YoYo No More

Ready to dish all of my dirty dieting secrets and how I'm making them part of my past

[yoyonomore]

#38.  No matter what's behind you, you've probably got a shit load of greatness right in front of you.

I forget if I've mentioned this before, but I'm a special ed teacher.  Not your run of the mill resource room, either.  I teach at a residential facility for kids with severe challenging behaviors.  My job is super high stress, and the last few months have been pretty tough.  

This pic was taken by my momma on the Brooklyn Bridge.  We had about 11ish miles behind us.  15 or so to go.  No matter how crappy whatever you're going through feels, there are WAY more good things ahead.  And awesome people behind you to take snap yo pic.  

[yoyonomore]

The 39 Things I Learned...

Runner's brain.  Runner's brain is totally to blame for my next 39 blog posts.  I've spent the last week trying to figure out how to do my Avon Walk experience justice in the social media world.  I've been stumped.  Somewhere between miles 4 and 6 today, it hit me.  Runner's brain is this really weird thing were your mind comes up with all kinds of crazy ideas just to help you put one foot in front of the other and make it to your next mile.  Runner's brain has probably been responsible for inventions like plastic wrap and hats with ponytail holes in the back.  Today, my runner's brain solved this week long dilemma about summing up my walk thoughts.  I walked 39 miles, so I will be blowing up your tumblr feed with 39 things that are cool as hell about the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

So, without further ado...

#39.  People will surprise you with their generosity.  It's a pretty cool feeling to know that your friends, family, and even some people that you've never met are willing give money that they've worked for to your cause.  Everyone's been touched by cancer in some way.  While my mom and I walked, we carried the stories that touched our donor's lives with us, too.  So next time you have a day when you feel like there's not a single decent person left in this whole world, know that there are at least 14.

[yoyonomore]

It's amazing what can happen to you when you allow yourself to be part of something that is so huge. COMING SOON: Avon Walk for Breast Cancer recap

[yoyonomore]

These babies are amazeBALLS! Kept me moving for 39.3 miles this weekend. Need a quick pre workout snack? Snack on the go? Healthy replacement for a super processed "nutrition" bar? Right here. A little extra dose of shakeo to give you a boost during the day. And they take about 5 minutes to make. Can't. Beat. Em!

[bubblywubblydubbly]

Made banana pancakes after my gym sesh. 2 eggs and 1 banana. Blend it. Pour it. Flip it. Use low heat! Perfection :) What did you have for brekky? #cheapcleaneats

[yoyonomore]

Give your body what it needs to be strong all day.

[yoyonomore]

Post Beach Cleanse: STATURDAY

Today is the day!  It's STATURDAY!  I got up this morning and jumped right on the scale.  I seriously only took about 3 steps to get from my bed, out of the covers, down the hall, and into the bathroom.  Gimme yo digits!  Before vacation I had lost 16 pounds since June 12.  As of this morning, I have lost a total of 18 pounds.  Woo-freaking-hoo!!!)(@*&$(*!@&^$(*!&@^%  

The scale is something I struggle with.  I had huge success with Weight Watchers about 3 years ago.  About a year into my journey a ton of things in my life changed all at once- I took a leave of absence from my job, went back to graduate school full time, got married, & moved in with roommates Monday-Friday.  It was a pretty tough time for me.  I was FIGHTING to keep the pounds off.  When I say fighting, I mean counting calories, points, spinning, running, and obsessing over the scale.  No matter what I did, my weight kept creeping up.  Every weight watchers meeting became this game of how can I drop a half-a-pound before the meeting?  I ended up being that weeping girl, being consoled by the meeting leader.  Shoot me. Not only was the meeting discouraging to me, but it literally took me a week to recover from the crappy feeling I got on the scale.  Then it was time for another weigh in.  So discouraging.  I stopped going.  

Since June, I've been trying to record my stats every two weeks.  Some weeks I'm better than others, only getting on the scale once or twice.  Others I hop on the scale every morning.  If I see a number I'm happy with I wait a few days before considering it "real."  I want to see that number a couple of times before I pat myself on the back for a scale victory.  

18 pounds gone!  See ya later a-holes!  I've lost these pounds before.  And, against everything in myself, found 'em again.  This time will be different.  I will fight with every part of me to keep those pounds away.  

