Day 21

Just when I thought these days couldn't get any better.  After spending the night in Ann Arbor, our friends, Justin and Irene, invited us to go sailing with them on their new sailboat.  Little known fact about me: I have always wanted to learn how to sail.  And today, I did just that!  It was perfect weather with great wind.  We spent 2-3 hours out on the lake and had a picnic in the park.  Such an awesome day.

Today completes 3 weeks of my little experiment!

I did the worst thing possible though....I had a kid's meal from Burger King.  I know I said no fast food, but I think it will be alright considering I've stayed true to good food and exercise thus far.  Gonna go hit the gym to work it off.

Breakfast:
-Bacon and super deliciously spiced/herbed potatoes

Snack:
-Bread and a little cheese
-Orange slices

Dinner:
-Kid's meal of shame

Day 20

An awesome, awesome day.  Went to Ann Arbor again to celebrate our good friend's birthday and to hear chapters 3-5 of The Hobbit read aloud.  There was another epic spread yet again.  I only nibbled this time since I ate right before we left.

I have worked out every day this week and I'm soooo proud.

Breakfast:
-Apple juice
-Whole wheat bagel with jam

Lunch:
-Spinach salad with 1/4 tuna

Dinner:
-Roast beef sandwich with veggies

Hobbit Dinner (sample sizes)
-Greens with vegan dressing
-Beef Wellington
-Potato leek soup
-Fresh baked bread with vegan spread

Day 19

Breakfast:
-12oz coffee

Lunch:
-Veggie salad
-Pineapple

Dinner:
-2 Eggs, wheat toast, potatoes, turkey bacon

Day 18

All caught up!  I just got back from a ridiculously amazing workout.  3 miles in 30 minutes on that silly step/running/skiing machine thing, 15 minutes arms, then the best part -- I don't know what came over me, but I jumped in the pool with all my clothes on and swam lengths for 15 minutes.  That. Felt. Incredible.

Breakfast:
-Orange juice from Owen

Lunch:
-Green tossed salad with a 1/4 cup of tuna salad
-7 crackers

Dinner:
-Small penne rosa from Noodles (boyfriend took me on a date!)

Such an amazing day.

Days 15-17

Wow, you guys.  It has been a ridiculous past couple of days.  I have stayed healthy and active, but there were several events that happened that took me away from a computer (sister going to the ER, Chris needing to go to Grand Rapids, busy stuff).

Anyway, my routine has stayed consistent over the past few days.  Light breakfast, salad for lunch and something light for dinner.  I will post today's meals and workout later.  Just thought I should let everyone know I didn't drop off the face of the earth.

The one thing I did do that I need to report was have a mai thai last night.  Granted, it was mostly juice, but it was still a drink nonetheless.  These things in moderation, I suppose.  My next drink will be in celebration of this being complete!

Day 13 and 14

Whew!  What an awesome weekend!  I ended up in Kalamazoo with some musical folk and we jammed all of Friday well into the night.  I did not have internet available, but believe me when I say that I ate soooo well.  My friend has an amazing mother who is a phenomenal cook.  Dinner consisted of two different healthy salads, fruit, and sloppy joe for those who wanted it.  So good -- huge shout out to everybody at that event! I had a couple of chocolate covered strawberries for dessert and a glass of wine later in the evening.

I visited my hometown today.  Got on the scale for the first time in 2 weeks and...I've lost 4 pounds!  Small accomplishment, but I am proud :) Spent most of today driving and hanging out with people including my sister.  It was a lovely couple of days.

Breakfast (for today):
-2 sausage links
-2 eggs
-A blueberry pancake
-Orange juice

Lunch/Dinner
-Fresh baked bread
-Grapes
-Spinach salad

I was pretty full from breakfast for most of the day.  I ate when I got into my hometown later in the evening. 

