Weightloss with the Transition Module!! (The Four Day Diet By Dr. Ian Smith)

So after I did the four day detox I went into what Dr. Smith calls the transition phase. And boy have I lost WEIGHT :D !!!  Even with a massive cheat day on Monday-(you may remember I mentioned I had a True Blood premier party I had to host right? Well...I will fill you in on Mondays debauchery later....photo evidence at the end of this post)

However, even on Tuesday I am....wait for it.....127.6 pounds! WOW....Finally down from the 131 I was stuck on for a month!!  And that takes my total weight loss from when I started this year to 15.4 pounds!! That's a LOT- have you ever lifted a fifteen pound dumbbell? Yeah baby, I just worked that OFF my body!! Keep in mind that I am very close to my goal weight- if I was obese I'm sure it would have sounded better eg. 30 pounds! But for me 1 pound is like 30 pounds for a 500 pound person....hard to get rid of, and an accomplishment worth celebrating!

I am SO glad I started doing this eating plan and doing all the recommended cardio too, because it has REALLY worked. It helped kick me of the plateau I was on, and I feel so inspired and motivated! Its been easy in that I didn't have to sit there and try figure out daily calories or anything, I just ate the food I was allowed on my list! :D

I wasn't hungry either, I've felt full the past few days!

So let me fill you in on the Transition Phase.

It is still a very healthy phase compared to some of the upcoming modules (cant wait for the Smooth module, I get to eat pizza :D )

 I was a bit daunted looking at the food list for the four days of Transition- it all looked SO healthy with very little room for creativity!

However, once I hit up the local organic store and came home with a bunch of goodies like blueberries and raspberries it seemed I would be able to make it more fun after  all :D You are allowed two snacks on each day (from a list on page 139 of the book) eg. a small seven grain Belgian waffle (which I didn't buy, instead I made them myself with Hodgson Mill flour!)

I kept a food journal in a little daily planner so I could mark down what I'd already eaten of my list and not lose track.

Writing it down was still way easier thany tallying up calories like I usually used to do!

I dont think ya'll need an overdose of everything I ate though but let me give you a sample day:

Breakfast:

A whole grain waffle with blueberries mixed in the batter and blueberry sauce on top (made with half a cup of fresh blueberries, a little cornstarch and raw honey)

Lunch:


A 2 cup garden salad (spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, kalamtas, cucumbers) and a cup of roasted garbanzo beans seasoned with chili flakes and onion powder and tossed into the salad, topped off with Asian sesame salad dressing (2Tbps) and a Tbsp of lemon juice


A cup of diet lemonade (allowed one diet drink a day in this module- I skipped anything with caffeine in it though, but having pink lemonade made me feel naughty enough for the day LOL without having to resort to sweets!)


Dinner:


4oz of vegetarian protein - Gardein 'chicken' cooked with a light mango salsa, with a cup of steamed carrots and a side salad of sliced cucumber and ranch

I took this with a smart phone, hence the quality!

Snacks:


1 Chobani or Stonyfield yogurt, a pear, an apple

A new fave!!

Strictly more what the diet calls for- no fruit on the bottom!

Workouts:

I did every required day of working out, even the one that called for 30 min in the morning and 30 min. at night ( I did Jillian's 30 Day Shred DVD in the morning, gym at night! I was VERY excited when I could actually do the harder sit up moves on LEVEL THREE for the FIRST time ever!! How far I've come...)

 It wasn't always easy getting to the gym, but I made it my NUMBER ONE priority! I had to skip a few things I would have liked to attend to make it happen. But I wanted to get all my workouts DONE so I could have my 'rest' day fall on Monday when I was having friends over for True Blood!

Monday:


Lets talk about my infamous Monday.....I ate a slice of this

Luscious glazed strawberries nestled on a bed of sweet Bavarian creme, atop a flaky golden crust.


And a slice of this creamy yet tart key lime pie:

And I made Pina Ghouladas like I said I would,and I made it all fresh- pineapple juice, OJ, heavy cream, coconut cream- no pina colda ready mix in MY house thank you very much...!

Here's the recipe:http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/10/halloween-cocktail-pina-ghoulada-with-creepy-speared-eyeball-garnish/

And here is a pic of me with the finished prodcut, including lychee/strawberry/blueberry 'eyeballs' and hard candy 'blood' dripping down the cup! My man and I had SO much fun prepping these!

