Challenge 1: Eating Out

Last night after having a great workout at the gym, I was driving home and became dead set on getting teriyaki. I came up with every excuse in the book why this could be a good decision. I went to my favorite establishment (Ichi Teriyaki) and all the lights were out and the sign read CLOSED. You'd think this was a clear sign that would make me think twice, but instead I was just annoyed and drove 5 min south into the parking lot of another teriyaki restaurant that was open.

WHY was this a good decision at the time in my mind:

1. This could be my "free" meal of the week.
2. I don't want to cook. I'm too tired.
3. I haven't had teriyaki in FOREVER.

HOW to avoid this:

1. The idea of having a "freebie" meal or night out, can almost become obsessive and even toxic. I focus on this one meal to get me through the week of clean eating. Instead, I should try not to be so restrictive, and if I do eat things that aren't necessarily clean, then I need to realize it's absolutely okay to induldge a little. The point is letting myself have a small amount of treats, not the entire cake.
2. I had literally just gone grocery shopping the day before and had a fridge full of food. To plan ahead, I am going to start cooking more meals on the weekends because we all have busy days and late nights, and cooking is the last thing we want to do. Hence the reason beind all the fast food restaurants! If I have food in the fridge that is already prepared and only needs to be reheated, it makes the decision to go home and eat a whole lot easier.
3. Justifying how long it's been since I've had a specific food is obviously fulfilling a craving. Honestly who cares how long it's been? "Forever"? I highly doubt it.

WHAT I didn't think about:

1. It crossed my mind that I might regret it, but I didn't really think about it, and even pushed those thoughts out of my mind and became obsessed with the thought of eating teriayki.
2. My goals. I didn't think about my vacation that's coming up with my girlfriends. I didn't think about the beach and how I sooo strongly wish to wear a bikini. I didn't think about how I want to reach my goal of 130 pounds. Instead I focused on a fleeting desire that was inevitably followed by guilt.
3. Eating out is expensive! Think about all that money I'll save that can go toward something I really want versus food that I'll eat and then just poops out! Kind of a waste haha. Or, save money toward a favorite restaurant, a new one, or a fancy, aka pricey, restaurant that I've been wanting to try!

WHEN is it okay to eat out:

1. For me, I want to plan ahead of time for that meal out, and not let it be a spur of the moment decision. Because that tells me a couple things: I did not plan ahead of time, I am satsifying a craving, or I'm just being lazy.

I write every single day in my food log the many reasons why I want to lose weight, and then I REWRITE them every day and add a new one as a daily remind why I'm on this journey. They're not in any particular order, but to answer 'why' I want to lose weight on that very day. If I'm having a temptation to eat out when it's not planned ahead of time, then I really need to read and remember those very reasons until it becomes forever clear that all those reasons why I want to lose weight, are far more important than eating out on a whim.

Rolled Oats... in a Shake??

Sometimes when you're in a rush in the mornings for breakfast, a shake is the perfect go-to meal. This morning I tried something new and added ground rolled oats. I buy my rolled oats from Trader Joe's. I put about a 1/4c into our blender and let it run for maybe 30 seconds until it was ground even.

I only used about 2T of the ground rolled oats, and put the leftovers in a jar for later. Next I added the rest of my ingredients: 1/2 banana, blueberries, blackberries, kale, vegan protein powder and unsweeted almond milk. Next time I'll try to measure/weigh everything out so I know how many calories I'm consuming! I put the lid on and I was out the door with breakfast!

After trying different kinds of rolled oats, I like this brand the best. If I'm cooking it on the stove or in the microwave, I usually top it with blueberries or 1/2 banana. Delicious!

NUTRITION
Meal 1 730am: Shake: 2T ground, rolled oats, 1/2 banana, handful of blueberries/blackberries, kale, vegan protein powder, unsweetened almond milk
Meal 2 2pm: 2.8oz leftover grilled chicken breast, Salad: mixed greens, baby carrots + balsamic vinaigrette , water, tea + 1/2 multivitamin, 1 fish oil
Meal 3 7pm: Trader joe's quinoa & red bean chips, salsa
Meal 4 730pm: 1c lentil soup, 1c chicken noodle soup, 1c mac & cheese (almond milk)

WORKOUT

60min hot yoga

I beat the Sunset

This picture is from my run after work today :)

NUTRITION
Meal 1: 1 egg, 1p ww toast; water/tea, 1/2 multivitamin, 1 fish oil
Meal 2: marinara sauce, ground turkey breast, red bell peppers, onions, black olives + salad: lettuce, veggies; dressing: evoo, balsamic vinegar; water
Meal 3: 1/2 grilled chicken breast, brown rice, small seaweed sheets, side Korean veggies; water, 1/2 multivitamin, 1 fish oil