That is one thing I have definitely been noticing -- I am getting full a lot sooner than before.  My portions for meals have changed significantly compared to before.  I have also noticed a change in my sleeping habits too.  I haven't slept very heavily in days, but when I wake up, it's easy to go right back to sleep.  I have tons of energy and don't feel tired after I eat, which is amazing considering all the full days every week. :)

Day 12 and the dragonfly

The dragonfly?  I learned today that the dragonfly is the symbol of transformation.  If I could only put into words how rare of a sight it was to see this big, beautiful dragonfly appear as I sat discussing plans with the new program we are developing for a local musical organization.  If I could only describe to you all of the things it made me think of when it landed on the light just above my head.

I'll get to it some time.  I'm still wrapping my mind around it.

Breakfast:
-Lemonade

Lunch:
-Campbell's Select Harvest chicken tortilla soup with light sour cream

Dinner:
-Grilled chicken with tomato basil sauce
-Asparagus
-Roasted potatoes (and a few french fries...not many, but I'm being honest)

I will write more on the dragonfly when I'm not falling asleep as I type.

Day 11

I wish my days were more interesting to blog about.  They always start the same -- I went to work!  Got out around 6pm and met up with some cool people for food!  It's been kind of a lazy evening, which I can appreciate since these days have been rather long.  I have Friday off, so that will be nice to have a long weekend.  I'm going to jam with some folks well into Friday night.  Can't wait to break out my fiddle and my guitar :)

Breakfast:
-Whole wheat toast with peanut butter

Lunch:
-Garden salad
-Cup of broccoli cheddar soup

Snack:
-Handful of nuts
-Banana

Dinner:
-Fit Fare Slam at Denny's: egg whites mixed with spinach and grape tomatoes, turkey bacon, fruit, and a multigrain English muffin

Day 10

Woot!  10 days is hardly any time at all, but I miraculously see subtle changes happening to me on the outside.  Kind of remarkable, actually.  It's so hot that I still feel unmotivated to run, but am about to do it any way.  The plan is this: walk the 1/2 mile to the gym, run on the treadmill in the air conditioned room, walk back. 

Breakfast:
-Bananannanaanaaa (just one ;p)

Lunch:
-Broccoli and spinach salad
-Mixed nuts
-Grapes

Snack:
-Handful of blueberries
-Handful of almonds

Dinner:
-Spicy chicken salad with avocado

Can't believe tomorrow is Wednesday already.  Halfway through this ridiculous week!

My relationship with food

This experience has already sparked a bunch of interesting things that I didn't truly consider until now.  Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my relationship with food now that I am being mindful of what I eat.  I would describe myself as an impulsive eater.  I don't know if that's an actual term, but I know that whenever I wanted food, even if I wasn't hungry, I would find something to eat.  It got to a stage a little while ago where I could drive past a Subway or Taco Bell, get the taste in my mouth, and somehow end up buying food from those establishments.  My relationship with food has indeed been a gluttonous one, in that regard.

On the other hand, I love the experience of food.  I truly enjoy eating.  I like to try different things, cook new recipes when I have the time, and eat locally if I'm ever out traveling.  I have always thought of good food as art.  Cooking takes time and energy.  Even if it's something simple to make, someone put the time and the energy into making sure it tastes good.  I think that's worth appreciating.  Mind you, I have more appreciation for a home cooked meal than I do for McDonald's, but you get the idea.

While food has been delightful in that sense, it has also been a demon at times.  Due to the impulsive tendencies and my love for eating, I naturally turn to food when I am stressed.  I've always found it fascinating that I eat when I'm stressed and my sister does not.  I think it's fascinating that some people have a reluctant attitude towards food, or even an apathetic one.

I have decided to do some pretty heavy research into nutrition and food relationships because of these thoughts and the discussion I've had with some friends.  I'd like to get to know that side of myself a little better instead of just regarding it as something I need to do to survive.

Day 9

Well, today was an interesting one.  Work was super long again -- honestly can't wait for orientation to be over.  I had a tiny splurge in the food department this afternoon.  Up until today, I haven't had any cravings and have been able to turn down tempting for pretty easily.  But today, one of my coworkers brought in homemade red velvet cupcakes...I ended up having part of one.  I'm glad I didn't eat the whole thing, but a bit disappointed that I just absentmindedly grabbed on and started to munch.  Aside from that little incident, today went according to plan.  This was the second high calorie peak today.

