Don't Stop Believin'!

I think I give up too easily.  Not always, and not on everything.  Mostly just on eating right.
21 day cleanse?
After about 5 days, I realized that H and I can't afford to eat Paleo right now because it's just too expensive to keep lots of meat and veggies in a house where 2 people eat 5-6 times a day.  Our budget was crying when I tried to figure out how to afford good groceries.
Walls like this really bum me out.

So it's now almost 2 weeks before the "big day" and I'm not at my goal weight/body type.  I'm not even close.  I wish I could blame it all on not having money for groceries (Um, have you noticed how processed foods are a million times cheaper than healthy foods? What's up with that?!) but I have to admit that I've been unmotivated for getting my butt to the gym lately.  With H's new night-shift work schedule, I have a hard time sleeping alone in the house, which means I'm exhausted by the time 7am rolls around and end up sleeping in for a couple extra hours instead of putting on my running shoes.  Yes, I'm lazy.  I suck.  Moving on.

Thankfully, even if we can't eat strict Paleo, we can eat following The Abs Diet.  Pre-Paleo, we were eating following TAD and it worked very well for us.  In fact, the only reason we switched to Paleo is because H wanted to eat even cleaner than we already were.  TAD is very similar to Paleo, except it allows for low-fat dairy, whole grains, and other healthy carbs in moderation.  So for the past couple weeks, we've been following TAD more than Paleo.  H first turned me on TAD when we first got together about 4 years ago, and he had already been following TAD for about a year.  He had the books about it, which I read, and it makes sense.

If you want a healthy and in-shape body, you have to put good and healthy things into it.  Bad things = bad body.  Duh.  Seems simple.  I'm not going to lie--it's nice to have whole grains and low-fat dairy again.  Don't get me wrong; we aren't going crazy with it and having oatmeal, bread, potatoes, and cheese at every meal.  But we're not afraid to have a little cheese on our salads, brown rice with our stirfry, or a small bowl of oatmeal in the morning. 

I've also started keeping track of everything I eat.  This is something I haven't done in about 5 years, when I lost a bunch of weight back then.  It really keeps me focused when I see exactly how much I've eaten throughout the day and it makes me second guess eating that handful of pretzels or ordering dinner in instead of making it myself.  Today, I planned out all of my meals and stuck to them.  I almost gave in and hit up a drive through because I've got a bad cold and didn't feel like making anything to eat, but instead I went home and stuck to the plan.  And now, after having stuck to my eating/meal plans all day, I feel so good!!  I"m so proud of myself for not giving up and for staying strong. 

I believe that I can do this.
I believe that by the time I move back to my parents' house in June (after H leaves for OSUT) I will be down to my goal weight.
I believe that once I'm at my parents' house, I won't start eating unhealthy and I won't stop working out.
I believe in myself.
I believe in my goals.

Maggie Goes On A Diet...

A self-publishing author out of Hawaii has published a book about a pre-teenage girl who thinks she is overweight, so she goes on a diet and transforms into the healthier, soccer-star teenager she wants to be.  Great idea of a book if:

A) the focus was on being healthy, eating right, and staying active and in-shape
B) it wasn't a picture book intended for 6- to 12-year-olds

Check out the editorial article about the book here

I agree with the editorial's author in that young girls should not be focused on whether or not they are "fat" and that "skinny" is the only way to be happy, but I disagree with the statement of "let little [kids] be little [kids]" for 2 reasons.  First of all, little kids, without the proper guidance about what's healthy and what's good for them, will eat whatever they can--including massive amounts of sugary foods that aren't going to do anything for their health, their physical development, or their self-esteem.  Second, if we wait until kids are teenagers to start teaching them and encouraging them to make healthy choices, instead of raising them so that healthy choices are natural and what they have grown up with, then we've waited too long.  So while this book's author went about this is probably a way that is going to turn more people against his book, the basic idea behind the book (aka: help your kid make healthy choices) is a good one.

