Week 22: Day Three

Good morning!  In case you were worried about me yesterday, I did end up getting that thing done I had forgotten to do.  Yeehaw.

Well, I have lots to share, but I am sitting at the table with my kiddos and may have to get up several times to retrieve things.  They are a needy bunch...and I very recently (yesterday) started banning television between the hours of 7 am and 5 pm.  They are going crazy.  I was allowing them to turn into total junkies, staring at that darn thing for hours!  It was bad.  Yesterday was fine, but I do have to mention they were at school from 9 to 3.  :)

This is a nice segue...while the boys were at school, Zoe and I visited a friend and her son for a morning play date!  We had a great time and I got the chance to do lots of catching up with someone I hadn't seen in a few months.  She also gave me a book that has led me to drop Weight Watchers!!  I know it is a great program and I am so happy that WW works for so many people who are close to my heart.  I love you all for wanting my success and recommending the plan.  Unfortunately, I'm not disciplined enough to follow the points system.  Maybe later, for maintenance?  Right now, though, I just find it way too easy to eat bad stuff and track it...then some part of my brain thinks we have "cheated" and just feels like we might as well keep going!  I'm not saying this is the right way to think...believe me, I wish I had some sense of portion control and moderation and all those great things.  I'm just not there yet.

The book is by Jackie Warner and is called "This is Why You're Fat (and how to get thin forever)".  Some of you may have watched the show on Bravo called "Work Out", Jackie is the owner of the gym.  She is tough and has a super hot body.  SO, her food plan begins with a 2 week jump start and I have started this today.  It is not about what you can't eat, but she tells you 7 things you MUST eat.  I have written each item on a piece of paper to cross off each day over the next 14 days.  Smart, right?  :)

Here's the added foods!

Eggs (2 daily) - hard-boiled, soft-boiled, poached, or scrambled, but without added fat.  (**the only way I have ever eaten eggs is scrambled)
Oatmeal (1 cup daily) - she doesn't specify if this needs to be a certain kind of oatmeal, but she has a "tip" below that says "I keep packets of instant oatmeal on me at all times."  This leads me to believe I am fine with the Active brand of weight management oatmeal.
Hormone-Balancing, Detox Vegetables (2-3 cups daily) - veggies listed: artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, garlic, green beans, kale, lettuce (all varieties), mushrooms, mustard greens, onions, parsley, peppers (all varieties), radishes, scallions, spinach, summer squash, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnip greens, watercress, yellow wax beans, and zucchini.  (**wait, what?  the list says "garlic"???  a vegetable????  awesome.)
Fresh Fruit (2 servings daily) - apples, apricots, bananas (underripe), berries (all varieties), cherries, citrus fruits (all varieties), kiwi, guava, mango, melon (all varieties), papaya, pear, peach, pineapple, plum, pomegranate, and watermelon.  A serving generally equals one piece of raw fruit or one cup of chopped fresh fruit.
Water and Lemon Juice - so, she says lemon combined with water is a "bile thinner" and it prevents cravings.  I have no issues with getting all my water in each day, but I will be adding at least one full 8-12 ounces of water with fresh lemon squeezed in each day.
Whey Protein Shake (8 ounce serving daily) - We have some whey protein for Shaun, so I just mixed one scoop with 8 ounces of water and chugged it down.  It wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting.  Ha, ha.
Herbal Teas - I am going to type exactly what she has in the book about this and ask for your input.  "To satisfy oral fixations (most late-night snacks are really about oral compulsions), have one packet of decaffeinated green tea with one packet of herbal fruit tea every evening.  Green tea contains L-theanine, a chemical that increases dopamine and serotonin in the brain, two chemicals that regulate appetite, mood, energy, and cravings.  It also contains compounds that block fat storage.  Ther herbal fruit tea gives green tea a delicious flavor."  Nevermind.  I was thinking I wouldn't do this, but after fully reading the description, I believe I will. 

 And that's it!  She literally says she doesn't care if you eat fried chicken or pizza or whatever, just make sure you eat these things also EVERY DAY.  I'm sure I will, at some point, be too full of these things to worry about eating other things, but this morning that has not been the case.  I'm thoroughly enjoying toast with honey.  I've eaten my fruits today already and had the whey protein drink one hour after my run.  I am taking my instant oatmeal to Bible study and planning to eat eggs when the kids lay down for quiet time/nap.  I will still stop eating by 6:00 pm and do my apple in the mornings.  Although, I am considering giving up my coffee.  Maybe not during this next two weeks...the coffee is actually NOT the problem, but I was reading her info on the sweetener I use and it's probably not the best thing for me.  I have never tried black coffee, so I guess it's not fair for me to say I don't like it, but I don't think I like it.  We'll see!

My run this morning was great.  Truly great.  I discovered a "track" about a 1/2 mile from my house that is just over a 1 mile around.  There used to be a great mall in town, but it went down several years ago and is now just an empty building with a Sears leftover!  The drive circle all the way around the perimeter is my new "track".  In order to not get "bored" or accustomed to my runs, I will be switching it up quite a bit, but this was really great to discover.  (Obviously I always knew the mall was there, but I never thought about running around it.  Plus, it was cool to learn the distance is doable and can be done a few times to rack up the mileage!)  On my 10K plan today I was supposed to do 2 miles and then strength train.  I didn't get around to any strength training this morning, but I have a couple of ideas for things I could do this afternoon.  Yesterday I went to the Y and did the elliptical for 30 minutes as my cross training.  I was going there for a Body Pump class, but I was late and I am incredibly shy when it comes to stuff like that. No, really...i am shy!!  I just fake it sometimes.  :)  The elliptical was a nice change. 

So, tomorrow is "rest" day and I sure am going to be RESTING.  Some friends and I have a "girly day" planned...pedicures in the morning and laying out by the pool afterwards.  Lunch ordered in and trashy magazines galore.  Ahhhhhh.  Jealous??  You should be!  :)  We have been looking forward to this for a couple of months now, and I cannot believe the day has come! 

Another note, since I'm not doing WW anymore, I will resume weighing on Monday mornings.  We'll get back to the original tracking method of trying to reach 80 (88.5) pounds in 40 weeks.  I cannot believe almost 23 weeks are almost done!!  Exciting.  :)

xoxo