Brighter Tomorrows

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Day 1 - 1/24/2018

Starting Weight: 225.4 Calories: 1645

Breakfast: 357 Calorie BEAST Bowl (As Matt now calls them). Bacon, Egg, Avocado, Spinach and Tomato.

Lunch: 770 Calories. Turkey, Quinoa, Goat Cheese, Avocado and Pesto Salad.  Blueberries and Blackberries on the side.

Dinner: 168 Calories. Elevation Coconut Chocolate protein bar and half a cucumber.

Snack: 350 calorie decaf smoked butterscotch latte.

Water: 90 oz

I had a large lunch to make up for the fact that I’d be running around for group meetings and class and wouldn’t have time to eat a real dinner.  I have the exact same meals today, but i’ll probably not have a latte.  I was having real trouble staying awake yesterday, and since I wouldn’t get home until 9:30 PM I knew I needed reinforcements - even the decaf kind, because I’m way too sensitive to caffeine and knew decaf would likely be enough. 

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

I’ve been gone for so long.

20 months, according to my last post.

In those 20 months, I’ve absolutely lived my life. I married my best friend, we threw a party that was so perfectly us that I get all teary thinking about it, and then we took a fantastic vacation.  I started volunteering with an organization that has come to mean so much to me. I got promoted and began working full-time.  I started my masters degree - and it’s worth noting that I only have a semester and a half left!  I’ve met some fantastic people and became great friends with some of my co-workers.  I’ve finished some pretty intense crochet projects. I ran my first ever 5K.  I completed hikes that I NEVER thought I could do. I’ve been challenged. I’ve grown. I’ve made significant changes.

During all this, I lost 30 pounds.  After our honeymoon, I gained it back.  I keep fixating on that.  How did it happen, when before the honeymoon I was so motivated? After the honeymoon, we wanted to keep adventuring, keep hiking, keep jogging.  We didn’t.

We’re taking another trip in May. I want to be healthy. I want to be able to hike and explore and not be limited. I keep trying to get back on track, but I keep telling myself that I’m too busy.  It’s true, I’m so busy that sometimes I can barely keep my head above water.  I barely have free time anymore.  This just means I have to make it a priority. I have to make some choices, and just do it. 

I’m documenting it again. I’m using CICO measured with MFP and a daily TDEE tracker.. & posting here, of course.

Here goes nothing.

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

4/13

I’ve been doing so good this week.

Sunday I did a BL workout, and I was quite sore afterwards. Monday I ate completely paleo and did another BL workout.  Tuesday I stayed paleo again and did C25k.

Today, I’m on track to stay paleo. I am thawing chicken to make for lunches for the rest of the week. I started to work out on the treadmill, but then I realized that my leg was starting to feel like I had a shin splint coming on, so I walked for 7ish minutes and then did a very stretch oriented yoga workout instead. Tomorrow is a rest day, so hopefully this all helps.  I just finished a warm spinach/chicken/onion/mushroom salad, and it was delightful. 

I’m feeling pretty good about the week so far. Matt and I seem to be more motivated than ever before - probably because we are getting married in 14 months! Let’s hope this keeps up! 

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Paleo starts now.

My body has always responded best to that.

I’m down a little bit, 225.4. But I want to be more than that. I found a picture of a wedding dress that appears to be my dream dress, but no one in Michigan has a sample large enough to fit me.  I finally found a 16, but I measure to be a 20. I’m close to fitting, but my hip measurements are a little out of range.

The dress has a corset back, so every shop is saying that I should try it on anyways. I’m in the process of making an appointment for May 20th.  Six weeks.  I can lose some weight and inches by then, hopefully.  

I have Matt on board to do paleo with me. We are making a shopping list now. I’m ready to get this going, so expect some more posts from now on. :)

Current measurements:

Hips- 51″

Waist- 37″

Chest-43″

Thighs- 31″

Arms-16″

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

In the interest full disclosure, my weight is up. A lot.

As of this morning, I weigh 226.6. That’s the highest weight I’ve ever seen on a scale.  I’m up 37 lbs from my lowest. Clothes that used to swim on me now hardly fit.

I’m not proud. As a matter of fact I’m extremely disappointed in myself. I’m not sure what happened to make me slip so much. It could have been the stress of moving, not having a job, wondering what my purpose even was. Honestly though, I feel like saying that is just making excuses. I slipped, there doesn’t have to be a reason. I stopped caring and the scale shows it.  I now have to start over, entirely. I have to redo all the work that I already had done and then do more.

That’s daunting, and it’s been stopping me from trying. I’m scared to lose it all again, just to gain it back. I don’t want it back. I want it gone for good.  And I know it’s possible. I know what I have to do, when I should work out. I know the steps I need to take. But for some reason doing them is so hard lately.

I’m going to have to take a series of small steps. I need to walk before I can run again. I need to start making small changes before they can add up to something greater.

So, here we go.

Step 1: Stop adding sugar to my morning coffee. I was drinking it black for so long, I don’t need it, so why did I start using it again?

