Ready or not!

Okay today is Sunday. That means tomorrow is Monday, which is the only acceptable day to start a diet in my twisted mind.

I have chicken cooking as I speak in preparation for my healthy week ahead. Grilled chicken salads for lunch all week which I love, and with all the prep work already done, there is no excuses.

My goal this week is to exercise twice a day for 3 days and once a day for two days this week. Also no crap food. Healthy, necessary fuel only.


Ready or not here we go!!!

Six Months Too Long

I have not posted since I began my new job SIX MONTHS AGO?!!!??

I am very upset with myself for not staying on top of this blog. My new job is very demanding and I am mentally burnt by the time I get home. I do love the job though. The work is everything I have ever wanted and my co-workers make it so much fun.

My weight however has been compromised. I have gained almost 20lbs since starting my new job.
I was doing "okay" until the end of October when I got into a car accident. Some young kid doing at least 90mph on the highway slammed into the back of my car. I am okay psychically, but mentally it has been a struggle. I did suffer some whip lash and I am still working on getting my neck back to normal.

Totaled

Since starting the new job, exercise slowly came to a stop and it did not take long for the office snacks to become part of my daily routine. Once the accident happened it has been a huge struggle to get back to my positive ways. The holidays and winter in general have always been a time I fail at weight loss so the timing of the accident could not have been worse.

Between August and now I did do a 5k in October completing with my fastest time yet and on Thanksgiving morning I did a 5k  with not too bad of time but not my best. I also completed my goal of hiking the trail I did in college with no breaks!! I have gotten some exercise equipment in my basement which makes it a little easier, but of course I have found excuses.

Hike In October

Not looking too bad in September

Thanksgiving Day 5k (freezing!!)

Since December I have been completely out of control with my eating and only working out once a week at the most. Last week I contracted some sort of flu and I am still home sick today which is allowing me to write this post.

I am looking at this flu as a life saver. Although I was pretty sure I was about to die I am thankful for the opportunity. This flu has allowed me to drop a few pounds which I am going to use as a kick start to getting my ass back on track.

I have not had coffee, chocolate, or anything really "bad" in the last four days. I am looking at it as a clean slate and a new chance to start 2014 off on a good note. I was never a big New Year person but there is something about this year that makes me want to reflect back on 2014 and make sure I have a smile on my face when I do.

Temptation like Woah!

Before I dive into catching up on my blog reading and seeing what all of YOU have been up-too, I decided to give a quick update.

I started my new job at a mental health center.  Today is my one week mark. Learning a new job sucks, but it is very interesting and I am loving it so far.

My only issue is the food temptation. I AM NOT JUDGING ANY OF MY NEW CO-WORKERS, I am just saying it how it is. Everyday I have been there so far they have ordered out for food. I have seen everything from donuts and cheetos to pizza and French fries. EVERYONE drinks soda, no one drinks water. No one. It is temptation city but so far I am holding my ground. Oh and did I mention that everyday at 3:00pm a woman goes around with a basket of candy to hand out to everyone. EVERYDAY!!! What The Fu**!! But I am doing great so eat on sistah friends.

I have stuck with my carb cycling this week and I have made it a point to exercise everyday. Monday and Wednesday I was up at 5:00am to squeeze in a work out video. Every night this week in addition to my morning work outs I have also gone for a run.

I am taking full advantage of this nice weather while it lasts.

I am feeling great and doing great and I intend to keep this trend going. Everyone at my new jobs gives me positive feedback and they think I am this wonder woman for being able to stick with my diet and exercise so regularly. I don’t want to give anyone a reason to think otherwise.

Anywho that is all. I am drained by the end of my day and there is little to no down time so this blog will defiantly become neglected, but I will do my best to give updates. J

Post Vacation

I have been gone for so long but I am finally back! I went on a week long vacation with my family at a beach in Maine. I ate like shit the entire week. Drank everyday and ate everything from ice cream and cookies to fried sea food and cheese fries.

Sun Set by the Marsh

Dinner with the fam

Days spent on the beach :-)

 On the last Saturday of my vacation the boy and I went to a very close friend’s wedding. It was a blast! I don’t know if it is because I knew everyone there, or if it was because this is the wedding I have been waiting for all year long, but it was amazing. Needless to say I continued my binge habits and drank from 4pm – 1am.

This was just the pre game :-/

wedding fun

 Sunday morning I felt like complete garbage. I was tired, I was bloated, and overall felt like death.

 I do not regret a thing though, because I had a week long of pure fun. I also had all the motivation in the world to get back on track. This past Monday I started carb cycling again with the intentions of sticking with it for a month. Food preparation is not as much work and I am so determined to stick with it after last week. 

