One day at a time

/hihi So I did pretty well with my eating yesterday and I hope to stick to that today! Its kind of annoying that one day of perfect eating doesnt get you to your goal weight instantly.

 Sometimes I feel like that I should be rewarded for being so good by dropping at LEAST a pound...unfortunately the reality is that is is days and days of eating well that lead to results! And working out!

My workout plan for today is to do an hour of cardio. I've been doing 45 minute sessions, or 30 minutes + 30 minutes of weights, but I think burning 500 calories every gym session is necessary to shift these last few pounds!

Sadly, I've developed Mouse Elbow over the last few days! Mouse elbow is a term I came across when searching google to find out why my right outer elbow has been hurting! Basically, its a mild form of tennis elbow that comes from using a mouse too much (I work on computers 8 hours a day).

 I'm going to have to change my workout routine to try not to stress it. No dumbbells, just weight machines, and no elliptical, just the treadmill!

Todays Food Journal:

Breakfast:

I decided to try a different Bolthouse farms drink for breakfast, the Mocha Cappuccino. Its my first taste of coffee since I quit a few months ago!

It was ok, but not as filling or tasty as my usual Mango Protein drink despite having just as much protein in it. I prefer the mango drink because it contains actually fruit as well!

Lunch

A tasty home made salad I brought into work :) Kalamatas, spinach, tomatoes, vegetarian 'beef' tips

Snack

Raspberry Chobani yogurt swirled with a cup of fresh raspberries...mmmm!! The BEST way to eat your antioxidants!

Dinner:

Spinach/tofu/potato pie!

A handful of kettle chips (my man was eating them in front of me and I find it hard to resist not having any!!)

Workout:

I hour of cardio DONE- I did the Arc. Its kind of like an elliptical but a different leg motion and without the arms- I did 500 calories in just under an hour actually, I left the gym ten minute earlier than I thought I would :)

Tracking my eating....

When I began this blog I wrote down all my meals and it helped me to see where I was doing well and where the calories were adding up.

Ive almost reached my goal of 125 pounds (from 143 pounds!) but not tracking my eating daily is leading to too many 'treats!'.

I need to be eating more like this (minus the fish!)

Its time to get back to it! I just had a weekend of awful eating- funnily enough it was mainly from attending our health food stores annual birthday bash! They gave away free samples of wine, cheese, fresh bread and hummus, mozzarella balls with pesto, pie....you get the picture!

I also need to shake up my work outs! I started last night, instead of going to the gym Ty and I went on a 45 minute walk and then a 20 minute run with our dogs in the evening. It was fun! I probably need to shift away from the elliptical/strength circuit for a week or two and try different machines! We also went kayaking on the lake and climbing the biggest tree in Florida!

Certainly a big tree..

Trying to hug it lol

Is it a bird, is it a plane?

Like many of you I was also touched by the events of September 11th and my heart goes out to all those affected by the tragedy! I was living India at the time, and my dad was flying back from America. He was flying through New York and the first we heard about the tragedy was when an American family friend called us in the middle of the night to tell us the news.

We didn't hear from my dad for a few hours after that,and those hours stretched long into the night!! Our family was relieved to finally hear from him, and that he was ok, but I can only imagine the pain felt by other families as they realized their loved ones where on those planes or in the World Trade Towers.

Breakfast:

Half a large Bolthouse Farm Mango Protein Smoothie (16oz)

Lunch:

A whole wheat pita bread stuffed with Mexican grilled fajita mixed veggies, hummus and spinach. Ty made if for me for lunch :D

Snack:

Chobani Yogurt

Dinner:

I'm planning on a quick Amy's organic soup as I will be rushing from work to class!

Not the most exciting/healthy option but I had a busy weekend and didnt get around to cooking ahead for the week!  I'm hoping to bake a spinach pie later in the evening for tomorrow's lunch, based on this recipe:

Spinach Pie
(serves 8)
10 ounce box frozen spinach
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbs oil
3 cups crumbled tofu (soft or silken tofu is best)
1 Tb lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pre-made pie crust

Cook spinach according to package directions. Saute onion and garlic in oil in a large pot over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add spinach, tofu, lemon juice, and seasoning. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, continue cooking spinach/tofu mixture for 5 minutes. Mix well. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until crust is brown.

Total calories per serving: 180
Fat: 11 grams
Protein: 7 grams
Iron: 2 mg
Calcium: 87

Workout:

Today is technically a rest day! I can't go to the gym on Mondays and Fridays because I have college classes right after work!

