In all honesty (regarding the title of this post), I would be happy and content with 30 pounds gone. However, in keeping with my blog address...I just thought it would be cute.
SO, I'M BACK! I am back to this. It worked the first time. Surely it can work again! Having you hold me accountable, holding MYSELF accountable by typing things out. Having something to refer back to when things get tough? Yep. Here we go again.
I have gained weight. Like, way too much. Ick. It is making me depressed and angry and short tempered and then I find myself in. the. kitchen. AGAIN!
I still run, occasionally. I am a member at a lovely gym with a daycare the kids love. I live in a great neighborhood with lots of places to run. I have all sorts of things in my favor...I do, also, have some things stacked against me. "Excuses": working full time, very little uninterrupted sleep thanks to my 3 year old, stress, stress, and more stress. Still only one child is in school full-time, but I do pay for Zoe to go to a home daycare 2 days a week and the twins go to a program from 9-1 on one of those days. I thought those 4 hours to myself on that one day a week was going to be huge...time for me to organize the house and do all the laundry and run a bit and catch up on my sleep. Yeah, written down it seems ridiculous, but I was super excited about those 4 hours. Sigh.
Moving on. I will officially weigh in tomorrow. 20 weeks is tomorrow through the day I will attempt the Blue Ridge Marathon again! I will be properly training this time. I will be making nutritious choices EVERY DAY. I will do this right. I WILL. I WILL. I WILL!!
Right this moment I believe I have decided to start with the Jackie Warner program. I remember getting great results, and I remember it not being too hard. The first 2 weeks are simply adding in these 7 things:
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.
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.
Whey Protein Shake (8 ounce serving daily) - I have Advocare Recovery Shakes. And Meal Replacement Shakes.
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. The herbal fruit tea gives green tea a delicious flavor."
Happy to eat eggs every day. Also, happy with Oatmeal and fresh fruit. I admit I need to up the water intake, for sure. Also, the shake thing is something I have been meaning to get in each day...for a while now! Which is why I have a surplus. :) I have the shake powders and I also have 2 packs of Slim Fast.
In fact, I probably will start out with Slim Fast for 8 days. Just to get rid of the shakes in the fridge. Ok, new plan!! Starting tomorrow:
Breakfast: Apple, Spark energy drink, Slim Fast shake blended up with ice and fruit
Lunch: 500 calories
Dinner: Spark, Slim Fast shake blended with ice and fruit and spinach
Snacks: Two 100 calorie snacks throughout the day.
I work tomorrow evening, so I may have to creatively space these things. I honestly could probably lose the first 10 pounds just by NOT eating at work! I have delicious bread and marinara sauce and soup at my disposal. Oh, it's so good. So not good for me, but Y-U-M-M-Y. I mean, it's not "bad" for me...but moderation has never been my strong suit.
Okay, 8 days of the above plan. Awesome, starting December 1! I can do this. If I simply start with a plan of 8 days...no eating at work, drinking 2 shakes per day, and really paying attention to what I am eating for lunch or dinner. **I will switch my 500 calorie meal to dinner on evenings that I am home with the family. Wednesdays and Thursdays usually. I will begin a marathon training program and I will include one Body Pump class each week. 80+ ounces of water per day! 8 days...shooting for 4 pounds down. Truthfully, with as bad as I have been recently, I could probably lose 10 pounds making all those changes. It will definitely slow after.
I will post as much as possible! I will post tomorrow morning with an official first day weigh in! I am so doing this. :)
