yesterdays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, onion, mushroom, romano cheese, butter
m2: baby carrots, string cheese
m3: nf cottage cheese, blueberries, protein powder, coffee w. 1T half n half
m4: beef stew w. kale, mushrooms, carrots, onions, black eyed peas, 1 slice whole wheat toast
m5: salad w. mixed greens, snow peas, avocado, cucumber, tomato, carrots, olive oil, tuna
m6: handful granola, 1 square dark chocolate, peanut butter, apple

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, onion, mushroom, romano cheese, butter
m2: nf cottage cheese, blueberries, flax meal, walnuts, agave, 6oz lf latte
m3: salad w. mixed greens, queso fresco, avocado, tomato, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, chicken breast, sweet potato fries
m4: beef stew w. kale, mushrooms, carrots, onions, black eyed peas, 1 slice whole wheat toast
m5: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey & greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m6: salad w. mixed greens, queso fresco, avocado, cucumber, tomato, carrots, pumpkin seeds, cashews, olive oil, chicken breast, 1 square dark chocolate, handful of granola

week 2 update

so my measurements haven't changed much at all since last week. everything was more or less the same, so i'll not bother to repost it. i'm actually okay with that though for a few reasons. number one, i know from experience that my body sometimes tends to release a few pounds, then hold steady, then let some more go. also, i do know that i wasn't as disciplined last week as i was week 1 and it showed in my results...a good reminder to redouble my efforts and keep the end goal in mind. finally, i am feeling stronger, which is always a good sign. i am determined that next week i will see a more substantial drop in numbers, meaning i'm on really good behavior. and this week is off to a good start in terms of activity...rock climbing yesterday, an hour bike ride today with some decent uphill battles, and this is in addition to my regular turbulence training workouts. i'm all over week 3!

todays eats.
m1: baby carrots, tangerine, string cheese, hazlenuts, 8oz lf latte
m2: wok w. broccoli, cabbage, onions, bean sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, chicken, brown rice, red coconut curry, baby carrots
m3: hummus, pine nuts, celery, red pepper
m4: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey & greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m5: cherry tomatoes, steamed asparagus, cauliflower, sweet potato fries, beef stew w. kale, carrots, mushroom, black eyed peas, lentils

today has been one of those days where i cannot get full. i just can't. i feel like i've eaten a ton today and it's all been pretty good food, but it's also been a higher carb day too. also had a glass of wine at happy hour with a friend. had a kick-butt workout this morning and then went rock climbing this afternoon, so my arms are pretty much jello. will be taking measurements later on today :).

m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, mushroom, onion, romano cheese, butter
m2: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey & greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m3: oatmeal bar w. oats, flax, dried fruit
m4: wok w. broccoli, cabbage, onions, bean sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, chicken, brown rice, red coconut curry, baby carrots
m5: tangerine, americano w. dash half n half
m6: 2 pieces whole wheat toast, hummus, avocado, bell pepper, cucumber, mixed greens, turkey breast
m7: 1 glass red wine, 1 bite mac n cheese
m8: beef stew w. kale, carrots, mushroom, parsley, black eyed peas, lentils, snow peas, 3 ak mak crakers, peanut butter, honey

saturday was an eat stop eat day and so not much to report on the eats side of things. yesterdays eats below and today is week 2 weigh in, so expect some numbers soon.

yesterdays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, onion, gouda cheese, butter
m2: string cheese, tangerine
m3: mixed greens, tomato, bell pepper, broccoli, parsley, avocado, quinoa, kidney beans, wild rice, hijiki, butternut squash, onions, cranberries, olive oil, turkey breast
m4: bread slice, 6 oz lf latte
m5: hummus, baby carrots, celery, bell pepper
m6: wok w. broccoli, cabbage, onions, bean sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, chicken, brown rice, red coconut curry, 2 sweet potato fries
m7: nf cottage cheese, protein powder, peanut butter, dried cranberries

pretty well on track with the eats for today, although i feel like i haven't been nearly as disciplined this week with portion sizes or allowing myself to be a bit hungry and i'm feeling like it shows in my progress. it's always hard to judge by just looking in the mirror, which is what tends to get discouraging, so i know that monday's weigh in will be the real test. regardless, today i turned down chocolate almond ginger toffee and banana chocolate crepe and i stuck to my clean food guns. i did have a glass of wine at dinner this evening but since it's only the second one in almost two weeks i'm okay with that.

