun

5/24/13

Breakfast:
Dfine 8
Mixed fruit
Oatmeal & blueberries

Snack:
Honeydew

Lunch:
Black tea
Salad
Chix parm
Pasta

Dinner:
Salad from Chipotle with lettuce, black beans, Peppers& onions, chicken, hot sauce, pico de gallo & guacamole

Workout: 2 mile run

5/23/13

Breakfast:
Dfine8
Oatmeal with blueberries

Snack:
Apple w/ natural peanut butter

Lunch:
Tuna salad (tuna, nayonaise, celery, onion, pickles) on whole wheat wrap

Snack:
Tzatziki & cucumbers

Dinner:
Buffet- pasta, salad, lettuce wrap, pizza, hummus, cheesecake
2 beers

Workout:
2 mile run
Leg press & leg curl

4/11/13

So today I'm starting a 7 day slim down in prep for my trip to Mexico next Thursday. It's pretty strict,  and I'm trying to do as many two-a-days at the gym as I can.  It's cram time people!

Preworkout:
Dfine8

Am workout:
2mi run

Breakfast:
Egg white scramble with tomatoes and spinach

Snack:
Grapefruit

Lunch :
Salad with chicken & balsamic vinegar
Honeydew

Snack :
Hummus & cucumbers /carrots
Handful of peanuts

Preworkout :
Banana

PM workout :
1 mile run
Hour of pilates

Dinner :
Blackened Mahi Mahi, green beans and broccoli

Snack :
Half cup plain Greek yogurt

4/10/13

Breakfast:
Dfine 8
Clean BB pancakes
Banana

Snack:
Cottage ch & pineapple

Lunch:
Turkey burger wrap
Chocolate protein shake

Snack:
Tzatziki & cucumbers

preworkout:
1/2 cliff bar

PM workout:
2.71 mi run

postworkout:
1/2 cliff bar

Dinner:
1/3 Lasagna
Sugar snap peas
Glass of chardonnay

4/9/13

Breakfast:
DD Iced coffee with milk & sugar
DD Oatmeal

Snack:
Greek yogurt & honeydew
Egg white scramble with tomatoes and spinach

Lunch:
Turkey burger wrap
Banana
Peanuts

Snack:
Hot tea
Fruit snacks
Cliff bar

Dinner:
Beans with ham & potatoes

4/8/13

Preworkout:
Banana

AM Workout:
2.3 mi run (30 min)
Full body workout

Breakfast:
Clean BB pancakes

Snack:
Cottage ch & pineapple
Coffee with cream and sugar

Lunch:
Turkey burger wrap
Spinach salad with italian dressing

Snack:
Tzatziki, cucumbers & carrots
Cliff bar

Dinner:
Tomato, mozzarella salad
1/3 piece of lasagna
2 glasses of chardonnay


(total net calories around 1,700)

4/7/13

Breakfast:
Oatmeal
Scrambled egg whites

Snack:
Cottage ch & pineapple
Welch's fruit snacks

Lunch:
Grilled chicken, vegetables, pita

Snack:
Lara bar

Dinner:
Turkey burger wrap
2 beers


(Total net calories around 1,700)

4/6/13

Breakfast:
Super smoothie

Dinner:
Burrito Bowl from Chipotle


Yes this is really all I ate on Saturday. Total calories might be around 1,000 which isn't nearly enough. I did a lot of running around Saturday and wasn't really feeling well so I crashed early. I should have eaten more though. The next day I was STARVING and when I did eat, I ended up eating too fast and ended up with an awful stomach ache because I was still hungry, but couldn't eat anymore.

4/5/13

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with cinnamon
Scrambled egg whites

Snack 1:
Super smoothie
   (protein powder, almond milk, unsweetened coconut, almonds, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, flax seed, water)

Lunch:
Cranberry turkey burger wrap

Snack 2:
Starbursts
Cliff bar

Dinner:
Lemon chix & broccoli

Snack 3:
Hummus & pita

4/4/13

preworkout: Banana

AM Workout:
2.3 mi run (30 min)

Breakfast:
Turkey sausage, egg white & ch on bagel

Snack 1:
Cottage ch & pineapple

Lunch:
Salad with cheddar ch & ranch dressing
Grapes

Snack 2:
2 lindt truffles
Cliff bar

PM Workout:
3 mi run (37 min)
60 min Pilates

Dinner:
Quinoa Salad with bals vinaigrette
Beer


(Net calories roughly 1,400)