H and I have talked about this topic for a long time, and have a plan.  We don't want our kids to focus on body image--there will be absolutely no pinching body fat, sly "need to lose" weight comments, or anything like that in our house.  It's inappropriate and all it does is tear apart body image and break down self-confidence.  Instead, we want our kids to grow up in a house where they are taught to make healthy lifestyle choices from a very young age and understand why we make those choices.  We want them to understand what's good for them and how to keep that in their life through being active, and to build their self-confidence and body image through that.  This is extremely important to us, and something that we want our kids to know from the moment they are old enough to understand it.

Will our kids read this book.
Heck no!
Will our kids know that being active, staying in shape, and making healthy food choices is expected of them and important to our family and their well-being.
Absolutely.

xoxo, M

Dirty Thirty...Again!

Last night at the Rec, H and I did the Dirty Thirty again, and I cut my time by like 2 minutes!  The first time we did it my time was 13:20, mainly because I had to take longer breaks in between rounds, especially towards the end.  This time, not only did I rest a little less between rounds, but I upped my weight in both the dumbell squat-clean-presses and the overhead ball toss!  I feel so accomplished!  11:36 was my time last night - go me!  I really really wanted to cheat on the burpees---burpees are legit the bane of my existence.  Not kidding.  I hate them.  I hate them like cats hate water.  Like Popsicles hate a hot day.  Like Ke$ha hates dignity.

Doing them at the Rec always makes me feel silly, because I feel like all the guys are staring at me and judging.  "Ew, who's that girl who is actually doing a real workout and not just jogging on the elliptical?  Gross."  Although, just a side note, I feel like a girl who actually does a legit workout and not just jog for 2 hours should be sexier...just my opinion (I know H would agree--he always tells me that I'm sexier when I'm doing CrossFit than when I'm just running).  But I did them, and while I hated every minute of it, I felt good for doing them. 

Today, I had a million errands to run, especially for the new job so we haven't hit the gym yet--but when we do, it's going to be a kick-butt AMRAP and I"m pretty pumped!  I've been looking forward to it all day.  Tonight, we are making the yummiest Paleo dinner:  bacon burgers with veggies, corn on the cob, and fresh salad.  I don't know what I'm more excited about...the AMRAP or dinner!  :)  I always feel so much better after a quality day of Paleo and CrossFit!

xoxo, M

My Arms and the Army

Yesterday was the first real day back in the gym in a long time. Yes, we did go to the gym on August 1, but that was 2 weeks ago!  Ugh, I feel gross.  I hate going that long without hitting the gym.  I ran a couple laps on the track, and that seriously made my chest burn---key indicators that my body is mad at me because I haven't run lately.  H had me focus on my arms, back, and chest because it's been so long and I still have a dream to be able to do a full, properly formed dip before summer is over.  After lots of lat pulls, tricep pulls, tricep extensions, chest presses, bench presses, shruggs, and dips (with higher weights than normal on all of them, and new forms on the dips), I decided that just wasn't enough so I hopped onto the leg press and instead of starting at 70lbs and working up to 85lbs, I started at 85lbs and worked up to 115lbs.

Needless to say, I woke up barely able to move my upper body and arms.  :)
Gosh I love that feelling!

You know how I know I'm sick and twisted?  I can't wait to go back today!  Our community center gym is closed all week for maintenance, so we get to use the gym at our local University for free---totally okay with us, because they have free weights and barbells, which our community center gym does not.  Round 2 starts today!

In other news, to help H celebrate finally signing his Army contract, I made him an awesome dinner!  Cedar plank salmon, roasted crab legs, and broccoli!  Check out the recipes and try it for yourself--we paired it with Leinenkugel Summer Shandy and it was a perfect celebration dinner!!  Yum!

xoxo, M

Cedar Plank Salmon and Roasted Crab Legs

Had to help H celebrate signing his contract and swearing into the Army, so a delicious, (mostly) Paleo-friendly seafood feast was in order!

It was really simple to make, and soooo good!

Honey-Balsamic Cedar Plank Salmon
4 salmon fillets (preferably fresh from the seafood section, not the frozen food section)
1 Tbl  salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 c honey
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
2 Untreated cedar planks (VERY IMPORTANT that they are UNtreated)
Olive oil

Soak the planks in water for 2 hours minimum to prevent burning or fire.

