I've been slacking..

Luckily only on my blogging, not my exercising. ;)

I'm into Week 2 of TurboFire and still going strong.  My workouts are getting easier and easier and I can definitely tell that I'm getting my stamina back.. it feels good! This is the farthest I've made it into a round of TurboFire without missing any workouts.  I can't explain how proud of myself I am.  I'm so excited to keep going.

I fell off the wagon quite a bit this weekend with my food though, enough to completely void my Whole30.  I haven't given up on my eating however.  I may not be in the Whole30 anymore, but I am sticking with paleo. I may not be 100% strict paleo all the time, but I don't let little cheats here and there convince me to give up entirely.  I am still so motivated to get healthy and lose this weight!

Tonight's dinner was PaleOMG's Artichoke Lemon Pesto Chicken "Pasta".  It's one of my favorite paleo recipes and has made me obsessed with artichokes.  I love them.

I know it doesn't look appetizing.. but it is soooo yummy. 

I'm going to have to cut this short tonight because I am exhausted and need to get my sweaty butt in the shower so I can go to bed.  I just want to say that this blog has already been great for my accountability and I am thankful for all of my viewers.  (All 4 of you! ;)) Goodnight!

You can find the recipe for the Artichoke Lemon Pesto Chicken Pasta here. :)

Day 5... Exhausted!

I am whooped today! I didn't get home from work last night till 3am and fell asleep around 4 or 5.  I didn't get out of bed till about 11am and that was a battle.  I am proud to say, I still did my workout today!  I was so surprised to see how much easier it was already!  It was TurboFire Fire30, which I've already done this week, and I not only made it through the whole thing with no breaks this time.. but I finished with the same intensity I started with.  It's a great feeling to know that I'm already making progress with my stamina. It definitely gives me the motivation to keep going.

I've come to the conclusion today that I have had too many cheats to even call this a "Whole30" anymore.  I have been eating much healthier though and have been doing so in a way that I think will make this maintainable long term. I think that's what matters and so I'm okay with that.  I also feel as if I don't do this the way I am, then after 30 days of being so strict on myself, like required of the Whole30, I'll just have an all out binge and negate all the hard work I had done in the 30 days.  I'm still not going to weigh myself again or take any measurements until after the 30 days is over. I'll probably do this every 30 days and continue to track my progress until I reach my goals!

I am entirely proud of myself having completed my first full week of eating healthy and working out.  I didn't skip a single workout and finished each one, even when I wanted nothing more than to quit.  That's all I have for now, I have to get ready for work. It's going to be another long night!

Day 4 and feeling sore!

I got in my workout today, but oww I'm hurting all over!  At the same time it feels good though since I know the work I'm doing is working! :) Today's workout was TurboFire's Fire55EZ.  It's probably my least favorite workout so far.  The intensity is lower (hence the EZ) and it's not as challenging as the other workouts (thank goodness because I don't think I could go at a high intensity for 55 minutes just yet), but it was boring to me.  I think working out in front of a TV by myself for 55 minutes is just too much.  Halfway through it I wanted to quit, solely because I was bored. Don't get me wrong, I was sweating and breathing heavy, I think it was just too long.

On that note, I'm considering joining the next BeachBody Challenge Group on December 2nd and ordering Shaun T's Focus T25. It looks intense, but I have the rest of this month of building up my stamina before I start it.  It also sounds perfect just because every workout is only 25 minutes!  Has anybody tried this? I would love to hear some reviews and results of the program.  I did a quick Google search, but as with most BeachBody products, it's hard to find a review that's not written by a BeachBody Coach.  Not that I don't trust their opinion, I just feel like Coach reviews are going to be biased.

I've done pretty well with my food so far today.  I had some leftover Pot Roast/Veggies for brunch today.  My husband and I went to the midnight showing of Thor 2 last night so I slept through breakfast. :P After my workout I had a Progenex Recovery shake.  Now I'm just getting ready for work and I'll probably bring some more of the roast with me.  I'm also thinking about making a shake with spinach, strawberries and avocado.. yum!

One more day to go and I will be done with my first week.  It went pretty darn fast if you ask me!  I'm so glad that my motivation is still high, normally by now I'd already be giving up.  I've definitely noticed a major change in my attitude with beginning this new challenge.  Happy Friday everyone! :)

Day 3: Picking your battles..

I FINALLY remembered to take a "Before" picture this morning... wow. That's all I can say.  Nothing like a horrible picture of yourself to kick your butt in gear and get on track. So, needless to say, I did today's workout immediately after seeing it. Haha. I am most definitely not going to be posting these pictures until I have an "after" picture to go along with them.  It's so bad.  I am happy to report, however, that today's workout definitely felt a little easier!  Still kicked my butt, but I was able to get through it without having to take a bunch of breaks. It's getting a little easier everyday, which is reassuring!

I was a little bad today for lunch.  A friend of mine asked me to go out to lunch and we went to a local Mexican place.  My plan was just to order chicken fajitas and only eat the chicken and veggies... but that plan was ruined when we got there and saw they had a lunch buffet out.  It was cheaper and had all of the stuff that I planned to order off the menu on the buffet, so it just made sense to go with the buffet.  Only I ate things other than just what I would have ordered off the menu.  I had rice and beans, which are a big paleo no-no.  I also partook in the delicious white queso cheese.  I also had a couple tortilla chips and salsa.  I didn't eat A LOT of all of these things though, more like a sampling.  I've decided not to beat myself up about these things because the rest of my eating has been on point this week/today.  It may not be Whole30 approved, but I think allowing myself little things like this every once in awhile will make eating cleaner more attainable long term, not just during this 30 days.