3/25/13

Today was a pretty good day. I had intended to go to the gym in the am, but didn't get much sleep over the weekend, so I slept in a little instead. The snowy weather didn't help my motivation much either! But here's what my day looked like :)

Breakfast:
Blueberry pancakes
Orange/pineapple/mango juice
Coffee with skim milk and sugar

Snack:
Cottage cheese & pineapple

Lunch:
Cranberry Turkey burger, let and tom in a whole wheat wrap
Banana

Snack:
Tzatziki & cucumbers

Preworkout:
Raisin oatmeal cliff bar

Workout:
2.5 miles on the treadmill
Leg press
Leg curls
Hour of yoga

Dinner:
Lemon garlic chicken with steamed asparagus


Overall a pretty good day :) I'm not going to lie though, I did sneak in a couple of lindts chocolate truffles :-0!

Measurements

So I really should have done this when I started this journey, but better late than never I suppose!
These measurements are from 2/21 but should still be pretty accurate, considering the last couple weeks I was sick & had some personal stuff going on that resulted in my slacking on the clean eating & dieting front.

Calf- 15"
Thigh- 23.5"
Hips - 41"
Waist  - 29.5"
Abs - 36"
Torso - 38"
Neck - 13"
Arms - 11.5"

So I should probably clarify what some of these measurements mean, lest they be left up to incorrect interpretation.

Calf - measured around largest part of lower leg
Thigh - measured circumference of thigh 6 inches below where the leg meets the torso
Hips - measured around largest section of hips/butt
Waist - Measured around natural waist, right above the belly button. For me this has always been a small number, and what contributes to my hour glass figure :)
Abs - measured around my core one inch below my belly button (This is what I like to think of as my love handles. I'm less than thrilled that I have a 6.5" difference between this area and my natural waist :-/)
Torso - Measured around the largest part of my chest. (Anyone who knows me knows why the delta between this and my waist is so large ;-))
Neck-  Measured around center of my neck, halfway btwn collar bone and chin
Arms- Distance around arm 2" from armpit

As far as my weight, I last clocked in at around 155, which is almost 10 lbs from where I've started :)
As previously mentioned I wish I had logged all of this from the very beginning, so that I knew exactly what my progress was. I did take pictures though, so even though I may not have exact calculations, I have a graphical representation of my changes, which I think is really where you can see the difference anyways :)

3/11

So I've gotten a little off track but Mexico is in little over a month so it's time to buckle down.  I'm doing a 7 day slim down to jumpstart back into my diet,  and I'll be doing twice a day at the gym at least 4 days a week.  No more excuses.

Progress pictures

Here's the progress pictures I promised!

Weigh in #1

So I realized that some of you may be wondering what progress I'm making so far. Well, I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 157lbs. When I started this journey at 164, so that means I'm down 7 lbs! Woohoo! Not bad in a months time. Although I would like to stress that it's not about the weight.  It's about being healthy,  and strong,  and toning up.  I know that muscle weighs more than fat,  so if at the end of the day I weigh the same,  but I'm in great shape,  and healthy,  I'm ok with that.  I'm working on some progress pictures.  Stay tuned!

Day 27-30

I can't believe it's already been a month.  They say if you do something for a month it becomes habit. I guess it's true.  I'm still eating clean (80-90% of the time) and I'm still working out, so yay for good habits!  I wish I could say I've seen more of a difference,  but I've only lost a few lbs. I think though now that I'm working out in the mornings,  and I have a workout regimen in place,  I'll start to see more. I also need to get from 80-90% clean to 90-100%. I've done pretty well though.  My "cheats" have been small. I'm just gonna keep plugging away!

Day 22-26

So this week was a good week. I tried a new recipe, Tandoori Chicken. Came out great. I'm trying to add at least one new recipe a week to my plan. I don't want to add too many, in case I don't like them, but a lot of the ones I've tried have been really good, so I've been incorporating them in. My favorite so far has been Zucchini Italiano. It's ground beef, cooked with tomatoes, garlic, and oregano. Then I sautee up some zucchini, and baby spinach, and put the beef/tomatoes over top of it. I made some for Kevin and I the other night, and he loved it! It's great when he enjoys what I'm eating too. It makes it easier for me to stick to it!