WORKOUT

30min run (@ Redondo)

The Biggest Loser

I finally watched Episode 1 of the newest season of The Biggest Loser. I'm so excited Jillian Michaels is back. She's so fierce and gets in their faces, but I feel like that's what they need. We all need that kick in the ass to get us moving. Even though my weight goals are different, I can still relate because we're all fighting the same battle to lose weight, build muscle, and gain self confidence. Those of us who are or have been overweight, all carry similar emotional baggage that hold us back. What I took from the first episode is that half the battle is just learning to believe in yourself. If you haven't started watching yet, you need to tune in.

NUTRITION
Meal 1: 1 satsuma, 2oz blueberries, 2 energy balls; water
Meal 2: (@ Thai) 1c hot/sour soup, chicken panang curry, brown rice; water
Meal 3: Leftover lunch
Meal 4: Ground turkey + homemade taco seasoning, flour tortilla, spanish rice, sour cream + hot sauce; water, 1/2 multi-v, 1 fish oil

Too Much, Too Soon

I've been making some adjustments to my so-called "cleanse/detox". Life is too busy right now to actually focus and be successful, and I'm just setting myself up for failure by restricting too many things too fast. What I do know is that I cannot eat dairy, and that will be my main goal to completely eliminate it from my diet. I feel saying that life is too busy is one big excuse, because when does life ever slow down?

I can't believe I have vacation coming up in less than 2 months! I've started to write my food down in a log book as well and I'll start posting my daily meals on here too. I've got to get my eating under control!

What's for lunch?!

Salad + grilled steak; Dressing: extra v olive oil (evoo) & balsamic vinegar

NUTRITION
Meal 1: 1 egg, 1p ww toast, 1/4 avocado, water, coffee (no sugar), 1/2 multivitamin, 1 fish oil
Meal 2: 1c lentil soup, water
Meal 3: Salad: lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, red onions + 3.2oz grilled steak (evoo, s/p), dressing: evoo, balsamic vinegar, water
Meal 4: 1 no-bake energy ball
Meal 5: Zucchini "noodles" + organic marinara sauce, ground turkey breast, onions, peppers

WORKOUT

25min stairs

35min elliptical

3 days after the fact, but...

Happy New Years!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas too!

For New Year's Eve, we stayed in and I feel asleep before midnight. Damien woke me up to the fireworks on the TV but I barely remember opening one eye. It was a lovely night: curled up with my boyfriend while we watched movies and sipped champagne. A perfect, relaxing night after an extremely busy month.

Now that things have settled down and everyone's been asking what my New Year's Resolutions are, I got to thinking, what if instead I make goals for Jan-Jun? And then make new goals for July-Dec? I think that seems less daunting rather than a huge list of things to accomplish, but keeps it short, sweet, and focused, AND puts a little more pressure to get things going!

• Snowshoe
• Run a 5k
• Start volunteering
• Visit my friends in Phoenix
• Set up an appointment with a school counselor and determine whether grad school is the next step
• 130lbs by June 1

What are some of your goals??

Day 1 of 21

Today is first day of my cleanse/detox. 21 days to rid my body of toxins. 21 days to create new habits. 21 days to prove to you and myself that I can do this for just 3 weeks.

I've taken a break from Jamie Eason's program for this month. I bought 3 new sessions with my old trainer and will resume my weight routine in February.

So, what exactly is my plan? Well, here's a rough draft. Learn as you go, right?

• Unlimited: Lean protein, vegetables
• Limited: Sugar (fruit), caffeine (coffee, tea)
• Eliminated: Dairy, alcohol, soy, gluten, eggs, peanuts, corn

Daily Goals:

• 7-8hrs of sleep. Set alarm at 8pm to begin 1 hr shutdown.
• Drink water first thing in the morning. 70oz total each day.
• Follow exercise plan

What's for dinner?!

Zucchini "noodles" + ground turkey breast with marinara sauce

All you need is a regular peeler. First, peel off the skin, and then peel the zucchini until you start to see the seeds. Next, sauté the "noodles" with extra virgin olive oil, dash of salt/pepper, in a pan on about medium heat. You'll be able to tell when they start to get soft, about 5 minutes once it started to get hot.

For the sauce I started off with the ground turkey breast and cooked it all the way through. In a separate pan I sautéed red bell peppers, celery, onions and garlic, and then added the turkey breast and organic marinara sauce (Trader Joe's).

This was actually really good! Perfect substitution for noodles, and it's incredibly easy. Now it's your turn!