Normally, the old me would let today's lunch ruin the rest of my eating and my day would turn in to one big cheat-fest.. but I haven't let that happen today.  In fact, I have a delicious roast with carrots, onions, peppers, mushrooms and onions slow-cooking as we speak. It's making the house smell so good, I can't wait until it's done cooking so I can dig in!!

The pre-cooked product. :)

That's really all I've got for today.  I promise to start planning a little better and trying new recipes soon so I can share them on here for you! :)  Have a great night!

Day 2 and Feeling Proud of Myself

I'm ashamed to say that today was very hard for me.  I brought lunch to work and ate that, but it took everything I had to resist the temptation that was delicious bar food.  On top of that, I had a couple today who decided to spend about a half hour talking to me about their love of pizza and all of the delicious pizza-joint discoveries they have made over the years.  (Have I mentioned that pizza is one of my guilty pleasures?!... UGH) HOWEVER, I can proudly say that I DID resist the temptation and as much as I wanted to order some pizza, I did not. :D Instead, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home, picked up some pork chops, got them marinating in some balsamic vinegar and baked them for dinner.  I paired them with some fresh green beans and mushrooms sauteed in coconut oil.  It was delicious!  I will say that I may or may not have sprinkled a little cheese on my chili today for lunch though...... sue me.

When I got home from work I was exhausted and thought extremely hard about not working out.  But, I bit the bullet and forced myself to anyway.  I used an app on my phone called BodeeFit today since Wednesdays are "rest" days for TurboFire.  I didn't want to rest since I just started yesterday.  Anyway, I highly recommend this app/site for any of you who are looking to get in shape and just can't afford or don't have time to go to a gym.  Everyday they post a new CrossFit-style workout that uses little to no equipment so that you can do it at home.  The workouts can be tough, but are definitely do-able and can be modified for beginners.  It's also FREE! It doesn't get much better than free, right?

All in all, I think I can be very proud of today.  I'm not really feeling too many effects of the clean eating yet.. although I was feeling a little sluggish today from caffeine withdrawal until I was able to get some coffee (I even drank it BLACK!) in my system.  I'm excited to continue on this path and see my results by the end of this 30 days!!

Whole30 Day 1 and My Beginning Measurements

Today is day one of the Whole30 and my new workout plan.... so far so good!  Today's workout was TurboFire HIIT15.  It's an intense workout that only lasts about fifteen minutes, but gets your heart racing like you've been working out for hours! I definitely struggled today and could tell that I have let myself get out of shape. :(

I did have two no-no's today by Whole30 standards that hopefully shouldn't happen again.  This morning I woke up late and the only thing I had to grab for breakfast was a paleo friendly fruit and nut bar.  It would've been okay if it weren't for the honey in it, which is not allowed during the Whole30.  Then, after my workout, I knew I needed to get some protein in me as soon as possible.  I just couldn't stomach eating anything solid after such an intense workout so I opted for my Progenex Recovery protein shake.  My no-no's were at least healthy choices, just not Whole30 approved.  I plan on being better prepared in the future and stocking up on some on-the-go items so I don't have to settle for poor choices. I also hope that, as I'm getting in better shape, I won't have to rely on a protein shake after my workouts.. or at least can get some ingredients so that I can make some homemade versions.

Today's lunch was sooo good, and entirely simple.  I grilled a couple turkey burgers and topped them with avocado.  Then had a side salad that included spinach, kale, onions, mushrooms, sweet peppers and black olives with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  It was fantastic!  This afternoon I plan to take some chili my husband made (with no beans) to work with me.  I'll also probably bring some almonds and strawberries to have as a snack if needed.

Now, moving on to my beginning measurements. I've went back on forth on whether I was going to share these now or wait until the end and post them with my results.  However, I figured this would be the best way to hold myself accountable, no matter how embarrassed I may be by these numbers.  So here we go, my starting measurements are.....

Weight: 191.6lbs

Body Fat: 26.5%

Waist: 38"

Lower Abs (aka my BIGGEST problem area): 44"

Hips: 43"

Left Thigh: 25.5"

Right Thigh: 26"

Chest: 44"

Right Arm: 12.5"

Left Arm: 13"

I forgot to have my husband take a "Before" picture for me this morning, so I will do that tomorrow but probably won't post it until the end with my "After" picture.  My next task is to hide my scale so I don't obsess over weighing myself everyday.   That's all I've got for now.. so wish me luck! 

Let's Try This Again..

Okay folks.. I started this blog back in May and had some serious things go down in my life shortly after.  I pushed blogging to the side and never really picked it back up.   Now I'm ready to give it another shot!

My working out and paleo-eating that I talked about in my previous post lasted for a couple weeks before I fell off the wagon.  So here I am ready to get back with it.  Tomorrow morning I am going to take all of my weight, inch and body fat measurements, take a before picture, and then lock them away.  I'm going to be beginning a round of TurboFire and attempting the Whole30.  I'm doing this completely on my own and it's going to be tough, but I am so fed up with my body and my health that I need to do SOMETHING.

Over the course of the next 30 days, maybe more, I'll be using this blog to track my food and report back on my results.  I'll be sure to share any delicious recipes I stumble across and would be thrilled if any of you would like to join me in this Whole30 challenge.  Let's do this!!