So in terms of working out, I switched things up a little this week. First of all, I worked with a trainer on Tuesday to get a regimen in place. I didn't feel like I was doing enough, and wanted to add some weights to my workouts, but wasn't sure where to start. She worked with me to figure out the right weights on a circuit of weight machines. The cool thing about my gym is that we have these smart keys, which you put into the machine you're using, and it tracks your exercise. For example on a treadmill, it tracks the miles and calories. On a weight machine, it tracks the weight, the reps, etc. Then you "check out" of your workout, and it shows you what you did and how many calories you burn. The other neat thing about it is, my trainer can load my regimen on there, and the machine will tell me how many reps, at what weight, etc, so I don't have to think about it! So that was the first change.

The second change I made to my workouts, is I decided to start working out in the mornings. Previously, I had been working out in the afternoons after work. I would work out, go home, make dinner, and then be wired for the evening and couldn't fall asleep. The next day I would be exhausted all day, until I worked out again. It was a brutal process, and I was miserable. I didn't feel like I was getting any of the benefits of working out. So Wednesday morning, I got up at 5:30 and hit the gym. I was really tired all day, but I was also used to getting up a little later, so I expected this. I crashed at about 8 that night. Thursday I got up at 530 again, this time it was easier, and let me tell you, the difference was incredible. I felt AMAZING. I had energy ALL day, all the way through work, and after work, and I was able to get to sleep at a decent hour. Today I woke up and did it again, and again I feel great! I never thought I would be getting up at 530 to go to the gym. I have NEVER been a morning person, and always valued my sleep, and getting a lot of it. But making this small change has made such a difference. I can even feel my metabolism speeding up because of it. It's amazing. f

So because of my workout change, I had to change up my eating a little bit, so here's what today looked like:

Preworkout:
Eggs & banana

Post-workout:
Oatmeal and protein shake

Snack 1:
Grapes

Lunch:
salad w/ chix

Snack 2:
Apples & pb

grapes, cheese and crackers (<-- This was a little bit of a cheat. I was starving after work and hit wawa. cheese and crackers are a no no, but they aren't the worst thing in the world)f

Dinner:
Tofu stir fry (This was a new recipe I tried last night. It wasn't bad, although I think I'm going to switch up the spices a little bit next time, and the veggies)

I'm also really excited to make this Indian bread called roti. My coworker Raj was telling me about it. It's basically pita, without the sugar. It's simply flour, and water. You slowly add water, while kneading the flour and mixing it. You let it sit for an hour, then you cook it in a pan. He said it's very soft, and goes great with anything. This will be great to eat with guacamole, tuna, hummus, as a wrap...all sorts of things. I've been searching for a good wrap, but couldn't find anything, so I'm excited to try to make these this weekend!

Day 10 - 21

Yikes. I didn't realize how long it had been since I had posted. Sorry guys. It's been a busy of couple weeks.

Last weekend, I had a few cheats. They weren't anything major, like ice cream, or cookies, but regardless, they didn't follow the plan. I'm not going to go back and list everything I've eaten for the last 12 days, but I'll list a few of my cheats:

-Last Friday I had 3 glasses of wine
-Saturday I had a gin and club
-Sunday: a whiskey and ginger, a glass of wine, and a taco salad with ranch dressing and sour cream
-Monday: Bacon, homefries, and Chinese food
- And over the course of the last week I've had a bite of nachos, a couple chips, a couple fries, and a a piece of candy

I think part of the reason I haven't posted was I was ashamed of my cheats.  If I had just had one of those items, and kept the rest of my diet consistent, it wouldn't be so bad, but that's a long list of cheats :( Since last weekend, I've done pretty well. I've been packing my lunches, and sticking to it. Although, I only made it to the gym twice last week. It wasn't open Monday because of the holiday, I went Tuesday, Wednesday I forgot a sports bra (and anybody who knows me, knows what a bad idea working out without a sports bra is for me), went Thursday, and then didn't go Friday because I was supposed to work at the bar. The last two days though I've been doing some things at home, like lunges, squats, bicep curls, lateral lifts and a few other things to give myself some exercise.

