Day 293: Monday Movement

[I love Cake Boss. There I said it.]

So the objective of these week was to stick close to my calories while working my butt off. I think I accomplished that today. Legit.

Breakfast: For some reason, my alarm clock acts like it’s going off (there is a blinking light) but no sound comes out, but luckily I’m paranoid enough to set alarms on my phone too so I got a bit of a late start. Anyways, so I just had two pieces of toast and some pb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: I was in a bit of a rush (again) for lunch so I had some Southwest Quinoa Awesomeness that Megan made for lunch. Megan made it with tri-colored quinoa this time which I think made it taste even better. Pretty awesome lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snacks: I kind of went nuts for snacks today. Even after lunch I was like I’M STILL SOOOOO HUNGRY!!!!!! So I had some chips, which I ate few chips over a serving but I was bordering that mindless state that you can get in where you are looking off in to space with a bag of opened chips. It’s a scary thing to do, but luckily I caught myself while I was doing it. I also had a 100 calorie Starbucks Mocha Frap and a few carrots with some hummus. I think I was so snacky is because I hadn’t had any water at that point. I really don’t know if that was it, but still. I also had a KAshi Peanuty Dark Chocolate bar. (Target has a killer deal on Kashi. Go check it out!) 

 

SAWS!!!: Today was Plyometric Cardio Circuit again and it was brutal… again. I’ve been working as hard as I can, but I get really frustrated when my body gives out while my mind thinks I can do it. I have this mental block that if I stop to break like Shaun T (yes, me and the Insanity instructor are on a first name basis now) says you should if you are compromising form, I’m living up to the fat kid stereotype. What I need to remember is that I broke the fat kid stereotype almost a year ago when I turned my life around. I’m not going to slack, but I’m going to give it all I got and work as hard as I can each time. 

Lunch: After Insanity, we need something dense for dinner so we went over to Chipotle. We did our due diligence on the Chipotle Nutrition Calculator and I figured out that the steak is the same amount of calories and fat of chicken and even less sodium than the chicken so I did an awesome steak burrito bowl with sour cream, cheese, fajita veggies and rice. It was awesome, and since I got hot salsa I had to drink a ton of water so win-win for the… win?

So today I was good on calories and fiber, but I went over on the fat (sour cream was 10 grams and the chips were 9 grams.) I knew where the fat was so I’ll be better next time. So today I had 1,745 calories, 73 grams of fat, and 37 grams of fiber or to calculate to WW points: 40 points. I know, the fat is bad but like I said, it happens and I’ll just keep the fat down the rest of the week. See ya tomorrow.

 

Day 287: I’m a Mountain Lion! Edition

So today was another exciting day here in Tallahassee. You know: hot, humid, and waiting for October. Today was also my first day at the FSU News and Research Communications office. I’m their newest intern and so far it’s been awesome. (It also helps that I get to work with my broette, the Wolf herself, Andrea!) Anyways, it was also day 2 of Insanity… but more about that in a bit.

Breakfast: I had a bowl of Kashi which finished the box :(. To the store I go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: At work, I went to a luncheon for the Communicators of FSU. It was really awesome getting an inside look of FSU. I had a great turkey sandwich with some almonds, carrots and a banana. I didn’t finish the almonds or the banana so I ate those after I got off of work.

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-workout Snack: I had some Quaker Oatmeal squares which are also awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAWS!!!: So today was day 2 of Insanity and it was ridiculous.  This picture was of me just after the warm up. It was rough but I felt great after! Today was a lot of jumping and cardio. At one point there were mountain climbers which was a combo of high knees and grabbing the sky as if you are trying to get the second coming to happen. The second time around, I yelled “IM A MOUNTAIN LION!!!” and went after it. Not sure why I said, it just felt right at the time. Anyways, I’m sore but surviving. Can’t wait for tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post Workout: After drinking up half of Lake Superior, I had some of Megan’s awesome quinoa with half a 100 calorie pack of wholly guacamole. It was fantastic. I also had a banana.

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: Veggie pasta was on the menu tonight, but both of us were jonesin’ for some protein so we went to Publix and grabbed some steaks. I cut that piece in half and ate it and then demolished that baked potato with broccoli and cheese with some bacon. It was an epic dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

Dessert: We went to TCBY for dessert and it was epic as well. Up until that point I was only at 1500 calories and I know froyo wasn’t that bad.