Turn on the broiler.  Put planks 5 inches under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until wood starts to brown but not burn.  Use tongs and remove the planks from the broiler.  Turn oven to 400*.  Immediately oil the planks with olive oil, then lay salmon fillets skin-side down on the planks (2 fillet per plank).

Cut 4-6 small slits in the salmon flesh down the length of each fillet to give places for the glaze to sink into.  Mix salt, pepper, and mustard in a bowl.  Sprinkle mix over top of salmon fillets (not the skin-side).  Put honey in a glass bowl and heat for 30 seconds to make it a little more liquidy.  Mix in balsamic vinegar, then baste over salmon fillets.  Make sure to reserve half of the liquid to baste half-way through cooking.

Put the planks into the oven (with a cookie sheet on the shelf below to catch any runoff) and bake for 10 minutes.  Baste the salmon, then bake until cooked to your liking.  We did another 10 minutes and it was perfect for how thick our fillets were.

 Fresh salmon fillets.

 Seasoned and basted salmon on the pre-baked cedar planks.

 The final product: delicious!!

We also did roasted crab legs, but that just consisted of taking the crab legs out of the bag, wrapping the shoulders in foil, and baking on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes--that barely counts as cooking lol!

A perfect celebration dinner!  (Especially paired with some Summer Shandy!!!)

Ditching My Scale

I'm an avid reader of different Paleo and CrossFit blogs, partially because it keeps me motivated, partially because they post some really great research stuff and information (including recipes!) about the topics, and partially because I really enjoy their sarcastic sense of humor.  What can I say?  My first fluent language was sarcasm (thanks to my mom and dad) and I enjoy people who speak it well.

Some of my top picks are FitBomb (for his information and articles), Nom Nom Paleo (for her kick butt recipes and her great sense of humor about CrossFit), and Everyday Paleo (for everything in between and more)

Recently, Everyday Paleo has been ranting about scales.  You can read it all here (pt 1) and here (pt 2) but basically it's pointing out that you can be 155lbs and fat, or you can be 155lbs and muscular--it's not about the weight, it's about the build of your body at that weight.  My goal has been to get down to 135 and be lean/muscular; I've been 135 before, but never with muscle and never toned.  H has really pushed me to get to the point of believing that it's not about the number on the scale, it's about how my clothes fit and how my body looks.  I've read the articles, I've heard him tell me all of this, but for some reason the number on the scale has been really important to me.  I know, I know, muscle weighs more than fat, blah blah blah.  I get it.  It's just getting myself to stop stepping on that stupid scale in the bathroom.

For the past 2 weeks, my weight has not changed.  I have been at a solid 165 every time I step on the bathroom scale.  I was hoping maybe our scale somehow decided that 165 was its favorite number so I started weighing myself at the gym, too.  Guess what?  My scale does not have a favorite number--my body apparently does.

This became frustrating.  To the point I had a minor (like 3 minute long) breakdown to H about how I'm working so hard at the gym and at CrossFit and how I'm following Paleo 95/5 and for some reason all of a sudden nothing is changing.  He was quick to point out I was wrong (I usually am...don't tell him that) because I've gained a lot of muscle and strength the past few weeks.  I'm upping my starting weight and my max weight, I'm able to do more reps at my usual weights, and I can actually see some muscle definition (woo hoo!) in my arms, back, and shoulders.  Once again it went in one ear and out the other because it wasn't really making me feel better about the number on the scale.

Then it happened.  ::insert "duh duh DUH" music here::
I put on a pair of cotton capri pants that I'd bought about a 2 months ago purposefully in a size and a half smaller than what I was wearing at that time.  When I bought them, I couldn't really button them.  2 weeks ago, I could button them but they were still tight.  This week I put them on and they were actually getting a little loose.
Let me repeat that for you incase you missed it:
I put on pants that were a little tight 2 weeks ago (when I weighed 165) and they were a little loose (also when I weighed 165)

I hate to say it, but H and Everyday Paleo were right--ditch the scale!  My weight hasn't changed, but clearly my waistline and the build of my body are.  It's frustrating to get on that scale everyday and see the same number, but clearly something is happening to improve my body, and I like it!