Yummy portabella mushrooms + I have hit a plateau...my plan to push forward..

I've been stuck. I'm JUUUUUUST a little heavier than my goal of 125! I fluctuate between 125.4-126....and its getting annoying! I've been hitting the gym at least four times a week buuuuuuuuuuuuut while I have been eating healthy 70% of the time, it has to be more like 90% for me to see weight loss! I've been having to many cashews, sweet potato baked chips and wine! :(
I have a plan though! It is based on a new book I got, Dr. Ian Smith's other book- The Fat Smash Diet. I did his 'Four Day Diet' and learnt a LOT from it and lost a bunch of weight! He really helped me stay focused with his four day modules, and I liked the lack of thinking it took to eat healthy!

Phase 1 of the plan is a nine-day "detox" period designed to cleanse the impurities from your system and rid you of all your bad habits, so you can begin to prepare your "temple." Calories are significantly reduced and water is used to flush the body. You are told to eat four to five meals, whether you're hungry or not. Skipping meals is not allowed at any phase.

In the first phase of the Fat Smash Diet, food choices should be eaten raw, grilled or steamed. Fats are limited to a maximum of 3 tablespoons, with 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil per day. Allowed foods include unlimited fruits and vegetables (except white potatoes or avocado), chickpeas, lentils, tofu, and beans. It also permits limited amounts of brown rice; low-fat, skim, or soy milk; oatmeal; low-fat yogurt; egg whites; and herbal tea. This is the total menu for nine days. Eeep...

I am going to start this for 9 days, from tomorrow - so from the 30th to the 7th! Wish me luck :D

Healthy and DELICIOUS stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients

8oz pack of portabella mushrooms
5 tablespoons of sun dried tomato hummus
As many sun dried tomatoes as you want to mix in
2 tablespoons 'tofutti' mix (or sour cream if you are not vegan)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Salt and Pepper

Wash the mushrooms and pop their stems out. In a bowl, mix everything else together. If you aren't on a strict diet, mix in breadcrumbs too (about half a cup). Season the mushrooms with salt (I did a spicy salt on mine, mmm) and then stuff them with the mix. Bake in a toaster oven for 20 minutes. Make a side salad- volia- a healthy, YUMMY meal! Ty kept stealing mine off my plate :D

Wait, chocolate isn't part of this diet?

I'm still doing the four day diet by Dr. Ian Smith.

http://www.amazon.com/Day-Diet-Ian-K-Smith/dp/0312373589

 I really want to do ALL the modules even though I think that the Transition module was honestly the best one for weight loss for me! The other modules are a little too high in calories for my needs I think, especially Smooth and the Protein module! Though, saying that, I still havent tried the vigorous module and I've heard that is where the weight just DROPS off!

 The BEST thing is that I've been doing ALL the working out- my worst week so far I only went FOUR times to the gym (LOL- in the past that would have been my best week!) I'm getting SO much leaner and stronger, its amazing me!! And my body aches virtually every day, but its a good ache :D

I've been slipping a little though- a few drinks with friends at social happenings, cheese (my friends said 'come on, you have been so GOOD' and it was too hard to NOT try different types of cheeses while playing Apples to Apples!! Cheese is my weakness! Greek yogurt and cheese are the reason I will never be able to be a vegan) and I got this awesome Endangered species Dark Chocolate at my local organic store, it is 70% dark, proceeds help wildlife and it has a mint filling...mmmm....but no, not on the diet! Not even under the 'snacks' section!

Something else that has been killing me with the eating plan is the limited flexibility to be able to try new recipes! Just before I started it I brought TWO new cookbooks, and some of my favorite bloggers have also been posting drool inducing recipes I cant wait to try! But I can't! When Dr. Smith says "two servings of vegetables' he really means just that. Boiled or baked. Limited seasoning (I do lemon juice, pepper, salt, chili, braggs, and onions to add a little flavor) I feel guilty if I use marinara sauce at all, and forget about any fancy recipes involving lots of ingredients! Its not on the meal list....oh well...

I'm also not sure I will be able to stick to it 100% this coming Thursday onwards, as I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed and will only be eating SOFT food!

I do like the fact that I can sub in all my vegetarian protein:

Dr. Ian Smith says: On my diet, The 4 Day Diet, vegetarians are having great success, because they can make the substitutions they need to make. The program is very flexible for all types of eating styles whether you’re a vegetarian, vegan, diabetic, etc. If you want non-animal protein, you can load up on legumes and beans and things like chickpeas and lentils. If you eat eggs, egg whites are full of protein also.