Everybody loved them! We had fresh popcorn and mini-sandwiches too, but I just stuck to the popcorn!

I guess the message behind my confession of totally not following the four day diet on Monday is that you can STILL lose weight if you have a day off occasionally. Especially if you add an extra day to the module like I am. I'm doing another day of Transition to make up for the one I lost- which basically works out to an extra day of working out.

I wouldn't cheat more than once every two modules though. And I wouldn't cheat for more than a day- if you keep adding make up days to your module it defeats the whole purpose of the way the diet is planned, which is to keep you interested.

 I can only manage one more day of Transition, I'm getting kinda bored with the food list! I'm looking forward to the Protein Stretch phase though! I get to have a soy 'turkey' sandwich for lunch, and I'm going to bake my own multi-grain bread so that its awesome :D

Day Four of my Detox (aka. The Four Day Diet)

I've noticed I'm drinking a LOT more water than usual, without any effort. I just keep finding myself getting up and filling up my cup at least once an hour at work. My skin is so great right now I'm not wearing any foundation at all anymore, just a little sunscreen and concelar on my dark circles! I'm starting to notice some arm definition :D

Tux obviously admires my taste in shoes hehe

Its  my second week of consistently working out most days of the week, and that is translating into feel fab! My body doesnt feel so soft to me anymore...its a slight change, but I feel it.


 My calf muscles are actually hard little balls under my skin know rather than mush, especially after a run.  I'm noticing a slight definition to my arms!


I'm pear shaped, so my arms are the area I will show muscle definition first, its exciting :D Unfortunaltey that also means that my bottom will be the last thing to shrink!!


My only problem right now? I am hosting a little True Blood get together for the premiere at my house (yes, its back on HBO for the summer!!! :D ) Vampires, southern grit, fantasy creatures and a sexy (unsparkly!!) cast...

We have all been waiting for this date since our get togethers at my house last year! I'm going to play Jace Evertt's "Bad Things"  on a loop...(BEST intro song EVER)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDY42pFwq7c&feature=related


And True Blood themed food is a must for the first episode!! It definitley NOT on the plan though :( But considering the year long wait I think I will have a few bites and a drink or two - my stomach has shrunk so much I dont think its possible for me to go too overboard I'd get too full!


This website has such creative ideas: http://bombshelleventplanner.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/true-blood-party-vampire-themed-gala/


Some of my faves:

red velvet blood spattered cakes



And I just HAVE to make these- very easy, yummy and  I actually have ALL the ingredients on hand (they eyeballs are made with lychees and blueberries!)


http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/10/halloween-cocktail-pina-ghoulada-with-creepy-speared-eyeball-garnish/

Breakfast:


Yay! Today is unlimited fruit day! Well, I started off with this :

Lunch


Turned out to be a hastily thrown together garden salad.....I actually threw it all in a Tupperware right before running out the door for work as I didnt have time the night before. I chucked two handfuls of spinach, two tomatoes, a cup of brown rice and 3oz of cashes into my container and threw some fruit in my purse to snack on!


The salads arent that big, so I choose spinach as my leaf, as its more nutrient packed than lettuce or anything else!




Dinner:


Guess what I still have a lot of in the fridge? Yep.... Cabbage Soup!! Made according to Dr. Ian Smith's recipe....its actually pretty good though and hey, I don't need to cook dinner and can instead relax on the couch and watch how awful this years Bachelorette is on Hulu....no actually, that is a total waste of my time...


My man helped me polish off all the soup, I thought I had to much considering I only need two cups for this detox, but he enthusiastically had several bowls tonight. He even mentioned that he liked how many vegetables you can fit into a soup and that they are more palatable that way- I agree!


I had my 10grams of psyllium husk mixed in with my lemonade that Dr Ian Smith allows, but I subbed out the sugar and replace it with this instead

I LOVE local honey!!

Psyllim is important in the detox phase. Its a colon cleanser really, and it will allow you to abosorb all the nutrients to come in the upcoming Transition phase!


I snacked on a pear and a plum and had icy cold Florida Fresh OJ, made locally, after my workout!


 Gym:


I did my forty required minutes of cardio -20 on the Elliptical, 20 minutes of running and then 10 minutes on the weight machines just to get those arms I'm looking forward to :D

Its 'that time of the monnth' for me, but I'm really proud of the fact that I've been dragging myself to the gym and getting my workouts in, no excuses! Its a bit harder than usual and I dont have as much energy, but I'm not giving myself any excuses!!

