I have extremely exciting news!
I decided to get on the scale Friday morning and see how things have been going. I've been resisting the urge all week long, but since it was Friday, I thought it would be a nice treat for myself UNrelated to food. (More about this in a minute.)
On Sunday evening (November 3rd), before I started this challenge, I weighed 225.0 lbs.
On Friday morning (November 8th), after 4 complete days, I weighed 217.6 lbs.
For those of you who might be too much in shock to do the math (I know I was), that's 7.4 lbs in 5 days. WHAAAA??? I am completely flabbergasted and EXTREMELY motivated to continue this challenge now!! I was feeling so great before, I was honestly a little nervous to step on the scale. Those of you that have dieted before know what I mean - you're feeling great, following your diet exactly, you're excited to get on the scale . . .and you've lost like .6 lbs. But not today! I'm sure that the next two weeks may not be as drastic (though I do plan to add workouts next week), but it doesn't matter. Seeing those kind of results completely validates for me that this was absolutely the right thing for me to do.
In fact, it proves 2 things to me. #1 - I was even more unhealthy than I allowed myself to believe. #2 - We, as Americans, have been lied to (and are lying to ourselves) about what healthy food really is. I say this because - so many people believe "healthy food" = low calorie/low fat food. NOOOOOO. I have had plenty of high calorie/high fat things in the past week. Red meat, avocados, coconut milk, olive oil everywhere, raw nuts. Just because they are high in calories or fat doesn't mean you can't eat them! And additionally - healthy food is not the prepackaged protein shakes, diet meals, or meal replacement energy bars that you see in the health aisle at your grocery store. (Check the ingredients on these if you doubt me. I think you'll be surprised.) Healthy food is what exists in nature NATURALLY. That is what your body is designed to consume. Anything that has ingredients you can't pronounce or you've never heard of - is UNHEALTHY for your body no matter what this week's celebrity says. I'm not saying don't eat them ever - I'm saying be aware.
On to ways to treat yourself. (Cue Parks 'n Rec quotes.) I used to treat myself with food and rinks at the end of a good week, but this would often undo all of my hard work. When you're on a diet as strict as this, you have to find ways to reward yourself that are not tied to unhealthy foods. Even better, not tied to food at all! This week, since Ryan and I have done such a great job sticking to our diet and we are REALLY seeing results (Ryan has lost 9.5 lbs so far. GO RYAN!!), we decided to go to the movies. We went to Whole Foods, got healthy snacks so we wouldn't be tempted by popcorn, and brought in a sparkling water so we didn't get soda. (Yes, we snuck in food. Don't tattle on us!) Ryan got plantain chips with no added sugar. They were good! I went a little less healthy, but still following the diet. I was SUPER impressed with this product: Bearitos Veggie Puffs.
Here's my food log for Friday and Saturday:
Friday 11/8/13
7:30am - Wake Up!
8:15am - Apple Cinnamon Protein Shake (see day 2 for recipe). Coffee with cinnamon sprinkles.
12:00pm - Crock Pot Chicken Curry leftovers (see day 4 for recipe). 1 medium orange. Water.
3:00pm - Blueberry Muffin Larabar. (see day 1 for more on larabars). Sparkling water with lemon & lime slices.
7:00pm - oven roasted sweet potato hash with red onions and peppers, 2 eggs.
9:30pm - Veggie Puffs. Sparkling water.
12:00pm - Bedtime!
Saturday 11/9/13
9:45am - Wake Up!
10:30am - Berry Blast Shake (see below for recipe).
1:30pm - Baked chicken breast, leftover chicken curry sauce, leftover sweet potato hash. Water.
7:00pm - Homemade meatballs in marinara sauce over spaghetti squash (see below for recipe). Sparkling water with lime & lemon.
9:30pm - strawberries and pineapple slices. Sparkling water with lime & lemon.
11:30pm - Bedtime
Berry Blast Shake Recipe - 1 serving of protein powder, 1 cup mixed frozen berries, 1/3 cup of canned coconut milk, 1/2 cup water.
Meatballs in marinara sauce - Ryan found this recipe for meatballs at www.cindystable.com and they were quite good. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place 1 lb. ground veal, 1 lb. ground pork, 3/4 lb. ground beef, 1/2 cup almond flour (or coconut flour), 4 cloves minced garlic, 1 1/2 tsp. of dried basil, 1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley, 1 tsp. dried organo, 2 tsp. sea salt, 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper, 1 tsp. red pepper flakes & 3 large eggs beaten into a bowl. Combine lightly with fork. Form mixture into golf-ball sized portions with hands. Place on baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes. Add to heated sauce and let marinate for an additional 45-60 minutes. We found an organic marinara sauce with no added sugar, but here's the link to cindy's instructions, which also includes a homemade sauce recipe if you prefer: http://www.cindystable.com/cindys-paleo-italian-meatballs/ Also, we prefer our marinara sauce over spaghetti squash, but there are gluten-free noodle options now. To cook a spaghetti squash, slice in half, deseed, brush with olive oil. Place face down on a baking pan and cook in the oven at 350 for 40 minutes. Scrape squash out with a fork when done (it should come out easily.)
Saturday was a bit of a challenging day. It's football day, and I desperately wanted some beers while watching Tennessee get slaughtered (boo). Then we had some friends come in from out of town, and we made dinner for them while hanging out at the house. Our friends were drinking, and I was sorely tempted to join. BUT Ryan and I both stayed strong and managed to stay on program. YAY! I hope that the next two weekends will get a little easier, but we shall see what they bring. Regardless, if we can do it once, we can do it again.
More to come soon! Love, health & harmony to you all!
Have you tried dehydrated kale/kale chips? I love them which is saying ALOT! You should try them out!
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