Days 16-17

This will be brief because I'm sleepy :)

Yesterday was a good day food wise. I managed to piece together some of works lunch with what I brought for a 21 day fix approved meal so I was proud of myself for that. I was also so excited to get home and run because I got my new running stroller and it actually had air in the tires (Tuesday was a flat tires fail!). So off Lucas and I went with Mike and the dog on our perfect little family run... Which quickly became a nightmare. 1- running with a stroller is hard. 2- halfway in, Lucas started to lose it. Like I don't want to even be in stroller lose it. How we didn't think to pack a drink, snack, toys, or a pacifier I don't know. 3- carrying Lucas for mile and a half was on par for pushing running stroller that far. I was proud we did 3 miles in 45 mins considering at least half was walked and there were a million stops.

I did NOT want to do anything after that. I was so crabby from the walk and mentally and physically drained. But I made myself do it and I'm glad I did. 

Today I did not. My legs hurt so bad. Not in a "I'm sore" hurt. In a "I will give you an injury if you don't stop this madness" hurt. And so I respect them and myself enough to give them a break today. I should have done Yoga but I did 10 minute abs instead- which is actually something I would like to add to my workout routine on a more regular basis. It was fast but good!

I'm trying not to feel like a quitter just because I missed one day of workouts in the program but it's hard. But I'm also not willing to take an injury and then be done with running when my training behind hard core in a few weeks. 

Life is about balances and this is mine.

Ok. Bed time :) 

Day 15.... I cheated

Yup. With one week to go, I cheated. I did really good at my meeting today where they catered lunch. I took a sub sandwich and didn't have a carb at supper to balance the extra bread. I bypassed the chips and cookies and pop and had grapes and my water instead. Came home and knowing I had a meeting at 7, I had Mike supervise Lucas while I got Total Body Cardio done.... It was rough considering I thought it was a Lower Fix day for some reason. My legs are killing from yesterday and I did not want any more cardio in my life. But I made it through minus a few distractions of picking up Lucas to use as a weight when he wanted his mommy ;)

So I went to my meeting for the fire department auxiliary and there is food. Good food. Bread, dips, mini wieners. And wine. Bottles of wine. And so I cheated ok? I had pineapple and veggies.... And I had already eaten all my fruits and veggies for the day ;) ha! Gotcha! Bet you guys thought I was writing this buzzed and carb loaded. I wish... But knowing I had 6 days left helped.

I have another work meeting tomorrow with a catered lunch so we will see if I can be as strong with my willpower.

No pics from today's meals but I just had to share this place I found on my drive through God's country today... Shady Drive Inn. Really ?!? Looks popular though! 

Hope you found this as amusing as I did :b

Day 14- .67 down :)

Oh man am I glad only one week is left. I literally was starving AND thirsty on my drive home and all I had was a Special K bar. I had it in my hand to eat but I slapped it down and back into the bag.... Sigh. Willpower is fading!

I got outside for a good old 5k today with the dog- took us 34 mins... Included several potty breaks and a poop for the dog (not me!) which was followed by me walking because I do not run with dog poop in my hand. Also had to stop and tie my left shoe 3 times- stupid shoe! Note to self: double knots!

I did let myself have an extra yellow today. I can't lie, Yoga Fix felt amazing after my run! I feel all nice and stretched out.

Although my journey for good water continues, I have found amazing almond butter! 

Water fail- I hear the lemon is better

Vanilla equals yummy delight! I just got a packet to make sure I like it because it's VERY expensive but it's worth it! 

That's all I've got tonight- bed time!

Lucky #13

You ever want to tempt fate, go to a zoo on the first nice day in awhile and don't have a pop or ice cream.... Ouch.

So I realized I had a big fail with grocery shopping- the first week I went for this, I got way too much. This time, I got barely enough to last me mid- week. Guess I will be going grocery shopping in the next couple days! Oops. 

I am mixing it up this week. Here's what it looks like:

Breakfast: red, yellow, purple (I can't do a vegetable at breakfast unless it's mixed in with a smoothie!) My plan is to bring back the overnight oats for this week.

Lunch: red, yellow, purple, green

Tomorrow's lunch is chicken with rice, carrots and grapes.

Supper: red, yellow, purple, green

Not sure what I will whip up tomorrow.

Snacks: Two greens, blue (pistachios and almonds this week) and an orange (most likely sunflower seeds unless I have a salad and need dressing). 

And then my four tablespoons thrown in as needed. Tomorrow I have peanut butter for my celery... Not sure where the other two will come in. I will probably eat straight peanut butter because I love it.

