Sunday, Day 4

Ok, So I forgot to blog yesterday, but it was a crazy day. Friday night I had to go to the ER to be with my Grand Mother. To say that was an experience I do not wish to repeat is an understatement. I was seriously whipped. Saturday morning Josh and I got up and went to the grocery store. When I got home I made this Egg Pesto thing. It is cooked in a 9 x 13 casserole. I put it on Flax and Fiber bread and made a breakfast sandwich. It was absolutely fabulous. I had a little jalapeno to spread on it to give it some zip, but not too much. Definitely something I would make again. Very filling. Friday night I made a stripped down Roasted Vegetable Parmesan. No noodles so you didn't feel bloated and yucky and shredded brussels sprouts as the side dish. It was fabulous and I thoroughly enjoyed the leftovers. So my first observation on the change in diet. I NEVER feel hungry. Actually quite the opposite I am usually quite filled and satisfied, but not overly so, and it lasts forever. Last night I had to make myself eat something for dinner or I would not have even had 1000 calories during the day. And I am a vegetarian, for people wondering if I get enough protein. I ended up with 76 grams of protein on Saturday. Probably more than some meat eaters and it was much healthier the way I got it. Today I am making up hummus as a snack and spread for the whole grain wraps I got. I am also making this Asparagus, Potato, Leek soup. I made it once before and it was fabulous. I add one whole grain wasa cracker to it to thicken it when I eat it. I bought these individual cups size containers and I am going to ladle a cup into each and freeze it. Then I grab and go for work. By lunch it will thaw out and I just heat it up. I am also going to make some homemade crackers. Yeah, it seems like a lot of prep and I guess a lot of people would not be interested. However, I can spend today doing it and then I m done for he week. Plus you honestly have to decide if losing weight and getting fit is something you really want to do or is it something you will spend your life wishing for, hoping for some magic pill. FYI, there isn't. I have been at this since I was a kid and exercise and eating right are the only fix. I do love cooking and now I have a purpose when I am doing it. last night I danced at the studio hafla and that was so much fun. Dressing up, but definitely hope in 30 days that the figure I presented last night is much more lean next month at the next one. So, that 's the catch up for the past couple days.

Day 2

I made it through yesterday. I followed the diet pretty good yesterday. Tammye was super sweet and made me all veggies for dinner. Stuffed portabello mushrooms, yum!! I was going grocery shopping but decided to mow. Now under normal circumstances that would not sound like a major undertaking. However the rain that has been here lately has made my backyard grow into a small jungle. I expect guerilla forces to run out and ask me to join the revolution any moment. Also, on top of the rain it has been way too cold. Yesterday was a glorious 84. That is crazy in February, but I will take it. Last year we had a crap load of snow and no power for like 3 or 4 days. Yeah, I'll take the warmer weather. I worked arms yesterday and the mowing was an additional workout for my arms. I was exhausted when I went to bed and kept waking up because my arms were sore. They are still sore today. Today I am tired. I wasn't yesterday. Definitely did not want to get out bed this morning to go and work out. That's for sure! I did it. Made a commitment and more importantly it is good for me. Definitely makes me feel old though. That part sucks. I wish I had made this kind of change when I was 23. I squandered away the past 20 years. But I still have a lot of good years ahead of me. Josh woke up sore from his gym class yesterday. Had to give him some tylenol. Ha, felt his pain. I will share with him the wonders of epsom salt tonight. Today was legs. I am not sure I worked them out as well as I could have. I hope it wasn't half-assed, but I have a feeling it was. I will have to give it a little more effort on Monday. Tomorrow morning is circuit, that's all the body parts. 1 set 15 reps. I have to go to the grocery store tonight. I don't have a choice. Even if it is only to get the dinner stuff. I need to find a recipe today. I guess I can always have Tammye go and get the stuff. I will say I feel totally stuffed in the morning and for very little calories. I had 2 shredded wheat bisuits, blueberries, milk and egg whites. Haven't figured out all the calories yet but probably about 353. That is not bad and it will definitely keep me filled up for a long time. I guess that is the best part of the whole food, clean diet. You get a lot more volume.

30 day test - Day 1

Ok, so I read all of these magazines. I actually love magazines. Over the course of the last year I have lost over 20lbs. This is great. Love being smaller. I have been walking/running so my legs are nice and fit but that leaves the middle of my body not much more than the pillsbury doughboy. I have chicken arms and legs. No upper body strength. YEAH. What the hell is that all about. Anyway, so I am looking at this magazine. Fitness RX I think it is called. In it there is a fitness model of note and she has this 30 days program. Of course they make all these promises of what you can accomplish in 30 days. So, I have decided to conduct an experiment. I am changing my diet to one that would be called a "Clean Diet". This is the diet those fitness models follow and really they have banging bodies so... Anyway, I am also going to follow the 30 day workout schedule. As written. So, today was day one. I got my giant ass lunch cooler. I packed my lunch. And today I started the exercise program. I did 25 minutes on the ellipical to warm up and then it was down to the weight area. Today was upper body. Did I mention I have no upper body strength. Well, it bears repeating. I enter manland (you know that weight area with the free weights that seems to get dirty looks if you enter and are not cut). I find a bench so I can do those overhead presses with the dumbbells. I pick up 7.5 lbs. Just for edification that is about the smae weight as a new baby. After 3 sets of 10 reps I thought my arms were going to fall off and that was my first exercise. This was a lot more difficult that one would imagine. There were 9 total different exercises. 8 focuses on arms, back, and chest and the last was for abs. I was doing weights from 5:40 - 6:10. So 30 minutes to finish all of that was pretty good. But it is 9:30 now and my arms are exhausted and kind of sore. This is day one. OH MY GOD!!! It takes a day or two for the full soreness to usually hit. Oh, see I haven't mentioned I am a belly dancer. AND Saturday (2 days from now) I am supposed to perform at a studio hafla. And I am doing veil. My noodle arms will have to make this work.

Breakfast was a ton of food, compared to what I usually eat. Cheerios, ff milk, blueberries and egg whites. I am stuffed. What I was most amazed about. All of that food and it was only 273 calories. It means I burned more calories this morning working out then I actually ate for breakfast. In the past my breakfast usually had more calories and was a lot less filling. There is more work involved in doing this, but I have optimism about eating lots of food. I forgot to take my measurements last night so I will have to do that tonight. And I will have to get my actual weight. I think it is about 136.2, but I am not 100% sure. Need to check that. Need all my starting numbers to see what 30 days can actually do