I went into a serious cooking kick tonight for dinner.  I have been madly in love with this site called Skinnytaste for about a year now.  All of the recipes on here are 100% healthy and low fat.  I made the broccoli pasta recipe tonight and added chicken cooked in garlic, onions, a little olive oil and lemon juice.  I also made a spinach and romaine salad with strawberries, onion, almonds, sunflower seeds, craisins and a really simple dressing of 4 parts olive oil, 1 part balsamic vinegar, lemon juice to taste with salt and pepper.  On top of that, I bought fresh strawberries, blueberries and bananas and chopped them up into a fruit salad of their own.  I can't believe I forgot to take pictures.  In any case, it was delicious and my boyfriend really liked it, too.  :)

Breakfast:
-Banana

Lunch:
-Garden salad
-Pineapple chunks

Snack:
-Banana
-Almonds

Dinner:
-Broccoli pasta with chicken
-Spinach and romaine salad w/ oil and vinegar
-Berry salad with banana chunks

Slip:
-1/2 red velvet cupcake (so ashamed, but I'm only human -- I promised I would be honest)

Yummmmm. Tonight is running night and possibly some yoga. 

Day 8

I had a really interesting discussion with some friends regarding nutrition, diet, and people's relationships with food.  I had all kinds of awesome things to share with you all!  First of all, I'll be honest -- I never understood vegan diets.  I feel like there are more cases where people just don't follow them properly and don't get enough protein.  My friends referred me to a couple of videos to help me better understand, one in particular being Jenna Marbles's video on her own personal diet.  THIS IS NOT THE WAY ALL PEOPLE GO ABOUT HAVING A VEGAN DIET.  I just need to stress that this is her own personal way of staying healthy.  I just appreciate her relationship with food and how it makes her feel.  Here is the video!

I'll post more in a little bit.  Just discovered that I have to be somewhere right now!

Breakfast:
-Peanut butter toast on whole wheat
-Banana

Lunch:
-Small caeser salad
-Half smoked turkey sandwich

Dinner:
-Greek salad with chicken

Day 7!

First week = COMPLETE!  This is quite exciting.  I looked through the last week and I'm quite proud of myself.  Even after just a week, I feel changes with my body.  I feel more energetic and more motivated to do things.  I have definitely noticed an increase in confidence as well :)

I went swimming because it was soooo hot.  I did laps in the pool and then a quick run in the gym since it was right by the pool.  Such a good exercise day.  Unfortunately, I didn't have much of an appetite, so my food list for the day looks kind of awful.  Day 8 will be better in that regard.

Breakfast:
-Coffee
-1 fresh peach
-Granola

Lunch:
-Pineapple
-Broccoli and dip
-Iced tea

Dinner:
-Cereal & milk

We also went to see The Amazing Spiderman and it was just that: AMAZING.  Everyone needs to go see it.  The chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone is IMMENSELY better than Tobey McGuire and Kirsten Dunst.  I was impressed by the whole thing.  I ate some popcorn while I was there and paid for it.  It absolutely did not digest in any way, so after the movie and a short time spent with friends, I ended up either on the couch or locked in the bathroom.  I definitely will not be making that mistake again.

Day 6 Recap

Sorry I wasn't able to post last night!  Chris and I went to Ann Arbor at the spur of the moment to visit some friends.  They were having a story-reading party of the first two chapters of Tolkien's The Hobbit.  I'll say this:  that book was meant to be read out loud.  It's an entirely different experience and so fun to hear.  I'm such a fan of hearing and reading stories out loud.  Truly, the years of not having cable has been wonderful in that regard.

Justin reading The Hobbit aloud.  He even sang the songs that are in the text <3

But what made this event even more amazing was the feast that Justin, Irene and Peter prepared for us.  Almost all vegetarian and gluten-free (could have very well been mostly organic too), so I was completely guiltless when eating.