It's a gorgeous Saturday, and the summer-holic in me cannot stand the thought of wasting an August Saturday working out inside.  So me and the pups are headed out today.  I'm going to hit the pavement for 4 miles to stay on track with my half marathon training.  After that we're going to pile in the car, strap on my camel bak, stock up on poop bags (so gross, I know) and go for a hike.  Obviously I need my energy.  I found this recipe for chocolate protein pancakes on pinterest, and switched up a few things to make it my own.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes

1. Eight egg whites

2. 1/3c. oats (I used quick cooking oats)

3. 2T wheat bran

4. 2T flax seed meal

5. 2T all natural fruit preserves

6. 2T chocolate PB2

7. 2T coco powder

8. 1t vanilla extract

Mix it all up in a blender, spray your nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and pour about 1/4c of the batter per pancake (I usually get about 6-9 pancakes).  I also sliced up some berries and bananas to warm up in a separate skillet.  If you add a splash of water to the pan, the berries will make a light syrup and it's a great substitute for maple syrup.  Those babies went right on top of my pancakes.  

Putting in extra work today is important because I know I'll be kicking off this long weekend with some adult beverages :)

[yoyonomore]

Post Beach Cleanse: Day 4

Ya know that horrible feeling when you wake up on your own, you've overslept, and in the few frantic seconds between realizing what you've done and finding your phone rolled up somewhere in the comforter (because you obviously got up, walked across the bedroom, shut off the alarm, and brought it back to bed for you), you think maybe you've really done it this time?  Maybe you've actually slept through work?  I didn't sleep through work, but this is exactly how my morning started.  Even though I was flying through the house, I made time to throw some OJ and ice cubes in the blender to mix up my Shakeology creamsicle.  To be successful I need to fuel up first thing. 

My boss follows a gluten free diet, and today was her birthday.  We ordered a couple of cakes from a gluten free bakery-do you have any idea how hard those are to find?- and shared them with all of the teachers at lunchtime.  I brought my chicken, edamame, and salad.  Game face on.  Or so I thought.  I'm usually pretty good at handling the peer pressure associated with watching everyone around you enjoy something delicious.  This week my motto has been "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."  Here's what I struggle with- when someone offers me food.  Sometimes, and I don't really know why this is, but I feel rude when I say no.  Maybe "socially awkward" is a better description.  Food is so deeply engrained in our culture and social interactions.  You've probably figured out by now that I ate the darn cake.  Actually, I had a piece and a half.  It was amazing. Who knew G/F cake could be so good?  Enjoyed it and shook it off.  Game face back on.  

I stayed at work until 7:30.  That makes for a 13 hour day, including commutes to and from.  Shoot me.  I got home and headed right for the blender for my little bottle of peanut butter cup perfection.  My plan was to head down to the basement for a Shaun T date, but I'm totally beat.  I'll double up tomorrow.  And now that all of you know, I'll really make it happen.

Day 4 down, and I still haven't hopped on the scale.  STATurday, here I come!  I'm more than half way done with my post vacay cleansing adventure, and it's really been pretty good.  Bring it on Day 5!

[yoyonomore]

Post Beach Cleanse: Day 3 Straight from the skeptic herself- this stuff is fo’ real.

After school time is usually my hardest time of the day food-wise, and it always has been. I could put down 3 bowls of cereal without even realizing. A bag of microwave popcorn? An appetizer. Anything not pre-portioned or nailed down? Is there a bottom of the bag calorie refund?!?!?!?

After school (around 5ish now-a-days) I struggle with eating my main dinner meal before getting my sweat on. Cramps? No thank you. Instead I shoot for a healthy snack. Having just 1 complete snack/small meal is still a struggle. I change into my workout clothes first. Sneakers on. Then I’m less tempted to stay plopped in the recliner catching up with The Real Housewives of Wherever. After all of that, the point I’m trying to make is that I end up eating a zillion little things between 5-10pm to make up for skipping a true dinner. Not since starting this cleanse, though. I grab a piece of fruit pre workout (half of a banana or a whole peach) and call it a night with my “dinner” shake. “Dinner” was served about 3 hours ago and I haven’t had the munchies since. I had a few extra berries after my run last night to fight off a little dizzy spell. That plus a bottle of water did the trick.

I guess I wrote this a little backwards… My morning (7am) shake has kept me 100% satisfied right through lunch around noon/1ish. I’ve managed to survive the dreaded unplanned work lunches all week without even one hiccup. Woo-freaking-hoo! Not a single craving for chocolate or chips or pasta salad. Or pizza. Today I survived pizza. It’s one of my all time FAVORITE foods. No sweat today. Cravings for junk? Seemingly dunzo.

