Weekend Shenanigans (did I spell that right?)

Ok short and sweet wrap up of my weekend tonight because I cut my finger on something this evening (I have no idea what) and it kinda hurts to type.....

Susan and I decided to start our reward day a little early and go from Friday night until Saturday afternoon instead of all day Saturday.  We went to Social Pub and Pie in Fed Hill for the most delicious pizza ever.


There might be several pics of this pizza on my blog in other posts because I love it that much.  Like I want to be eating it right now.  Caramelized onion and blue cheese!  Off to the side of the plate is pesto and chicken pizza.  That was our first item trying that one and it was pretty tasty.  After a bottle of wine we ended up ordering another blue cheese and onion pizza... yes that's right, 3 pizzas + 2 ladies + 1 bottle of wine = reward day indeed.

The next day I made up for it (slightly) by having a fairly ok breakfast.  I mean, that is cream cheese inside my omelet, but the rest is not unhealthy.

Saturday morning I paid bills and did dishes and then it was time to go to the gym.  Power Hour at Charm City Fitness was certainly worth it this past weekend.  It kicked my butt.  As I was doing a million and one calf raises (with lots of weight) the trainer told me I would not be able to comfortably wear heels until next weekend (which is good timing because I'll be in Vegas next weekend!!!!!).  He meant it.  My legs hurt all day Sunday and Monday.  We went to Panera after class which undid a lot of the work out (mostly because I got my sandwich on asiego cheese bread, had broccoli and cheddar soup instead of black bean, and got a baguette... whoops).  But hey, this was supposed to be my last reward day meal anyway. 

I was all set to eat well the rest of the day (since I technically started my reward day on Friday).  But after LITERALLY 6 hours of sitting at my computer doing work for my online grad class (which started the week I was in NY so I was playing catch up) I decided I needed some Great Pumpkin Dessert (my dads name for this really yummy dessert. Recipe is below).  I have a bunch of this frozen from Christmas when my dad made it.  It was delicious.  

On Sunday I had A LOT more homework to do. I also knew I would have to do a lot of homework throughout the week since I would be gone this weekend.  So I decided to prep as much for the week as I could.  First, I got chili going in the crock pot for Sunday dinner.  Then I made taco meat, egg muffins, packed yogurt and cheese for snacks, measured out protein powder for shakes, made bread crumbs.  It was a really productive morning/ early afternoon.

Later on Sunday I did some Paleo baking... but more on that in a post on another day.  I said I wasn't going to type a lot and I lied, so now my finger hurts.  Also, apparently an injured finger makes me over use parenthesis (like this) so I apologize (but not really).  Good night everyone. 

Oh yeah... Great Pumpkin dessert (not unprocessed at all, but delicious):

So I finally read the book...

So I started carb cycling a week and a half ago without ever reading the book about it, just skimming the blog post on Chris Powell's site... Today I finally read the book. 

Overall the book is ok... however it wasn't the amazing, life changing thing I was expecting.  First, it has a lot less information than I was anticipating.  There are a lot of success stories.  While I think its a creative way to start each chapter, all the success stories are these depressing, my life was in shambles and I weighed 400 pounds stories.  The book doesn't really address people like me who are pretty fit and just looking to loose a few pounds.  I just don't know that carb cycling is what I'm looking for long term. 

I think in the last week and a half the good things it has done for me are paying attention to serving sizes and macro nutrients (carbs, fat, protein).  I've also eatten A TON more veggies then I usually do (I tend to stick to fruits).  Some good things I anticipate it doing for me: quick workouts every morning to get the day started.

So let me start by telling you that I have not been doing things right:

- You're supposed to start each week day with a 9 minute workout (and he actually provides 20 different workouts so you never have to repeat one all month)

- You're also supposed to do cardio 5 days a week... just not possible with my time schedule

- I have been eating fats (mostly peanut butter) everyday instead of just on low carb days

- I have not been having protein with every snack

- Some days I only have 4 meals instead of 5 (they are still 3 hours apart but I just don't get to the 5th one because I wake up late and still go to bed around the same time on weekends)

Going forward things I am going to try to commit to:

- Doing the 9 minute workout in the morning

- Planning more carefully to avoid fats on high carb days (mostly- sometimes a girl just needs cheese on a piece of chicken or a sandwich) and getting in more protein