I feel as though I haven't made any progress yet. Mexico is little over two months away, and I feel like I've taken two steps back. I think it's time to step it up at the gym. I need to do more strength training, and go more often. No more excuses.

Day 8/9

   I've really been trying to get to this every day, but some days I just can't make it. So here's how my past two days have been:

Yesterday morning I woke up feeling much better about myself. I put on an outfit, and actually felt good in it. The rest of my day went pretty well too. Here's what yesterday looked like:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with blueberries and cinnamon
3 eggs scrambled

Snack 1:
Apples and pb

Lunch:
Veggie soup
Greek yogurt with pears

Snack 2:
Hummus and cucumbers

pre-workout:
Banana

workout:
45 min on treadmill (ran about a mile, walked a bit, then ran a little more)
hour of yoga

post-workout:
choc protein shake

Dinner:
Mahi mahi, spinach, and mixed veggies


I was pretty happy with my day yesterday. I was especially proud of myself for still making it to the gym, even though I only got about 4.5 hours of sleep the night before.

Today was a decent day too. Although I didn't make it to the gym. I was exhausted, and I forgot my sports bra :( But here's what my day looked like:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal and berries
3 eggs scrambled

Snack 1:
Cottage cheese and berries
Almonds

Lunch:
Veggie Soup

Snack 2:
Celery and pb

Dinner:
Stuffed chicken (spinach, carrots, onions, garlic and cottage cheese)
Spinach
Mixed veggies

I'm starting to see a difference. It's ever so slight, but I've noticed my clothes are starting to fit a bit better. My dad also commented that my face looked thinner. I can't wait to see how I look/feel after a few weeks!!

Hypoglycemia

After my incident the other morning, where I nearly passed out in a meeting, I started doing some research on hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is a condition where your blood sugar is really low, usually below 70mg/dL. I've suspected for a long time that I was hypoglycemic, but have never been officially diagnosed. (This is something I'm going to take up with my doctor). I often find that if I go a couple hours without eating I get lethargic and cranky, and sometimes it gets to the point where I feel like I'm going to pass out, like the other day. I start to get really hot, and clammy, and then my vision gets blurry.

 The worst it has ever gotten was when I was 16. I was a cheerleader for our highschool football team. It was our first home game of the season. I remember eating breakfast around 9 or so. I had to be at practice at 10, for a game that started at 1. During that time I had nothing to eat. The weather was beautiful, but hot. It was like 90 degrees out. We were standing on the sidelines, which is what we did when we weren't cheering. We just stood there in formation, watching the boys. I felt myself starting to get really hot, and clammy, and then my vision started getting blurry. I wanted to sit down, but we weren't allowed to sit, so I tried to just push through. Next thing I knew, I couldn't see anything. My vision went completely black. I turned to my friend Cat and said, "Cat, I can't see anything". She chuckled and was like "yeah right", but then she looked into my eyes and could see that something was wrong. She immediately got someones attention. They carefully guided me over to the bleachers and helped me sit in the shade. Someone brought me some water, and some food. Within a few minutes I started to feel better, but I was so embarrassed. I didn't want to make a big scene, and I didn't like all the attention. So now whenever I start to get that feeling, I try to sit down.

So back to hypoglycemia. I've been doing some research, and a lot of what I've found is that the type of lifestyle I've switched to is actually recommended for hypoglycemics. The reason is that a person with hypoglycemia actually crashes after having a lot of sugar. Sugar is the biggest thing that I have cut out since I started my clean eating. Research also recommends eating plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, and getting plenty of protein. It also recommends eating on a regular basis (every 2-3 hours) so my blood sugar doesn't drop. All of which I'm trying to do. Granted, I did have that spell the other day, but that was just a result of not eating enough. But the foods I'm eating should actually make me feel better. I've always wondered why I was always so tired, and felt the need to sleep for 12 hours a night, and lacked so much motivation. I think that sugar may be the culprit. It was making me crash, more-so than it might a normal person.

The more I learn about the lifestyle change that I'm making, the more I realize what a good decision it is. There are SO many benefits to choosing a clean eating lifestyle. Our bodies crave it. It helps our bodies function the way they are supposed to. I'm starting to believe that so many of the health problems we have in this country derive from not just a poor diet, but from not eating things from nature, the way nature intended.

