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.

Comparisson Photos

March 27, 2011

August 15, 2011

March 27, 2011

August 15, 2011

Today's WOD

I've been a bad CrossFitter.  I couldn't even tell you the last time we went to CrossFit down in Findlay, and we've been bad about hitting the gym the past week.  H and I have been so busy with prepping him for the Army, job hunting, and all my Avon stuff (I've been recruiting new reps like crazy!) and we've really gotten out of the habit of the gym.  I hate it--I feel like I'm being a waste, and I feel more guilty than you can possibly imagine!  We've done a little bit of stuff around here, though.  We've done some weight circuits at the house, and H has been rucking to prep for the Army, so my weight hasn't been going up or anything...it just hasn't gone down either.  Putting on my bathing suit, though, you can clearly see that my love handles and muffin top are diminishing, and I'm leaning out!

H has to hit 22% body fat within the next week if he wants to get his special forces contract for the Army, so it's been strict Paleo around here.  I'm okay with that---I think I needed to refocus myself anyway.  I made homemade apple chips using our dehydrator the other day so I can have something to munch (thanks Sweets and Sneakers on the Go, which is written by a college friend of mine, for the idea!) and H made homemade beef jerky in the dehydrator so we can have some quick protein after the gym or on the road.  We've been eating a TON of eggs and steak lately, and I don't think our fridge has been without peppers in almost a month thanks to Berman Orchards in Port Clinton.  (They also have the most INCREDIBLE Georgia peaches, which we buy in large quantities since it's an hour drive for us to get there, but it's so worth it---if you're even remotely in the area, you need to make visiting Bergman's a top priority!) 

So we've been refocused on eating strict Paleo again to help H cut body fat, and man has it done wonders for him!!  He's leaning out like crazy and it's making me so jealous!  It's like he eats lean for 2 days and drops an inch off his waist; I eat lean for 2 weeks and I'm lucky if I drop an inch---soooOOOOooo unfair!  Stupid boys and their stupid ability to drop weight easy...  ::pout::

So I'm like 25 pounds from my goal weight, which makes me really happy because that means I've lost 20 pounds already.  I bought my wedding dress for our JoP wedding in November, and I'm hoping that they'll need to take it down a bit when I go in for my last fitting!  ::fingers crossed::  Today, though, H really kicked my butt at the gym.  Our CrossFit Findaly gym is currently being moved to a new location and won't reopen until August 8, so we did our own WOD at the local college rec center:

The Dirty Thirty (as named by H)
5 squat to hang clean to push presses with dumbells
5 push ups
5 overhead toss-and-catches with a medicine ball
5 burpees
5 flutter kicks

Do this circuit 6 times, resting 45 - 60 seconds between each set.

Oh.  My.  Gosh.  I didn't think it would end up being that bad.  It's only 5 of each exercise at a time, right?  This kicked my butt.  By the time I got done with my sixth set, I was pretty sure I was going to throw up.  My shoulders hurt, and I know that because of the squats I'll be hurting tomorrow for sure.  PS. Prior to our WOD, we ran and did hang-clean skill sets.  Ouch.  On the bright side, afterwards we jumped in the pool and relaxed for a bit---nothing feels better after a hot, sweaty workout than floating in a cool pool.

So now we're back on track.  I feel good great!  :)

xoxo, M

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.

Little Victories

If I started Paleo/CrossFit just to enjoy the big victories, like finally hitting my goal weight or being able to push press 80% of my body weight or having all of my health problems disappear due to a new eating lifestyle, then I would never have a chance to celebrate (And lets be honest, I look for any chance to celebrate anything!  Hello, celebration drink!), and it would be so much harder to make it to the big victories (see above) if I didn't celebrate the little ones that pop up inbetween.

My current "little victories": 
-fitting into my shorts from last summer that a month ago I couldn't squeeze my thighs into, let alone the rest of my body
-being able to button up my dress pants that haven't fit me for over a year
-having more muscle control when I come down from a pull-up
-being able to run laps at the gym on the track without getting so winded I can't even make it all the way around one loop (yes, I was that out of shape...don't judge me...)
-successfully making it through 2 nights of CrossFit without giving up or throwing up

So grab your celebration drink (mine is water with a lime wedge) and toast to your own little victories!  Celebrate them, enjoy them, and remember that without the little victories there would be no big victories!

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

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

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