If I run tomorrow, I will probably throw in an extra yellow or red just to keep me fueled. Today I accidentally had an extra red and didn't eat a yellow- so calorie wise it probably was less so might do that as well tomorrow. Made this beauty:

Half a scoop Shakeology, cup of spinach and cashew milk. Delicious post- workout fuel.

Did Dirty 30 tonight and it actually wasn't that bad. Tough, yes. But at no point did I feel like I was going to die ;)

One week, one day. I can do this!

Day 12...

I am so "ho-hum" about this day that I almost didn't post but I did want to let you all know that I completed another day.... It was hard and I wanted to quit and I definitely didn't want to do Cardio Fix (I was going to substitute 10 minute and) but my husband pushed me to do it... So I did. Not as hard as the first time (expected you this time bonus round!) but still one that's going to leave me sore tomorrow.

On the bright side my fridge is stocked with some yummy food so hopefully I can make it through 9... More... Days.

Just realized I have a baby shower 3 days from my finish date. Let's be honest- I'm probably going to eat cake lol   Time to start building my willpower now. 

Day 11- Halfway!!!!!

It's all downhill from here folks! Right? Sure lol It's still going to be a long 10 days!

Is it working? I think so! Obviously toning up takes more than 11 days. I have already lost 2 inches on my stomach... no progress on the legs yet. Those are the only measurements I took. 

Will I continue to do it after 21 days? Probably going to make some tweaks... Like not feel guilty about pop. (Haven't caved yet!) Swap a green for a purple (aka a veggie for a fruit). Throw in some sauces. And allow myself a small chocolate post- supper and a couple treats a week. Or maybe a cheat meal. 

After all, I am moving to full on 5k running from this point on. Going to try to get 3 miles in 3 days a week for next 3-4 weeks and then half marathon training begins. I'm going to try to incorporate 21 day workouts in as long as I have them (they are on loan from a friend) for my strength training since the workouts are pretty good! 

Things I am thinking about... Have 10 days to consider my next step :)

Nothing too deep today. Watching Bruce Jenner interview with Barbara Walters.... Yup, couldn't help myself. 

Day 9... Oops 10!

So turns out that somewhere I skipped a day- I do see two Day 8s and no 7 but I really thought today was Day 9... What a happy surprise that it is Day 10. 11 days to go- tomorrow is halfway!! 

Another sparkling water fail yesterday that I forgot to post about (and yes that 70s looking library is my office in one of my districts). 

I really think it's the flavor of pop not the carbonation that I miss since I am hating on all of these! 

Going grocery shopping this weekend and going to stock up on all the yummy things that I want, not just what's in my cupboard and that is going to power me through the next 11 days- I'm sure of it ;) 

Day 7- namaste!

I did it. I am 33% done. Today was a really hard day.... I was craving everything. I was tired and cranky. I just wanted to eat every bad thing I could think of, starting with pizza and ending with chocolate cake. Bet you can't guess who visited me tonight :) note to all women: start 21 day fix the day your period ends so you don't get it midway through. I think it would make life a lot easier.

But I persevered... I even sucked it up and ran 28 minutes before doing Yoga Fix tonight. Thanks Boston marathon for the inspiration. The thing I love about running is that we can all do the same thing- might take some of us a little longer than Shalene Flanagan (sorry Desiree Linden, I know you got 4th and she got 9th but I've never heard of you) but at the end of the day, if I really work my ass off and quit being a lazy cake eating complainer, I could run Boston too. And I want to-Someday ;) 

It felt good to run after a week hiatus although my legs were still feeling all the workouts from the week before. It also felt really good to do Yoga Fix. As my husband can now attest after watching me do it, I am the least flexible person on the planet and I really need more Yoga in my life.  Hope to continue to do this more and more in the future and get stronger!

I had some help tonight, of the fur baby kind 

At least he didn't injure me tonight ;)

Namaste friends! 

Day 8- I hate you treadmill!

It's getting harder and harder to resist pop and chocolate! Going to stock up on all my favorite healthy foods when I go grocery shopping this weekend!!

Today was a 28 minute run and Upper Fix. When will I learn that I cannot watch TV even during my warm-up ?!? It makes me so motion sick for the rest of my run and makes the whole thing miserable... And running on the treadmill is already a miserable experience. Here's how I survive:

1- motivation of past race memorabilia right in front of me 

2- I cover the time with my shirt and only let myself check it every X number of songs

3- see that iPod- that beauty is from high school. Which means it has roughly 10 years of music on it- hard to want to quit when Summer Girls by LFO comes on! 

And yes, that is my husband sleeping on the couch in the background. Yes I DID want to chuck things at him but I needed all the items within arms reach.