Said feast mostly devoured.  Notice the impeccable seed cake :)

It was a grand time.  We ended up staying the night at their place.  A perfect whimsical evening spent in the company of truly wonderful friends.

Breakfast:
-8 oz apple juice

Lunch:
-Garden salad
-Cup of tortilla soup

Dinner (veg, g-free):
-Stuffed mushrooms
-Lamb's quarters (yummy greens that had a kind of nutty taste to them)
-Mixed fruit
-Veggie quiche
-Chili cornbread with goat cheese
-Seed cake

Day 5

My day was not exciting until I went to the farmer's market to hear my boyfriend's band make some nice music [The Bard Owls].  So much fun, and such a great atmosphere.  I love farmer's markets.  Other than that, I practiced violin for 2 hours and I'm fairly certain my neighbors want me destroyed.  I didn't even realize I played that long!

Today was a weird day for my tummy.  Ever since dinner, it's been bloated and flippy and making it very difficult for me to get a good workout in.  I'll give it another hour, but if this persists, I'll just run in the morning before work.  In other news, flexibility training is intense.  I've been aspiring to do the splits at some point in my life and every time I do a routine that is strictly working the lower back, lower abdominal,  hips and butt, I basically want to die after I'm done.  There's this great video on YouTube that I've been using that is incredibly thorough.  I'm going to incorporate 15-20 minutes of flexibility into my exercise for the day from now on. 

Breakfast:
-Nutrigrain bar

Lunch:
-Small Greek salad
-Fresh strawberries
-Small cup of soup

Snack:
-Special K cracker chips

Dinner:
-Roast beef sammy
-Mixed veggies

I don't know if I specified before, but I'm drinking A TON of water.  We're talking all the time.  I'm sure that's another thing that's making me feel great.

Day 4

I knew this time would come -- the time I went to a bar and didn't order a drink.  I went out with some good friends this evening for dinner and drinks.  Hanging out with them is always a hoot.  A bunch of them ordered drinks.  I was wrestling with temptation of just having one drink when my boyfriend very sweetly told me that we could be not drinking together, and that he was really proud of me for doing what I'm doing.  We both had lemonade instead :)

Today was another super long day at work, but it was a good one.  Working on a project right now that is taking up more time than I'd like, but hey, somebody's gotta do it!  My stomach has rapidly gotten to a less whiny state over these past couple of days, which feels remarkable since I was complaining about being constantly hungry just the other day.  I already feel a difference with my body.  I feel energized and just plain great.  I wonder what else I'll start noticing as the weeks progress.

Breakfast:
-1 serving of cereal
-1/2 cup milk

Lunch:
-Garden salad with tuna
-Coleslaw (couldn't resist, it's one of my favorite foods)

Dinner:
-Half sandwich: turkey on 9-grain wheat with ALL the veggies
-More veggies
-Baked chips

Snack:
-12 oz lemonade
-Kettle chips (split with Chris)

I'm learning a lot about portion control during this experiment, especially how much mine has changed even in the past few days.  For example, when I used to go across the street for lunch with my co-workers, I would always stuff my portable salad bowl to the brim.  Now, I barely fill half of it.  I've been throwing in the little extra things in that same bowl, like the little bit of coleslaw or the tuna noodle salad and crackers I had yesterday.  Today is the first day I have not felt perpetually hungry throughout the day, which tells me that my body has already begun to adjust.

Tomorrow takes the step back down to low cal days again.  I kind of like that each day is in stepping stones, so I'm never dramatically changing how much I eat -- just gradually.  Thinking about yoga and flexibility training tonight.  Running for sure tomorrow.

Day 3

Today was a high cal day on my zig-zag calculator.  And boy, did I enjoy myself.  Not that I splurged or anything, I was just happy to eat things with a little more substance to them.

