I can't exclaim enough about how amazing I feel. I've been off sugar and eating clean for a week now. In there was my birthday, eating out twice (a rarity for me!), gym fly-by's, and an unusually hectic schedule since my hubby was out of town training for a new job and I still had to get the boys to their sports in the evenings.
I can not stress enough how vital pre-planning is to healthy eating. Not only with food, but with your time. Small changes led to a very successful week. I knew I couldn't get to the gym in the evenings like I'm used to because the boys needed me at home. To compensate, I planned ahead to go to the gym during my lunch hour at work. That also meant preplanning work meals that were quick, easy and healthy and could be eaten at my desk if necessary. Taking a few minutes the night before to sort out my upcoming day was the key to a stressless first week. Yay!
So what were my results you ask? Well, honestly I was disappointed this morning that I didn't see better results. But then today when I was on the treadmill at the gym, instead of watching the TV in front of me I spent some time mentally recalling my goals. Yes I want the well-defined physique, but I also want a life time of the best health possible. I would ideally love to lose those last 10 lbs, so ANY fat loss and muscle gain is an instant WIN. I did lose 2 lbs this week and an inch overall (hips, thighs, waist, biceps). I already see it. I feel it. I'm ready for more!
Ok week 2, watch out because I'm on a roll!!
Showing posts with label clean eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clean eating. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Highs and Lows of day 1
The day certainly had its challenges, but remarkable, most of them were not hunger related. My meals were prepared as planned and I closed my kitchen after my last meal. I'm finishing a very hectic day with a sugar-free/milk-free cup of green tea and a highly energetic basketball game on TV (Go Butler!).
Today I tried flaxseed for the first time. I ground about a cup of it in a coffee grinder last night. For breakfast I put about half a tablespoon in my oatmeal. I was timid to try it, but I enjoyed the extra texture so tomorrow I won't hesitate to add a full tablespoon. Why flaxseed? I'll do a more indepth post on it this week, but its a great source of fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids. The more I discover about it, the more impressed I am with the health benefits. I couldn't find my cinnamon so I added a teaspoon of sugar free applesauce. Since I never was one to put sugar on my oatmeal, I can't say I was wowed by the sweetness the applesauce gave it. It was mild, but I'll do without it tomorrow.
The biggest challenge I faced today was eating every 2.5-3 hours. I work part time as a medical receptionist and Mondays are nothing short of warp speed. I have to eat at my desk since the only break I get is lunchtime, but I managed. I got my midmorning, lunch and midafternoon meals in before 4:30. An hour later than I hoped, but it all worked out. I even got to the gym at lunchtime today since I knew my evening would be preoccupied with football practice for Jesse.
Today's low came at about 5:30. I had eaten an hour ago at the office and I was now home, but I was feeling a little out of sorts. Some people are night time snackers, but for me I'm at my worst when I walk in the door after work, before supper. I wouldn't think twice to eat handfuls and handfuls of crackers before dinner was ready. So I really felt that today. That after work simple carb void. Luckily I had to leave in 30 minutes to get my son where he needed to go. That kept me busy. I got him to football, came home and had my supper (in case you were wondering, that burnt brown rice tasted....well...smoky LOL) and I felt much better after that.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention sweet potatoes! Y-U-M!! Probably the best thing I ate today. I baked it last night in the microwave, like I do with my regular potatoes. I scooped it out of the skin and put it in a container with chopped up chicken and spinach. I heated it up at work for my lunch. The combination was so tasty.
All in all a completely sugar free day loaded with healthy proteins and complex carbs. Tomorrow I will be following the same meal plan since I precooked enough of those foods for a couple of days. I'll remember to take some measurements in the morning too.
Today I tried flaxseed for the first time. I ground about a cup of it in a coffee grinder last night. For breakfast I put about half a tablespoon in my oatmeal. I was timid to try it, but I enjoyed the extra texture so tomorrow I won't hesitate to add a full tablespoon. Why flaxseed? I'll do a more indepth post on it this week, but its a great source of fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids. The more I discover about it, the more impressed I am with the health benefits. I couldn't find my cinnamon so I added a teaspoon of sugar free applesauce. Since I never was one to put sugar on my oatmeal, I can't say I was wowed by the sweetness the applesauce gave it. It was mild, but I'll do without it tomorrow.