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, onion, romano cheese, butter
m2: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey & greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m3: steel cut oats, hemp protein powder, blueberries, nf milk, agave
m4: mega salad w. mixed greens, yellow bell pepper, carrot, avocado, cottage cheese, quinoa, olive oil, hummus
m5: mixed greens, cilantro, avocado, tomato, steak, crepe w. chicken, goat cheese, tomato, bacon, spinach, thyme, 1 glass red wine

yesterdays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, mushroom, carrot, onion, romano cheese, butter
m2: steel cut oats, hemp protein powder, blueberries, nf milk
m3: whole wheat toast, baby carrots, mixed greens, garlic hummus
m4: mega salad w. mixed greens, cucumber, yellow bell pepper, carrot, avocado, tuna, cottage cheese, quinoa, olive oil, few handfuls granola
m5: mixed greens, quinoa, shrimp, green onions, black/kidney beans, tofu, asparagus, snow peas, olive oil

todays eats.
m1: shake w. banana, matcha powder, nf milk, whey
m2: steel cut oats, hemp protein powder, blueberries, pumpkin bread
m3: post wo shake w. banana, berries, nf yogurt, nf milk, whey and greens powder
m4: mixed greens, kale, cabbage, carrot, parsnip, asparagus, quinoa, shrimp, turkey meatloaf, dressing
m5: whole wheat toast, avocado, hummus, roasted bell peppers, 3 squares dark chocolate
m6: sweet potato fries, shredded cabbage & chicken salad, sauteed bok choy
m7: almonds, cashews, cranberries, shredded wheat

another slip...

okay, today wasn't great...not terrible, but definitely not great. i had another momentary lapse of willpower at work that ended with eating an almond croissant. other than that i ate well today, but it was just one of those days where i couldn't get full and after saying no for the twentieth time i finally lost my reserve. it looked something like this:

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, mushroom, onion, romano cheese, butter
m2: steel cut oats, hemp protein powder, blueberries, nf milk
m3: string cheese, tangerine
m4: baby carrots, orange bell pepper, garlic hummus
m5: mega salad w. spinach, mixed greens, cucumber, orange bell pepper, carrot, avocado, tuna, olive oil
m6: almond croissant, oatbar, 5oz lf latte
m7: quinoa, lentils, purple/green cabbage, olive oil, mixed greens

i'm determined to be back on track tomorrow, so look for a clean report then.

it's really progress.

so i have to say that week one was a total success. it's been the first week in a long time where i was active but not neurotic about eating well and got in plenty of exercise and saw immediate results. i realized that i forgot to list my starting stats, so here they are below with my week one numbers right by them. i'm sure some of the bigger measurement losses were water weight, but hey, i'll take it :). here's to a fantastic week two!

weight: 133.4 -- 130
bicep: 11.25 -- 10.75
chest: 31.25 -- 30.25
waist: 28.5 -- 28.5
hips: 35.5 -- 34.5
thigh: 22 -- 21.75
calf: 13.5 -- 13.25

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, mushroom, green pepper, onion, romano cheese, butter, and whole wheat toast
m2: whole wheat toast, almond butter, pear, baby carrots
m3: shake w. banana, berries, whey and greens powder, nf milk, nf yogurt
m4: baby carrots, celery, cilantro hummus
m5: whole wheat toast, cottage cheese, protein powder, cherry tomatoes
m6: chicken breast, leeks, broccoli, fingerling potatoes, lemon butter sauce
m7: granola, dried cranberries, almonds, cashews, small square dark chocolate