Does this mean I'm going to throw away my scale?  Heck no!  I paid good money for that thing (and by good money, I mean $7 at Target!)  But I'm going to stop getting on it every time I pee, or brush my teeth, or take a shower, or just go into the bathroom for kicks and giggles.  And I'm going to attempt to get my mind to accept the idea that the number on the scale is just a number.  

xoxo, M

Updates and Experiments

Alright.  I am 5 weeks in officially today.
I am down 15lbs total.
I have lost 4 inches off my waist.
Most of my stomach problems have gone away.
I have a ton more energy.
I can tell I'm getting stronger, and I can even see my muscles developing.
I'm recovering faster after workouts, and I can workout longer and run longer without getting as winded.
My calluses are getting bigger (yay inspiration!)

Overall, after 5 weeks of Paleo and working out/lifting/CrossFit, I am officially obsessed with this new lifestyle and I can't believe I didn't do it sooner!  Before I started all of this, I bought a really adorable bikini that I want to fit into.  I put it on, took pics (no, I will not show them to you--they are scary, and I don't want to have it come back and bite me in the butt when you want compensation for your therapy bills because of what you saw) then hung the pics in the kitchen.  Yesterday, H made me put the bikini back on, which has been happily living hanging on my dresser mirror, and retake my pics.  There is definitely a difference!  I'm by no means ready to wear that thing to a public beach (oh God, could you imagine the therapy bills?!) but I'm proud that it fit better yesterday than it did 2 months ago.  Yay progress!

I've been doing some experimenting in the kitchen, too!

I made some awesome roasted broccoli (it gives it a nuttier taste, and is very yummy!) and a tasty easy roast pork loin, and yesterday I made Paleo-friendly mayo so I could make egg salad today.  So far, all 3 experiments (which is what H likes to call them...) turned out great and I'm really impressed with myself.

As for working out, we'll have a lot more time for that now.  H will be leaving for the military a little sooner than expected, and we've been really buckling down on working out to get him into the right shape to get into the program he wants.  While it means he'll be leaving me a little sooner than planned (and therefore I must be down in size a little sooner than planned so I can fit into a size 8 wedding dress!) I'm excited for his adventure and show him how much progress I'm going to make while he's gone for 17 weeks at OSUT and Airborne School--he's going to come home and I'm going to be out-of-control-sexy-strong! ;)

I've had a lot of people asking about what I eat with Paleo and how it works, and I think the greatest place to see what to eat is Rob's Quick Start Guide and the best place to see why I eat Paleo and how it works is Fitbomb's explanation.  If you're interested in trying out Paleo, even just for a couple weeks to see how it works, these are 2 great resources to get you started.

Pull-Ups Can Suck-It

Tonight was our last night of On-Ramp classes at Rugged Fitness - CrossFit Findlay and it was a tough one for sure.  We got there and there was a girl there doing her second On-Ramp class, so Jon worked with her and Scott worked with H, myself, and another girl who is only in her second week of CrossFit--so we were all pretty new and low-skill together.  We rowed for our warm-up (um, I totally want my own rowing machine!) and stretched, and then we worked on pull-ups as our skill...awesome.  Note:  last word is to be read sarcastically.  As sarcastic as possible.

Fact:  I hate pull-ups.
Fact:  I have basically no upperbody strength, a key component to pull-ups.
Fact:  Pull-ups are freaking hard to do (even with a band) and are the bane of my existance.

So Scott started us off using bands to do strict pull-ups. 

Even using the band, I could only do like 2 full extension ones and then only like 2 or 3 more partial ones.  H totally kicked butt with it (he's such a stud!) and the other girl (Tina) did pretty well with it--she's totally my hero right now!  They were really hard to do, and at one point I just wanted to cry (psht, this is becoming a normal feeling in my CrossFit workouts) but I'm not giving up.  I really need to improve my upperbody strength, and this is totally going to be the way to do it.  Also, it's building on my calluses, and you know how much I'm loving that!!  :)

We learned kipping pull-ups, too, but I absolutely suck at those.  We did those without the band, and I could barely do anything but swing--thankfully, that's what Scott wanted us to do.  But kipping pull-ups are no walk in the park, and are going to make me angry--I can tell already.  It doesn't help that I can't really pull my own body weight up right now, and that every time I tried I got a stabbing pain in my left shoulder.  Here's what a good kipping pull-up should look like:

