Day 294: Tuesday Troubles

So today, we are getting ready for my family to come in to town and to go to Disney next week! We are pretty stoked! Anyways, today was just one of those frustrating days ad we will get to that here in a sec.

Breakfast: So we didn’t have any milk and I was in a rush (again) so I had a cup of dry oatmeal squares. It worked for this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: So I had to be on the other side of town this afternoon and the food selection is not of the healthiest persuasion. I ended up going to Moe’s and had the Art Vandalay (I know, awesome name) which is a veggie burrito. Again, I didn’t hold things like sour cream and guacamole but at the time I didn’t think about it. Overall though it was a good lunch (good being it was delicious, but too many calories.)

SAWS: Today was the off day for Insanity so even though we are a few days behind, will be close to being back on schedule. Tomorrow is going to suck.

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: So I had to do some grading so I had a shaken iced tea with lemonade. I would have just gotten coffee, but the coffee at that particular Starbucks is usually burnt. I should of just had water.

This is where the sucking began: We were trying to figure out what we were going to do for dinner so I calculated my food. Basically, what I got at Moe’s ruined my day. I didn’t realize that there was a junior version of the Art Vandalay which would have saved me a lot of calories. So by the time dinner rolled around, I was already almost over my calories so a 500 calorie dinner was not going to fly. I didn’t know what to do. I know I have “weekly points” so to speak, but the second half of this week is going to involve a lot of eating out so I want to save those. I was really frustrated, but I eventually calmed down and had one serving of Quinoa which was only 140 calories. I wasn’t hungry until about now so I’m going all Bugs Bunny on some baby carrots.

So today I got to 1521 calories, 48.5 grams of fat, and  24 grams of fiber. I usually would be okay if I had worked out, but since it was an off day and I didn’t have time to work out, it just didn’t work… out. Anyways, tomorrow will be better (and not just because it’s Wordless Wednesday!) See ya tomorrow.

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 292: Weigh In Tizzle

This week has been insane (you know… because of Insanity workouts) but it has also kicked my metabolism back in to gear. I started to eat more healthy calories (i.e. just filling, healthy, food) and for the first time since I’ve been in this plateau/funk/stubborn chub situation, I just feel good. I’m not worrying about the scale or the immediate caloric consequences of  what I’m eating. I feel like the way that I imagined what a healthy person felt like. When I was 357, I was sick, lazy, it was hard to breathe, and I could rest my head on my chest because of my numerous chins. I had all of these healthy friends and I always wondered what I that life was like, what it was like to be able to sit on a toilet without worrying about it breaking and things like that. This week, I finally got to feel that way. I felt free, and brothers and sisters let me tell you, that’s a freakin’ good feeling. So this week I actually lost 3.6 pounds!!! It was the best weigh in week I’ve had in 15 weeks. This funk I’ve been in has been rough, and I’m not saying it’s over, but the combination of doing an intense full body workout and feeding my body the fuel it needs has put me in a great place emotionally and physically. This week I lost the weight I gained in Texas and then some so I’m down to 261.2 which means I’m 4.2 pounds away from breaking 100. It finally feels real now, and when it happens, prepare to party.

Breakfast: I just had a bowl of Kashi Awesomeness. As the good book says (no.. not Where’s Waldo?) it was good.

Lunch: After church, our friends Daniel and Leah invited us to go to lunch at El Mercardito, this Mexican place on Tennessee. Since leaving Texas, we’ve been really hard pressed to find good Mexican in Tallahassee (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing) but I think we found our new place. I had two chicken burritos and they were killer. Usually when I go to a Mexican place, I dominate the chips and salsa and I am completely full so after I’m done I feel gross. Luckily, the first basket was free, but then you paid after so we kept it to two baskets split between four of us so it wasn’t as bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: I just had a bowl of Captain Crunch which actually not that bad (150 calories with a 1/2 cup of skim milk) and it was awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAWS!!!: Today was Pure Cardio day for Insanity and it was pretty brutal, maybe not the worst, but horrifically exhausting nonetheless. I worked really hard, but I worked not to overdo it like I did once or twice last week. I felt awesome after, but I have a feeling I’m going to be really sore tomorrow.

Dinner: We were in a bit of a rush tonight so we got subs freaky fast at Jimmy Johns. I had the Beach club which is basically the veggie sub I get but with turkey. I also got half the mayo since the ones in Tallahassee don’t have a light mayo option. It was pretty awesome.

 

Dessert: I had some Edy’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough FroYo.

So today wasn’t terrible, but this week I’m going to stick to my calories and work out like a beast to get closer to get to the top of Mt. Fitintoskinnyjeans. See ya tomorrow.

 

Day 291: Saturday… Yeah, I Suck At Blogging

Yeah… well… this is awkward…

I could make up excuses like an owl picked up my laptop and put it in his nest and just now brought it down to me or that a komono dragon ate it whole. Instead I think the truth will suffice. It was a combination of me just started a new job this week and being really busy in the evenings. Overall though, this week has been really good on food and I worked out all but two days, both of which were because I didn’t get home until late, etc. Anyways, let’s do this.

Breakfast: It was one of those get up late, listen to the rain and just chill mornings. I just had a waffle with pb and a cup of coffee. Oh yeah, and about 100 pages of Harry Potter. I can’t see HP 7.2 until I finish the books so I’m so close yet so far from the awesomeness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: So I had the last of the Southwest Quinoa Awesomeness, but instead of hot I had it cold like a salad. It was fantastic, especially with have a 100 calorie pack of Wholly Guacamole. Again, in a word: Epicness.

