Jillian kicked my a**

I did Jillian's 30 Day Shred DVD for the first time in ages last night. With very little free time I still really felt like I had to do SOMETHING as my back was sore from work, my legs tight from heels and Sunday was the only other work out I got in this week.


So I dug through Ty's pile of DVD's by the xbox and found good old Jillian.... you may remember that when I was doing the 30 Day Shred I came to a point where I was able to do Level 2 and Level 3 BACK TO BACK... (well, this only happened once, but I was still so surprised at myself, I felt like Wonder woman!)

 I put our projector on (so Jillian is life sized- and mean!) and did Level Two. I could barely keep up and was a sweaty, messy haired pile of jello on my yoga mat by the end of it...


Its not that I haven't been working out either! For the past few months I've been getting to the gym at least three times a week, mainly four, and have a lot more leg and arm strength! Its just that machines use certain muscles whereas using your OWN body weight as your resistance uses a whole different set of muscles! Its called Plyometric exercises and I feel like its actually harder, as the machines aide and cushion to a certain degree. The moves that were kililng me were the ones in push up position, where she has you jump your legs in and out...oh god!! I was quite chuffed to find I had stronger arms though as the dumbbell parts didn't phase me at all :D

Its also true that your body adapts and gets used to certain workouts!! That must have happened for me with Jillian before as I found the work out quite easy when I stopped, and now its a killer! My body has adapted to the gym instead.


Speaking of the gym, I need to get another workout in tonight with all the Halloween candy around. Yes, I will admit to having had a few fun sized snickers (though I've resisted waaaaaay more than I've eaten!!)....that will bring me to three workouts this week, plus lots of walking on my breaks at work!

I've been soooo busy this week that I haven't really 'cooked'. Sure, I've thrown some salads and simple things together, but I haven't made anything photo worthy (I did get taken to a surprise dinner by Ty- he showed up at the end of my work day with roses and took me out, but I dont know where those photos went!!!)

 I have blog envy looking at all the delish recipes on other bloggers sites! I really want to make this stew from http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2011/02/kathys-veggie-pasta-stew.html:

Under 130 pounds! :D

A bit of a milestone for me- I'm now under 60 kilos! /XD
Otherwise known as 129.4  pounds :D  It was a pleasant surprise over the weekend, to see the number on the scale! That was my weight in my late teens- wow!!




Still going for my goal of 128.5 pounds at the end of May, and it actually seems achievable now!! I'm sooo proud of myself for NOT snacking at night, working out, and eating consciously! =D>

Thought I'd share a pic of our doggies realxing on the shelf we built them in their room- it is in the window and has a little ramp leading up to it. They LOVE it because now they can see out the window ALL the time, their favorite hobby besides de-squeaking toys!

Breakfast:


Naked Orange and Carrot Juice- it was delicious!

Lunch:


Amy's Organic Palak Paneer- I wish I could have eaten about 4 of these, soooo good!

Dinner:


I wasnt in the mood to cook, so my man made himself some yummy tortillas (hes a GREAT cook, Im lucky!) and I was craving fresh fruit, so I had a 'breakfast for dinner'. This included


 a cup of fresh blackberries

a cup of sliced fresh strawberries (farmers market, local!)

 and a pouch of organic granola with a lovely looking ingredient list (I find pouches easier for counting calories!)

1 cup of organic fat free milk....all mixed together ....yum :D

I also had a third of a cup of salted cashews for some healthy fats- a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that fats are bad, but NO fat in your diet is actually bad for you! Fats are needed by your body for all sorts of functions!


All of this put me at my limit of 1200 calories for the day :)



I felt a little hungry at about 9pm but I just drank some water, because sometimes when you feel hungry its actually thirst! I was exhausted from a long, no stop 'go go go' kind of day, so I went to bed soon by 10pm. That helped me to not snack!

I didnt work out as it was a scheduled rest day, but I still feel great from doing the 30 Day Shred the day before!

 

I do the shred instead of the gym when Im short on time, and also when I feel like I want a TOTAL body workout, not just my legs on the elliptical at the gym! Jillian really uses my arms, back, abs, legs and my Achilles tendon always gets a nice stretch which feels wonderful after a day in high heels at work!

 

I'd really like to see the numbers on the scale going down again...

/hihi 133.6 pounds  this morning.....I sure would LOVE to see 132, my April goal, on the scale soon! I guess I cant really expect that if I'm not working out at least 4 days a week or sticking to my 1200 calorie a day limit religiously!