Yeah.  I definitely can't do that.  I look like a fool even trying...I guess that just means I have room to grow.  (This is my attempt to stay positive at pull-ups and not get angry at the stupid pull-up bar every time I look at it)

The WOD today was a Tabata of kettlebell swings, sit-ups, and squats.  Tabata is when you do one activity for 20 seconds, then rest 10, then repeat that setup for 8 sets (so 4 minutes of that activity), then do it all over again for the other 2 activities.  This totals 12 minutes of work.  Sounds like it shouldn't be that hard, right?  WRONG.  Here's a guy doing the Tabata for squats only.  

 

 

 So go ahead, do that.  Then do it all over again for kettlebell swings.  And then again for sit-ups.  Ready to throw up yet?  Cause I was.  I told Scott that every time he leads the WOD I feel like I need to workout--he laughed and told me that's his goal!  But hey, a good workout is one that pushes you, and Scott definitely pushes me!  So after the Tabata was over, I had done 163 reps total--not bad for my first one!

Our On-Ramps are now over and we can officially become part of the CrossFit gym.  I wasn't sure at first, before going to the On-Ramps, if this was something I could do or would even want to do, but now that I'm into it, I'm seriously obsessed.  It's hard, and it's challenging, and it really does make me feel like throwing up/crying some days (okay, most days) but it's helping me do things I never thought I could do and the feeling I have after I leave is one of the best feelings around!  Plus, it's all scalable (meaning they start you at levels/weights that you can manage and increase as your ability increases) so it's completely doable!  I recommend if you're looking for a great way to get in shape and to really build muscle, look into CrossFit.  Most CrossFit gyms let you do a few beginner classes for free, too, so you can try it out and go from there.  But seriously, look into it.

It's intense (but not like camping, because H makes fun of me for using that pun too much)

xoxo, M

Mmmmeatballs

Mmmmmeatballs!  Such an easy recipe, and it has H's stamp of approval, so it's gotta be at least decent ;)

1 lb very lean ground beef OR 1/2 lb very lean ground beef and 1/2 lb lean turkey sausage
1 egg
1/4 c finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 c finely chopped white onion
1 Tbl minced garlic
1/2 Tbl dried Italian seasonings
1/3 c ground flax seed
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (the spicy ones)
2 Tbl coconut oil or EVOO
2 cups of Tasty Tomato Sauce or any other Paleo-friendly tomato sauce

Mix meat, egg, pepper, onion, garlic, seasonings, flax, and red pepper flakes together in a bowl

 Don't be afraid to get your hands messy!  (H made fun of me for making him take this picture...)

 Once it's all mixed, roll balls into 2-bite-sized meatballs.  I use a melon-baller to get them just the right size.  My hand is in this pic so you can get an idea of how big I make mine.  Remember--the bigger you make them, the longer they need to cook.

 I put them in the freezer for about 10 minutes, just long enough for the meat to set up so they don't fall apart in the pan.  Don't let them freeze, though!  (note: You can freeze them at this point to thaw and cook later)  Pour coconut oil or EVOO into a pan and heat until it's just starting to smoke.  I also add a little minced garlic to the pan to flavor the oil before cooking, just be careful not to let it burn.  Sear the meatballs on each side until just browned--don't burn them (because they are small, they will burn easy so watch them carefully).

 Pour a little sauce in the bottom of the pan, then add meatballs and rest of sauce to cover.

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  If you make your meatballs bigger, you'll want to cook them longer.

xoxo, M

Crossfit Day 1

H and I had our first CrossFit beginners class tonight (called an On-Ramp class) at CrossFit Findaly - Rugged Fitness and it was seriously intense.  It was just the 2 of us and the trainer, Scott, who definitely kicked our butts.  He explained what CrossFit is and took us through the gym's set-up and expectations.  He had us do the warm-up (300m run and stretching) then had us do the intro Workout of the Day (WOD) for time.  The WOD for us was a 450m run (on top of the 300m run we already did), then squats, kettlebell lifts, and box jumps in 3 rounds for 15 reps, then 12 reps, and finally 8 reps.  Doesn't sound like that much right?