Day 7

Today was my first day back at the bar since I've started my clean eating. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, because when we're busy back there sometimes it can be hard to eat. But I packed my lunch, and just tried to take a bite of things as I went along. I was very tempted to eat some candy that a regular had brought in (there was a huge bag of starbursts! yum!). But I stuck to, and only at what I brought!

Here's what my day looked like:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with berries & cinnamon
3 eggs scrambled (trying to add more protein to my morning)
Chocolate protein shake

Snack 1:
Greek yogurt with berries

Lunch:
Salad with grilled chicken and italian dressing

Snack 2:
Apples and pb

Dinner:
Leftover steak, asparagus and butternut squash

I also probably drank about two gallons of water. Lol. I bring a water bottle to work and constantly fill it up. It's much easier behind the bar than at the office to stay hydrated.

Although my eating was right on track today, I had kind of a rough day. After work I came home and tried to pick out an outfit for tomorrow. Everything I tried on I hated, and I realized it's because I'm not happy with how I look. I don't like the way my clothes lay. I don't feel pretty, sexy or confident in anything. I'm usually not this down on myself, but tonight I just wasn't feeling it. After trying on several outfits I finally gave up and decided I would pick out something in the morning, when I'll hopefully be feeling a little bit better about myself. But that's part of the reason I'm doing this, I'm trying to make a healthier, happier me. I know it's going to take some time, and a lot of hard work, and I'm excited for the journey.

Day 6

Today was a complete failure, and it was all a result of my failure to plan. I stayed at Kevin's last night, and didn't think to bring anything for breakfast. We stayed in bed all morning (which was lovely), but at about 11am I started to get a terrible headache, and it only got worse. All week I've been eating breakfast at about 7am, and a snack at 10, so my body was expecting to eat a decent amount of food at this point. I had a banana in my purse so I ate that, but it didn't help. I ended up resorting to a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch, which went against all the rules, but I had to eat. :/

So here's what my failed day looked like....

Breakfast:
Banana
OJ
Cinnamon toast crunch

Lunch:
Zucchini italiano

Snack:
Greek yogurt and berries
Banana

I also had an alcoholic beverage. I figured since I'd already fucked up the day pretty bad, what was one drink?

The positive from this day though was I was able to make it grocery shopping and plan out next week, and I made a huge pot of vegetable soup (ended up making 5 quarts!) So instead of salad I'll be eating nice hot veggie soup all next week :) Yay!

Day 4/5

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I stuck to my food, and made it to the gym. I tried Pilates for the first time.  It was rough! But I loved it. Here was my day yesterday:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal, blueberries & cinnamon

Snack 1:
Greek yogurt with pears

Lunch:
Tomato tuna salad
Hard boiled eggs
Cottage cheese and berries

Snack 2:
Pistachios

Preworkout:
Banana

Workout:
15 min on treadmill
Hr of Pilates

Post-workout:
Chocolate protein shake

Dinner:
Steak and mixed veggies

Today was a little tougher. Still stuck to the food, but couldn't go to the gym. Around 10am I was in a meeting and got really dizzy, really hot, clammy and my vision got really blurry. I almost passed out. So I went to the physician on campus and she said my blood sugar was low, and not to work out today :( I should have just gone Weds! Anyway,  so apparently I need to eat more, especially in the am. I'm thinking I need to eat more protein and fat to my breakfast to fill me up, so I'm thinking I'm going to add eggs to my routine in the am.

Here's what today looked like:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with blueberries & cinnamon
Protein shake

Snack 1:
Cottage cheese and berries

Lunch:
Salad with chicken and Italian dressing
Apples with pb

Snack 2:
Leftover veggies and banana

Dinner:
Steak with asparagus and butternut squash

Snack 3:
Hardboiled eggs
V8 fusion drink (I read the label very carefully before buying it)

Day 3

Last night I slept like crap. Couldn't fall asleep because I was too hot, and then woke up at 3am thinking it was time to get up for work :/ Needless to say, this made today a little rough.

Here's what my day looked like:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with blueberries, cinnamon and fiber

Snack 1:
Apples and pb

Lunch:
Salad with grilled chicken
Cottage cheese with strawberries and blueberries

Snack 2:
Banana

Dinner:
Leftover zucchini italiano
Grilled chicken and butternut squash

So today didn't quite go as planned. The cottage cheese and berries were supposed to be my afternoon snack, and the banana was supposed to be my pre-workout snack. Well as you can see I ate things sooner, and I didn't quite make it to the gym.

