Day 21 - The Best Laid Plans...

I started off my day beautifully...went to a diner and artfully ordered an egg beater omelette with spinach and mushrooms, fruit on the side instead of potatoes, and toast (which I didn't end up eating).

Then i re-discovered my love for/addiction to cookies...

Needless to say, tomorrow's measurements of my cookie tummy should be interesting. Oh well, onward and...downward? (on the scale that is...not that I will be stepping on a scale for another week)

Days 18, 19, and 20 - Screwed by the Snow!

Well, my plan on Thursday was to do my Shred workout when I got home from work. However, due to the snow, I did not get home from work...until Friday night. Apparently those of us who are employed by rehab hospitals are immune to the perils of transportation in the snow, and thus I had to sleep at a classmate's house.

When I finally arrived home last night, I was exhausted from multiple trials of shoveling my car and my friend's car out of the white powdery disaster, and therefore was not in the mood for my good friend Jillian.

I got "back on the wagon" this morning with Shred Level 1 and a nice protein shake. Due to my 2 day absence, I will be tacking 2 days onto the end of my 30-Day Challenge so that I still have 30 days of Jillian Michaels.

Day 17 - evening exercise

As I mentioned yesterday, lack of sleep and stress has been getting me down. So this morning I let myself sleep until 5:30, and promised to put in my Jillian time when I got home from work.

I followed through! I was much more awake this morning and felt more refreshed, and I did Level 3 of the Shred when I got home.

Not in the mood for a green smoothie today...

Day 16

completely and utterly exhausted. i need to start going to sleep earlier, because the 4am jillian-time is awesome while i'm doing it, but then i'm almost falling asleep on my morning commute...not good

kind of getting bored of Jillian, even though it's still challenging and difficult. I will definitely complete my 30 days, and then I think i'm moving on to the "Couch to 5K" challenge, and complementing that with an intense lifting program. Must make my re-appearance at the gym after a 30 day absence.

Today's Green Smoothie: iced green tea, celery, green pear, frozen pineapple, peach, and mango chunks, spinach


New Obsession: Oikos Nonfat Greek Yogurt....no fat, lots of protein, absolute heaven

Day 15 - HALFWAY

I prematurely declared halfway yesterday. haha.

Took measurements and photos today....nothing too dramatic. I looked and felt bloated this morning. So I head into another week, and hopefully there will be a bigger difference this week.

Making better food choices...went out for Italian tonight, and didn't order pasta!

No green smoothie tonight because i'm too full from dinner

better post tomorrow

Day 14!!! - Fixated on your Verdigre

HALFWAY POINT!!

Definitely over-ate today, but trying not to stress out about it. My friends chocolate and marshmallow peeps were all too appealing today.

Brunch: egg white and mushroom omelette w/ a teaspoon of mozzarella cheese; scooped out whole wheat bagel w/ a teaspoon of cream cheese

Dinner: Tuna Melt - 1 can of tuna made w/ low fat cottage cheese and spices; 1 Thomas' Light Multigrain english muffin; 2 slices Borden Fat Free Sharp Cheddar Slices

Green Smoothie! - supremely green today - green tea, celery, green pear, spinach, frozen mango and peach slices

Measurements and photos tomorrow. Hope my sugar fix today didn't screw me up too badly

Also...did Shred Level 2

Two weeks to go!

Day 13

Today was an interesting day.

Met up with some classmates at Panera to start preparing for the board exam.

Breakfast - scooped out whole grain bagel with around 1 tsp. low fat cream cheese
Lunch - cup of vegetarian black bean soup and 1/2 Asian Sesame Salad
Dinner - Morningstar farms spicy black bean burger on a Thomas' Light Multigrain english muffin w/ some fries on the side

Green Smoothie: Green Tea, Celery, Gala Apple, Frozen Strawberries, Spinach

New Fruit Obsession: POMELO....looks like a giant grapefruit, but tastes WAY better! Messy to eat, but totally delicious!

Days 11 and 12! - Slacking!

Yesterday sort of escaped me, so I didn't get to blog.

Yesterday: Shred Level 3; Green Smoothie - spinach, gala apple, strawberries, iced green tea, celery

Today: Shred Level 2; Nothing special on the edible frontier


Today's Green Smoothie: Spinach, Gala Apple, Strawberries, Celery, Shredded Carrot, Green Tea

Feeling like I'm losing steam on this little challenge, but I think next week will be better. Just an adjustment period from the freedom of having a week off to the full time hustle bustle of treating extremely involved patients.

Gotta keep going...

Day 10 - One Third Done!

Well, i'm at the 1/3 point!

Did Shred Level 1 today, and i'm still sore from yesterday's Level 3. Doing Level 3 again tomorrow.

Nothing too interesting to report today.

Today's Green Smoothie - 1 gala apple, 8 red seedless grapes, handful of shredded carrots, 3 frozen strawberries, 1 stalk of celery, 2 big handfuls of spinach

Day 9 - Take a look at yourself and make the change...

For the first time in a long time, I am starting to not dislike my reflection. I feel like I'm firming up, maybe getting a little smaller, and I can't help but smile about it.