WRONG.

It was seriously intense (like camping...hahaha I'm soooo punny!) to the point where I had to modify the box jumps to box steps and I had to walk part of the 450m run, and at one point I was trying to figure out which was closer if I needed to throw up: the trashcan or the parking lot, but I did it.  I did the whole thing.  And I finished in 11:25.  I honestly questioned if I could do it at one point, and I cried when it was all over, but I did the whole WOD, and I'm incredibly proud of myself!  I know I'm going to feel this tomorrow, but the pain is going to be completely worth it.

Before I went to CrossFit, I put a couple of chicken breasts in the crockpot with my tasty tomato sauce and some green olives and turned it on high (for about 3 hours) so when we came home, completely exhausted and starving for protein to fuel our workout, dinner was ready to go.

Add some fresh cut veggies and some ice cold water, and it was a perfect post-CrossFit dinner.

What am I doing to celebrate my CrossFit Day 1 victory?  Going to CrossFit Day 2 on Wednesday :)  Obsessed?  Probably.

xoxo, M

Week Three: DONE!

My brother is in town visiting on weekend leave from the Army, so H and I dragged him out of bed at 8:30am yesterday to go to the gym with us.  JP took advantage of this in 2 ways:  1) to get some exercise in after all the junk food that he eats when he comes to town, and 2) to show off his awesome fitness powers (note: read that last part with extreme sarcasm--it's okay, he knows I love him!)  Of course, he also helps because he pushes H and I to challenge ourselves at the gym, gives his opinion about what exercises work best, and keeps us in check.

Having him there yesterday was great.  I got to show him how far I'm coming along with my weight loss and strength training, and he gave H and I some great encouragement at what we're doing.  He also showed H some of the stuff to expect with the Army, since that's where H will be heading in less than a year.  I did a lot of arms and back weight lifting, as well as worked on my abs.  I also challenged him to some medicine ball exercises, which he hates, so I feel like I sufficiently did my job challenging him!

Today marks the end of my third week on Paleo and really focusing on weight/strength training, and I'm pretty pleased!  Down almost 10 lbs (wavering between 8 lbs and 9 lbs) and I literally screamed and did a happy dance when I measured myself today--down 3 1/2 inches around my waist!  Soooo happy!

Also, H and I go to our first On-Ramp CrossFit class tomorrow evening!  I'm so excited, and I can't wait to see what adding CrossFit to our routine does for us.  Lots of updates to come, so stay tuned!

xoxo, M

My first callus!

Okay.  I know this is weird.  But I'm so proud that I have my very first callus from lifting!  At first, when H told me that I would get calluses, I was grossed out (especially because of how bad his hands are from calluses from lifting) but calluses are like a rite of passage in lifting, and I finally have my first one! 

H says it's just a baby callus, and to be honest you can barely see it, but it's a callus nonetheless, and I'm damn proud of it! I can't wait to get more of them.

Yes.  I'm weird.  And yes, I'm excited about the little things.

xoxo, M

6/8/2011

Mmmm arms day.
Yesterday I really focused on legs at the gym.  Here's my standard procedure:  Run for 30 minutes on the elliptical (roughly 2.25 miles), then hit the weights (bench presses and squats on the Jones machine, leg presses, arms, and back on the circuit machines).  Yesterday I ran and really focused on leg presses, leg curls, and using the medicine ball to do some CrossFit moves that really made my hammies mad at me  :)  But today, H came with me and really pushed me to do more with the weights. 

Truth: I have basically zero upper body strength.
Truth:  H is really pushing me to build my arm strength and back muscles.
Truth:  Every time I do a few more pounds on the bar, it's hard but I feel super proud when I can finally do it!