Tomorrow is the new module in Dr. Ian Smiths Four day Diet - Transition! I'm excited :D

Day Three of my Detox (aka. The Four Day Diet)

Day three was my turning point. I finally didnt feel weird and actually woke up full of energy and waaay before my alarm clock! I think the first two days were really rough as all my toxins made their way out my body and I got used to eating a really clean diet! I THOUGHT I ate pretty healthy, but I don't usually eat that much fresh food (fruits for breakfast, vegetables for snacks? Um..NO!)

When I attempted to do this two years ago I don't think I even followed it as well as I am now- sure I made salads. But I loosely interpreted "Garden Salad" and chucked all sorts of stuff into my 'salad'....croutons and creamy dressings DO make a difference in calories and the 'cleanliness' of the food (I hope that makes sense!)

This doesn't count as a "Salad" either!

There is something about fresh, un-microwaved food that makes you feel great :D

I prepped most of my food for the day the night before, I like how easy it is to just look at the foods allowed for the day and follow that, it takes out all the thinking/calorie counting and makes it foolproof! What I ate:

Breakfast:

A cup of fresh raspberries (SOO plump and juicy!) mixed with a 6oz Stonyfield pomegranate yogurt (Dr. Ian recommends you eat yogurts with fruit on the bottom, this one was great!) and one banana.

And a glass of lemon juice (water, 1tbsp raw honey, fresh squeezed lemon wedge)

I prepped my fruit salad  the night before and put it in a Tupperware, which turned out to be convenient as I couldn't scarf it all down before work for breakfast, so I just took the rest with me! I had it as a mid-morning snack, during a break at work. I sat outside in the sunshine, eating raspberries and reading this brilliant book:

Lunch:

Another small garden salad, this time I added mushrooms and used a sesame Asian ginger sauce for dressing to reduce my boredom with garden salads!

 

I also included my allowance of chickpeas/beans in this salad because it looked to small to keep me going through a work day without them!

Dinner:

Dinner? On a cleanse? ha ha... Actually, I was allowed to make CABBAGE SOUP tonight! WOWWW don't all get jealous at once now....

 

It actually tasted pretty darn good! I got home, feeling kinda hungry and pretty ready for dinner.. and discovered that it was going to take FIFTY minutes to make the soup according to Dr. Ian Smith's recipe, so I modified it by doing it in a pressure cooker (THANK God, or I may have just started eating the cutting board....)

 The soup has potatoes, carrots, onions and ham in it...I substituted the ham with two of these Gardein Chicken Scallopini made with soy and quinoa and kamut...

they are only 90 calories each and I stock up on them when they are BOGO!

The recipe makes a TON of soup by the way....my man had some too, he actually liked it! And I have a ton of cabbage soup in my fridge if anyone is interested...

I was allowed one cup...

Plus 2 cups of spinach....I skipped out on the spinach and had another half a cup of soup instead I was so over cooking by that point and still had to get to the gym

The Gym:

I did my 40 minutes of cardio....I definitely notice a decrease in my strength and energy on the harder cardio compared to my usual carb fueled self....but it felt great in the end!

Day three done...my stomach is REALLY flat and unbloated, I think its the lack of diet soda and sugar in my life :D

Day Two of the Detox (aka the Four Day Diet)

/hihi!

Today is the first day of summer! Yay :D I love sunshine, BBQs, and being by the water!Even more so after living in England for a bit, I even appreciate Floridas crazy hot summers  after living through the British winter LOL

In the Bahamas in 2010

 And I reached my goal that I first set when starting this blog, of being 130 pounds by the summer time! Now I'm only 10 pounds away from my final goal for the YEAR which is to be 120  pounds! Can't wait!

Day Two of my Detox (aka Dr. Ian Smith's "Four Day Diet")  started out great. I had my tofu scramble for breakfast and it was delicious!!

Basically I cooked crumbled tofu with nutritional yeast, chilli, a little torn spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms (less than half a cup of veggies in total)

I also had a Naked Berry juice for my fruit intake for the day, which contains: 3.25 apples, 1 banana, 27 blueberries, 1 blackberry, 38 mg vitamin b3, 11 mcg vitamin b12, 114 mg vitamin c, 19 mg vitamin b, 4 mg vitamin b6, 13g fiber, 57iu vitamin e.