I brought some grilled chicken and edamame to throw on my salad at lunch. I thought the extra protein would help me push through my gym sesh at 5:30. One perk of my job is $1.00 staff lunches including a top notch salad bar. I don’t know how I did it before the $1.00 employee lunch. I bring my own all natural dressing.

I’ve been sticking with the creamsicle and peanut butter recipes because they honest-to-goodness taste like actual desserts. And I’m an ice cream kinda girl.

[yoyonomore]

Post Beach Cleanse: Day 1  After getting back from vacation I went out of my comfort zone a little bit, and decided to try something new.  I hid my scale.  I knew I tried my very best on vacation, but definitely indulged and would probably not be happy with the numbers I saw if I weighed myself.  So I didn't.  I kicked the scale under a little dresser we have in our bathroom and promised myself that after 7 days of hard work I would get the digits next Saturday.  

I'm a brand spankin' new Team Beachbody Coach, and Shakeology is relatively new to me.  So I checked out some of the information available on www.teambeachbody.com, including the 3 Day Shakeology Cleanse.  I still wanted to workout pretty hard this week and get my half marathon training rolling, so I didn't think a true cleanse would be the way to go.  Instead, I took the advice of some fellow Team Beachbody Coaches and decided to go with 2 shakes a day- breakfast & dinner- and a large, clean salad topped with lean white protein for lunch.  

I officially started my modified cleanse with a trip to the grocery store on Sunday morning.  The "Creamsicle" shake came highly recommended, so that was my first Shakeology concoction: 1 scoop vanilla Shakeology, 1/2c. unsweetened almond milk, 1/2c. orange juice, and about 8 ice cubes.   It was DELISH!  For lunch I had a huge salad with edamame, snap peas, cucumbers, carrots, and a gorgeous tomato from my backyard.  I grilled up some shrimp, too, and threw those in.  I was totally satisfied.  At about 6:30ish I whipped up my next shake- the peanut butter cup: 1 scoop vanilla Shakeology, 1T coco powder, 1T natural almond butter, 1c unsweetened almond milk, and ice.  The extra protein from the almond butter and almond milk really helped keep me full and energized for a little T25 after "dinner."  All-in-all it was an awesome Day 1.  I have an entire week of teacher inservice this week before my kids come back for the start of the school year, so I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to turn down the candy and treats that everyone will be passing around!

[yoyonomore]

I just got back from a week at the Jersey Shore with my family. I surprised myself with my will power on vacay- I either ran (3-4.5ish miles) or tore up the sand at beach bootcamp every day. I did much better with my eating and hydration the first half of the week, but I did have delicious dinners every night. I also had a shakeology shake every morning to keep my system in check. Tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start and I'm taking it on with a commitment to 1 shakeology shake daily and a INSANITY/half marathon hybrid workout program.

[yoyonomore]

I started a blog, now what?

What the heck is this blog all about, anyway? 1. I will share my experiences with clean eating. I will falter. I will eat processed foods. I absolutely will drink wine. And beer. And probably some vodka, too. I will confess when I make a mistake. I will always commit to doing better tomorrow. I will not, I repeat- WILL NOT feel guilty about slipping up. 2. I will talk about my workouts. I will share the workouts I do each day- running, bootcamp, intervals, workouts with girlfriends, workouts with a trainer, and walking my dogs. 3. I will talk about my dogs. I have 2. I walk them waaaay more than your average pet owner because that’s the only way to keep sanity in our house. 4. I’ll share my rest days with you. I’ll share if they were planned or not. If I skipped a workout, I’ll commit to doing better tomorrow. 5. Planning ahead is the most powerful tool in your fit lifestyle fanny pack (yes, I wear one sometimes when I walk my dogs). Having a game plan will help you stay on track and make healthy choices in your everyday life. But this is real life. In real life, shit happens. Let’s pretend your honey surprises you with a romantic dinner. Is it clean? Nope. Is it going to interfere with your workout? Yup. Are you going to sit down and enjoy this special treat? Duh. Of course! Long story….well, long, I’ll share with you how I balance a fit and healthy life style with date night, girls night, and worst-day-ever-I-need-wine-stat night. 6. I’ll also share what I’ve tried that hasn’t worked. All gazillion of them. I’ll share my journey from skinny athletic kid, to weight obsessed teenager, to chubby college kid, to treadmill addict who can’t lose a damn pound, to weight watchers success story, to my ideal weight, to newlywed/grad student who couldn’t stop the scale from going the wrong way, to teary, pathetic, obsessed, overweight newlywed, to the girl that just didn’t care, to me- healthy, fit, strong, happy, confident girl, ready to share my journey.