 

 

 

 

 

SAWS!!!: We got back on the Insanity wagon today. Today was suppose to be a recovery day from two days of cardio craziness. It was a lot of stretching and yoga so my glutes feel… glutastic. There was a lot of sweating and a lot of stretching. Good times.

Dinner: Tonight, Megan made this chicken madras and it was awesome. Enough said. After dinner, we went to our friend K.D.’s birthday party and they had more Indian food so it was a continuation of deliciousness.

So today went well and we will just see how tomorrow goes. I’m hoping the combination of eating more (but healthy) and an intense workout regiment will help break though the plateau. Here’s hoping. 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 286: Monday Insanity… Literally!

What it is yo!?!

Monday was a reset of trying to get these last bit of weight off to break 100 pounds! That century mark has become some sort of barrier that I need to break so I can move on to another goal. So this week, I’ve changed how I’m looking at my caloric intake over points because some of my awesome friends (Jenn and Jade are legit) suggested that I haven’t been eating enough calories which has put my body in starvation mode so I’ve been retaining water and fat. Today wasn’t that bad recording calories since I’m already use to recording points, I’ve just had to not overlook anything I eat.

Oh yeah… I stared this ridiculous thing called Insanity today. Ever heard of it?

Breakfast: I just had a bowl of Kashi with 1/2 cup of milk. Yumtastic.

Lunch: I went to lunch with my friend Jared at Mellow Mushroom. Last time I went there… on friday, I had two slices and a diet coke and the slices were massive. Instead of that, I had a slice with sun dried tomatoes and a tossed salad that was just tomatoes, mushrooms, and lettuce so nothing too heavy. Also, I had unsweetened tea with no artificial sugar. It was good and I didn’t feel stuffed after lunch.

SAWS!!!: So we are having an issue with the ridiculously high heat indexes in the morning so we still doing Couch 2 5k but we are going to move our schedule around a little bit. In the mean time, our friends Jacob and Emily let us borrow their copy of Insanity which is an intense 60 day plyometrics workout. Today was a fitness test to see where you are at. You recorded your results and then you do the test again in later weeks to see where you stand. It was really brutal and I can only imagine what tomorrow will be like. It’s only 45 minutes a day (I think/hope/I cant remember now so I’m terrified) but to quote my awesome wife “you can do anything for 45 minutes” which is really true.

Recharge meal: I was feeling a little rough (but high on endorphins) I had a ripe and delicious banana with a serving of peanut butter. Probably the best thing I’ve ever eaten.

Dinner: We had super awesome chili for dinner. It was… super awesome. It’s even better with brown rice. Yumtastic awsesomeness.

Dessert: I had 1/2 cup of light cookie dough ice cream and some Tim’s Cascades Sweet Onion chips. (And no I did not eat them together… even though that sounds really good.) (And yes, that is ketchup with the chips. Awesome combo.)

So today I got to approximately 1630 calories, 38.5 grams of fat, and 28 grams of fiber. I couldn’t find out the fat and fiber for lunch, and I couldn’t find the fiber for the banana. So by my points calculator I’m at 35 points which mean I have eaten my exercise points and my allotted 30 points. We will see how it goes the rest of the week. 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 284: Saturday Night’s Alright For Blogging!

I’m barreling down Book 5 of Harry Potter so again, a short but sweet blog.

Breakfast: I made some awesome whole wheat pancakes with some center cut bacon from Publix. It was the first time we had bought the Publix brand bacon and I think it was better than the brand we usually got (I think it was called Porky’s Delight…) 6 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAWS!!! So it was hot and completely disgusting outside so decided to run on the indoor track at FSU. It’s not the most ideal situation, but hey… free AC is good AC. The run went really well. I was pushing myself hard and I was making really good time. Well… I have no proof that I made good time because RunKeeper evidently doesn’t work indoors so it thought we had only gone 1.7 miles and my average pace was 21:08. I definitely knew something was up when the GPS tracker looked like that. Megan did some math and she figured we went about 2.6 miles in 30 minutes so either way Couch 2 5K has already helped my running. 6 exercise points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: We had a pretty late lunch at Jimmy John’s right after our workout. It was freakin’ fantastic. I had the veggie sup and we I ate it at home, I put my own light mayo on it so save a ton of calories and fat. 9 points.

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: After our mosying about, we ended up at TCBY on Tennessee. Unlike the last TCBY we went to earlier this week, it was a self serve pay by the ounce. Now there are a lot of froyo places in Tallahassee, but that TCBY might have completely won over my heart simply because you can get a waffle cone or waffle bowl for no additional cost! The waffle bowl wasn’t that big so I couldn’t get near as much froyo as usual which worked well. I had cookies n cream with white chocolate mousse and some toppings. It was pretty awesome and about 4 points.

 

 

 

Dinner: So there was an issue with the chicken we had tried to de-thaw for dinner, so instead we went decided to go out. We’ve hear people talk about this Cuban place called Gordo’s close to FSU so we decided to finally give it a try. It was flippin’ fantastic yo! I had the pork sandwich and Megan had the Cubano (pulled pork and ham sandwhich) and we split an order of fries which turned out to be massive. Megan and I traded a half of each others sandwhich and made a dent in the fries. Overall it was a killer meal and I can’t wait to take my parents there (my sister loves Cuban food.)

So up until dinner I had only eaten about 19 points so with the workout points dinner was well within my daily points. Tomorrow is weigh in day and I’m hoping I will be back to where I was before my vacation which was 262. I’ve been pretty good this week and I’ve worked out hard too so if anything, I feel like I’m physically back to where I was before we left so that counts for something. 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.