Day 29 / 42

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz romaine and spinach, 1 kiwi, 1 T flax seed, 2 oranges, 1/3 banana

L - salad: romaine, cabbage, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 small avocado, 1 red bell pepper, 13 baby carrots, 1/2 cup garbanzo beans, casinera's caesar dressing + 1 clementine

D - 1.5 cups sweet greens soup + 1 head raw broccoli, bok choy with sweet potato/peanut dip + about 1 lb braised mustard greens

E - swim: 1:00, weights: 0:45

I'm feeling a little weak today and fighting cravings/toxic hunger like mad. The afternoon stretch from 2 pm - 6 pm was the worst. It was so bad I was having trouble focusing and concentrating today at work. I had to get vegetables for dinner which meant going to the grocery store and facing temptation.

I'm proud to report that I was this close (you can't see me, but my thumb and forefinger are almost touching) to breaking down and buying junk food. I kept thinking about how I didn't want to say I didn't do everything in my power to lose weight this week.

Day 28 / 42

I downloaded Lose It on my phone yesterday to track my calories. I am going to track my intake this week and see where I am making mistakes. Since the scale isn't moving, this should give me some good information. I used to be fairly obsessive about tracking calorie intake, recording and weighing everything I put in my mouth. I was a walking encyclopedia of calorie information and a darn good judge of correct portion sizes. It used to drive me crazy! I don't want to go back down that road so hopefully it will just be this one week or two.

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz romaine and spinach, 1 kiwi, 1 T flax seed, 2 oranges, 1/3 banana

L - salad: romaine, cabbage, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 small avocado, 1 red bell pepper, 13 baby carrots, 1/2 cup garbanzo beans, casinera's caesar dressing + 1 clementine

D - shiitake mushroom-tomato-spinach soup, cooked spinach with sweet potato/peanut dip

E - bike: 1:00, run: 0:40, swim: 0:45

Day 27/42

After the disappointing weigh-in results, I was livid. After doing all the things I thought I was supposed to be doing -- eating right AND exercising a lot -- and I didn't lose any weight! And so I did what I do when I feel discouraged. I binged. I had been doing so well too! NINE days! After the binge, I allowed myself to eat more SAD food - mostly way more sugary desserts than ever allowed. I had stomach pains shortly after (serves me right) and yesterday was the first day I ate completely back on track again.

So it's back to logging to finish off these last couple of weeks.

On the plus side, I felt much better physically this week. I guess the coach was correct when he said consistent training would bring less fatigue. I rode yesterday and did MUCH better than last week. We did the SAME challenging course as last week, except in reverse, which is harder, AND added an extra hour to the ride. Four hours on the bike later (it rained on us too), I ran and was even able to do some sprints up the nearby hills.

It's coming together!

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz romaine and spinach, 1 kiwi, 1 T flax seed, 2 oranges, 1/3 banana

L - salad: romaine, cabbage, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 small avocado, 1 red bell pepper, 10 baby carrots, casinera's caesar dressing + 2 clementines

D - zucchini "noodles" with tomatoes + steamed kale and sweet potato/peanut dip + bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables + 1/4 cup garbanzos

E - run: 1:15, weights: 0:30

Halfway Through

I guess I should report some weight stats.

I've been avoiding the scale for a while now. Mostly because I knew the numbers weren't going to be good and I would just get discouraged and upset with myself that I let my overeating/bingeing take me as far as it has. I wanted to be sure I was on the right track first.

I had last weighed myself January 17 and I was 125.2 lbs / 26% BF.

I weighed myself when I came back from Tahoe, since I had felt lighter.

I was 122.8 lbs / 24% BF.

And I was encouraged that because I averaged two hours of exercise everyday last week, I would definitely be losing at a faster pace.

But that doesn't seem to be the case. I know I have not been perfect but I had hopes that my indiscretions wouldn't hurt me too much. Obviously, also not the case.

I weighed in at 124.4 lbs / 21% BF.

Ugh.

Day 20/42

Quick post because I want to get to bed early... finally feeling like a "normal" person - that is, not too sore and not too sleepy! I also finally got around to trying Barb's awesome sweet potato/peanut dip. I've been wanting to try it for a while now... I LOVE sweet potatoes AND peanuts so logic says I should love this dip. Logic is right! Mmmmm. I think I will making this often.