 (I was trying to load more of my eating towards the beginning of the day- this backfired later though when I was hungry after work and wanted to snack on fruit but had consumed my quota for the day already!)

For lunch I had a garden salad (3 cups) and a cup of brown rice

Dinner was a cup of cooked down spinach with lemon juice (not a dinner I looked forward to haha!) /wahaha

I dragged myself to the gym...well, I went with my man so his enthusiasm gave me energy :D He has been great and really supportive lately! His music player died but he still went and did a 50 minute work out without any music (something I couldn't do!!  My music is the only thing that gets me through work outs!) Having him with me always helps :D

My rock --- >

He is also a vegetarian by the way, (and in his line of work where he hangs out with firefighters all day thast pretty brave!) and very strong even though he hadn't been working out for about a year!

He benched my entire weight + yesterday! =D>

There are a lot of great athletes who are vegetarian-  Bill Pearl and Clarence Bass were vegetarians and a couple other legendary bodybuilders were as well. Robert Dos Remedios, is vegetarian and is a lean 240 pounds and in incredible shape. Jon Hinds is a vegan, in his mid 40’s and is jacked and strong as could be. The greatest tight end in NFL history, Tony Gonzalez is also a vegetarian and obviously it hasn’t hurt him in the least.

I tried my hardest and did my 40 minutes cardio - 25 on the elliptical, 15 running - it was SOOOO hard though! /sweat

My legs felt like lead, my body ached from the previous days work out, I didn't have as much energy as usual.....but I felt a lot better at the end. My sore neck and back disappeared :D

My man and I traded back and calf/foot muscle massages afterwards too and that was great, my body needed it!!  One of my favorite parts of being in a relationship is having someone to trade massages with whenever I need one! /XD

The major downside to living with a man though? Man food. Delicious smelling, cheesy, fattening man food smells wafting through the house at all hours of the day...I had to watch him wolf down his yummy dinner of eggplant, tofu and cheddar smothered tortillas while I munched on spinach LOL

I had to fight the urge to ask for a bite....ahhh!!

When he washed it all down with a new type of blonde pale ale he found at our local organic store I was soooo tempted to cheat but I didnt, having this blog helps me stay accountable! And I REALLY want to lose weight and detox!

I felt fine going to bed that night though, wasn't too hungry. And I woke up half an hour before my alarm on Day Three, FULL of energy :D (weird huh!?!)

I've also been reading comments from people who have done the 4 Day Diet - this one is inspiring:

 went on this diet a year ago…lost 17 pounds in just over a month…I did the first month of modules and then another three modules…at that point I felt I had control of it and I have kept the weight off. I found myself craving salads with beans and rice (instead of things like icecream). He is right, just focus on the four days until you learn portion control. I needed a refresher and this diet (I prefer to think of it as healthy eating) did it for me. I have a bit of arthritis and found when I cut back on meat and focused on fruits and veggies and water (like he states in diet) that my joints didn’t ache as much. It is successful…on vacation I put on three pounds but that quickly disappeared again when I just “focused and remembered” what was good for me. I would now like to take off another 15 pounds and am going to go through it again.

Day One of the Detox (aka The Four Day Diet)

The first day of the cleanse my main issue was- HUNGER..../blur Ok, I LOGICALLY know I got enough food on day one of the plan...I ate all of this:


 Yogurt and nectarine, a banana and strawberries and blueberries for breakfast +2 cups of coffee. (forgive the lack of photos, still fixing my camera!)

 A cup of brown rice, plus a cup of beans and a cup of spinach mixed with a little organic mango salsa for lunch.

A plain garden salad (cup of spinach, cucumbers, tomato, 2tbsp low fat dressing) and a repeat of lunch for dinner ( A cup of brown rice, plus a cup of beans and a cup of spinach mixed with a little organic mango salsa)

A glass of fresh lemonade

An 8pm 'god I'm feeling hungry' banana......

... but as I lay there trying to go to sleep I felt super hungry, and all I could think about was the lovely stuffed cheese pasta with mushroom sauce I had given to my man as a sign of my commitment ( I had made it for myself for lunch on Monday at work, but then gave it up to him for his lunch the next day - wow!! LOL )


And I think its because I never felt that 'full' feeling even after a heaping plate of rice, beans and veggies...and I think thats a bad thing because it shows that my usual diet has enough crap in it that a clean day of eating makes me CRAVE things like sweets, alcohol, soda, heavy carbs and cheese to feel satiated!!