 I did workout on Saturday, and walked the dogs on Monday but the recommended time to work out in order to achieve weight loss is SIXTY minutes, 4 to 5 times a week, and I'm not doing that! I think I'm getting a little bit bored with Jillian's 30 Day Shred DVD (GASP!) and I should probably go to the gym, just to get motivated again! Sometimes seeing other people working out helps me do the same...

I also just read this on a workout forum on livestrong.com

For the 30 Day Shred take at least one day off. Also don't do each level for 30 days, you will do yourself a disservice. Your body will quickly adapt to the workout and doing a sinlge level can cause you to plateau which in turn could become boring and frustrating. When you feel like you can do more go to the next level. Also doing these videos for 30 days in a row, and also not taking a break will lead to an overuse injury and I would be willing to put money on that. If you get injured you will take 10 steps back. Remember that muscle does not grow while you are working out, it grows when you are resting. Working out breaks it down so your body can come back during rest, repair it and add more. Rest is as important as the workout itself.

and this, which I identify with- the Shred seems to sculpt your body more than lose a lot of weight (I've lost an inch off my hips and waist!) :

 didnt loose much weight at first with it, but i lost major inches/body transformation by level 2 - I think total i lost 4 lbs doing it, i gained a few pounds at first- but i saw a difference in my body when i looked in the mirror, put on clothes... so i suggest jsut taking measurements, look at what you are putting in your body, and you will see a difference. I started loosing weight consistently when i started BFBM and NMTZ and doign the shred! Best combo in my opinion.
Well then!

Today's Food Log:

Breakfast:
Fat free organic milk with sugarless coffee -50 calories
Veggie Burger Patty + 2 slices whole wheat bread and hummus = 250 calories
Total for breakfast= 300 calories

Lunch:
I had to do a lunch order for the office. I know that the Jimmy John's sandwiches I order are high in calories and fat so I went to their website and used their nutrition tool to make my vegetarian option better!
http://www.jimmyjohns.com/menu/nutrition.aspx

I replaced the mayo with Italian vinaigrette and the sandwich went from 674.35 to 559 calories and 35 grams of fat to 22 grams of fat! And honestly it wasn't that different, it was still a yummy sandwich!


Dinner:

Half a Naked Fruit Juice (160 calories), a cup of Delites Ice cream (100 caloreis), and a handufl of cashews- this put me over my limit I bet!!


Workout:

Jillian Michael's 30 day shred- Level 2

Taking back control

I worked out last night, did level 2 of Jillian's 30 Day Shred as I tried level 3 the other day but still cant quite do ALL the moves, whereas level 2 I'm stronger at and can actually do everything :D

Another picture of amazing food and sunsets on vacation!!

It felt great to work out, its an action I can take to empower my weight loss!


I need to work on issues of control- I know that self-control and discipline are the keys to weight loss in eating and working out but I have a rebellious spirit! Part of me feels like eating perfectly is tooooo controlled, I cant be having fun in life...I need to realize that healthy eating can be fun too! There are so many healthful and delicious dishes that are more satisfying than a bag of chips!




Breakfast:

300 calorie Mango/Banana Naked Juice

Lunch:

290 calorie Amy’s mashed potatoes

2 110 calorie snack bars – south beach

810 total so far + 90 for coffee creamer = 900


Dinner:


150 calories of dessert-  a cup of fresh chopped strawberries mixed with New Zeland Happy Cow strawberry yogurt and a teeny sprinke of granola on the top


Soy 'chicken' scallopini by Gardein (made with quinoa, kamut etc!) They are SO good, I need to experiment more with them

I cooked them in Braggs, then I wilted two handfuls of spinach, a large chopped tomato, a few tablespoons of leftover bean and barley mix, a chopped onion, bombay seasoning + salt+pepper+lemon juice = a delightful chicken stew of goodness and only 170 calories!!


Total-  320 calories


1220 calories total, and the fact that I spent time making a healthy dinner paid of later as when my man made himself a late night snack of hash browns and cheese I didnt want any, despite the great smell! :D Success for me!


Workout:


I RAN all around the block, a full mile- I wouldnt have been able to do that without Jillians help, for sure! My lungs actually gave out before my legs did, they are stronger than my lung capacity!

Day 52- I've surpassed my first goal, and it feels great!