So today it went well with food and had a killer workout. Now what’s even more exciting… WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!!!! See ya tomorrow.

Day 285: On the Train to Frustrationtown!

Hey Boys and Girls!

Well… I think I’ve hit a plateau. Statistically, I should be past 100 pounds already but for about the past 5-6 weeks, I’ve been stuck in the same weight range with a little losing and gaining. It’s been really frustrating I have to admit. I stuck close to my points for the majority of this week (except for Monday and dinner last night) and I worked out every day but I still gained .2 pounds this week. I know I know, it’s not much, but I’m still trying to get back to where I was before I left on my vacation. So I’m at 264.8 and I was at 262 before I left so I’m 7.8 pounds away from breaking 100. It feels like 257 is my magic number right now. It’s a mental block I have and I need to break it. So this week, I’m going to add some more workout time, try to count calories more than points, and drink water by the gallons. Hopefully that will do the trick.

Breakfast: I just had piece of toast with PB and half a banana 3 points. Then I had had a 3 point muffin.

Lunch: For lunch, the young professionals group from church decided to go to Genghis Grill for lunch and we had a blast. One of our friends Becky, who has lost 30 pounds like a boss, is the queen of bowl stacking so she showed us all how it’s done! The bowl on the left of raw goodness is Becky’s Bowl of Destruction, which she turns in to four meals total. (Yeah, she’s pretty legit.) Anyways, what she does at GG is when she gets her bowl she asks for the to go box immediately. So Megan and I both did that too and as soon as I got my bowl, I put enough in my the box to fill it and I still had a ton of food on my plate! By the time I was done I was still full while not feeling disgusting which was a nice change. The moral of this paragraph: Becky is a beast.

Snack: I had some chips. Nothing exciting.

 

Dinner: I just had my leftovers for dinner and they were just as epic as at lunch. In fact, they might have been better because I put Beaver Sweet Hot mustard on it which has a wasabi taste to it. Leftovers are awesome. Just saying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dessert: Megan and I went back to TCBY for some yogurt and it was still epic. It was only 5 ounces total which isnt near as bad as when I got to other places.

So that was my day. I felt like I did okay (not great) but tomorrow I’m really getting down to business. I know I shouldn’t put a time frame on these goals, but I want to break 100 by the end of the month. I’m going to Disney in a few weeks and I really want to get an “I’m Celebrating” pin, proclaiming my weight loss. Either way, I really do have to remember that I still have a lot to celebrate.

Here we go again….

See ya tomorrow.

 

Day 283: Friday

 

I’ll keep this brief because I have some Harry Potter to read!

Breakfast: I didn’t sleep well at all last night (like 3-4 hours worth) and I had a job interview so I ate PB toast with half a banana for 3 points. (That was all one sentence? )

Lunch: After my interview, Megan and I went to lunch with our friend Andrea for some Mellow Mushroom awesomeness! They had a two slice and a drink lunch combo so I had that and we spit Bruschetta. It was sooo awesome!!!! I didn’t know how big the slices are but it was delicious. Anyways, Lunch was about 12 points.

Snack: I just had some chips and salsa for 3 points.

 

 

 

 

Workout: So Megan and I wanted to hit up the gym since we didn’t get run this morning because of the while no sleep/raining thing. I did 40 minutes on the elliptical and I kept my heart rate in the fat loss range. SAWS!!!!! 9 exercise points

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: For dinner, Megan made this awesome tilapia with a baked potato with this killer fruit salad. It was a legit 10 point dinner.

So I got to about 28 points. Legit awesomeness. Maybe it won’t rain in the morning. But then again, we live in Florida. See ya tomorrow.

Day 282: Why Lifting Weights is Like the WNBA

Sup Everyone!

I’m really loving this summer because it’s my last actual summer vacation. I’m really going to miss this. It’s been a really good time to work out and to get my life in order. However, I’m kind of ready for school to start because I love grad school! (Maybe that means I’m doing it wrong…) Alright, enough about me and my feelings.

Breakfast: I kept it simple (and delicious) and had a Chobani with some Kashi. It was epic and delicious (yes… it can be both.) 4 points. Between breakfast and lunch I had some chips and salsa too. 3 points.

