Day 6 - NO SODA

It is Day 6 of no soda. It's been relatively easy, actually. There was one day where I REALLY wanted a Cherry, Vanilla, Diet Dr. Pepper from Sonic. You know what stopped me? Knowing I would have to come to my blog and report my failure. So thank you to all of you reading this. You're helping me keep my goals!  Drinking 64 - 80oz of water a day has been pretty easy too. The first 2 days I was running to the bathroom every 30 minutes, but now my body has adjusted. I actually enjoy drinking water. I used to drink the Crystal Light mix-ins with every bottle, but I hardly ever use them anymore. I'm not sure why, I'm just not liking the way they taste anymore. Too fake. Too chemically. To much after taste. Just good ol' water does the trick!


With my past few weight gains, I've been reflecting on my tracker (WW term for food journal). My WW leader was perplexed by my lack of weight loss, so she asked me to email it to her. Before I sent it, I was reading over it.

I didn't send it to her. I didn't need to. I saw the problems myself. I had 2 entire days with nothing written in them. Days with little or NO vegetables eaten. Days where I ate out for lunch and dinner. Writing down my food has become so important. If I didn't write things down, I would never know where I went wrong. Now I can easily look at my mistakes, and fix them! Meal planning is also huge. When I have groceries in my house, and ideas how to fix them I am much less likely to eat bad things.

Tuesday is my 2 month/60 day CrossFit anniversary, pictures coming soon!

Until then, here is my little man helping with chores today :)

Weekly Goals

I'm going on 3 weeks now with ZERO weight loss. I technically weigh in tomorrow... but I know I didn't lose much (if anything). I suppose now that I'm 10 pounds away from my goal weight I need to mix things up. It used to be as simple as "calories in, calories out".... but I think now is when I really need to take a look at what I'm feeding my body. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, but I also eat a lot of 100 calories packs and sugar free jello. And diet soda. Ugh. Now it's time to really get serious about what I'm eating so I can get rid of these final stubborn 10 pounds.

The first thing to go is my morning oatmeal. It's instant oatmeal, and pretty much total crap. I liked to eat it because it's low in points and it fills me up. I know it's one of the things that has to go....

The past two mornings I've had a Green Monster  for breakfast. It is SO yummy and SO filling. I originally heard about them from my friend, Dani. Although I never tried one until this week.

To make a basic green monster is quite simple....

• 1 banana
• 1 T flax seeds
• 1 c. non-dairy milk (or dairy if you prefer) *I use Silk with no added Sugar*
• 1-2 c. of spinach (I cook it in water in the microwave for about 3 minutes first)
• Ice

Throw it all in a blender....

Looks yummy huh?!

Blend it all together...

Green Monster!!

I know it sounds somewhat revolting. Spinach and banana?! But, you cannot taste the spinach at all. The banana flavor completely over powers it. Give it a try! It might be your new favorite thing.  

(Oh, and for you WWers, the way I made it in the recipe above it's 5 points. But it depends a lot on what milk you use.)



The second thing I'm changing this week is..... No more soda.

This really shouldn't be too difficult. I don't drink a lot anyway... but I need to just completely cut it out. It serves no purpose. I read a very good article recently about how important water is. It really motivated me to drink a lot of water and cut out the caffeine that I do not need.

These are my goals for the week. Writing them down and telling all of "you" will hopefully help me stick to them!

What are your goals for the week?

Learning from mistakes

Here is what happens when you do 120 turkish get ups in 2 days, fail your last few (of 100) box jumps....

And here is what happens when you attempt an overhead press, fail to bailout when you should and the 100lb barbell falls on you ....

I'm strangely proud of these bruises. They seem to symbolize how hard I've been working.... the last one was because I'm an idiot who doesn't completely know what she's doing... but still. I'm trying. I'm working at being better and improving. Even if it means failing a box jump here or there :)

GAIN.....

This weeks weigh in was a big fat FAIL.

+0.8lbs

I wanted to throw the scale across the room. I wanted to punch the little lady weighing me in. I wanted to scream.

I even worked out an extra day this week. And THAT is what I get?! Could it have been all the alcohol I drank Saturday and the fact that I haven't drank in weeks? Yes. Could it be muscle? Yes. Maybe I'm not eating ENOUGH?! Yes. Could it be that I didn't drink enough water? Yes.

But still. When I track, workout like a mad person, weigh, measure, contemplate every bite.... seeing that number is a big slap in the face. Ugh.

I've also discovered I don't like logic in that moment. That moment where I've gained. I don't want someone to say, "but you've come so far!" or "You look great!" or "Next week's weigh in will be even better!"..... I just want someone to say, "Dude. This blows. You've worked your ass off all week and this totally sucks." I don't want a reasonable explanation right then. I just want sympathy.

After the WOD on Tuesday, Philip and I almost always get a Jamba Juice. I was still pissed about my weigh in, so I ordered a Peanut Butter Moo'd. I've never had one before.

OMG.

I groaned so loudly with the first sip the employees thought there was something wrong. It's been so long since I've tasted Peanut Butter. It was AMAZING. And, like a good little weight watcher I DID count the points for it. All 16 of them. So worth it.