Step 2: Start tracking everything in MFP. I’ve started that today, my breakfast and lunch are already tracked.

Step 3: Wear my fitbit. I didn’t buy it to have it sit in a drawer. Start using it again.

Step 4: Water. Drink way more of it.

Step 5: Sign up for that 5k, and have a goal to jog at least 1.5 miles of it. Doesn’t have to be in a row, but get moving and try.

Matt and I have started officially planning our wedding. June 17, 2017.  My sister is getting married on August 27, 2016.  I want to be back to 185 by her wedding, and at my goal weight by mine (145). Those should both be so attainable.  To get to my goal weight by my wedding, I have to lose 1.25 lbs a week. Not bad at all. I just need to get moving.

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Whole30 Day 9 & 10

Both of these days went pretty well, I’d say!

Day 9 B: BLT Avocado Bowl L: Small turkey burger patty, tuna cake, leftover sauerkraut D: Pulled Pork over sweet potato hash brown and broccoli

Day 10 B: Scrambled eggs with sweet potato, apple, and bacon L: Leftover pulled pork and tuna cakes with cantaloupe  D: Leftover sweet potato meatloaf with some pulled pork and veggies

It’s starting to feel almost second nature now, so that’s good! I had to weigh out for my dietbet today (I know you aren’t supposed to do that while on whole30, but I did have to), and since starting I’ve lost 5.6 lbs! If anything that just gave me some more motivation to keep going! :)

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Whole30 Day 7 & 8

Day 7: B: BLT Bowl with Eggs and Avocado L: Leftovers of the ground turkey mix with veggies D: Sweet Potato Meatloaf and Zucchini S:  Watermelon

Day 8: B: BLT Bowl with Eggs (things things are super delicious) L: Spicy Tuna Cake, Scrambled Eggs, Watermelon D: Pork with Sauerkraut, apples and onions.

Day 8 was the first day I didn’t feel the need for any snacks. I’m starting to adapt, I think.  Today we are cooking a pork butt for some pulled pork. We bought one and ended up having to cut it in half to freeze half of it! It was on sale for $1.19 a lb, compared to the $3.99 it usually is, so I was eager to try it. :)

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Whole 30 Day 6.

I think I jinxed myself by saying it was gonna be a breeze, sam and I came 30 seconds away from ordering pizza. I decided against it though, so that was good.

Breakast: Scrambled eggs with sweet potato apple bacon hash, sausage, and some melon. Lunch: Leftover turkey veggie stir fry Snack: Some raw green beans and grapes Dinner: Scrambled eggs with broccoli and some watermelon.

It was overall a good day. Sam was kinda bummed we didn’t get pizza, but she was a really good sport about it. So much so that even today when I was drinking my coffee she was like “wait, can you drink that?” She was policing me like crazy, and I’m so grateful for it. I went out and got her a yummy bagel sandwich from the best bagel shop ever for breakfast today. Meanwhile Matt and I had a delightful whole 30 compliant breakfast. 

Day 7 is going along alright, but I’ll cover that in a different post. 

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Whole 30 Day 5

A day late, sorry been busy with my sister! 

B: Scrambled eggs with a sweet potato hash and sausage L: Yesterday’s dinner leftovers, salmon asparagus stir fry S: Green beans, grapes D: Turkey burger with bacon and tropical salsa, zucchini and half of a potato.

Another perfect day on plan. Sammy and I went school clothes shopping and got her a bunch of cute stuff. Then we came home and binged watched a lot of my old favorite movies - she loved them all, so that was a win. 

This morning we are hanging out around the house until noon or so, then heading to the beach!  It’s been great having her here. It’s so much easier to find motivation to cook breakfast when I have to cook for someone else too. And it’s so much easier to stick to plan when I have someone here who knows my goals and can keep me on track! Day 6 should be a breeze!

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Whole 30 Day 4

My sister and my dog are both eating ice cream and I'm not even a little bit jealous, so I'm calling that a win. Breakfast: BLT egg avocado bowl and watermelon Lunch/Snack: (I was traveling all day) a huge bag of grapes, equal size bag of green beans, and a larabar. Not the best, but it was still technically on plan. Dinner: salmon asparagus stir fry over potato with some garlic zucchini. Sam and I went shopping, we bought more produce and some crafts. She knows I'm on a whole 30 and she's totally supportive and keeping me accountable. :)

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Whole 30 Day 3. Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with turkey and veggies, guacamole, and balsamic vinegar. (looks gross, sorry about that, but it was yummy!) Lunch: Stir fried turkey with green beans, pepper, mushrooms and asparagus Snack: ½ an apple pie larabar, a nectarine and some cashews Dinner: Pork, balsamic and blueberries, with potato/veggie hash. (I forgot to take a picture before I started eating..)