Ok off to grab half a peanut butter sandwich, shower and go to bed! 

Day 8.... Week 2!

Today was hard. Again. I just wanted a pop. And while I have always said I'm not completely ruling pop out I really wanted to try. I ended up not giving in but no guarantees for tomorrow.

I bought some sparkling water to give me the carbonation. 

Fail! It's disgusting.

I did Total Body Cardio again today. Easier the second time around since I wasn't attacked by the dog in the warm-up but I still had to do the modified version of a few of the workouts. Lucas took a nap around 5 (so tired because he's been getting up at 5 and then being a cranky bear- ugh!) so I even got my workout in during that time. It was nice because I've had extra downtime tonight and might actually get to sleep early... Maybe.

Note to others- during this process, eat the fruits and veggies you like and want, no matter what you already have in fridge. I was a lot less cranky about what I was eating last week than this week. No more bananas, apples or pears! I am glad to be rid of the broccoli from last week- no good without ranch, butter or cheese!

That's all I have for now :) 

Day 6

"Today's workout is a winner so get psyched and do your best..."

"You can't wish for it, you have to work for it" 

Wow let me get excited about this!  The name of it is Dirty 30.... It sounds terrible. Well, my attitude was definitely not great for this workout but it really wasn't that bad... Compared to previous ones in the week :) I have recovered from my pulled muscle with plenty of Ibuprofen and a heating pad... Disappointed this guy:

I did make one change to the plan I posted yesterday- moved my peanut butter sandwich to post workout. I was getting hungry before bed and I definitely didn't need it at snack time! 

I think that all this self control with my food is wearing off my ability to control other aspects of my life as I dropped 4 months of fun money on clothes today- oops. I did clean out my closet tonight to make room but finding some gems I forgot I had already purchased made me realize I probably should hold off on buying clothes again. Just wanted some cute stuff to go with my new body ;). A few maybes I had to get advice on but ended up purchasing:

If anyone is looking for amazingly comfy capris, run to Maurice's! I bought them in 3 colors! 

Ok and let me geek out for my final pic of the night- finally found colored baggies at Target so when I portion control everything out, they match my 21 day fix containers :) 

Tomorrow marks 7 days- 33% complete!! 

Day 5

I know I know... A day late! But I have a good reason.

Yesterday started off well. Mike was home, Lucas took a 3 hour morning nap. Went to the spa and got a facial. Got a pedicure. Got Lucas to bed with minimal battles (weaning from bottle Day 2!) and went to workout. Total Body Cardio- yes supposed to be Cardio Fix but I accidentally did that on Tuesday instead of this. So I'm doing my warm up and as usual, the dog is in my way wanting to play as soon as he sees me in my tennis shoes. So I give him a good minute of tug and war... And end up pulling a muscle in my butt! Oh my God, are you kidding me?!? So first move after warm up and every move after, all I feel is a literal pain. In. My. Ass! P.s. When she says the first move on the dvd is the hardest, I firmly believe that is a lie. And if I hear "Give me everything you have and then a little bit more", I might throw the remote at the TV. 

Not sure how today's workout will go. I've been doing Ibuprofen and a heating pad off and on throughout the day. Definitely not doing the double workout of running and Dirty 30. Debated doing Yoga today but I really want to run the same day I do that.

On the plus side, I did map out my meals for the week. A little dull but I'm trying to use up what's in our fridge and what I got in our Bountifuk basket this week. 

Day 4

A little late but another successful day despite temptations. I had a work meeting and they provided lunch. I packed my own just in case there wasn't anything I could eat and I'm glad I did because it was pasta salad, egg sandwiches, fresh fruit (I did take a cup of that) and a brownie! 

The one thing I am getting sick of is explaining it to everyone when they are asking what I'm doing. Example: one co worker saw me unpacking my lunch "oh looks like you're doing the low carb thing" Um, no. I'm doing the don't eat crap thing! 

And even though I didn't think it would happen, I did get my Pilates workout in! Mike kept Lucas entertained while I worked out around them. Probably my favorite workout so far!

Today is Day 5- it was nice to be able to make eggs and oatmea for breakfast- I've missed warm food! 

I forgot to take pics yesterday so this is what I have :)

First flower of the year!

Day 3

My child has been fussing every 10 mins for last hour and I'm exhausted so this is going to be brief.

Bumped up my calorie intake today and much happier about life. I also did some measurements of my trouble spots to see if I gain any muscle in this process (which is the goal!) 