This week I'm going to revisit my friend Wendie. She's always worked for me in the past, so I'm going to give it a shot. I've got to break myself out of this rut. Also, I'm going to meal plan like a mad woman and drink a LOT more water than last week....

Here is to a LOSS next week!

I love myself

Ok, I didn't know what to title this post. So, I'm being random and loving towards myself.

There was a recent discussion on the "Health and Fitness" board about the BMI scale. Is it a good way to determine overall health for every person? I'm going to say no, but it's a start. According to this scale, I am overweight. Something about that still really bothers me. Maybe it's because I don't feel overweight. The BMI is a good starting point to determine a healthy range, but I know several people (myself included) who are healthy but deemed "overweight" by the dreaded BMI scale. Some people carry their weight differently! What about an athlete who is 5% body fat, but has a higher weight due to all his/her muscle? Obviously, they are healthy.... but not according to the BMI!

My weigh in this week wasn't completely awful.  I lost 0.6lbs. Considering my Krispy Kreme binge last week, I was thankful for any kind of a loss. I am now motivated for this week to see at LEAST a full pound lost.

This week I gave myself 2 goals.

1. Don't eat after 9pm
2. Eat under my 35 weekly point allowance.

Well, #1 is already a bust. I just stay up really late. And when I eat dinner at 6:00 or 6:30, I'm usually up for another 5 hours. That's a loooong time to go without eating, at least for me.

Crossfit is going REALLY well. If you don't know what it is, here is a link to my box: Edmond Crossfit. Working out with other people is so motivating. They're working as hard (or most of the time harder) than you and it helps keep me going. I also like the diversity. We do something different every day. I need that. And everyone up there is amazing. We all know each other, and can push each other. Let's be honest.... it's also a little competitive, which is RIGHT up my alley :) I don't think I've shared any CF pictures.... here are a few....

Me doing half moons. Those were actually pretty fun. 

Hoover Ball! We 'took it easy' on Memorial Day for the WOD (workout of the day). We played volleyball with a 12 pound med ball. Seems easy and fun.... well, the fun part is true. 

My team! We were supposed to make tough faces, and no one except for me did. But my face doesn't look tough, it's more frightening. Our team did win. =)

My hubby's team! The LOSERS! 

And, an action shot of me. That was a heavy mother!!!

Me vs. Krispy Kreme

I decided to treat myself on Saturday to a Krispy Kreme doughnut. I haven't had one in months. My parents invited us to come swimming on Saturday afternoon. I told them we'd be there once I had my Krispy Kreme doughnut. My dad told me just to buy a couple of dozen and bring them over.

Now, one doughnut I can handle. I eat it, enjoy it, and it's gone. But, having to resist the temptation of walking past the box of doughnuts in and out of the pool all day is almost impossible. I failed. Miserably. I ate five doughnuts that day. For a total points value of 27. That put me in the red for my Weekly Points.

I'm really hoping I don't see a gain tonight at my weigh in.

WI Results, Dresses, Dinners....

I was shopping with my boys yesterday when I discovered a Dillard's gift card in my purse. I called to see how much money it had on it (not expecting much) and there was $83.00 on it! We headed into Dillard's and I hit up some sales.

I saw this really cute dress, and GUESS WHAT size I got to buy .....

Yup! Size 6! I think I love the dress more just because of the size. 70% off and a size 6? Yes please. It's moments like this that make my weight loss journey exciting. It's so fun to be able to go try on clothes and ENJOY the process.

Yeah yeah, I'm healthier, my blood pressures better, my BMI is healthy, blah blah, I bought a size 6! Could I be a little more superficial?

I also made a REALLY yummy dinner Sunday night. I've posted the recipe before, but it's been a while. It's definitely a staple in our house, and it's easy to make.

Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage

3/4 pound(s) raw turkey sausage, casings removed   
1 medium onion(s), chopped   
1 medium green pepper(s), chopped   
28 oz canned diced tomatoes   
2 Tbsp canned tomato paste   
1 tsp dried oregano   
1 tsp dried basil   
1/2 tsp dried thyme   
1/2 tsp fennel seed   
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste   
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground   
12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, ziti, cooked according to package directions   
6 oz shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
  
• Crumble the sausage meat into a large saucepan and brown over medium heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes.
  
• Drain off any fat, then add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
  
• Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring often.
  
• Stir in the pasta and half the grated cheese. Spread evenly into a 9- X 13-inch baking pan. Top evenly with the remaining cheese.
  
• Bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing into 8 pieces and then serve. 

Annnnnd, last but not least. Weight in results! I lost 2.2lbs this week. Which proves my theory that I do weigh more/retain water when it's my TOM, because last week I only lost 0.2lbs and did nothing differently. Only 10.2lbs until GOAL!

iPod tunes

I see this question ALL the time. What are your favorite cardio/running songs? Here is what's on my playlist these days:

1. Imma Be - Black Eyed Peas
2. Carry Out - Timbaland & JT
3. Through the Never - Metallica
4. 3 - Britney
5. Animals - Nickelback
6. Tik Tok - Ke$ha
7. When I Grow Up - PCD
8. Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy
9. Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z
10. Rude Boy - Rihanna

Anyone have any of their favorites to add?