- Cardio 3 days a week 

I like that Powell has different carb cycling options in his book "Choose More, Loose More for Life."  I am going to stick with the classic for now (high, low, high, low, high, low, Reward day) but will probably switch to the easy cycle (same as the classic but you get 1 reward meal on each high carb day) or the fit cycle (high, high, low, high, high, low, reward) once I loose 5 to 10 pounds.  I get the science behind carb cycling, and I also just think it makes good sense to flush out your system with more veggies and less carbs every few days.  I'm just not sure that its going to be sustainable for me.  I need wine and ice cream and chocolate on a fairly regular basis. In the short term, I definitely need to get more creative with my planning.  I'm really bored with chicken and brown rice.  Last week I did ok with BBQ chicken and chicken parmesean but I need to do a little bit more (turkey burgers, maybe tofu, burritos- which means I need to buy whole wheat tortillas).

Saturday's are my reward days so I really only have 3 days left to plan for this week.  I've kind of been muddling along since Sunday. Ok.. tonight I'm going to plan for wed- fri.  Starting tomorrow I am going to do the 9 minute missions (that's what he calls the workouts in his book) in the morning on week days.  I am going to attempt to get in 3 runs a week, but will not beat myself up if I don't since I still have boot camp, power hour at the gym, and hiking with friends. Tomorrow I had planned to run but since its still snowing its doubtful that will happen... I would have to run in the street since sidewalks are not cleared and I would probably fall on ice and break something. Hmmmm. Will keep you posted tomorrow. :)

Carb Cycling: Week 1

On Tuesday a coworker lent me Chris Powell's book about carb cycling.  When I started reading it I realized I was doing A LOT of stuff wrong.  Like on high carb days  you're not supposed to have any fat.  Apparently this includes putting milk in my coffee.  Powell's is crazy if he thinks I'm drinking my coffee without milk. Also, I had not been having protein with every meal.  I mean my three big meas yes, but some days my snack was just a cheese stick or a piece of fruit.  I bought his book for my nook and my plan is to read that today/ tomorrow so that I can better plan out meals for this week (yes, I know this week already started... but since I'm a teacher and not at work today or tomorrow its still basically the weekend).

Things that are going to be really hard:

- No fat on high carb days (seriously how is that possible)

- Getting bored with salad and grilled chicken on low carb days
- Eating 5 meals on weekends.  Its easy to do when I'm at work.  But this weekend was bad.  Sat, Sun and Mon I only ate 4 meals each day.  I slept later and just don't want to have a meal at 8 or 9 pm..... 

Things that I still don't understand:

- I work out a lot more than he suggests in the book (he has a 9 min workout each day).  How do I accommodate for this when I'm planning meals?

Anyway... some highlights from this week. 

Thursday night: Low carb... chicken parm.  Technically not totally low carb because there were bread crumbs on the chicken.  But close enough.

I had half a serving of chicken with some leftover eggplant Parmesan to get in more veggies. 

Then I had leftover chicken on a sandwich the next day for my high carb lunch.  Technically doesn't fit the profile because it has cheese on it... but again, close enough!

Saturday was my reward day.  My breakfast was not too extravagant.  Although that is cream cheese inside of the omelet. Yummmm. 

We went rock climbing on Saturday and went out to lunch afterwards with friends.  I had a grilled chicken sandwich with green apple cole slaw and rice and beans.  If it wasn't for the cheese and the bread that was not whole wheat I think it would have actually qualified as a high carb meal. Since it was a reward day I had my lunch with a Woodchuck Pumpkin Cider. Delicious.

When we got back in the late afternoon we went to my neighbor's house to continue the merriment in the form of wine and rock band.  We ended up ordering pizza and Chinese for dinner.  I had a slice (or 3) of Papa John's think crust with BBQ sauce, chicken, peppers and onions and crab and cheese wontons.  Most delicious combination ever after a bottle of wine.  Yup, I certainly took advantage of the reward day.

On the plus side, this week I did A LOT of exercise.  8 mile hike on Sunday. Boot camp at school Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Went for  run Tuesday night and then to a kayak rolling class. Power hour at the gym Friday night. Rock climbing on Saturday.  Then another hike on Sunday. 

At the end of the week (Saturday morning) I got on the scale.  I did not loose any weight this week, but I didn't gain any either.  It might just be my imagination but I feel like my stomach is flatter. I will read the book tomorrow (I started typing this blog post earlier today and planned to do some reading today... but then Tom and I went to the zoo instead :)  Hopefully the book will answer some of my questions and help me to plan better for the rest of this week.  About to go have brown rice, peas, and grilled chicken for dinner (although all I really want is the leftover pizza that Tom will be having for dinner.... the reward day might have ruined me).