I also really struggle with form.  Keeping my elbows tucked in, coming all the way down and pushing all the way up, and really making each rep count.  Having H there today meant I pushed myself a lot harder than normal, but it also was a check up on my form, and it means that when I'm there tomorrow I'll be paying a lot more attention to that!  Good--I need to.  I need to get these sexy muscles going! ;)

We also had a really good chat about the whole weight-loss, Paleo, workout thing.  It made me feel a little more secure in what I'm doing, and I was able to really open up to him about things.  I just hope H appreciates/understands how serious I'm taking all of this and how important this is to me--Paleo and weight-lifting is truly changing my outlook on food, body image, self-confidence, and so much more. And I hope he knows how thankful I am to have him by my side as I do it.  <3

In the wonderful world of Paleo...
We made some kick-butt guac today, ala Chipotle-style.  Next time, I'm going to document our making of it and post it here, along with the recipe.  It's seriously so yummy, you don't even need anything to eat it with besides a spoon!
We also stocked up on red, yellow, and orange bell peppers at Meijer today since they were on sale for super cheap.  I sliced them up, cooked them with some sea salt and a little EVOO, and they are delicioso!!  Got to enjoy some super yummy steak tonight, too--always a good thing.

I <3 steak.
That is all.

xoxo, M

Nom Nom Shirt

I currently want this shirt from Nom Nom Paleo.
H says I have to earn it.  And I will.  :)

xoxo, M

Cooking

I love to cook.  Seriously.  That's probably what got me into such bad shape...I love to cook and bake, and then I love to eat what I've cooked and baked.  And while I would think I was being healthy, I really wasn't so much.  No bueno for the waistline.

But I'm finding so many different yummy Paleo recipes!  I took a notebook and started writing down the good-sounding ones so I can have my own Paleo cookbook.  It makes me happy  :)  (hey, gotta enjoy the little things in life)

Tonight's menu:  Ginger Citrus Roast Chicken ala PaleoDietLifestyle.  My intention was to take pics while making it, but I made it in a hurry before work and set it up to marinade in the fridge all day so I can just put it in the oven when I get home, then run to the gym while it cooks.  It seriously took like 15 minutes to make:

-Zest 1 lime and 1 orange
-Mix zest with 1 Tbl grated fresh ginger
-Put mix inside cavity of a roasting chicken (Yes, you have to put your hand in the chicken's butt.  Get over it.  Nobody said Paleo was pretty.)
-Cut zested lime and orange into 8 pieces each and place inside the cavity
-Cut up 2 limes and 1 orange into 8 pieces each and place around/under chicken in roasting pan
-Juice 1 lime and 1 orange into dish with 2 Tbl grated fresh ginger, 1 Tbl EVOO, and a sprinkle of salt
-Roast chicken in oven, basting with juice/ginger/oil mix (figure 20 minutes for each pound of chicken)

I'll post a pic later of the chicken pre-oven and post-oven, as well as letting you know what H and I thought of the final product.  Stay tuned!

xoxo, M

Victory #1!

My first victory! About a month ago I bought a pair of size 12 summery linen pants, knowing they wouldn't fit me until I'd dropped weight--they were a size smaller than I normally wear.  Talk about incentive--Can't wear my new pants until I motivate myself to lose the weight!  

I put them on this morning just to see what they would be like...AND THEY FIT!!  Ahhhh!  I literally went running into the kitchen to find H (who was up making chicken for breakfast before running) and show him my victory!  I'm so happy!  I still have a ways to go (roughly 35 lbs) but I'm so excited about this little victory!

New pants:

Not pleased about that little roll of back fat, but hey--one step at a time!  :)

xoxo, M

Bountiful

It's grocery shopping day!  We were out of meat, down to 2 eggs, and our usual seasonings for food were running low.  Thankfully, Meijer had some good sales, and we were able to score a ton of food without spending a ton of money.  Paleo isn't always cheap--meat can be pricey, fresh veggies and fruit are hard to get at a good price if they aren't in season, and the price of eggs is going up almost as fast as the price of gas.  But the health benefits I'm reaping from clean eating are totally outweighing (or underweighing...hehe...see what I did there?  Because you lose weight eating Paleo...?  I thought it was funny...) the cost of Paleo.

So what does the fridge look like after a Paleo trip to the store?