I thought I'd been eating pretty healthy-  I didnt realize I still relied on more refined carbs like bread (rather than very unrefined brown rice) to get that 'full' feeling! I could STUFF myself with rice, beans and salad and still be hungry in an hour I think....

I also went to the gym and did the forty minutes of cardio required- 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 mintues on a stationary bike while working 3 pound weights at the same time.


As I pedalled on the bike I kept my arms moving with the weights in every direction- above my head, to the side, bicep curls....and boy do I feel it!

I cant believe 3 pound weights had that much impact, I've being using 5 pounders when doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred DVD...but I guess the fact that it was 20 minutes of arm workout is what matters, not the weights. I really liked the fact that I was working my arms AND legs at the same time ( I get bored just doing one!)

Detox Time!!!

On Sunday I made up my mind to do Dr. Ian Smith's diet plan "The Four Day Diet" Now stop- before you say 'oh that sounds like a fad!" and "nobody loses weight in 4 days" hear me out. It isn't a fad diet, and it isn't just four days. I've done this eating plan before and was impressed with his use of quinoa and his emphasis on fruits and vegetables! (the only downside to his eating plan is not enough dairy on some days, and I've taken a college level nutrition class so its a semi educated opinion) /wahaha

The four days is basically four day modules you do - you start out with a detox of mainly brown rice, fruit, yogurt, veggies and lemon juice, and then transition to adding in more food groups and he keeps changing the foods so you don't get bored.

I brought the book about two years ago and did it for a while and lost weight, but I wasn't as dedicated to my weight loss, nor did I have gym access which is also crucial for the plan (40 minutes on most days!)

Heres a little video about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibib5aBJ9Sk

And http://www.everydiet.org/diet/4-day-diet/comment-page-1#comments lays it out:

The 4 Day Diet was written by Dr. Ian Smith who is also theauthorof the Fat Smash and Extreme Fat Smash diets.

Smith claims that this program will help dieters to avoid the common pitfalls of dieting including boredom, not allowing treats, too much repetition, and plateaus.

4 Day Diet Basics

The 4 Day Diet is not simply a diet that lasts for four days but rather it consists of seven separate dieting modules that last for four days each. Smith claims that it is much easier for you to focus on what you are eating for the next four days rather than what you will and will not be eating for several weeks.

Another purpose of the different modules is that of increasing variety in the meal plan so you don’t get bored eating the same foods all the time. In addition it has the benefit of keeping the metabolism working well because the body is kept guessing and it doesn’t have time to adapt to the diet.

The seven dieting modules include:

• Induction (detox/cleansing)
• Transition (to reintroduce all food groups)
• Protein Stretch (to avoid plateaus)
• Smooth (when you can have some formerly forbidden foods like pizza and French fries)
• Push (the sprint just before the final stretch, back to a stricter eating plan)
• Pace (a comfortable module for you to catch your breath)
• Vigorous (the final module to lose those last few pounds)

Dieters can follow the diet plan through the seven phases for a one month program but it is also possible to create a customized program where you start with the first two phases and then do the other five in which ever order you like.

Smith places a great deal of emphasis on the psychological factors that are essential for successful dieting and says that losing weight is 80% mental and 20% physical. Dieters are provided with instructions on how to use tools like goal setting and visualization as well as with practical strategies for avoiding temptation.

Recommended Foods

Fruit, vegetables, low fat dairy, lean protein, whole grains, legumes, nuts, avocado, low calorie salad dressing.

Sample Diet Plan

The meal plans vary dramatically throughout the different segments. The following is a sample daily food list for the ‘Induction’ phase.

2 cups coffee. Limit sugar to one packet and cream or milk to one teaspoon per cup.

2 cups of raw or cooked green leafy vegetables.

1 cup freshly squeezed lemonade with no more than a tablespoon of sugar.

1 tablespoon psyillium husk.

4 servings of fruit.

6 oz plain fat free yogurt.

2 cups green garden salad with 3 tablespoons fat free dressing.

1 cup cooked beans (chickpeas, lentils etc.)

1 ½ cups cooked brown rice

Unlimited plain water

Exercise Recommendations

Each diet module comes with specific recommendations for exercise. Dieters are advised to build up slowly in accordance with their fitness levels and if necessary to break up exercise into several short periods over the day.

Costs and Expenses

The 4 Day Diet retails at $24.95.
Click Here to purchase the book at a discounted price.