Lunch: Since we had leftover veggie spaghetti sauce from last night, I boiled up some Rising Moon Organic Garlic & Roasted Vegetable Ravioli and made a killer pasta dish. It was easily the heartiest 6 point lunch I have ever had. I was seriously full for the majority of the day. The ravioli and sauce was only 5 points, it was the Parmesan that made it six so without the cheese it’s even a better bang for your buck!

All this week we have been eating sandwiches for lunch and around 3 I’ve been starving which has lead to serious snacking. Sandwiches are okay every once in a while, but if you have the time to eat a healthy and filling lunch like this, it’s definitely going to save you some calories throughout the rest of the day. Obviously though, it needs to be a dish like this or like fish or something like that, not filling up on fast food or the caloric bombshell of dishes at other places. To put things in perspective, half a regular order of fries at Five Guys is 7 points (a side mind you) and this was 6 points. Just saying.

 

 

 

Dinner: (The following paragraph further proves my point.) On Tuesday, Chick Fil A broke our hearts and had a full parking lot so we had to go to Subway instead. Since tonight was College Night and we had to eat out out of time constraints, we gave it another shot. I had a chicken sandwich and we split a large fry. It was good and filling to a point, but I realized that the only reason I wanted to eat there is because  I love their BBQ sauce and ketchup and the only way I can eat those condiments (at least in a socially acceptable fashion) is via the vehicle of waffle fries and a sandwich or nuggets. Does anyone have a freakin’ clue what I am talking about? Anyways, it was a weird realization. So it was good and pseudo filling, but it was not more than twice as filling as lunch. 14 points.

 

SAWS!!! We went to Leach this evening and luckily the crowds weren’t near as bad as Tuesday. I decided to lift weights to build up the old arms and core. I did a combo of weight machines and dumbells. So I’ve been lifting off and on since the sixth grade, and while I’ve had noticeable tone (noticeable to me at least) I’ve never been consistent nor seen the results I hope. Recently, any time I do a curl I have a straining (not sore feeling, like a hurt feeling) in right above my elbow on the back of my arm. It even hurts on the curl machine which is suppose to help your abs not your arms. When I got done tonight, I had the same feeling in my other arm, but it eventually went away. I left the gym really frustrated, something that hasn’t happened in a long time. I don’t know what the deal is, I guess I need to go see a physical therapist on campus or something. I’m just frustrated because I just don’t feel like I’m doing anything right. Lifting weights is like the WNBA to me, I want to like it sooo much, but I just can’t. Any time I give it my shot, I get little in return and I leave disappointed and self loathing. (Maybe not the best analogy, but it made for a good title.) Anyways, FSU offers free sessions of personal training so I’m going to try to get in on the during the fall. I guess for now I’ll just keep at it and expect different results (wait… isn’t that the definition of insanity?)

Snack: For a post workout snack I had a can of tune with a dolip of low fat Hellmans mayo which is only 15 calories for a few tablespoons! And it’s actually good! I was enjoying it until I found three little scales in it. Of course that was after I had eaten the whole can. Go me. So I emailed StarKist in hopes they’ll make it right (which better not include free tuna.) 3 points.

So today I got to 30 points exactly which will work for me. The last installment of C25K week 1 is tomorrow morning and it’s going to be hot tomorrow morning. Oh joy. See ya tomorrow.

 

 

 

279: Fireworks and Other Awesomeness!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

(As I am writing this it still sounds like the freakin’ War of 1812 outside. I love fireworks as much as the next guy, but at 11:30? Come on!)

The 4th of July was always my favorite holiday growing up. Even when I lived in Canada when I was little I always looked forward to going to my Uncle Loyd and Aunt Marietta’s farm in Montana and shooting off an armory of explosives. So many blown up plastic toy soldiers…

Exercise: This morning, Megan and I started the Couch to 5K… again… and it was great to run again. I like running behind our place, but it’s extremely hilly and it’s basically just loose soil so we decided to go to Lake Ella park near downtown. The track around the lake is six-tenths of a mile so it’s big enough that running around it numerous times is a problem. (For me, running around a tenth of a mile track I get bored and frankly a little dizzy.) Anyways, the first day is a five minute warm up and then 20 minutes of interval running with 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking. On paper it’s not too bad but by the fourth time you have to run you are feeling rough. I felt good though because my pace was about 8:30/mile in the running so if I could keep that up I would be ballin! I also used Runkeeper, a running app that uses GPS like Nike+ but also has interval alarms which is perfect for C25K. Luckily we went early enough that it wasn’t too hot but by then end it was starting to warm up. No bueno.