Wow- its THURSDAY and I fly out on SUNDAY :D Time flies!! I hope it slows down over my vacation ;)

So.....yesterday was a crazy day that I didnt get home until 10pm from work/school- and hit the mattress! I woke up early, but not quite early enought for a full work out, though I did do some stretching!


Im hoping to do Jillians DVD tonight after work! I have to go to the store and buy ingredients to make a strawberry cheesecake for friends who are looking after our dogs while we are gone, and BBQ stuff for Saturday when we have them over for lunch + do laundry so I can pack for the trip+ actually make the cheesecake, so its going to be a pretty busy evening! Sure wish I could leave work early, but its not possible, I will try to walk on my lunch break though and get these legs movin!


Still 133 on the scale- GO ME FOR being 2 pounds below my goal weight for spring break ;)


I just looked back at my first ever post and realized- I'm only 1 pound off for my goal for APRIL and only 3 pounds away from my goal of 130 this year! Wow- you know what, Im sure I can achieve so much more! Who knows, maybe I can even get to 125.....first lets get to 132 and regularly work out ;) ..


I need to remember that I cant relex about it- 130 by April still means not gaining over vacation, and losing three pounds in 4 weeks...


I calculated my BMI with this website


http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bminojs.htm


And Im at 22.8, which is great- but I was suprised that I could be 110 pounds and still be in the 'healthy' weight range!! So 125 is definitley on my goal list for this year!!


When I started this weightloss journey mid- Janurary I was at a BMI of 24.5- on the cusp by .5 of being in the overweight category (and feeling and looking overweight!!)


Im so happy to have achieved my first mini goal :) I need to take some 'after' pictures soon!! Maybe on Saturday!


Breakfast:


1 wholewheat deli flat, 1 veggie 'chicken' patty 140 calories, hummus = 280 calories
Coffee= 80 calories of creamer


Snack:

1 girl scout samoa cookie - 75 calories




Lunch:


Amy's Organic stir fry - 300 calories


Resisted having another cookie!!

Dinner:


Two 80 calorie burger pattys, 50 calories of veggies, a deli flat with hummus = 350 calories (yeah, we are clearing out the fridge so not much food around lol!)

1085 total + 2 more girl scout cookies =
1235

Workout:


Day 14 of Jillian's 30 Day Shred -yay!!!

Day 36 Back to the daily grind

So after taking the day off from work for Valentine’s day its back to the office (sigh!)

Breakfast:

My 'Green Goddess', a delicious green morning smoothie full of nutrients and an easy way to get my daily fruits and veggies!

It really tastes like a normal berry/banana smoothie but is sooo good for me - read more about the green monster movement here :)


http://greenmonstermovement.com/

Green Goddess

 The Green Goddess

2 Activia strawberry yogurts

1 banana

A handful of blueberries

1 teaspoon of spirolina powder

2 big handfuls of spinach

Some cranberry juice

Blended- yummy!! And quick. About 300 calories

Lunch:

Leftovers from valentines day- paneer/cauliflower/peas/potatoe ‘subji’ aka/curry and quinoa
About 500 calories

Valentines day food from which I had leftovers

Dinner:

A veggie burger with side salad. Im loving the Boca Bruschetta burgers, very tasty!
About 300 calories

Workout:

I DID it! I had to do two hours of reading after dinner and still have a ton of washing up to do from all my vday cooking, but I prioritized my workout over the dishes! I did Level 2 of Jillians 30 Day Shred, Day 11! 

Go ME! I felt good afterwards, but it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hard to do it at 10pm at night, but after work and homework it was the ONLY time I had! :(

Day 32, Day 33, Day 34, Day 35

So on Friday I can't actually remember what I ate, but I know it was healthy as my weight was maintained and my stomach flat ;)


I also did Day 10 of Jillian's 30 Day Shred.....and about a half hour of yoga after that, it felt really nice to do on a Friday evening, I loaded up some YouTube videos for upper and lower back yoga and dimmed the lights, it was really relaxing and made my back feel great!!


Saturday was a hectic day as I made a last minute hair appointment! I had to rush there, so only had a half a deli flat for breakfast and then a green monster after 4pm when I got home! The ombre she did on my hair turned out wonderful though, so it was worth the hunger!! I had a veggie burger and 100 calorie yogurt for dinner and was at an all time low the next morning on the scale. I couldn't work out though, as my stylist forbid it after my blow dry loL! But I did go to the mall and walk around for a few hours, Im sure thats allowed ;)

My Inspiration pic of ombre

Sunday was all about eating healthy, I had a green monster for breakfast and then some Indian food at a friends house for dinner, perfect hearty meal :)

Monday- well, Valentines day cannot count right? We went out for a lovely breakfast, I had two biscuits and a half order of french toast with lots of coffee.

