Week 3.. Continued

Well normally at this time I am discussing my progress of the previous week and looking forward to the fit week ahead. This time I need to take a little detour and complain about a super stressful week of work. I knew that becoming a Division Manager over 213 clerical staff would not be easy, but this week took the cake on pushing  me to my limits!  On a positive note.. I have been there for almost 6 months and this is the first time I disliked the position!  Thanks to my wonderful boss (Mo) for keeping me sane!!  My week of fun included -  walk outs and door slams in the middle of my meeting, accused of discrimination and lack of understanding, and rounding off the week with a team ganging up and refusing to sign mandatory paperwork.. good times!

So far in these 3 weeks, I haven't had a huge impulse to cheat on my diet but half way through this week I just needed some relief. So thank you to my friends (CW, Ed, April and the munchkins) and Don Jose for providing me with two wonderful margaritas and a very nice dinner.  It was much needed to get me over hump day...

 

Now onto my fitness plans...I really feel that it is not feasible or pleasant to be a drill sergeant, patrolling your life, eating habits and exercise 24/7.  We all have our stressful moments in life where we just need to let loose and enjoy ourselves. So that being said I had a pretty undisciplined week, but was still able to exercise 5 days and eat fairly well. I chose to NOT weigh myself because I didn't need anything else to add to my frustrations. : )

 

Next week is my final week of the 4 week plan and then I will move on to maintaining a "healthy as possible" lifestyle and periodically provide you updates.  I'm very satisfied with what I'm doing and encourage you all to just try and focus on eating healthy and exercising each day. It doesn't have to be an everyday thing but the more you do it, the better you will look and feel. And with that, here with my favorite fitness meals of the week...

 

Lunch or dinner - Weight watchers low-fat turkey taco soup (450 calories).  This is my fav to throw into the crockpot and slow cook all day and also enjoy left over.  One of my Bunco girlfriends provided me the recipe (http://www.food.com/recipe/weight-watchers-low-fat-taco-soup-157732)

 

 

Lunch - any salad with grilled chicken.  Here is the new Chix-Fil-a grilled chicken salad and it is super yummy (approx. 280 calories)

 

Week 3...

Week 2 is always a hard one for me, I am so tempted to cheat and PIG out!  And because of this tough week, I did not loose any weight. : (  It is frustrating, but that is why Herman always tells me to NOT focus on the weight and concentrate more on how you feel, look and how your clothes fit.  Great rules to live by and I do feel great, my abs look strong, did lots of weight training and running this week, and clothes fit just fine... keep thinking happy thoughts!!!  And now I will focus more on week 3 coming up...

 

This week April and I signed up to a 10 mile run in HB on 10/27.  Going back to my very first blog entry(http://jaimesgirlthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/01/why-i-run.html), I firmly believe that finding a motivation point is very important in your fitness goals.  It is what keeps you moving and accountable.. I know that I have to maintain my weight and fitness for next 2 months to accomplish this run.  Glad I have a good partner.. go April!!

Favorite fit meals for the week -

Breakfast - Simple breakfast at my desk, Greek yogurt, banana and coffee.  Only 250 calories!

Lunch - I have a new found LOVE of my Panini maker that my Momma got me for Christmas.  I use the little wheat sandwich roles and make grilled turkey, provolone and Ortega chili sandwiches that are amazingly good.  Add a side salad with lite Italian dressing and this is under 400 calories!

 

Dinner - Ground Turkey tacos with low sodium taco seasoning,  grilled peppers, white corn tortillas and homemade Pico de Gallo, side of black beans and this yummy dinner is only 500 calories!

 

Week 2..

Hello Everyone!  Today marks the end of my week 1, and things are looking great as I enter week 2.  The first few days of a disciplined diet are always tough as your mind, body and stomach adjust to smaller meals.  But, after a few days you get into a grove and it is exciting to see the changes in your body.  I am very happy to report that I have lost 3lbs this first week (Yay for my lost pounds counter moving!!) Chris has lost 5lbs and I am very proud of him for giving up his most prize possession.. beer. : )  Way to go honey!  I have incorporated 4-5 days of exercise (thank you April for an awesome 6 mile run this morning!) and am feeling great!  I just hope I can keep it going and complete the full 4 weeks... 

 

 

I thought it would be fun each week to share my favorite fitness breakfast, lunch and dinner from the previous week.  I am still using MyFitnessPal (www.myfitnesspal.com) to track my daily calorie intake to maintain 1200 a day and it REALLY works!   Kudos to Tracy and April who have also started using it and are already seeing the pounds start dropping off!

 

 

Fav Breakfast - Almased synergy shake and a piece of fruit (approx. 325 calories).  This is my favorite powder shake (www.almased.com) that you can buy on Amazon for about $27 a bottle.  I mix it in my blender bottle with vanilla almond milk and a few dashes of cinnamon and it really tastes like melted ice cream.. yum!  But the best part is it keeps me feeling full..

 

 

 

Fav Lunch -  I am sure many of you out there who work full time have this same battle.. eating healthy lunches.  Here is one of my all time personal favs, Vietnamese Pho soup with rare steak (approx. 375 calories).  It is soooo tasty, especially on colder days, and really fills you up. 

 

 

 

Fav Dinner - My husband is an amazing cook and I am very lucky because he actually enjoys cooking for my family!  Turkey meatballs is a favorite of the entire family.  I substituted the pasta for extra yummy veggies with a little sauce and parmesan to make this an excellent low calorie dinner (approx. 500 calories).

 

 

4 week program - Week 1

Good morning and Happy Sunday friends!  I know it has been a while since my last blog post, but I have been busy enjoying my summer.. traveling, eating, drinking and having LOTS of fun with the family!  SO, now that the trips are over I have to take some time to balance out the damage that I have done to my body and mission to health.  My trainer Herman always says to me "Jay, it is OK to have fun, eat and enjoy life.. as long as you are willing to do the TIME!"

 

Today I am officially putting myself (and Chris by default) on a 4 week program to lose a minimum of 8 pounds of summer weight (notice my fitnesspal weight tracker on the right is down to 0 pounds.. sad face).  I want to use my blog as a means of tracking my progress.. so I hope you will support me in my mission. : )  Here is my justification for doing so... I have tried a 4/5 week program in the past and usually I find myself cheating, heavily, by week two. I really need the accountability of documenting my weekly habits and progress it to all of you. Whether I have two followers or 100 followers who read this.. I am going to hold myself accountable to you. If I log weekly, I will find myself being more dedicated to the cause. So here is my plan:

 

1. I'm using FitnessPal tracking app to maintain 1200 calories a day.
2. Weight training twice a week. I have to see Herman, who will also hold me accountable for sure!
3. Cardio training minimum of twice a week - hiking, elliptical or running.
4. Status updates on my blog to make sure I don't fall off the wagon!!

On a happy note.. my family really did have a GREAT summer!!!