Breakfast: I had breakfast in shifts today. I had PB and half a banana on a piece of toast before the run (a really good pre-workout breakfast) and then a Chobani with a little granola after. Both were really recharging and delicious.

Lunch: I just had a basic turkey sandwich with chips and Mrs. Renfro’s Peach salsa which is freakin’ legit! I love that stuff. (I don’t know a lady actually named Mrs. Renfro, it’s the brand’s name. Next time you see it, buy it.) The chips were also only 3 points for 14 chips so it was only a 5 point lunch thanks to the low calorie bread. Holla!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: This afternoon, we went to our friends  Jacob and Emily Ward’s apartment for a little chilling by the pool action with a cookout to follow. Jacob, Emily and I are all in the same department at FSU so it was fun to hang out and catch up. Anyways, after laying by the pool (which was interrupted by the loudest clap of thunder ever. There was a 1-2 second differential between the lightning and the thunder.) we had dinner. It was a BYOM (Bring Your Own Meat) dinner so I made some turkey burgers earlier today. They turned out really really well. I also had some beans, pretzels, chips and guac, etc. so yeah there was a bit of grazing but overall it was a great time! (I have more pics from tonight and I’ll put them in Worldess Wednesday!)

So overall, like I just said four lines ago, I did do some grazing that could have been minimized, but the rest of the week I will be on the straight and narrow to become hot and narrow. See ya tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

278: Weigh Weigh After Vay Cay!

Sup yo!

So like I’ve said all this week, I got a little off track with the vacation (just one of those things that happens) and I wasn’t sure how it was going to reflect on the scale. Well, when we got back and I unofficially weighed Friday morning, I was at 269 pounds! 7 pounds up from when I left. I’m not going to lie I felt pretty crappy about it. I felt like I had let myself and you, my dear readers, down. From then on, I have stuck close to my points and have been eating right. When I got on the scale today, I was only at 264.6 which means from just two days of eating right, my body was able to drop five pounds of retained water and *ahem* waste! That just shows how easy it can be to get back on the horse and keep riding! So if you ever fall off for a while (which you will because life works that way) don’t fret about making up lost ground and just freakin’ go for it!!! Anyways, so I have gained 2.6 pounds since my last weigh in a few weeks ago and obviously you can’t be happy with a gain, but it’s totally manageable so I’m shooting to be back to where I was and then some by then end of this week!

Breakfast: For breakfast I had a Chobani with half a serving of Kashi. It was awesome. 4 points.

Megan made chocolate chip muffins for our young professionals class that I’ve started to teach at church so I had one and a half of those bad boys so that was another 4.5 points. Of all things, I definitely think muffins are my biggest weakness because I want to eat a bunch at a time and they are one of the worst breakfast things you can eat. #Deliciousfail (don’t knock the hashtag.)

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: After church, we made grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. It is definitely one of my favorite meals ever because it is simple to make and it just warms your soul! (Even if it is 100 degrees outside!) 5 points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: This afternoon, all I wanted to do was watch tv and chill. So that’s what I did. I was trying to watch LOTR: The Two Towers while trying to watch Space Jam while trying to watch Ken Burns the Civil War. It was an ADD nightmare with plots that had no resembling parallels. Anyways, so I had some popcorn for 4 points as well. (I took this picture during a Smeagel internal monologue. The creepiness of the photograph seemed fitting.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: For dinner we had chili with brown rice. As always, Uncle Jim’s Vegetarian Chili was a great success in the MacDonald household. For dessert I had a No Pudge Fudge Brownie with ff cool whip and a little lite chocolate syrup. The brownies were just as good the second day! 15 points.