 It was such a perfect sunny morning with my love :D I then made us an awesome dinner (we didn't really do anything for lunch, we were full!!)

We dont really go in for the whole 'commercial' side of valentines day.....my man doesnt really care for cards (or hallmark!) or teddy bears etc, and I dont really want him wasting $$$$ on flowers- instead, he got me some super thoughtful and cute gifts, and I cooked a whole ton of his favorite things, buying all the groceries with my own money too!

I made an Indian themed dinner (its a cuisine I can cook really well having grown up there!) I made a curry/subji of panner (indian cheese, deep fried!) and peas, cauliflower, potatoes in a sour cream and tomato sauce..mmmmmmm

I made a tomato based quinoa to make it red...so I could shape it into a heart on the plate...sooo cute! I wanted red quinoa but the store was out, and I didnt have any beet juice to dye it red with, so tomato was the next best thing :)



I made beer battered potatoes made with IPA, as it is a flavorsome beer, perfect for cooking!


I also made him his moms snickerdoodles as a surprise, with Hershey's kisses in the middle of them, it was really cute to see how excited he got when he saw them! I also made him a big, beautiful strawberry cheesecake!

 The cheesecake was really the most amazing thing, I couldnt believe I actually made it, it came out sooooo good, and my strawberry swirled heart and word "Love" on it baked well too!! I think the condensed milk I put in it, and the touch of vanilla, really made it pop! I'd love to make a mango cheesecake next!! Its so fun.
We also shared a nice bottle of champagne, my treat :)

The pink packages are some of the presents he got ME, the food is my pressie to him :)

Surprisingly, I wasnt thaaaat hungry- a small portion of the subji/quinoa filled me right up and I had to make sure not to eat tooo much so I had room for cheesecake :D

Overall, a pretty healthy weekend, except for valentines day ;) Thankfully, my man got me lots of awesome presents OTHER than candy or chocolate as he knows better lol! Instead, he was very supportive because.......guess what? As part of my presents he got me Jillians YOGA DVD!! /XD

What a PERFECT present!! I will alternate it with my 30 Day Shred!! 

One of my other favorite presents is the book on makeup he got me. He went to Books A Million to find a book on something that interested me....he couldnt find me a book on vegetarian recipes under 300 calories (awww, he remembered me saying I'd love to find a book like that!!) but instead found a book on makeup technique as he knows I love playing around with my warpaint lol! I'm learning a lot too, didnt realize how good an investment makeup brushes are, or that I shouldnt be tugging on the skin under my eye when I apply concealer, but apply it with a brush instead! Oops...lol

PS - I had a WONDERFUL low weight on Saturday and Sunday, but I knew I'd be baking and cooking for my guy on Valentines day and so my weight today wouldnt be that low again, my big hope today is that it goes back to Saturday/Sunday's low as it was only one bad day!!

Day 30 of eating right, and day 9 of Jillian's 30 Day Shred

Breakfast

So Laura from http://tailwaggin.wordpress.com/ suggest I try green monsters!

http://greenmonstermovement.com/


Now I'd read about them ages ago, but never had fresh spinach on hand or thought to actually make one! But since I've gotten healthier, I've had bags of fresh spinach in the fridge (great snack wilted and hot with lemon juice and salt, or thrown into hot soups etc, I've been trying to work it into my diet more!) and I've been making fruit smoothies alot (the best way to quickly use up fruit that is starting to get a bit soft, and yogurt thats close to its expiration date lol!) :D

So this morning, I got up early (would not have thought this possilbe- I didnt acutally fall asleep earlier but for some reason I woke up at 5.45am feeling energetic? Maybe this healthy eating is actually working :D!)

Workout

And I did Day 9 of Jillian's 30 Day Shred at Level 2- couldnt put quite as much energy into it as I do at the end of the day, but it felt great and I got it out the way!

And then I made breakfast-

The Green Goddess

2 Activia Peach Yogurts (would have used Greek but finished it yesterday! 70 calories each)

A dash of no sugar added Cranberry juice

1 medium sized banana (100 calories)

3 Strawberries and half a cup of blueberries (about 50 calories) It as all I had left, I've been plowing through my fruit!