Not much to report today. Did Level 3 of the Shred this morning, and it's definitely getting easier. The plyo sections used to be impossible, but I am now able to do them!

Dinner was delish tonight. a Gardenburger Black Bean Chipotle veggie burger on a Thomas' Light Multigrain english muffin. Baked butternut squash on the side. mmmm.

Today's Green Smoothie: 2 Handfuls of Spinach, 4 frozen strawberries, 1 anjou pear, 1 handful shredded carrots, and 1 stalk of celery

:o)

Day 8 - Happiness Is...

Just a quick morning post, as I sit here sipping my protein shake...Today was measurement and photograph day! Not a huge difference in the photograph, but I was pleasantly surprised by the measurements! I take measurements at the bustline, umbilicus, natural waist, hips, upper arm, forearm, thigh, and calf. I am pleased to report that I have lost 7cm at the umbilicus, 4cm at the natural waist, 2cm at the hips, 1cm at the forearm, and 0.5cm at the calf. All other measurements stayed the same. This makes for a total loss of 14.5cm in 1 week!

Just proof that diet and exercise really can work together to provide quick results. Totally motivates me for the week even though I got ZERO sleep last night thanks to be nervous for my new clinical rotation.

Did Shred Level 2 this morning and it is definitely getting easier. :o)

EDIT: Today's Green Smoothie: 2 large handfuls of spinach, 1 celery stalk, 4 chunks of papaya, 1 gala apple, and 4 frozen strawberries.





greeny-licious! complete w/ green straw :o)

Day 7 - WEEK 1 DONE!!

Week 1 is finished and a success on the exercise front! I won't know til tomorrow how the measurements or visual picture has changed, but I'm hopeful.

This morning I woke up and did Shred Level 3 - i've done Level 3 a few times in the past, but was unable to really perform a lot of the plyo exercises. I am pleased to report I did much better with the plyos today.

I had my typical protein shake after my workout, and then I walked the quarter mile to the farmer's market to pick up some fruit and nuts for the week. I got almonds, papaya, grapes, apples, celery, ginger, and a pomelo.

The rest of the eats today were uneventful, but I did make the same green smoothie as yesterday. Tomorrow, my green smoothie will be my dessert because I am heading back to work for my last rotation, and will not be able to drink it during the day.

As always, I'll be updating regularly!

Day 6 - Green Goddess

Today was both good and bad. Woke up, did Level 1 of the Shred, had my aforementioned protein shake, and headed off to teach anatomy for 3 hours.

When I came home, I made my first legit green smoothie. It contained: Cold Water, 1 D'Anjou (Green) Pear, 6 Frozen Strawberries, and 2 Large Handfuls of Baby Spinach

It was delicious!! You couldn't taste the spinach at all, and the texture was fantastic. I will definitely continue making green smoothies and experimenting with other ingredients.

With my green smoothie, I had a Thomas' Light Multigrain English Muffin w/ 2 slices of melted fat free cheddar cheese

Dinner was a Weight Watchers' Smart One Meal - Three Cheese Ziti Marinara

I then proceeded to bake sugar cookies for Valentine's Day...and I ate 3 of them. I felt guilty for about an hour, but then remembered that it is perfectly okay to splurge once in awhile, and I have not splurged at all this week, so I will let this be my splurge, and I'll move on.

Ah, emotional growth.

Looking very forward to taking new measurements and photos on Monday!

Day 5 - A Little Improvisation

Since I intelligently began this 30-Day challenge during my week off, the planning, prepping, and timing of meals has been very simple. However today, I had a meeting up in Newark and a bunch of errands to run, so I spent most of the day out.

I think I handled myself quite well. I started the day with Shred Level 2, followed by what is quickly becoming my go-to breakfast of a protein smoothie (EAS protein powder, skim milk, strawberries, mixed fruit, and banana), and Quaker Lower-Sugar Oatmeal.

I ate the oatmeal around 11am, so it sort of doubled as lunch, and I followed it a few hours later with 2 servings of Edamame

Dinner consisted of 1 serving of multigrain pasta w/ 2 tbsp. of tomato sauce, accompanied by 10 ounces of baked butternut squash

Dessert is a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich

No time for a green smoothie today, but hopefully I will have one tomorrow

Day 4 - Going Green

Today was a great day! In my unending quest for health and happiness, I am always looking for tips and recipes. Today I discovered a magical thing known as the Green Smoothie. It is basically any combination of leafy greens and fruit, and so I decided I absolutely had to make one.

My car is currently stuck in a snow prison, so I had to make due with the ingredients I had. I used - Romaine Lettuce, Strawberries, Banana, and Water. It was delicious!! I am going to become more adventurous with these smoothies as they are low in calories, high in fiber, and they taste fantastic! I'm going to buy spinach and ginger tomorrow. I also had a protein smoothie this morning (same recipe as the past 2 days).

For lunch I made a flatbread pizza made with a low-carb wheat roll-up from Costco (i am obsessed with these. 110 cals, with 10 grams of protein). I spread a thin layer of tomato sauce and sprinkled with part skim shredded mozzarella, then popped it in the toaster for 10 minutes. Yum!