one week down

one week of clean eating and solid exercise down and it feels amazing to be back on track. it's unfortunate how quickly i forget how good i feel when i eat well...if only i could brandish that feeling into my brain to call upon for help when my willpower begins to slip. however deeply stored, i know that it's still in there though because no matter what i always find my way back to clean eating and living. the bigger the learning curve, the more deeply instilled the lesson? let's hope so :)

yesterdays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg, spinach, mushroom, green pepper, romano cheese and whole wheat toast w. avocado and roasted bell peppers
m2: small square dark chocolate
m3: shake w. banana, berries, whey and greens powder, nf milk, nf yogurt
m4: baby carrots, celery, snow peas, steamed broccoli, roasted red pepper hummus
m5: mega salad w. spinach, mixed greens, green pepper, carrot, avocado, cottage cheese, hemp protein powder, olive oil

my first slip up

i've got a confession to make today...i had my first dietary slip up of the week. i made the mistake of going to work hungry and by the time my break rolled around my willpower was shot. open mouth, insert chocolate chip scone. everything else was in line, and there are certainly much worse dietary disasters. and, in my defense, i have stuck to my commitment to take a week off of coffee (day 6!). my original plan was two weeks pastry-free, but seeing as this is my first slip up and i don't have any planned cheats before monday, i'm not too upset. i just need to use it as a friendly reminder to not allow myself to arrive at work so hungry. but not too much harm done, everything was on track for the rest of the day.

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg whites, spinach, mushroom, green onion, green pepper, romano cheese, butter
m2: shake w. banana, whey, matcha powder, nf milk
m3: chocolate chip hazelnut scone
m4: mega salad w. spinach, mixed greens, green pepper, carrot, green onion, avocado, sardines, olive oil
m5: prawns, asparagus, green beans, red peppers, some sort of coconut sauce

good form is everything

so, i've recently starting doing a mentorship of sorts at a new gym that's about to open up in town. the guy who owns it has been in the industry for a long time and really knows his stuff when it comes to training. let's just say that working with him is teaching me just how little i know. i am getting absolutely schooled in proper form and, although ridiculously humbling at times, i'm loving (almost) every minute of it. taking it back to basics, lowering my weight, learning to really retract my shoulders, working in the scapular plane, and isolating muscles. it's blowing my mind. i'm realizing just how terrible my form was before and, although i certainly proved that it's possible to lose weight using improper form, i know that it would have caught up to me in the long run. after having this very eye-opening experience, i would recommend that everyone go find a skilled and knowledgeable trainer to work with for a few sessions just to be sure that you're on the right track...even if you're sure you know what you're doing (as i was), it can never hurt to have another pair of eyes. craig also just posted an article by vince delmonte on the importance of proper form on his blog. check it out at http://turbulencetraining.blogspot.com/2009/03/1-factor-in-building-muscle.html. and get thee to a trainer.

todays eats.
m1: eggs, toast, mushrooms, asparagus, salsa, butter, cheddar cheese
m2: oatmeal, hemp protein powder, blueberries, agave
m3: tangerine, string cheese, walnuts
m4: post wo shake w. banana, blueberries, nf milk, nf yogurt, whey and greens powder
m5: soba noodles, chicken breast, broccoli, chard, snow peas, onions, coconut milk

yummy.

another solid day without coffee. i can add about .25 cup of nf milk to my menu below that was added to my various tea throughout the day. yum.

m1: omelette w. egg/egg whites, spinach, mushroom, green onion, green pepper, romano cheese, butter
m2: shake w. banana, berries, whey and greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m3: hummus w. pine nuts, baby carrots, celery, whole wheat toast w. peanut butter & honey
m4: mega salad w. spinach, mixed greens, cucumber, green pepper, carrot, avocado, kidney beans, crabmeat, olive oil
m5: .5 chicken breast, broccoli, kidney beans
m7: tangerine, string cheese, walnuts

eats and thoughts.