Pros

• Unique and interesting approach to dieting.
• Good for dieters that get bored easily or don’t like to follow a strict diet plan.
• Addresses the psychological factors involved in weight management and dieting.
• Can be customized according to the dieter’s preferences.
• Highlights the importance of goal setting.
• Allows for controlled cheating, which may increase adherence to the diet over the long term.
• Does not require any special foods or supplements.
• Suitable for vegetarians.
• The author has a very motivating writing style.
• Includes recipes.

Cons

• Does not account for individual variations in calorie and nutritional requirements.
• The meal plan lists all the foods to be eaten in the day and does not break it down into individual meals.
• Will not appeal to dieters that prefer to follow a routine with their meal plans.

Conclusions

Smith has provided dieters with a unique approach that may help to keep up interest and enthusiasm that will enhance the chance of successful weight loss. The ability to customize the diet as well as the differences between the diet segments will make this diet appealing to those who prefer variety or have difficulty sticking with standard diet plans.

Mango cheesecake debauchery

/hihi So I made two mango cheesecakes last Sunday, planning to share with several of our friends, but only managed to share one!

We were really busy all week, our friends were really busy all week, and the end result was me and my man having to eat one ourselves (oh poor us LOL) We had it every way- with mango sauce, fresh sliced mango, with Skinny Cow dulce deleche ice cream....amazing!

Pleaaaase take some cheesecake?

 It reflects on the scale though!

  I'm fluctuating between 130- 131 pounds :( instead of going to 128.5 like I need to this month!! I will be SOOOO happy to even just get 129 as my new "normal!!"

 I think it is also because I ate out for the first time in ages TWICE this week as well, we went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant...

yummy and healthy but high in calories!!

....and for brunch on Saturday at our favorite local organic joint, The Jones Eastside. I had a lovely tempeh burrito! 

No matter how healthy the place is, eating out always seems to negatively impact me, I think its the extra sodium!

I still feel proud of myself though as I found my old 'vison' board the other day in a drawer and it showed me how far I've come! My vision board is basically a photo of myself in a bikini at my heaviest tacked to a piece of cardboard with scrapbooking lettering around it with which I wrote my weight goals and inspirations and motivations down.

My goal was 130 pounds! (DONE!!!) :D

On the back of the board I had a daily weight log where I wrote down my daily weight and I saw the 143 pounds I was... I saw the 138,/137 plateau and felt really proud that I made it to 130 and THAT is where I'm fluctating rather than at 138 like I used to!!



I have been trying to battle the bulge by eating lots of yummy salads and hitting the gym up a LOT! I'm really trying to form a new habit :D




I did a dance work out and some yoga on Friday night at home on DVD


On Saturday I went to the gym with my man- we walked there (in 94 degree Florida heat!) did 30 minutes on the circuit training which was really fun!

The 30 Minute Workout Circuit

Basically Planet Fitness has a roped off area full of machines and you get on the first one, and keep an eye on this big light on the wall.


When if flashes red, you go to the little steps they have set up in front of each machine and do step ups for a minute, until the light changes from green to red again. Then you go back to the machines and change to the next one and do reps until the light goes from green to red again. They have all sorts of machines for every type of muscle and despite my usual reluctance to tackle intimidating looking machines they were actually pretty easy with simple directions :D I also found that I wasn't bored and 30 minutes flew by waaaay faster than when I'm jogging or on the elliptical!


We ran back home and it was a killer- running outdoors, on an incline, in the heat really made me feel unfit, especially as my  man was jogging circles around me!


Anyway, on Sunday I got up and did Jillian's 30 day shred on level 2. I toyed with the idea of doing it at level 3, but decided I wasn't ready just yet. Level 2 is still hard enough, especially when I really push myself and do the highest jumps I can do!

The fact that my arms are sore feels great though, I cant wait to have muscles!  I went again this evening and did 45 minutes of elliptical and felt very proud of myself!

Naked Ed

/hihi How was your weekend? I learnt about a local legend, Naked Ed when we went to watch a friend play guitar at The Great Outdoors Restaurant in High Springs and one of the beverage choices was "Naked Ed's Pale Ale"

Apparently, Naked Ed is a nudist who has been squatting on the tiny bit of land around Lily Spring since 1985. He showed up one day, cleaned the spring up, and  built a little hut for himself by the water. He doesn't own the land, he just cleaned it up. Thankfully, he donned a loincloth to please county officials!!! He is friendly enough and enjoys talking to canoeists and kayakers who paddle the thirty or so feet off the river to reach his spring fed cove.