So, real talk, I’ve moved on from my mini pity party earlier. Venting here and also venting to Matt helped a lot. We worked together to develop a menu and a shopping plan for when Sam is here, and I’m feeling like I can do it. Matt joked that I hit the “Kill all the things” stage of my Whole 30 a little early. Honestly I think he’s right - I didn’t have much of a “Hangover”, so it makes sense that I would move onto the next stage early. 

Anywho, to help me move on I did tons of food prep. I made a sweet potato/bacon/apple hash. I cut up a watermelon. I made more guacamole. I cooked up our bacon. Then, after that I washed all the dishes and cleaned the entire kitchen.  

Now, I’m about to have some Tension Tamer herbal tea, fold all the laundry, and watch the latest episode of Big Brother.

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Honesty Hour

I’m having a rough day.  My 11 year old sister is coming over this weekend because Matt will be out of town for work. He is “doing the whole 30 with me” but not really, because he's gonna be eating whatever his mom cooks and going out for his friend’s bachelor party and driving a ton. 

I want nothing more than to have a pizza/popcorn/sundae girls night with my sister, but now that I’m on whole 30, I “can’t”. I don’t know what I’m gonna cook for her, I just am getting really paranoid and upset about it. Dad wants me to take her school clothes shopping, and we have ALWAYS gone out for food while doing so. I don’t have extra money to eat out, so I guess that helps, but it’s just super frustrating.

I haven’t mentioned this here, yet, but since we’ve moved I’ve just been doing freelance work.  It’s been helping us save money with the dog, and honestly it’s just been really nice. But today I’ve had a really hard time with it. I’ve been transcribing horrible audio with way more crosstalk than I can handle, and to make it worse reviewers are marking my quality score down because of errors that are either super small, or just don't even exist. 

Finally, I’m a bit hesitant about the timing of this whole 30, because Day 28 is a wedding that we’ve already picked our meals for. None of the options were whole 30 approved, there is an open bar, and I literally will know no one there. I’m kinda nervous that I will get really sick if I don’t eat just compliant foods there. 

UGH. I know I’m just being whiny, but today I just really want to reconsider everything. I’m in a horrible mood and this is all just weighing on me right now. Dinner is cooking and it’s 100% compliant, but I don’t know where I’m gonna go from there. 

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Whole 30 day 2. Breakfast: eggs with veggies, guacamole, and nectarine Lunch: spinach salad with pork balsamic and blueberries, green pepper Snack: watermelon, raspberries, cashews Dinner: ground turkey with veggies on a red potato. I felt pretty tired today, but I stuck entirely to plan and that feels pretty good. Onto tomorrow.

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Whole 30 Day 1.

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with tomato, black olives and mushrooms, bacon, and some watermelon Snack: Nectarines and Cashews Lunch: Turkey and blueberries on spinach with balsamic vinegar Dinner: Pork with blueberries and balsamic with a garlic potato, onion, zucchini stir fry. 

Delicious, but probably a bit too much fruit. Today I’m gonna work on getting in more veggies. :)

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

3.5 Months.

That’s how long it’s been since I’ve posted here.

I have no idea what happened. Life got crazy, the house sidetracked me, I fell off track and didn’t want to admit it. I guess it just must have been a combination of a bunch of things. I’ve been dreading coming back and typing out that I’ve gained 10 more pounds, and I’m now at the highest weight I’ve ever been at. 12 months ago I was at the lowest weight since high school. I don’t know how I ended up throwing that away.

It happens. I’m aware of it. I used moving as an excuse to reacquaint myself with bad habits and bad foods. I’m ready to move on. 

I’ve worked out 45 minutes a day for the past few days. Matt and I discussed starting a whole30. We don’t have a set start date, but that’s only because we have to go shopping first, because we have nothing in this house right now. I’m ready for this hard reset. I’m ready to get back on track. 

Matt’s best friend is getting married in 28 days, so we already know that that weekend will kinda be a pause on this whole30 thing, but other than that I’m 100% committed and ready to take on this challenge. They used to be so daunting, but I think I’m ready now.

If anyone has done a Whole30 before and has recipes or wisdom to share, please do! This blog used to be such a source of support and accountability for me, and I don’t know why I ever stopped posting. I’m back, and I’m ready to make myself accountable again.

[movekapow]

[itrytoaccomplishgoals]

Matt and I are getting our shit together this week and starting paleo.  Matt isn’t being 100% because he doesn’t want to give up yogurt.  I will be eating potatoes, so I guess by definition I’m not 100% paleo either. 

Anyways, Matt and I did a bunch of food prep yesterday.  We fried up veggies and sausage for breakfasts and lunches.  We made 5 freezer meals. I made a paleo egg salad. We are set for the week!

This morning we had sausage, eggs, and veggies with some guac.  I had some cantaloupe and black coffee with it! So far i’ve had 24 oz of water, but am aiming for at least 80 oz!

Now I’m gonna start work on our basement! Matt’s mom might be coming for a visit this weekend, so I want to have as much done as possible! Last time she saw the house was the weekend after we moved in, so she hasn’t seen any of the changes! We are really excited to show off all of our hard work. :)