I actually did the 30 Day Shred!
Hoorah!
7 days late, but who's counting.
It kicked my butt, but I imagine that's because I'm sooooo out of shape having gone without exercise for a ridiculous amount of time. I think it's something I will be able to get good at if I commit to doing one per day.
Aila woke up about 3/4 of the way through it and lay on my stomach during the ab portion. I have a feeling that might have contributed to me taking it a little easier there then I probably should have.
Anyway, giving myself a huge pat on the back. The first step is always the hardest right?
Monday, October 25, 2010
Day Eight: Some realizations
I have realized a bunch of things over the last week.
#1 - I just do not have the time to update a blog on a daily basis. Even though Kian is away right now and in theory I should have all the time in the world, I just don't. Period. Being in school means that the majority of my evenings are spent studying, or working on assignments and the ones that I don't work on schoolwork, I spend watching movies or TV curled up with my husband - you know, the guy I've been neglecting for the last two months.
#2 - So far, in addition to being a terrible blogger, I am a terrible dieter. I continue to cheat daily, and I don't seem to feel a lot of remorse for it. Although I'd say my diet has done a huge 180 in the last two weeks, this is just because I've eliminated the sugar binges, not because I've eliminated sugar altogether. I am still craving sugar here and there and find myself having a bite of this, a pinch of that. I even had a terrible Wendy's incident on the weekend which involved a grilled chicken burger (no fries) and an iced-tea.
#3 - I have still not even done one iota of exercise over the last week - not one. Unless you count carrying Aila around - should that count?
However, despite numbers 2 and 3 today when I stepped on the scale, I was down 2lbs, and I suspect this is a true 2lb loss since it's been like this since about the middle of last week. Not a huge loss, but it's only been one week really, and given that I don't have a ton to lose, it's pretty good. I know it seems unreal, but today my jeans felt just the tiniest bit looser as did my raincoat. Just a teeny tiny bit, but it's moving in the right direction.
Alex assures me that I don't need to diet, I just need to find time to fit in more exercise and I need to stop the sugar binges, which I am. So far, it seems like he's right.
In any case, I am still trying to eat as "clean" as possible, and still have daily exercise as my ideal - I just can't seem to bring myself to put in the videotape, nor can I bring myself to go out for a run, or to a class. There's always laundry to do, dishes to clean, toys to put away or blogs to write.
;)
Today's intake:
Breakfast: Bowl of cereal with milk - 1/2 multigrain cheerios, 1/2 Kashi-go-lean crunch
Snack: 6 pieces of cut up fruit that my daughter didn't eat at her snacktime
Lunch: Piece of grilled chicken and a plate full of steamed veggies (carrots, celery, broccoli, onions and baby potatoes)
#1 - I just do not have the time to update a blog on a daily basis. Even though Kian is away right now and in theory I should have all the time in the world, I just don't. Period. Being in school means that the majority of my evenings are spent studying, or working on assignments and the ones that I don't work on schoolwork, I spend watching movies or TV curled up with my husband - you know, the guy I've been neglecting for the last two months.
#2 - So far, in addition to being a terrible blogger, I am a terrible dieter. I continue to cheat daily, and I don't seem to feel a lot of remorse for it. Although I'd say my diet has done a huge 180 in the last two weeks, this is just because I've eliminated the sugar binges, not because I've eliminated sugar altogether. I am still craving sugar here and there and find myself having a bite of this, a pinch of that. I even had a terrible Wendy's incident on the weekend which involved a grilled chicken burger (no fries) and an iced-tea.
#3 - I have still not even done one iota of exercise over the last week - not one. Unless you count carrying Aila around - should that count?
However, despite numbers 2 and 3 today when I stepped on the scale, I was down 2lbs, and I suspect this is a true 2lb loss since it's been like this since about the middle of last week. Not a huge loss, but it's only been one week really, and given that I don't have a ton to lose, it's pretty good. I know it seems unreal, but today my jeans felt just the tiniest bit looser as did my raincoat. Just a teeny tiny bit, but it's moving in the right direction.