 I've noticed that what I'm packing for food isn't quite holding me over, so I end up eating things sooner than I planned. Breakfast is supposed to be the biggest meal, and dinner the smallest. I've decreased my dinner portions, but I don't think I've increased my portions for the earlier part of the day quite enough. This is something I'm going to have to work on in the coming weeks.

As far as the gym goes,  I was torn about going today. As prior mentioned, I didn't sleep well. I also had terrible cramps today (it's great being a woman), plus the sneakers I've been using are too big and are killing my feet! So I decided it was best to take a day off, and get myself some better kicks. I've worked out twice this week, and I still have the next three days. I'm hoping to get at least four workout days in this week. With it being my first week back at the gym, my first week at a new job with a new sleep schedule, my first week doing a new diet AND having mother nature pay a visit, I didn't want to push myself too far. I hope I'm not just coming up with excuses though...

Day 2

So today was a little bit tougher yesterday. I still stuck to my goals, but I had to improvise a little.

Here's what my day looked like:

Breakfast:

Protein pancakes, yogurt, blueberries

So for breakfast I planned on having protein pancakes. These consist of eggs, oatmeal, protein and water. I made up the batter last night so it was ready to go for this morning. For the pancakes I decided to use unflavored protein, instead of the chocolate I've been using. I cooked them up this morning and topped them with whole fat plain greek yogurt, and warmed blueberries. It looked delicious, but the taste...meh. I think this was due to the protein flavor (or lack there of) I used. I'm going to try making them again with the chocolate. I couldn't even finish them, so to make up for what I couldn't eat, I made a half portion chocolate shake.

Snack 1:
Cottage cheese, strawberries and blueberries

Lunch:

So the plan for lunch was tomato tuna salad. What I didn't realize is my manager would be taking me out to lunch. Today was my second and final day of orientation at my new job, and after orientation our managers picked us up and took us out. Fortunately she just took us to the galley (our company's cafeteria) where we could pick out what we wanted. I ended up getting a turkey sandwhich on Rye with lettuce tomato and mustard, a side of carrots, a homemade pickle, and a side of pineapple. All still within the guidelines. WIN.

Snack 2:
Celery sticks and peanut butter

Pre-workout:
Banana

Workout:
2 miles on the treadmill. Combo of running/walking for 30 min.

Post-workout:
Chocolate protein shake

Dinner:
Tomato tuna salad (Didn't have to cook anything because I had already made it for lunch, just ate the leftovers!)


So on top of my meal mishaps, I was a little disappointed in my workout. I had initially planned on running and then doing kickboxing, but I just wasn't up for it. I'm proud of myself for at least getting a workout in, but I wish I had pushed myself a little harder. Oh well. Tomorrow is a new day!

Day 1

So today was my first day of all out clean eating, and I have to say, it went really well! I stuck to my plan and didn't stray, although was very tempted to when yummy looking brownies were put out at lunch! But I reminded myself of my goals.

So here are some bikini pictures I took a couple days ago. Hoping this bikini looks a lot better by the time I go to Mexico!

Here's what my day looked like:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with frozen blueberries, cinnamon and fiber
Chocolate protein shake (I'm using the brand AMP. It's really delicious, tastes just like a chocolate milkshake!)

Snack 1:
Green apple and natural peanut butter (I found this awesome pb at Wegman's, and it's actually really delicious, I was quite surprised!)

Lunch:
Salad: Baby spinach, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, grilled chicken and good season's dressing (This dressing is great because you just buy the seasoning, and add the oil and vinegar yourself, so it doesn't have all that high fructose corn syrup most dressings have. Overall it has less than 1 g of sugar!)

Snack 2:
Cottage cheese with fresh strawberries and blueberries

Preworkout:
1 Banana

Workout:
Ran 1 mile
One hour of yoga

Post-workout:
Chocolate protein shake

Dinner:
Zucchini Italiano: Browned ground beef, fresh garlic, a whole tomato, and basil served over cooked zucchini and sauteed spinach. It was so delicious!

I know it's only day 1, but I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself, and I was able to eat some really delicious things! And I feel great about myself. I can't wait to see my progress.