On my vacation I did do the virtual 5k for the “From Fat To Finish Line” group on face book. During my 5k I received my very first “runners nod.”  I was running and a man who was also running smiled, nodded, and gave me a thumbs up as we passed each other.  Words cannot explain how overjoyed I was to have this happen.

 

My 5k on the beach

After my 5k finished in 51min.

 

I am on day four of being back on track and I am feeling great. I have been waking up early to exercise and sticking to the carb cycle. I am having a much better experience this time around.

I am finishing up my last few days at my job before I start my new one. My blogging will most likely not be as frequent as I will be very busy adjusting to my new role. I promise to do my best. I hope everyone out there is doing well!

Comparison Photos

 

I have been on vacation for a week and I have fallen way behind on blogging but I just made some comparison photos from the past three summers at my family vacation and I wanted to share. I will be writting a post soon about my trip!!

Exciting news

My concert on Sunday was awesome. I did not eat healthy and I drank vodka, and I am okay with that. These past few days trying to be on track has been a struggle. Next week I am going on my annual beach vacation with my family, and my expectations of eating good are low. I do intend to run/walk on the beach daily, but as far as food intake I am not making any false promises to myself or my readers.

When I get back from the beach I intend on giving the carb cycling diet one full month. Although it was a lot of work it was manageable and it yielded the results I was looking for. I am excited to get back on it.

I have known for almost two weeks now but I could not say anything but, starting August 1^st I am going to be starting a new more challenging job. I currently work full time at a dealership and part time at a mental health center. The mental health center has a full time position they are offering me and considering this is what I went to school for I am jumping all over it. It will be M-F 8-5. I NEVER in my life have had weekends off so this is very exciting. The pay is almost identical to what I make now, and the opportunity for growth and promotions are endless. I am very excited about the future of my career and I haven’t been able to say that for over two years.  J 

One full week of Carb Cycling

Okay so today is Saturday. It is the last day of my first week of carb cycling. Saturday is weigh-in day and Sunday is a free cheat day. My weigh in this morning showed I have lost 5lbs this week. Fuck yes. Tomorrow I am going to see Zac Brown Band and I am staying at a hotel so thank goodness it is a free cheat day.

On a scale from 1-10 I would say I liked this diet a 6. I only give it that score because I lost 5lbs. It was a lot of work….ALOT! On Sunday I went shopping and spent 135$ on the “approved foods”. On Sunday afternoon I spent almost 3hrs cooking, chopping, washing, measuring, so on and so forth. This was with the boys help.

Day one:  I had a terrible headache and I was starving all day.

Day two:  I still had a headache and was extremely full. I still don’t know how I didn’t vomit, but the protein at every meal was defiantly catching up to me. (According to the book this is a normal reaction from your body during the first three days.) This day I walked/ran at the track for 30min and climbed stairs.

Day three:  I was still kind of full (nothing like day two) but my headache was gone. Over all I was feeling much better.

Day four:  I felt great. No headaches, no fullness. I was actually hungry every three hours and was feeling much better about the diet. I started this morning with push up’s, sit up’s, and squats. I then went for a 2mile walk and did some exercises in the pool in the afternoon.

Day five: I felt great. I feel healthier; I am satisfied with my meals.

Today is day six and I still feel good. I am not sure if I could do this diet long term but I did get what I was looking for (a kick in the face to my diet plateau).

Reasons why I don’t think I could do this diet long term:

1.)    It is a lot of work. Even though I spent three hours prepping food for the week on Sunday, I still spent anywhere from 40min – 60min a day putting the meals together. Mostly because some meals where protein shakes and I did not want to make those until the morning of.  Also since the boy did it with me we went through a lot of food much faster than I expected.

2.)    It is expensive.  $135 a week is a lot of money for food every week.

3.)    Having to eat every three hours can be inconvenient. I felt like the whole week I was watching the clock trying to make sure I ate at the right times. Some days my schedule was funky due to working odd shifts, and I had to eat in my car while driving. Not ideal for me.

Things I liked about this diet:

1.)    I got the effect I was looking for (dropped five pounds)

2.)    I liked eating healthier more wholesome foods. No sugar and no fake sweeteners were allowed. It is all natural -whole grain, not processed foods. (which is why I think I had a headache the first two days, I think that was my body withdrawing from all the crap its used to.

 

Now the question is will I continue this for week two? I still am not sure yet!

I have been so caught up in this diet, prepping food, eating food, prepping food eating food, working working working, that I am relieved and scared for a cheat day. I truly do feel healthier from this week and I am nervous my body will be pissed at me when I fill it with vodka and sandwiches tomorrow. But I am so sick of thinking about my next meal I am looking forward to a day off.

I really think Monday morning when I wake up is when I am going to decide if I will do this for another week.

I will keep you all posted, and I have exciting news that I will share after my concert!