Dinner was Ravioli Florentine from weight watchers smart ones line

This morning I did Level 1 of the Shred. Looking forward to taking measurements and photos on Monday. Hoping to see a little bit of a change. It will be very tempting to step on the scale, but I will fight the urge. Trying to last the full 30 days before re-weighing so that I can see a true loss, and not just potential water loss.

Day 3 - Snow Days and Cabin Fever

This blizzard is insane! However, a day spent cooped up in the house usually leads to the consumption of many many unnecessary calories. I am pleased to report that this did not occur for me today! I resisted temptation and stayed out of the kitchen except for me already planned meals/snacks for the day :o)

Started the day w/ Level 2 of the Shred, and then made a lovely protein shake (the same one as yesterday). I also had a bowl of Quaker Lower Sugar Peaches and Cream oatmeal for breakfast. Delish!!

For lunch I had Campbell's Select Harvest Light Vegetable and Pasta Soup (only 120 cals for the whole can!) and I paired that w/ 2 multigrain rice cakes with some melted low fat mozzarella cheese on them.

Dinner consisted of a Weight Watchers Smart Ones meal - Santa Fe Style Rice and Beans

I snacked on some unsalted pistachio nuts, and had a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich for dessert.

I'm feeling great about today :o)

This weekend, I'm planning to continue with the Shred, but also go to the gym.

Here's to the past 3, the next 27, and the rest of my life

Day 2

Today was a stressful day. However, I managed to get through it without stress-eating! This is no small feat from someone who is a very emotional eater. Bad Day? Chocolate Chip Cookie(s)! Not today though.

Woke up this morning and did Level 1 of the Shred. I think I need to add a little more stretching to my morning workouts, because the 2-minute cooldown at the end of the Shred isn't really enough.

I used my new Magic Bullet blender twice today! Once for a breakfast protein shake, and once for a snack later in the day. I am in love. Recipes to follow:

Breakfast Shake: 1 cup frozen strawberries (50 cals); 3/4 cup frozen mixed fruit (70 cals); 1 cup skim milk (80 cals); 1 scoop EAS 100% Whey Vanilla Protein Powder (120 cals) - this shake was perfection! It packed 310 total calories, with 31 grams of Protein! I will definitely be making this one again

16 oz. green tea (0 cals)

Lunch: Tuna Melt - 1 can. StarKist Solid White Albacore Tuna (140 cals); 1 Thomas' Light Multigrain English Muffin (100 cals); 2 slices Borden fat free American Cheese slices (60 cals)

Snack Shake: 1 cup frozen strawberries (50 cals); 1 cup skim milk (80 cals); 1 tbsp. oats (30 cals); 1/2 tbsp. reduced fat superchunk peanut butter (50 cals) - this shake was equally delicious! it was a little less thick, so it was more drinkable than my breakfast one, which I had to eat with a spoon!

Dinner: 1 Black Bean Chipotle Gardenburger (80 cals); 1 Low-Carb Wheat Wrap (110 cals); 1 serving Edamame (100 cals)

Dessert: 1 Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich (140 cals); 1 cup peppermint tea (0 cals)

Totals: 1,271 calories; Fat - 21 grams (13.7%); Protein - 114 grams (33.8%); Carbs - 177 grams (52.5%)

Stressful day, but still good :o)

Here's to more good days, and less stress!

Day 1

Day 1 is in the books, and written off as a success!

Woke up this morning, weighed in (on my scale and on the Wii Fit...4 lbs. heavier on the Wii Fit than the scale, but we'll make everything relative), took measurements, took photos, and got ready to work out.

Did 30 Day Shred Level 2

The Eats:

Breakfast: La Yogurt Nonfat Strawberry Banana Yogurt (90 cals); Light Multi-Grain English Muffin (100 cals); 1 Tbsp. Skippy Reduced Fat Superchunk (98 cals); Gala Apple (75 cals); 16 oz. Green Tea (0 cals)

Lunch: Tossed Salad (33 cals) w/ 1.75 cups organic black beans (385 cals); 2 Tbsp. Fat Free Italian Dressing

Dinner: Black Bean Chipotle Gardenburger (80 cals); Tofu Shirataki Noodles (40 cals); Rinaldi Tomato Sauce (80 cals)

Snack: 1 Chocolate Chip Cookie (78 cals); 1 Skinny Cow Vanilla Sandwich (140 cals)

Totals:
Calories: 1,222
Carbs: 208 grams (65.3%)
Fat: 24 grams (17.1%)
Protein: 56g (17.7%)


I cannot say enough about how obsessed I am with Tofu Shirataki Noodles. At the risk of sounding like HungryGirl, they are just a wonderfully satisfying pasta alternative, and are certainly guilt free. They are definitely chewier than real noodles, but still delicious!

I hope to continue the good days, and will keep you updated on my little 30-Day challenge. Tomorrow, I will be trying out my new Magic Bullet Blender to make a fruity, proteiny smoothie!