2 big handfuls of spinach (about 15 calories)
About 300 calories total, perfect

I blended it, and dubiously took a sip- it was delicious :D

I thought the spinach may make it a bit bitter, but the sweetness of the Activia's was more than enough to make it taste really really good!! I took a picture of my first Green Monster, I'll upload it later :)
 
Lunch

I've made some baked squash and baked sweet potato, not sure of the calorie content but its a small enough container and I wont stuff myself :)

Snack

100 calorie, whole wheat vitatop (cranberry)

Dinner
I used two 100 calorie whole wheat pitas to make 'pizza' - with half a cup of sauce, mushrooms, bell peppers and paremsan cheese plus a few kalamatas :) Yum!!

Day 26 and 27

Day 26 (Saturday)
I was pretty proud of myself as I woke up and worked out! :D


Workout

 I did Day 8 of Jillian's 30 Day Shred- its becoming a wee bit easier, I can actually stay up in the plank and do the jumps in the plank position she demands- craaazy cardio!!

Breakfast/Lunch
2 whole wheat deli thins with organic peanut butter and jam + coffee = about 500 calories

Dinner

490 calories of whole wheat spaghetti/mushrooms/spinach/half a cup of sauce and paremsan cheese

Day 27 (Superbowl Sunday)

I was doing well all day, but superbowl festivities threw me off!! I went to a friend's house for a vegetarian BBQ, and had two amazing veggie skewers, plus lots of burgers etc, so I'm not evening going to try to count this day!! Im just going to work out and eat right tomorrow!

Day 25

FRIDAY !!!

New gym opening tomorrow, and a chance to actually cook/work out/eat right without being rushed along by the work week!! There is nothing nicer than having a slow breakfast outside in the sunshine....having another cup of coffee and savoring every morsel rather than my usual run out the door with something in hand or scoffed down ASAP!

Here is a photo of a breakfast I made during the summer when we could eat out in the garden - whole wheat raspberry waffles, natural syrup+condensed milk + fresh raspberrys on top= AMAZING

Breakfast:

Another greek yogurt/blueberry smoothie minus the banana as I was out! Just blended yogurt/blueberries/vanilla essence and a whole wheat sandwhich thin with a lil organic jam + coffee =
400 calories

Lunch:
Went out for lunch with my man, had a 'burrito salad', but didnt eat the burrito, just the filling and that filled me right up without that overly full feeling (honestly, I was tempted to eat the burrioto but it smelt kinda fishy I think they cooked it on a hot plate used for fish tacos, so NOT eating it became that much easier!! Eww...dead fish!!)

Dinner:
Not sure yet, will update this later :)

Day 21

Day 21, and I've lost 6.4 pounds so far :D YAY! /XD

this is how much FAT I've lost off my body in one month!

Breakfast:
1 wholewheat deli flat + spicy hummus + 1 tex mex veggie burger patty =250 calories
coffee- 50 calories of creamer
total= 300 calories

Snack:
I had to have a mid morning snack as my office kitchen had a huge platter of DELICIOUS looking cherry and blueberry danishes with cream cheese, home made by my boss, plus muffins!!!

 EVERY time I went in to the kitchen to get coffee I had to walk past them and it made me SO hungry! I started rationalizing- maybe just one would only be about 100 calories or so? But then I thought about it a bit more- white flour- sugar in the cream cheese icing- even if it was only 100 calories or so they wouldnt be FILLING calories!! Thankfully, I had a banana nut wholewheat vitatop (only 100 calories!) at work, so I heated that up and it took care of my hunger/baked goods cravings!

Lunch:
Sunnen Orangic Vegetarian Pad Thai- 280 calories- I brought a box and halved it as the whole thing was TWO servings- glad I noticed that or I might have eaten the whole thing thinking it was only 280 calories!

Snack:
1 cup blueberries, 1 cup whole strawberries, an activai peach yoghurt all mixed into a fruit salad = 200 calories. It was a pretty massive bowl!! :)
Total so far today- 880- that means I have 320 left for dinner

Dinner:
I had about 320 calories to work with, and I wanted to get rid of some lefovers, so I made a tortilla filling out of quinoa/mock duck(Soy), fresh ginger, half a red pepper and a purple onion, and filled two small corn tortillas with that (80 calories) and had a cucumber side salad- yum!

Picture coming the second I can upload it :)

Workout:
I did day 6 of Jillians 30 Day Shred! Yay :D I really didnt want to, I had a zillion other things to do, but I did it!