Breakfast:
--8 oz glass of orange juice

Lunch:
--Garden salad
--1/2 cup tuna noodle salad
--6-8 crackers
--Water

Dinner:
--Sushi (spicy California roll: cucumber, avocado, shrimp and masago -- would you believe that the whole roll was only 350 calories??)
--Small green salad
--White rice with beefy sauce that tasted amazing!
--Water

Snack:
--Special K cracker chips (which are the weirdest things ever, but quite tasty)

Just got back from the gym and ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill.  Honestly, I am surprised by my endurance level.  After not having run for so long, it's kind of nice to know that my body can handle it, even if it is a little slower than last time.

I've gotten to thinking about that old saying of your body being your temple.  I feel like I want to tag another goal on this experiment, and that is to keep a balance with myself physically and mentally.  Staying active while finding peace and feeling centered.  I want to keep that feeling and tap into it as often as possible.  I don't know if that makes much sense, I'm kind of tired after such a long day.

Day 2

I feel like I ate tons today and kept getting hungry every few hours.  This is the phase where the stomach gets angry for not being at full capacity.  Eating small amounts every few hours is much healthier in the long run, but it's an adjustment when you have a body that's used to 2-3 big, heavy meals per day.

Today was my first day back at work.  To be entirely honest, I was so not ready to be there.  While it's great to be back in the environment and be busy again, I am still stuck on vacation mode and yearning to be outside climbing things.  Today was also my first day making healthy decisions when not in my own kitchen (i.e. going for salad and half a light sandwich instead of going for something heavier).

I can already tell that the biggest thing I need to work on when it comes to eating is pacing myself.  Small meals every few hours and eating SLOWLY.  Eventually, my body will adjust.  Right now, it wants more of the potato I had for dinner.

Overall, I managed to keep my cal count right where it was supposed to be today!  As you can see, I was mostly eating greens, veggies and fruit (with the exception of the cereal).  I'm quite proud of myself.  This is what a full day of paced, healthy eating should look like.

Breakfast:
--8 oz orange juice
--3/4 cup cereal with 3/4 milk

Lunch:
--Vegetable salad
--1/2 light chicken salad sandwich
--Pineapple chunks
--Water

Snack:
--1/2 banana (the whole thing was kind of too ripe and mushy, so I only ate half haha)
--Almonds

Dinner:
--Garden salad
--Baked potato with bacon crumbles and light sour cream
--Iced tea

I didn't get a chance to run today because I was helping out my man with something he's been preparing for.  Plus, I had violin lessons after I got out of work.  Tonight's exercise will be a core workout I've been refining over the past several months and some yoga.  Running will recommence tomorrow!

Day 1

Today was an excellent first day.  Got up late (can't seem to break the Pacific time change issue), had breakfast and went for a 2 mile run.  I felt so good afterwards -- it's been a while since I've taken a good solid run like that.  Hung around home for a little bit before seeing my dad and having a delicious dinner: grilled chicken caeser salad.  Yummm.

Breakfast/Lunch:
--8 oz glass of orange juice
--Wheat toast

Dinner:
--Grilled chicken caeser salad
--Pomegranate iced tea

Tomorrow, I go back to work.  I like my job, but it's been a wonderful 3 weeks off.  I also have violin lessons tomorrow, something I've been desperately looking forward to.  

Day 0

Here we go!  The official kick-off for me will be tomorrow, but I have spent today getting myself organized. 

FIRST: I would like to share pictures of myself during this process.  Each Saturday, I'll be posting an updated picture of my body so that we can see the changes taking place.  Even though 4 weeks is a short time in terms of lifestyle shift, I am more than certain that there will be visible progress.  So, here I am:  lumpy and slightly sunburned.

It's weird for me to see that image considering I don't have very many full body images of myself with minimal clothing.

Anyway!  Onto the most exciting part of preparing for this experiment: food.  Chris and I went to the store this afternoon and I loaded up on my veggies.  Lots of romaine lettuce and spinach, tomato, onion, broccoli, and an avocado for the high cal day this week!  Fun fact: avocado is really fatty, but packed full of nutrients.  I also grabbed some chicken tenderloins, eggs, peanut butter and almonds for protein.  No fruits as of yet (even though tomato is actually a fruit), but I think I want to save those as treats.  I have tea, coffee, soup, pasta, rice and water flavoring as well.  