Two major successes today- 1) I did NOT eat Edgerton bakery donuts someone brought even though they are amazing and 2) I did not eat birthday cake someone brought even though a co- worker was sweet enough to bring a piece to my office. Last week I would have ate it without even thinking even if I didn't want it just to be nice but not today.

Speaking of amazing co-workers one of mine gave me this today;

I feel like I am officially doing it now :)

Still packing my mapping out my meals for next day the prior night and almost cried when my bread broke:

You better believe I added that extra piece to the bag!

Workout for the day was Lower Fix which focuses on legs. I was nervous after how sore I am from previous two days but it was actually the easiest so far. Maybe it was because Autumn and I matched.

Tomorrow I have to go to my nieces dance recital- a good person would wake up early and work out but I am not a morning person. I will try to squeeze it in between work and leaving but I also want to spend time with Lucas since this will only be the second time in 13.5 months I am not hear to put him to bed. I will let you know this weekend what I ended up doing :)

Day 2

Well I made it through another day. I was very tempted to get a pop, especially when I realized my son had removed my can of tea from my bag this morning so I only had water, but I resisted. I'm not opposed to having pop at some point in this process, but trying to behave. I did eat the crusts off Lucas' cinnamon and sugar toast but I called it a yellow container and figured I was good- haha! 

I am going to go up a level tomorrow. When everyone says "oh I was never hungry" and I am HUNGRY, I think it's time. All of my foods are really low in calories (hello green cup of celery) compared to things you could put in (example red cup of chicken is less than red cup of beef) and so I think that's part of the reason I'm hungry. Or maybe I really was eating just a crap ton of food and my body is in shock... Either way ;)

You will laugh at my pic from today:

Trading in my glass of wine with my bag for a delicious glass of calming tea. Maybe I will sleep better :) I am surprisingly awake for getting up with Lucas at 5:20! 

One big downside so far- the number of times I had to walk to bathroom today (just a number one- unlike some plans, this one doesn't give you a colon cleanse). I really need to cut myself off after 7- too late for tonight but lesson learned for tomorrow! 

21 Day Fix Day 1

Well I survived!!  There were some rough moments but I survived :)

First test was when I got to a conference this morning and everyone was eating delicious frosting covered cream filled donuts. I also arrived late so I didn't have a chance to eat my two hard boiled eggs which left me starving and ready to grab somebody's donut out of their hand... But I didn't!

Challenge 2 which will be ongoing is balancing running with 21 workouts. I did Total Cardio today thinking that I would run after....ha! I can barely walk let alone run. Note to self- run, then workout. Or maybe some of them will be easier to do on the same day as a run- only time will tell.

I am still debating whether to go to next level of calories. I added up the calories of what I am eating and I am at about 1,200ish. That would be ok if I was trying to lose weight but I'm not... I'm just trying to maintain and tone.  I will see how tomorrow goes and then decide.

20 days to go. Took some time to pick out my meals for tomorrow and divvy them up across the day :) yum yum!

29....

Today is my 29th birthday. Do I feel old? Not really... Might have a hard time remembering my age though- sometimes I still feel 25! However, it did make me realize there is a lot I want to accomplish before 30.  Two big ones- pay off my debt and run a half marathon. I am in track for the loans so now need to hit the half marathon part! I have my eyes set

on the Sioux Falls half marathon which I Seotember 13-5 months. Eek!

So step 1- find a training plan.

Step 2- clean up my diet and start strength training. Enter my 21 day fix! 

Essentially it's portion control in a box and I am blessed to have a friend who loaned me the book and containers although you can find it all on Pinterest.

According to the calculations I am in the first column. There is also a corresponding strength training program. We will see how I feel with adding running to the mix- might bump myself up to the next level. 

I spent an hour cutting, measuring and prepping tonight. 

Green- veggies- I have spinach, cherry tomatoes, carrots, broccoli and cucumbers 

Purple- fruit- strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, pears, half a banana, watermelon 

Red- protein- I bought a rotisserie chicken for convenience and shredded it, ham and turkey deli meat, eggs, Greek yogurt 

Yellow- grains- lots of options but mine will be bread, half a pita wrap and brown rice... Maybe oatmeal :)

Blue- nuts, cheese- sticking to almonds this week

Red- seeds or dressing- mine will be balsamic vinegrette dressing for my salads this week 

Teaspoons- I can't remember everything that this can be but mine will probably be oil and peanut butter :) 

This is what my food for tomorrow looks like.

Hopefully I can stick to it- they say you can do anything for 21 days.

I will say I am surprised at the low cost for groceries. I have WAY more than what I need for this week and our bill was about $85. I doubt Mike and Lucas will be on this plan for me but there are some components I can share with my family.

I will let you all know how it goes !