Alex assures me that I don't need to diet, I just need to find time to fit in more exercise and I need to stop the sugar binges, which I am. So far, it seems like he's right.
In any case, I am still trying to eat as "clean" as possible, and still have daily exercise as my ideal - I just can't seem to bring myself to put in the videotape, nor can I bring myself to go out for a run, or to a class. There's always laundry to do, dishes to clean, toys to put away or blogs to write.
;)
Today's intake:
Breakfast: Bowl of cereal with milk - 1/2 multigrain cheerios, 1/2 Kashi-go-lean crunch
Snack: 6 pieces of cut up fruit that my daughter didn't eat at her snacktime
Lunch: Piece of grilled chicken and a plate full of steamed veggies (carrots, celery, broccoli, onions and baby potatoes)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Day Three: sniff sniff
My little boy is in the air right now, without me.
Alex's parents decided at the last minute that they wanted to visit their daughter, her husband and my niece before their long trip to Iran in November and when Kian heard about it he insisted that he be able to go as well. This isn't the first time they have taken him - they took him for 4 days last year, when he was just 2 years old, and although it went well during the day, he really missed us at night and it took him a while to settle into sleep each night.
I know he's older now and it will likely go a lot better, but this time they are going for 7 days and I can't help but wish it was 4. He's still only 3 years old - growing up fast, but still so little.
For the first time ever he actually asked to go to bed last night.
"I want to skip my bath mommy and go right to sleep - I want it to be morning so I can go on the airplane to see Darya."
The little monkey.
I'm going to miss him like crazy.
So after the cookies were baked (and I admit, I sneaked a little dough, but was good and didn't have any of the actual cookies) the rest of my evening last night went well - food wise anyway.
Dinner was some crab meat and veggies, followed by a big salad a couple of hours later.
This salad is my specialty, and it's soooo delicious. I'm not usually a big salad fan, but I can always find room for this one.
-Spinach leaves
-Avocado
-Tomato
-Walnut pieces
-Dried cranberries
-Fresh fruit (could be apples/mangos/strawberries - whatever you have in the house)
-Feta cheese
Dressing
1/3 cup walnut oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp red raspberry jame
Salt and pepper to taste
I usually heap on the dressing because it's so sweet, but last night I just had a touch of it.
Today so far:
Breakfast
My usual oatmeal and 1/2 banana
Snack #1: Nonfat Chai Latte from Starbucks (Yep, I'm posting from school)
Snacks I have brought with me: carrots and hummus and a pear - I'll eat these around 12 after my classes are done.
If you can believe it, I still have not found any time to actually work out - all of my extra time is literally devoted to studying or cleaning the house. I barely have any down-time lately - no shows, very little internet time. I don't feel like I'm just making excuses, I'm actually that busy.
However, now that Kian is gone for the week, I only have Aila to care for and she naps twice a day, so starting today there are no more excuses. I will shred every single day for the next 7 days and hopefully manage to still fit it in somehow when he gets back.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Day Three: Groundhog Day
My mornings feel a little bit like the movie Groundhog Day right now. Exact same routine every single day.
Peacefully enjoying some REM sleep, I'm always woken up by the sound of my youngest child screaming to let me know that I haven't anticipated her wake-up and been there to greet her with a smile. Once she's changed and fed I hand her over to my husband who groggily opens his eyes enough to make sure she's not eating paint or playdoh - which has happened on many occasions.
After my shower and morning rituals I come down and have a glass of water and a large bowl of oatmeal with ground flax, ground almonds, raisins and a bit of honey.
Every.
Single.
Day.
This is why I stopped eating oatmeal previously. I just got too bored. I might have to start switching things up a bit, and it's only day three.
Anyway, yesterday I didn't get a chance to come back to the blog because I went out for a night on the town with some girlfriends - it was so nice to dress up and have drinks (yes, I had one drink) and real conversation with people other then my three year old.