yesterday was another home run in terms of nutrition. i ate:

m1: omelette w. egg/egg whites, spinach, mushroom, onion, green pepper, romano cheese, butter
m2: oatmeal w. hemp protein powder, blueberries, agave
m3: tangerines, string cheese, walnuts
m4: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey and greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m5: ahi tuna, veggies, white rice
m6: .5 chicken breast, brussel sprouts, kidney beans
m7: mega salad w. spinach, mixed greens, cucumber, green pepper, carrot, avocado, nf cottage cheese, salsa, olive oil

it feels SO good to be eating clean again and i'm also on day 4 of no coffee. i absolutely notice a difference in my energy levels. i feel like i get hungry sooner when i'm eating small frequent meals (duh) but it's a real hunger and i don't get that sluggish heavy feeling that i get when i'm eating bigger meals. the thing i'm being so blown away with right now is the power that habits, both good and bad, have over me. for some reason something has been holding me back mentally all this time from applying the habits that i learned in another country and a completely different environment to my life back here in the states. it's a little embarrassing to admit, but it really has taken me this many months to find the motivation to do that. and i feel like motivation is the only thing that's holding me back because as i find myself re-instilling these habits into my daily life i am slapped in the face by the realization that it simply is a choice that i make, and that i make again, and that i make again until all those little choices add up to what i define as my lifestyle. it's such a simple concept, but it somehow has been easily contorted in my head since i've been home. as i've been seriously looking at why that is i've realized that part of it is probably that i'd fallen back into the habits that i associated with this environment...i.e. living the way i lived in portland (mostly eating the way i was eating) before i moved to spain and learned a different way. this is one of those unconscious associations i had created between being in portland and functioning a specific way here. i kept blaming it on my job, which granted isn't doing me any favors in terms of weight loss. i know that maintaining low levels of body fat requires a high level of discipline, but being in an environment where i'm staring at pastries for 6-8 hours straight certainly isn't helping my efforts. regardless, i have somehow finally had the epiphany that is allowing me apply the knowledge that i learned in spain (that hasn't gone anywhere) to my life here and create a whole new association between my habits and the choices i make in my life here (and hopefully anywhere else from now on!). this all still continues to be a huge learning process (i guess you can include me in the slow learners club) and i've gotten to the point where i'm no longer willing to let my guard down and act as if i've mastered the whole lifestyle change part...i'm acknowledging that that part may continue to be a struggle for me even for years to come, but i'm proud of myself for continuing to show up and get up after progressing and rebounding so many times. i'm not content to be unhappy with how i look or with modifying my expectations of myself...i've never come close to throwing in the towel and it feels amazing to be back on track and have it feel more or less effortless for now :)

yesterday's eats

on the run today, but here was yesterday's menu:

m1: egg and egg white omelette w. spinach, green pepper, mushroom, romano cheese, butter
m2: oatmeal, hemp protein powder, blueberries, agave
m3: .5 baked chicken breast, brussel sprouts, kidney beans, tangerine
m4: 3 ak mak crackers, hummus, sardines, baby carrots, steamed broccoli
m5: protein shake w. banana, berries, nf yogurt, whey and greens powder
m6: 1 piece whole wheat toast w. almond butter
m7: ahi tuna, veggies, white rice, bread, 1 glass red wine
m8: cottage cheese, protein powder

i know it seems like a lot but portions were small. i ended up out to dinner for meal 7 and was planning on having the 1 glass of wine, but didn't want to have the bread. oh well, slight room for improvement, but overall i'm really happy with my meals yesterday.

it's time.

so i'm probably no longer in the running to win this round of the turbulence training transformation contest. however, i do still plan to celebrate my birthday with abs. which means that it's time to get serious. really serious...no more of this running off to mexico to eat tacos :). that did set me back a bit but i feel like i've finally found the motivation that has come and gone for so long. i have had moments of feeling really motivated over the past several months, but i could never quite shift myself into the mindset where i was ready to be serious consistently...where i was ready to make another huge leap forward. i've been in maintenance for a long time and i've realized that that's an okay place to be, but i'm finally ready to take it to the next level. i told myself when i started this last challenge that i wasn't going to track/post food as long as i was making progress. well, i think the time has come. between now and my birthday (april 30th), i'm going to be posting workouts and what i'm eating as the pounds come off. there is no stopping me this time...that's a promise.