Fitness, food, and motivation

Let me start by stating what this blog post will not include:
1. yummy recipes
2. pictures of yummy food


What it will include:
1. lots of lists (I'm in a list mood)
2. Lots of confusing rants
3. links to some other great blog posts

Ok... so those of you who know me know that I went back to work two weeks ago.  Yikes.  Now as a teacher I love back to school time, but back to school also means I am:
1. stressed
2. not working out
3. drinking wine (almost daily)
4. working late everyday
5. working on weekends (even labor day...)

This year back to school time has been no exception to the above list.  In fact I've actually been back to work for 3 weeks because I went back early to move classrooms (thus adding to the stress).  In the last month or so I have gained about 5 lbs.  I know that doesn't sound like much, but when you're 5 ft tall and only weight 115 most of the time an extra 5-7 lbs (I may have lied the first time when I said 5 lbs...) shows.  In fact, last week I only had two pairs of dress pants I could comfortably button.  Ugh. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again... I know a lot of you reading this HATE when people my size complain about their weight.  Stop reading now if that's you.  I started to get really freaked out about my weight gain this weekend and just went to a body weight calculator before typing this post:
http://www.nchmd.org/HealthTools/hbwcalc.html#calc

According to the calculator a healthy weight range for my height is 97 lbs-127 lbs.  What this means is that yes, I am in the range.  What it also means is that I could loose 15 lbs and still be in a healthy weight range (I am NOT saying that I want to loose 15 lbs.... that's crazy talk). 

A few months ago I read the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women
http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Rules-Lifting-Women/dp/1583333398

I really, really loved this book.  It made me want to start weight lifting.  There are however a few problems with that:
1. joining a gym costs money
2. hiring a trainer to keep me accountable would cost even more money
3. I like running and there is a whole chapter about how you should not be running as much as I was at the time
4. We have a gym that's not put together, we also don't own weights for it

After reading the book I started nagging Tom about getting our home gym put together (its been in the box for years).  My dad came over and they poured cement in our garage to close a gap that was between the floor and the door (I'm freaked out about rodents getting into the garage).  Then they started putting the gym together.  They got about half way.  4 months later the gym is still half put together (Tom- if you're reading this I am not calling you out.... we've been super busy and I totally could have gotten my butt out there to put it together too). 

Ok getting my thoughts back together because I kind of got off track.  So...
1. I am unhappy about my weight gain
2. I have a gym that is not put together and I want to start lifting
3. I haven't been that great with my eating lately

I'm not that concerned about my eating... I'm planning to do unprocessed October this year and that will help get me back on track.  Unprocessed October comes from the blog Eating Rules:
http://www.eatingrules.com/october-unprocessed-2013/
This blog is what first got me into eating unprocessed.  I really like it.

Anyway... that takes care of my eating (for the most part).  The real problem is the working out.  There are a lot of things standing in my way:

1. I wake up at 5 am already so getting up earlier to work out is out
2. I spend at least 2 hours a day in the car
3. My daily schedule sucks:
5 am- wake up
6 am- drive to work
7-4pm- at work
4-5:30- drive home
5:30-7- make dinner, talk to my husband
7-7:30- dinner and jeopardy
7:30-8 TV
8-9 TV in bed
9 ish- bed

As if this wasn't on my mind enough... I get email updates from this group called Girls Gone Strong.  Today I got an email containing this blog post about motivation:
http://mollygalbraith.com/category/blog/motivation/

In the blog post, Molly talks about the choices she has made to pursue her fitness goals.  She talks about all the social events she has skipped in favor of going to bed early and eating healthy.  This really got me thinking about my motivation.