So today I got to 32.5 points which isn’t terrible since I have weekly points. I haven’t been counting them at all so I’m going to start doing that so I’m just not thinking “awe well, I have the weekly points so I’ll eat this chocolate covered ham steak with brown gravy. YUM!!!!” because that can get dangerous. See ya tomorrow.

Day 277: Saturday Silky Smooth

[I have no clue what that title means. Draw your own conclusions.]

Today was Day Two of Operation Whatever-I-Named-This-Operation-Yesterday and it we great! My body has already readjusted to eating less because I am eating better things. Dieting is all about less is more, you have to find the lower calorie (or lower point) foods that fill you up better. For me that’s veggies like cucumbers, broccoli and baby carrots. Overall though, I’m hoping to be back where I was before I left by next week.

Breakfast: (Yes, this picture is artsy farsty (as much as artsy fartsy a picture of a banana can be ) but I was just messing with Instagram. Pretty awesome app.) So for breakfast I had two pieces of toast with Central Market PB and half of a banana. I stocked up like crazy at Central Market on CM PB because it is my absolute favorite thing in the entire world!!! Anyways, it was kind of like the Wafflewich but less points because the low cal bread at Publix is only 45 calories a slice so that was a good trade off. Breakfast was only 6 points so not too bad.

Exercise: Cleaned the house like crazy. We went Snow White on this joint. There had to be some exercise points in there somewhere…

 

 

 

 

Lunch: We just had leftover mac n cheese and broccoli. It was fantastically delicious. 9 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: After we gallivanted around town in search of picture frames and such, I had a 100 calorie mocha frap on ice. I think they are way better over ice. Not sure why but I just do. (P.S. the polar bear on the cup is named Chester. Not sure why I told you that either.) 2 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: Megan bought a cookbook called the “Hungry Girl 1-2-3” on our trip so she tried out one of the lower calorie meals in it. She made the Planet Hungrywood Sweet & Cap’n Crunchy Chicken made with Captain Crunch and Fiber One cereal. It is as awesome as you would expect. The Fiber One gave the tenders texture while the Captain Crunch had the sweetness you know and love (without shredding the roof of your mouth.) Each tender is only two points and we paired it with a modified version of the Honey and Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes that we love to make from The Athlete’s Plate. For dessert I had a No Pudge Brownie that Megan made. They are really awesome and easy to make! Dinner was a total of 10 points so not bad at all for a killer dinner like that!

So today I got to 27 points which isn’t that bad at all! I wasn’t hungry at all today so hooray for me! Tomorrow is weigh in and we will just see how it goes. See ya tomorrow.

Day 275: Back From the Vacay Edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 258: MAVS WIN AND SO DID I!!!!!!!

MAVS WIN BABY!!!!!!!

I can’t believe it happened.

I thought it was going to seven.

I thought LeBron was going to tear it up and dominate.

I thought Dirk being 1-12 in the first half was going to lead to our demise.

I thought it would be 2006 all over again.

Thank goodness I was wrong.

It was an awesome series, I never hated the Heat but after this series I don’t think I will ever cheer for them as long as they have the team they have now. Anyways, enough about that. So like I said yesterday I really didn’t think I was going to lose any weight because when I weighed earlier this week I had only lost .2 pounds. I have been really stressed, but last night I went gangbusters on my term paper which reduced my stress level considerably. I didn’t fall asleep until 5:00 am, but I woke up with stress gone. The stress must have weighed 2 pounds because that it what I lost this week! I was freakin’ stoked! Although I have a lot of sodium this week, I had stayed within my points and I worked out so it made sense. At this point I have officially lost 95 pounds and only 5 pounds away from the century mark. AKA: my halfway point.

Lunch: I woke up late so I waited to have some lunch. I had three Hebrew National hot dogs with a cup and a half of spaghetti o’s. It was an awesome lunch. 10.5 points

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: By the time I got up, it was about time to go to meet with my class for a final group project. I had a skinny caramel macchiato for 3 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: I went a little overboard for dinner. I went to Earth Fare for some dinner and my eyes were bigger than my stomach. In hindsight, I should have split it in to two meals, but I didn’t. Overall though, it was delicious.
Snack: When I was watching the Mavs game, I had a Smartone pizza bagels. 5 points.

Overall it was a good day, but I could have done better with dinner. I’ll have to just SAWS it off in the gym. See ya tomorrow.