I was great all day and tried to be somewhat "good" at dinner, although I don't think Tosca would approve of my bellini and chicken and veggie rice bowl - I imagine she would have been good and had the pork lettuce wraps with a glass of lemon ice-water.
No shred again because of the night out - however on the scale this morning I'm down 3lbs already! Probably water weight, but hey, I'll take it. At least it's moving in the right direction. I won't count it until next Monday when I do an "official" weigh in, but it's something.
On to today:
Breakfast: glass of water and large bowl of oatmeal, flax, almonds, raisins and a bit of honey.
Banana
Snack 1: Carrots and hummus
Lunch: 1 slice of whole wheat toast with tuna, feta cheese and mint leaves
Snack 2: Grapes
Now my little boy is requesting to make cookies - Save me!
Peacefully enjoying some REM sleep, I'm always woken up by the sound of my youngest child screaming to let me know that I haven't anticipated her wake-up and been there to greet her with a smile. Once she's changed and fed I hand her over to my husband who groggily opens his eyes enough to make sure she's not eating paint or playdoh - which has happened on many occasions.
After my shower and morning rituals I come down and have a glass of water and a large bowl of oatmeal with ground flax, ground almonds, raisins and a bit of honey.
Every.
Single.
Day.
This is why I stopped eating oatmeal previously. I just got too bored. I might have to start switching things up a bit, and it's only day three.
Anyway, yesterday I didn't get a chance to come back to the blog because I went out for a night on the town with some girlfriends - it was so nice to dress up and have drinks (yes, I had one drink) and real conversation with people other then my three year old.
I was great all day and tried to be somewhat "good" at dinner, although I don't think Tosca would approve of my bellini and chicken and veggie rice bowl - I imagine she would have been good and had the pork lettuce wraps with a glass of lemon ice-water.
No shred again because of the night out - however on the scale this morning I'm down 3lbs already! Probably water weight, but hey, I'll take it. At least it's moving in the right direction. I won't count it until next Monday when I do an "official" weigh in, but it's something.
On to today:
Breakfast: glass of water and large bowl of oatmeal, flax, almonds, raisins and a bit of honey.
Banana
Snack 1: Carrots and hummus
Lunch: 1 slice of whole wheat toast with tuna, feta cheese and mint leaves
Snack 2: Grapes
Now my little boy is requesting to make cookies - Save me!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Day Two - Are you kidding me?
I'm at UBC this morning - reviewing for my quiz and quietly sipping my Starbucks CHAI TEA LATTE?!?!
Zero willpower from this girl.
I did ask for non-fat, do you think that counts?
*sigh*
In any case, in a rush this morning - no time for oatmeal, here's what I was able to scrounge up at the last minute:
Breakfast
1 apple
6 walnuts
a handful of dried cranberries
10 baby carrots (i'm guessing - I didn't count)
I have some more walnuts, carrots and cranberries for my mid-morning snack to be consumed after my class and then will hopefully redeem myself this afternoon.
I already have one follower - Hi Andrea!
I wonder if she noticed that I didn't blog about my experience with the 30 day Shred last night? Yes, remembering that you have a quiz in the morning on a chapter you haven't read yet will put a damper on that first night of exercise.
More to come.
Zero willpower from this girl.
I did ask for non-fat, do you think that counts?
*sigh*
In any case, in a rush this morning - no time for oatmeal, here's what I was able to scrounge up at the last minute:
Breakfast
1 apple
6 walnuts
a handful of dried cranberries
10 baby carrots (i'm guessing - I didn't count)
I have some more walnuts, carrots and cranberries for my mid-morning snack to be consumed after my class and then will hopefully redeem myself this afternoon.
I already have one follower - Hi Andrea!
I wonder if she noticed that I didn't blog about my experience with the 30 day Shred last night? Yes, remembering that you have a quiz in the morning on a chapter you haven't read yet will put a damper on that first night of exercise.
More to come.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Day One
Off to a good start.