My motivation:
1. My husband has a great stomach (like 10 times better than mine)
2. My pants are tight and I can't afford new ones
3. I want to look better naked
4. We have been trying to have a baby and some of the blogs my friend reads keep saying how much success people have had by cutting out carbs (I will NEVER cut out carbs, but I would consider cutting down on my carbs)

My Anti-Motivation:
1. Oreos are delicious
2. Wine is delicious
3. I like the amount of sleep that I get (they only way I can see to fit working out into my daily schedule is to go to bed later)
4. I will hopefully be pregnant in the next year and then all my hard work to get toned is out the window
5. I enjoy going out with my friends (seriously... I have great friends.  We have fun)

Somehow I thought typing all of these thoughts out would help me figure stuff out but I might be more unsure now.... ugh. Bottom line:
1. I want to start the workout plan in the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women
2. I can make time if I start to prep my meals on the weekends so that I need less time to make dinner
3. My gym still needs to get put together

Here are some things I will try to commit to:
1. Re read The New Rules of Lifting
2. Start Unprocessed October in October (duh) and get my eating back on track
3.  Try to get the gym put together in the next month
4. Start working out in October (seems like a good goal since that's when the eating will start too)
Workout plan:
Sun- long run
Mon- Rest
Tues- Lift
Wed- Rest (or yoga)
Thurs- Lift
Fri- Rest
Sat- Lift
5. In the meantime my workout plan:
Sun- long run
Mon- rest
Tues- 20 min Jillian Michaels workout
Wed- rest
Thurs- 20 min Jillian Michaels workout
Fri- rest
Sat- 50 min Jillian Michaels workout
(I figure this will get me into the routine so that when I start the other workouts, which are more strenuous, I'll be ready)
6. Drink wine a little less
7. Eat crappy food a little less

Thoughts? Suggestions?  Seriously... help me!

Running...

So last time I blogged I was like "I'm gonna start running again... GO ME!"  That lasted for about a week.  Then it stopped for about a week (in my defense it was raining A LOT recently).  I reset my running plan on micoach and stated up again this week.  The runs have felt really good... but my knee has been hurting afterwards.  Time to do more squats and strengthen the muscles supporting my knee.  I know that is smart, but man I hate squats. 

 

Anyway.... Tom has not been running with me because his chiropractor forbid it.  It's a little lonely running by myself, but I do get to rock out to awesome 90's music on my ipod when I run now.  You win some, you loose some.  :)

Back on the running bandwagon

Ok so I love like running.  When we were training for the 1/2 marathon I got into a groove and really enjoyed it.  Then the 1/2 marathon happened.... I knew I could run 13 miles... and I kind of started slacking off.  Other than a few races we've run in the last month I haven't really run. 

Tom got me a micoach for my birthday last year and it was great when we were training.  For more about the micoach check out their website: https://micoach.adidas.com/.  This weekend I started browsing through their "be fit" workouts found a plan that looked great.  Every third day is a 30 min blue zone day (blue zone is a very slow heartrate zone)... that's basically a built in dog walking day.  Perfect.  The workout plan is basically a day of sprints, a long-ish run (40 or 50 min) and then the blue zone day.  I started it up again Saturday and am excited to get back in the groove.  Saturday was a sprint day and despite stuggling A LOT it felt good to be outside running.  Today I'm doubling up since I didn't do my 40 min run yesterday.  So today I'll run 40 min and then do the 30 min walk. As soon as I take a nap I'll go run... promise.

Running, actually… not running would be more accurate

I know, I know, this blog is supposed to be about food.  Why on earth is the title of this post about running???  Well, part of my whole healthy lifestyle thing involves running.  I was going to blog about it on an old blog that I was going to revitalize, but lets face it, keeping up with one blog is hard enough, keeping up with two- not likely.

So here it is… a post about running.  A while ago, Tom and I decided to run a half marathon in Virginia Beach on St. Patrick ’s Day.  Tom got me the Adidas Mi coach (http://www.adidas.com/us/micoach/) last year for my birthday (I highly suggest this product…).  We put in the race date and the mi coach developed a running plan to get us ready by then.  For the most part we did a great job of keeping up with the workout plan, a few minor setbacks here and there, but overall pretty good.  Then about two weeks ago the temperature dropped to 20 degrees and we stopped running.  I’m not saying I wouldn’t run in the cold, but it’s been cold AND windy.  That’s a lethal combination.  Wednesday of this week is supposed to be warm again finally, but with thunderstorms.  I need to get my act together… St. Patrick’s Day is not that far away.  I will run at least twice this week with a long run on Sunday before the game.  Look for an update at the end of the week to see if this actually happened.

Update: I never got around to posting this and now its Friday.  Wednesday was the perfect temperature for running… but it was pouring down rain.  Thursday night I have class until 7 pm so I don’t get home until 8pm.  And tonight we are on our way to Panuxatawney PA to celebrate tom’s 30^th birthday with Phil the groundhog.  Must do a long run on Sunday!!!