yesterday's menu:

m1: egg/egg white omelette w. spinach, mushroom, onions, green peppers, butter, romano cheese
m2: oatmeal, hemp protein powder, agave
m3: string cheese, walnuts, tangerine
m4: post wo shake w. nf yogurt, banana, mixed berries, greens and whey powder
m5: huge salad w. spinach, mixed greens, green onion, green pepper, cucumber, avocado, sprouts, sardines, baked tofu, olive oil
m6: cottage cheese, hemp protein powder

i'll be posting updated stats and photos within the next day or two. yay!

thought for the day

something i read today that caught my attention..."upheaval is a part of life, and if you're on a path of growth, you'll experience more of it than if you hide from growth. when you resist upheaval as it occurs, you suffer." for some reason this brought me such a sense of peace. i know that i always have this unrealistic expectation that i'll just do the work and then one day i'll "be there" and everything will be great from that day on. but life is more cyclical than that and right now mine just so happens to be in a state of upheaval and that's okay because it means that i am growing and good things are on the way. in the meantime, i'm feeling more and more on track every day with my fitness goals. yesterday was another solid day of eating...

meal 1: oatmeal, whole egg, bluberries, walnuts
meal 2: spinach hummus, celery, bite of banana bread, small nf latte
meal 3: brown rice, coconut milk, cabbage, onions, broccoli, carrots, shrimp, green curry paste

a quick update

today was a pretty good day. i worked my butt off in the gym. super short workout, but i'm up to 25 lbs on the one arm overhead press and we'll just have to see if i can lift my arms overhead tomorrow. went to a new yoga class this evening too. food was pretty good today. lots of good nutrition...did eat some sugar, mostly pre/post workout. finished my fast around 11:30 and i had:

meal 1: .5 chocolate muffin, macchiato
meal 2: .5 odwalla super protein shake
meal 3: fresh-cut spinach pasta, spinach, walnuts, olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese
meal 4: .5 odwalla super protein shake
meal 5: lf yogurt, whey protein, greens powder, blackberries
meal 6: kale, apples, onions, garlic, mixed greens, spinach, sweet potatoes, turkey meatloaf...yum!

i was flipping through an old magazine today and found an article in which the author was discussing the different ways that we document our lives (photo albums, scrapbooks, videos, etc) and how we define ourselves by who we know, where we've been, what we've done. but she then went on to speculate that "the story of our lives is told as much by what we cook and eat as by anything else." she encouraged the reader to imagine making an autobiographical cookbook and then postulated that "along with the development of your eating habits, wouldn't it also track the progress of your soul?" and i think that, for me, there is a lot of truth in that statement. the times when my soul has felt a little more at peace or that i've felt more grounded in my life are generally the times when i am eating a nourishing diet easily and enjoying it. and the times when life seems to be falling apart or the going gets rough (ironically, the times when a nourishing diet is most critical) are the times when i fall into destructive eating patterns or eat things that don't support my body and its well-being. it made me sad to think that my autobiographical cookbook would seem to have multiple personalities, and would be one that i would be proud to share with others only some of the time. when i'm at my weakest i realize that i tend to always rationalize poor food choices by telling myself that i can always get on track tomorrow, or next week, or some undetermined time in the future. but the truth is is that the choices that i make today matter in the long run and it's okay to make a poor choice every once in a while (especially when made consciously), but justifying a string of poor choices because there's always time in the future to make good ones is a recipe for disaster...that's one recipe i'd like to exclude from my autobiographical cookbook.

with that said, today was another good day. my yum for eating food included:

meal 1: spinach, eggs, parmesan, roasted red pepper sauce
meal 2: nf latte, whey protein, baby carrots, string cheese, celery, peanut butter
meal 3: brown rice, coconut milk, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, onions, shrimp

today's an impromptu eat stop eat day. i have to say that i still love the flexibility that eat stop eat gives me. i haven't been planning my fasting days in anymore, but am just taking them when they seem necessary (ahem, day after thanksgiving anyone?) and it seems to be working well for me. yay :)