Breakfast:
Oatmeal with ground almonds, ground flaxseed and raisins - tsp of honey
Glass of water
Snack #1 aka Mistake #1 - Nothing planned in advance. Had nothing for a snack and was starving by the time we were heading home for lunch - Stole 10 of the kids goldfish crackers. :/
Lunch - 1/2 can tuna with green onions on 1 slice of WW toast. Topped with just a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and broiled. Glass of water.
A trip to the Superstore is in order - We're out of salad, and I need to buy some baby carrots and celery to cut up for snacks - More hummus would be good as well. And maybe some lemons - this water is pretty tasteless.
More to come.
Snack #2 - Some grapes shortly after lunch, then a pear before we went out shopping.
Confession - I bought Kian and Aila a cinnamon sugar flavoured pretzel to share and I couldn't not have one taste - Mmmm!
Dinner was going to be late so I had a pre-dinner snack instead of a post-one: Carrots with Red Pepper Humus and a few spoonfuls of the kids scrambled eggs that they didn't finish.
Dinner: Kalen Polo - a rice, veggie and meatball dish prepared by my in-laws, served with some plain organic yogurt and lots of fresh steamed veggies.
Confession: I think my portion was too large, but god, it was so good.
Post dinner snack that I wasn't supposed to have: the leftovers of Kian's vanilla yogurt and frozen blueberries.
Yikes - Writing that all out, it seems like I just ate non-stop today.
I give myself a 6/10 for effort and a 6/10 for accomplishment today.
Breakfast:
Oatmeal with ground almonds, ground flaxseed and raisins - tsp of honey
Glass of water
Snack #1 aka Mistake #1 - Nothing planned in advance. Had nothing for a snack and was starving by the time we were heading home for lunch - Stole 10 of the kids goldfish crackers. :/
Lunch - 1/2 can tuna with green onions on 1 slice of WW toast. Topped with just a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and broiled. Glass of water.
A trip to the Superstore is in order - We're out of salad, and I need to buy some baby carrots and celery to cut up for snacks - More hummus would be good as well. And maybe some lemons - this water is pretty tasteless.
More to come.
Snack #2 - Some grapes shortly after lunch, then a pear before we went out shopping.
Confession - I bought Kian and Aila a cinnamon sugar flavoured pretzel to share and I couldn't not have one taste - Mmmm!
Dinner was going to be late so I had a pre-dinner snack instead of a post-one: Carrots with Red Pepper Humus and a few spoonfuls of the kids scrambled eggs that they didn't finish.
Dinner: Kalen Polo - a rice, veggie and meatball dish prepared by my in-laws, served with some plain organic yogurt and lots of fresh steamed veggies.
Confession: I think my portion was too large, but god, it was so good.
Post dinner snack that I wasn't supposed to have: the leftovers of Kian's vanilla yogurt and frozen blueberries.
Yikes - Writing that all out, it seems like I just ate non-stop today.
I give myself a 6/10 for effort and a 6/10 for accomplishment today.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Before Pictures
So I know these are TERRIBLE before pictures but I did ask Alex to take some tonight and they were all blurry, so these will have to do for now. These were all taken today at the Apple Festival at UBC. I searched back to the summer to find other pictures of myself that would be better for before photos, but there are almost zero photos of me for the last 6 months. Coincidence? I don't think so.
Face and arms: My face is just a bit chubbier then it used to be, but you can really see how chubby and untoned my arms are. Definitely not my best feature right now.
Frontish View: You can see where the belly chub hangs over my pants - very flattering I know. And I actually like this outfit!
Face and arms: My face is just a bit chubbier then it used to be, but you can really see how chubby and untoned my arms are. Definitely not my best feature right now.
Frontish View: You can see where the belly chub hangs over my pants - very flattering I know. And I actually like this outfit!
Back view: Perfect view of my love handles :( I never used to have these.
So obviously I have some work to do, and I know that it's going to take more then 30 days to get to the finish line, but I'm curious how much of a change I can expect to see in that timeline if I work very hard at it.
So there you have it.
I'll be checking in tomorrow evening after my work-out to update my first day's experience.
Sayonara!
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