I like the directions they have pointing to all the local springs!

It was a yummy beer, I only had a few sips of my mans as I had ordered a cocktail called the Louisiana Sweet Tea. I forgot that in the South when they say SWEET Tea they are NOT messing around! It was 'the straw can stand up  by itself' sweet, I had to squeeze lemon into it to make it even remotely palatable!

The Patio Area

I also stuck to my decision to not order a main, but shared an appetizer. We tried out the Fried Green tomatoes, as neither of us had ever had them despite living in Florida for two years! I liked their tart flavor. A fried Green Tomato basically looks like this:

I had two and was happy with that.
Remember the goals I talked about achieving? Well, I started on them already, the first one to tackle was a GOOD nights sleep!

Sleep is so under rated and pushed aside in our busy lives!

 But it REALLY is one of the BEST things you can do for your body!

Id been sleep deprived all of last week and was feeling low and run down. I also really struggled with grogginess, but I felt a lot better on Friday and today, on Monday after NOT taking a melatonin supplement. I think that was the cause!

 Melatonin is a natural hormone released to keep your body clock rhythmic, and when your body releases the the hormone at night it makes you sleepy.

The reason they suggest you drink a cup of warm milk before bed time is to trigger your body's natural release of melatonin. I'd been trying the pill supplements out as a sleep aide, but I think the side effects are too strong.

They would be great for not suffering jet lag though!!

I tried sleep relaxation instead. I went to youtube.com and typed in " sleep relaxation mediation" and listened to a lovely British lady who sounded like Mary Poppins.

She was very good though, as she had me counting backwards in my head which distracted me from what she was saying- which was 'relax your back, your neck, your face' etc and I really did! I like listening to something as it forces me to take my mind of my thoughts, which aren't always relaxing!

http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20189101,00.html   <--- article about how to relax before sleep

I like guided relaxation after a stressful day at work as I find I hold tension in parts of my body I'm not even aware of! Like clenching my jaw, or frowning! Releasing that tension really helps get to sleep faster!
 I slept like a teenager (notice use the old cliche of 'like a baby' as anyone who REALLY knows how babies sleep will attest to their frequent waking!!) ;)

I also went to the gym (another goal!) and ran (well jogged- this article on Fit Sugar says I'm a jogger lol

http://www.fitsugar.com/Running-vs-Jogging-162638 


Things I'm loving right now:

Almond Butter

Chobani Mango Yogurt- I had one for a mid afternoon snack and it was amazing!


This party: http://www.eatliverun.com/hits-of-the-party/
Wish I could have done this on the weekend but we were really busy on Saturday and my man worked at the fire station on Sunday :(  The torte looks AMAZING!!!

I did however make an AMAZING mango/peach cheesecake for my man and friends :)



 Well two actually, I had too much filling and thankfully had a granola crust on hand :)

I used this recipe and pre-made crusts:    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mango-cheesecake-10000001120403/

It is a lovely yellow cheesecake, and has a glaze on top from the caramelized organic sugar!

 It has a subtle flavor as I made it with fresh mango. I will try to make it with canned mango puree from an Indian store next time though to see if the flavor is stronger, and also mix it with raspberry swirl next time!

 I'm still going to enjoy having a slice of this creamy delight topped with sliced fresh mango!! When our friends come over I may make a mango sauce with mango and condesned milk =D Hopefully I can control myself and not eat the whole thing before they come over!

http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/amazing-body-makeovers/slide/1
This is an inspiring slideshow of amazing body transformations!

This letter from Tina at to herself at 23: http://weightloss.health.com/
This could have been written to me at 23!

"You know those fat-free cookies and cinnamon pita chips that you love so much? Well, they’re too good to be true. I know it seems like you should focus on eating low-calorie and low-fat foods, but they’re typically made with artificial ingredients and they won’t make you feel as good as eating “real” food does.

 For instance, an apple with lots of fiber and nutrients will satisfy you much more than an apple-cinnamon rice cake. Don’t think this means that you can’t eat your favorite foods anymore. I know you love cupcakes, nachos, and beer, and you can still enjoy them from time to time. OK, this might seem like a “duh” tip, but just eat smaller portions of those foods and it’ll help you lose weight."