The biggest challenge I faced today was eating every 2.5-3 hours. I work part time as a medical receptionist and Mondays are nothing short of warp speed. I have to eat at my desk since the only break I get is lunchtime, but I managed. I got my midmorning, lunch and midafternoon meals in before 4:30. An hour later than I hoped, but it all worked out. I even got to the gym at lunchtime today since I knew my evening would be preoccupied with football practice for Jesse.
Today's low came at about 5:30. I had eaten an hour ago at the office and I was now home, but I was feeling a little out of sorts. Some people are night time snackers, but for me I'm at my worst when I walk in the door after work, before supper. I wouldn't think twice to eat handfuls and handfuls of crackers before dinner was ready. So I really felt that today. That after work simple carb void. Luckily I had to leave in 30 minutes to get my son where he needed to go. That kept me busy. I got him to football, came home and had my supper (in case you were wondering, that burnt brown rice tasted....well...smoky LOL) and I felt much better after that.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention sweet potatoes! Y-U-M!! Probably the best thing I ate today. I baked it last night in the microwave, like I do with my regular potatoes. I scooped it out of the skin and put it in a container with chopped up chicken and spinach. I heated it up at work for my lunch. The combination was so tasty.
All in all a completely sugar free day loaded with healthy proteins and complex carbs. Tomorrow I will be following the same meal plan since I precooked enough of those foods for a couple of days. I'll remember to take some measurements in the morning too.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Let's Start Here
The design of the blog is definitely rough around the edges, but that will come in time. I wanted to get this first post up before the end of the day because my mind is bursting with thoughts, worries, excitement and wonder...all about clean eating. For the past week I've had my nose buried in Tosca Reno's Clean Eating Recharged book. The basic elements aren't foreign to me (I know, I know...lay off the simple carbs *sigh*) but I had several A-Ha moments while reading. First of all, learning HOW to pair complex carbs and proteins for a clean meal and WHICH foods fall into these categories was so informative. And the big kicker...no calorie counting! Really? Ok, you hooked me.
And that brings me to today. Sunday. A day spent putting together grocery lists and planning a week of meals. More than anything, I'm ridiculously curious about how this way of eating will affect my body. I've dieted in one form or another all my life (I'll leave that for another post). I'm encouraged by the idea of body transformation, not just weightloss.
My Gameplan:
Ok, let me start by saying that I have two wonderful, healthy, HUNGRY boys. LOL They are 11 and 14. I've been talking to them all week about the food changes I'm eager to incorporate into our family. While they were interested to look at new recipes, my oldest did say to me "so this is not, like, forever. Right?" Oh that poor boy, I think I traumatized him LOL. I have assured them that their favorite foods will not disappear, but we will make better choices more often. He was good with that.
This week will be easy. My focus is pretty much on me and the eating clean Cooler 1 plan. Hubby is away for a week starting a new job and the boys will be well fed without noticing much is different. I'm going to follow the Cooler 1 plan this week, and if it goes well, for next week too. Then I'll switch over to Cooler 2 and get hubby on board.
And that brings me to today. Sunday. A day spent putting together grocery lists and planning a week of meals. More than anything, I'm ridiculously curious about how this way of eating will affect my body. I've dieted in one form or another all my life (I'll leave that for another post). I'm encouraged by the idea of body transformation, not just weightloss.
My Gameplan:
Ok, let me start by saying that I have two wonderful, healthy, HUNGRY boys. LOL They are 11 and 14. I've been talking to them all week about the food changes I'm eager to incorporate into our family. While they were interested to look at new recipes, my oldest did say to me "so this is not, like, forever. Right?" Oh that poor boy, I think I traumatized him LOL. I have assured them that their favorite foods will not disappear, but we will make better choices more often. He was good with that.
This week will be easy. My focus is pretty much on me and the eating clean Cooler 1 plan. Hubby is away for a week starting a new job and the boys will be well fed without noticing much is different. I'm going to follow the Cooler 1 plan this week, and if it goes well, for next week too. Then I'll switch over to Cooler 2 and get hubby on board.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
