Shred Week 5: Cleanse

I loved this week! I felt so good and that was even with monthly issues and insomnia, I stuck with the plan almost 100%. There were still days I only did 3 meals and 3 snacks instead of 4 meals, and one day I forgot to bring an afternoon snack so I had 2 pieces of 85% dark chocolate (which is still less calories than some of the options for the days snack).

This week we added 2 Tbs of ground flax seed or oil to lemon water. This I wasn't thrilled with, specifically when I heated the lemon water. I barely gagged that down. The rest of the week I made sure to either add the flax to my breakfast option or I drank the lemon water cold, then it was fine. I did add one thing to my lemon water most days, which if figured would only add to the health benefits. I try to do Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) at least once a day. I love it hot with lemon and a couple drops of stevia. ACV has no calories and is known for cleansing properties, so on the days I did hot lemon water, I added ACV to it for my own enjoyment. Believe me, this is an acquired taste that happened when I was little and as an adult when I started drinking it again, I think there was nostalgia involved in my liking it right away.

There was only one day that I was hungry, but that was more my fault than the days meal plan. this particular day I picked cucumbers for the morning snack and in the book you are supposed to have it with dressing to add the fat to fill up, but I don't like dressings, so I was planning to add a few almonds to the snack, only work was busy and I completely forgot to grab them. Then for lunch it was a large salad and I don't remember what else, but it was all food that fills for about 30 minutes before you start to feel hungry. Whatever my afternoon snack was, it just didn't cut it so it took to my 3rd meal for me to feel more satisfied. Even with the hunger, it wasn't a miserable hunger, it was just more noticeable and I had an extra mug of tea that afternoon.

One thing that really helped me keep this week almost 100% was actually writing down the entire weeks plan. There were a few days I had to change up what I had intended based on additional events that popped up, but then I just went to Kindle and checked to see what other options were available for that meal. I think having it on paper, allowed me to just quick check my notebook the evening before to see if I needed to prepare and then for each meal just double check to make sure I had everything. This also kept me on track. I know I went into this week determined to follow it closely, but I think being able to check off each line as I followed it was good for me. I even turned down 2 different opportunities for pizza, one of which I sat and watched other people eating and I turned down someone buying me a Carmel Macchiato(this is truly the bigger feat for more:-)

So, here are my numbers for the week and as you will see following the plan completely (at least for the cleanse week) is worth it.

February 4, 2013

Bust: 36 1/4 in
Ribs: 29 3/4 in
Abdomen: 29 in
Hips: 40 in
Thighs: 26 1/2 in
Calves 16 1/2 in
Arms: 13 in
Weight 165.3

In addition to following the plan, I did actually get all 5 days worth of exercise in. I had my 2 personal trainer days and then I did some rebounding and hula hooping one day. The other two days I remembered I had 2 Yoga Booty Ballet workouts from Beachbody. So, I did the Go Go Dance one on Saturday and then the next day was "Light and Easy" (which still has your muscles tired by the end). I'd forgotten how much I enjoy those and I felt slightly sore muscles each day after the workouts so, I'd say they are going to become somewhat regulars in my routine.

On a slightly different note, I had a guy at work come up to me and quietly say "I don't want you to think I'm a creeper or anything, but I just had to ask, have you lost some weight?" When I said I had a little bit, he responded "Well, you look like it. You look good and there is just an overall positive aura about you that different. You're carrying yourself differently and I just had to tell you. Don't think I'm being a creeper." It was so sweet, and if you knew this guy, you'd know he was sincere and is not one that would say something to be creepy. It totally made my day. I still am not seeing a lot of changes but apparently something is working even if I'm not seeing it.

Well, I'll sign off for this week. Next week with be the official last week, however I think I might mix it up and do at least 3 more weeks and see if the weeks I didn't have much success was due to my cheating or if those weeks were just not working for me.

Shred Week 3: Transformation and Week 4 Ascend

Hey All,

Sorry I'm a little behind on filling everyone in on last week. I'm just going to talk about both weeks and I'll just update Week 4 numbers tomorrow after I take them.

So, Week 3 Transformation was my best week yet. It's definitely not a week you can apply to life on a regular basis, since it's primarily shakes or smoothies with a few added veggies or fruits. However, I seem to do better when the diet has a more strict routine. When there is leeway, I tend allow myself to "splurge". I did really well during the Monday-Friday portion of the week, but then my sister and I had a girls weekend in honor of my mom(who died Nov. 1, 2012, and whose birthday was Saturday. Needless to say, I didn't follow the plan Friday evening or Saturday. I did stay away from wheat, so I amazingly still lost. The workouts are still not happening as often as I'm supposed to, so I'm sure I would see even better results if I applied myself in all areas of my health.

Being healthy is 90 % mental and 10 % application of eating right and exercise. The last couple weeks I have definitely not been hitting my mental side of the equation and consequently I'm not seeing the results I want. I know it and get it and yet, I'm still not pushing myself. I am getting exercise in, just not all 5 days.

So, here are Week 3 numbers:

January 28, 2013
Bust: 36 1/4 in
Ribs: 30 in
Abdomen: 29 3/4 in
Hips: 40 1/4 in
Thighs: 27 in
Calves 16 1/2 in
Arms: 13 in
Weight 168.4

As you can see, I did lose more inches than weight, which is just fine with me as long as it's a loss:-)

Week 4: Ascend

I am one of those people that weigh myself daily. I don't get discouraged and ruin my diet based on my daily weight, but I am still trying to figure out what are my true sensitivities to food. This is how I've figured out the wheat sensitivity. It can be discouraging when the scale does not change after several days, but I usually know that it's my own fault based on what I've been eating so it's usually not surprising. All that to say, my weight did not change from weighing on Monday til Saturday, but then it jumped back up to 168.4 today. I know based on eating later than I should as well as having Thai food (although I barely at 1/4 of what was on my plate-so I know I didn't over eat at that meal, and I only had water) that that was probably the main cause. I also did not eat every 3-4 hours yesterday. I got busy organizing my house and didn't want to stop to eat. So, I'm sure my metabolism was just screwy altogether.

February 4, 2013
Bust: 36 1/4 in
Ribs: 30 in
Abdomen: 29 3/4 in
Hips: 40 1/4 in
Thighs: 26 3/4 in
Calves 16 1/2 in
Arms: 13 in
Weight 169.4

This week wasn't difficult, but I was in a funk again, so did not follow the plan as much as I should have.

Next week, I'm determined to follow it completely. This is Cleanse week and has several additions as well as is more strict with what you can and can't eat at each meal or snack. I did most of my grocery shopping last night, but I neglected to check what next week would look like, so I'm going to have grab a few more things. I'm also planning to write everything down, so that I can follow it exactly. I think this week has potential to be a great week from a weight loss standpoint and thankfully I have no plans to eat out or anything big that will cause me to really not follow the plan. I'm sure life will happen and something will change, but for now I'm committed to really trying to keep this week pure:-)