2 dozen eggs (plus the 2 eggs we had pre-shopping)

3.25 lbs 90/10 lean ground beef

1 whole roasting chicken

18 lbs chicken breasts

8 Angus beef trimmed steaks

2 heads of lettuce

Bag of carrots

4 green peppers

1 artichoke (trying it for the first time)

2 packages of raspberries

I'm super excited to try a bunch of new recipes I got from Everyday Paleo and Nom Nom Paleo, who are amazing cooks and who really understand the Paleo way.  They are my new cooking inspirations, and I will totally keep you posted about how the cooking goes.  Tonight, though, is a quickie dinner--H and I both got home late after working out, then had to go to the store, so it's brats on the grill and salads.  Still nomtastic :)

Couch to 5k

2 posts in one day?  Uh oh...

I wanted to include info about the CouchTo5k running program that I'm doing, but I didn't want to include it in my day 10 report. 

I'd originally heard about this from an Army wife friend, Becca, who was doing this to help her lose weight and train for her husband's base 5k race.  I never actually took the time to read about what it was though--just knew she was enjoying it (Pre-Paleo feelings about running:  "gross.") and that running wasn't for me.

A few days ago, I told H that I wanted to try training for a 5k.  I have bad knees due to 12 years of ballet, so running outside tends to hurt me.  Usually, I stick to 2 miles on the elliptical for running and call it a day.  He told me he wanted me to look into the CouchTo5k program, so this time I actually looked into it.

Let me preface this by saying that I love to run on the elliptical.  I love the sweat and the incline and pushing myself to the beat of the music (or Law & Order if it's on at the gym...guilty pleasures are the best!).  But I hate hate hate running outside.  I get bored (weird, I know) and it hurts my knees, so I wasn't too excited about the idea of doing all this running outside on the hard pavement.

However, the CouchTo5k program didn't seem that bad.  Interval running to get you used to running for time and distance.  Gradually stepping up the program until you are ready for a whole 5k.  So I strapped on my Nikes, grabbed the headphones, and headed out the door.  It's not as simple as it sounds, especially for me as a beginning outdoor runner, but it's not so hard that I felt like I wanted to quit.  Infact...::gasp!:: I liked it.  A lot.  To the point where I got up the next morning at 8:30am and went jogging...something I don't think I've ever done.  And liked it!  What is going on?  Am I actually...enjoying running outdoors?! 

...okay I am.  And I kinda like that idea...a lot.

xoxo, M

5/31/2011: Day 10

I'm thinking that maybe by keeping a blog and recording all of this, it will help me stay on track.  I like to blog.  It's cathartic.  So is this weight-loss, happy body image, healthy lifestyle track I'm on.  Seems logical to mix the two, no?  So here we go...

Day 10.  I'm down roughly 5lbs.  This actually surprised me, to the point that I had to get one of H's (the hubs) dumbells to put on the scale to check for accuracy.  I wasn't expecting to see results so soon, mainly because no other "diet" I've been on has shown me results this fast.  (Note: Paleo is not a diet, it's a healthy eating lifestyle.  It's a mindset.  It's a lot of eating like a caveman.  But it's meant to be a lifetime turnaround in the way you think about food.  Hence "diet" being in quotes.)  I know it's a lot of the clean eating--lean meat, veggies, and very few carbs only in the form of fruit--but I also know that my new found drive to workout is a big help. 

Muscles = Fat Eaters.  More muscle, less fat.  I like this idea a lot.  I need to measure myself against my starting measurements, although I'm sure there won't be a huge change there yet.  I have a long way to go on the muscles (think "wimpy, wimpy, wimpy" from the Hefty commercials) but I'm finding weight routines that work for me, especially thanks to the H and his love of lifting.  Soon I will be big and strong like bull ("Hefty, Hefty, Hefty!")

So day 10.  The terrifying "come to Jesus" moment is constantly in the back of my mind.  The thought of losing something so amazing in my life has terrified me into this whole thing, but now that I'm getting into a routine of it, it's actually becoming enjoyable.  Shhh!  Don't tell H--I don't want him to get his "I Told You So" look on his face just yet.  ;)  But I refuse to give up.  I have willpower.  I have incredible willpower.  And now I have an even more important (the MOST important) reason to put my willpower behind my health and body.

I'm now a Paleo People.

xoxo M