Here is a cool sample menu plan I found online at http://www.3fatchicks.com/free-sample-menu-plan-for-the-4-day-diet/

The 4 Day Diet was created by Dr. Ian Smith. This diet is designed with 7 different modules, each lasting 4 days. Each module is unique and designed with specific goals. The 7 modules are: Induction, Transition, Protein Stretch, Smooth, Push, Pace and Vigorous. Below are free sample meal plans for each phase of the diet.

Induction

Breakfast:

• 6 oz plain yogurt
• 1 to 2 tsp psyllium husk
• 1 serving of fruit
• 1 cup of coffee with one packet of sugar and 1 tsp of milk or cream

AM Snack:

• 1 pear

Lunch:

• 2 cups leafy green vegetables
• ½ cup brown rice
• 1 apple
• ½ cup blueberries

PM Snack:

• Small side salad with 2 cups of lettuce and 3 tbsp fat free dressing

Dinner:

• 1 cup cooked beans (lentils or chickpeas)
• 1 cups steamed vegetables
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 orange

Transition

Breakfast:

• 1 cup of coffee with 1 tsp milk and 1 packet sugar
• 6oz yogurt
• 1 tbsp low fat granola
• ½ cup berries

AM Snack:

• ½ cup low fat cottage cheese

Lunch:

• ½ cup cooked black eyed peas
• 1 cup berries
• 1 cup raw carrots

PM Snack:

• 1 fat free pudding snack

Dinner:

• 4 oz grilled fish
• 2 cups green salad
• 3 tbsp fat free dressing

Protein Stretch

Breakfast:

• 2 egg whites scrambled with a strip of turkey bacon

AM Snack:

• 1 hardboiled egg

Lunch:

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 4 oz lean roast beef
• 1 tbsp low fat mayonnaise
• ½ banana
• 1 cup bell peppers and cherry tomatoes

PM Snack:

• Small protein shake (200 calories or less)

Dinner:

• 1 cup navy beans
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 cup steamed vegetables

Smooth

Breakfast:

• 1 serving cereal
• 1 cup fat free or skim milk

AM Snack:

• 2 oz cheese
• 3 to 5 whole wheat crackers

Lunch:

• 2 cups green salad
• 3 tbsp fat free dressing
• 1 cup cooked lentils
• ½ cup strawberries

PM Snack:

• 1 apple
• 2 tbsp peanut butter

Dinner:

• 2 medium slices of pizza (no meat)
• 1 cup green salad
• 1 cup steamed vegetables

Push

Breakfast:

• 6 oz plain fat free yogurt
• 1 smashed banana
• 1 tbsp wheat germ
• ½ tbsp peanut butter

AM Snack:

• 2 cups baby carrots

Lunch:

• 2 cups green salad
• 3 tbsp fat free dressing
• 1 cup raw carrots
• 1 pear

PM Snack:

• ½ large banana

Dinner:

• 5 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 2 cups steamed vegetables
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemonade with 1 tsp sugar

Pace

Breakfast:

• 2 whole wheat frozen pancakes
• 2 tbsp low calorie syrup

AM Snack:

• 1 apple

Lunch:

• 1 cup vegetable or chicken noodle soup
• 2 cups green salad
• 1 cup green tea
• 1 apple

PM Snack:

• 1 pear

Dinner:

• 5 oz grilled fish
• 2 servings of steamed vegetables

Vigorous

Breakfast:

• 6 oz fat free yogurt
• 1 tsp psyllium husk
• 1 apple
• 1 cup of coffee with one packet of sugar and 1 tsp of milk or cream

AM Snack:

• 2 oz lean roast beef

Lunch:

• 2 cups green salad
• ½ cucumber, sliced
• 1 cup steamed vegetables
• 1 orange

PM Snack:

• 1 reduced fat cheese stick

Dinner:

• 1 cup green salad
• 1 cup steamed vegetables
• 1 ½ cup broth based soup
• 1 pear

The meal plans above are designed for each module of the 4 Day Diet. For several modules, Dr. Smith provides strict meal plans that remain the same for each day, yet with other modules, the meal plans vary from day to day. In addition to following the meal plan, be sure to add the recommended exercises to your daily routine. Within 28 days, you should start to have healthier eating habits and see some change in your weight and body fat.