That's about it for the shopping aspect.  Now onto the tracking part.

FOOD FOR TODAY

Breakfast: 

*8 oz orange juice (still on Pacific time, so I kind of slept through breakfast)

Lunch: 

*Green salad with almonds; 1 cup chopped romaine, 1 cup spinach, 1 tbsp sweet onion, bacon crumbles, craisins, 1 tbsp chopped almonds with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, tsp vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

*8 oz glass of lemonade

Dinner (plan):

*1 cup pasta and marinara sauce

*Green salad

*Water

It's clear that I'm going to have to up a serving size for dinner, but I'm really not that hungry today.  It's so hot and my body is all wonky from the time change.  Exercise might have to wait until tomorrow, but that's okay since I officially start tomorrow!

Yay!

The Last Supper

It happened accidentally.  Or was it fate?  Who can say?

It all began at 6:30am on the Pacific Coast (9:30am for the East side).  In order to catch a plane in Seattle, we had to drive from Port Angeles to the sound where the ferry crosses.

Said drive = 1.5 hours
Said ferry ride = .5 hours

Then we had to drive to the airport, get through security and basically board our plane right away.  All great timing except for the fact that we didn't really get a chance to eat.  I had a small bowl of oatmeal on the ferry around 9am, and our plane took off at 11:30am PCT.

Airport shenanigans = 2 hours
Actual plane trip = 5 hours due to lots of traffic at DTW

This puts us at 7pm EST by the time we finally land, and my tummy is all but begging for food at this point.  That little comp cookie they gave me on the plane disintegrated before it reached my stomach. Because the airport was so backed up, we had to wait another hour before my boyfriend's checked bag was unloaded from our flight.  Tag on another hour for getting lost in Detroit and taking many detours due to construction.

By this point, it is 9pm and I am a hungry bear.  I got to the point where my boyfriend asks me if I'm "going to start killing people."  I was lost in a big city and too hungry to think.  The best solution I could think of?  Burger King.

Oh yes, friends.  I gorged myself on fast food.  I was so hungry that I ended up having two double cheeseburgers.  That's a lot for me considering I can only make it through one when we actually do eat out.  I paid for it later, but man, that calmed me down.  Turns out those two cheeseburgers plus the not diet drink I had put me well over 1,000 calories.  This would normally freak me out, but I justify it by barely eating at all today.

I feel gross having not consumed fast food in over a month, but I figure that it's a good reminder that I truly won't be missing much.  Can't wait to go food shopping tomorrow for produce and other delicious things.  But for now, I'm going to curl up in bed and nurse myself back to normal.

Zig-Zag Dieting

This is how I plan to go about my eating habits.  Exercise is definitely a given and something that I'm already pretty good about.  It's the proper food intake that I tend to slip on.


I've been doing some pretty heavy research to make sure I'm doing this correctly.  What I have discovered is a pretty common method known as zig-zag dieting.  This site was actually really helpful in with explanations as well as a visual idea of what I should be working toward.

Zig-zag dieting is a method that tricks your body into always coping with different calorie intakes.  This is incredibly useful so that you a) don't end up starving yourself and putting your body into survival mode, and b) have an easier time breaking/staying away from plateaus.  As a note: women are not supposed to consume less than 1200 calories, and men should not consume less than 1800 calories.  With this in mind and the use of the calculator on that site, I have decided to keep my caloric intake between 1400 - 1700, varying between several days.  AND, instead of eating different foods on the days with higher calories, I will simply be eating greater amounts of the foods I have already decided on.

This is the safest way to go given my weight and height.  It will be a gradual process and not a sudden drop.  Just to remind everyone: my goal is not weight loss.  It is simply an experiment to help me get to a healthier lifestyle.

I'm so excited to start.  I will be leaving Washington state weighing 163 pounds.  Saturday will be food shopping and the "last supper" if I feel so inclined.  Sunday begins the adventure!