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz cauliflower stems and bok choy, 1 kiwi, 1 T flax seed, strawberries and blueberries
+ coffee (8 oz)
+ 4 clementines

L - salad: romaine, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 small avocado, 1 red bell pepper, carrots, zesty tomato dressing
+ 1 oz roasted sunflower seeds

D - sweet potato/peanut dip with steamed kale, lima beans

E: swim: 1:00

"Pasta" Ideas

One thing I miss in the SAD-eating world is pasta. I miss the days of huge plate-fuls of noodles and tomato sauce. I probably could get away with eating whole wheat pasta, but the temptation to overeat more than 1 cup is far too big.

I had asked for a spiral slicer for Christmas and Santa delivered! I love this thing. It is from Benriner and so far has been working great. It has 3 separate blades which varies the shape of the slices made.  After reading the horribly written instructions ("helps your cooking fast, joyfully with wonderfully edged strings" anyone?), I was able to figure it out using the pictures.  It's not difficult at all. This is what I do for zucchini noodles:

• Slice off the ends.
• Cut zucchini into pieces that will fit the slicer.  It holds pieces around 4 inches long, so it typically takes me 2-3 rounds to slice one zucchini.
• Turn and slice away!

It's fairly easy and quick.  The "noodles" fall to the cutting board beneath in beautiful curled strands.  The slicer holds onto the zucchini on top as it turns it to slice, so there are end pieces left each time you slice:

No problem, I just slice them thin and mix with the rest of my "noodles."  I dish the whole thing onto a plate and eat with a simple marinara sauce. 

BTW, I eat WAY more than that little plate. Try 2-3 platefuls. :)

On a separate note, the other thing I do sometimes when I am craving "pasta" is slice cabbage or collards very thinly and then blanch them.  I use the cooked vegetables as my "noodle" base and serve with a "cheeze" or marinara sauce.

I love that it is super nutritious and low calorie that I can enjoy a healthy serving. YAY ETL!

Days 17, 18, 19 / 42

The weekend was very busy with a bunch of social obligations and running around. I didn't do so well and ate a bunch of SAD-things. Definitely too much sugar too. I felt kind of sick after the bridal shower on Saturday night.  I have to get better about this!

I completed all of my scheduled workouts this weekend too which makes me feel a little better about the SAD indulgences, but I realize I shouldn't be justifying them. I was EXHAUSTED on Saturday and could barely keep up with anyone on the bike ride. Sunday was more of the same but this morning I am finally feeling a little normal (at least I'm not sore!).

Here is the breakdown:

Friday (Day 17)
B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz cauliflower stems and collards, 1 large orange, 1 kiwi, 1 T flax, handful of blueberries

L - salad: romaine, cabbage, 1/2 small avocado, 3/4 cup beans, 1/2 red pepper, zesty tomato dressing
+ 2 clementines

S - powerbar before second workout (didn't need this!)

D - almost a whole bag of turnip greens with tomato sauce, and the following very bad snacks while out shopping with a friend: gelato in waffle cone, 1 biscotti cookie

E: bike: 1:10, (then again, later) B: 1:00

Saturday (Day 18)
B - (during ride): sports drink, 1 GU, 1 granola bar
(after ride while running errands): 1 granola bar

L - 2 bowls sweet greens soup, 1 cup garbanzos, cabbage salad

D - (at bridal shower): - 2 small peppers, 2 celery sticks, guacamole, mixed nuts, mixed fruit, 1 small brownie, taste of some kind of cookie, 1 cream puff, 1 pc of cake (sugar overload!)

E - bike: 3:10, run: 0:20

Sunday (Day 19)
B - whole wheat toast with peanut butter

L - green smoothie, 2 kiwis

S - about 6 thin mints

D - 1 bowl sweet greens soup, 3 oz pc of fish, lots of spinach, 1 slice ww garlic toast (roasted garlic on ww bread), 1.5 glass of wine, 1 chocolate biscotti cookie

E - run: 0:75

Day 16/42

Today was slightly less than ideal. The less than ideal part was that I snacked today. And I did it when I was NOT hungry (I was pretty full from lunch) and was fully aware of what I was doing. It just shows how much we are creatures of habit (or I am at least). The good news is that even though I was starving after swimming (I finished around 7:30 pm), I didn't give into the energy bar in my car and came home to make a healthy dinner.

Also, I've learned one good thing about having the BF stay with me as his home gets repaired:

I can't binge.

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz bok choy and cauliflower stems, 1/2 large orange, 1 kiwi, handful of blueberries, 1 T flax seed
+ about 2 cups Chinese broccoli

L - salad: romaine, cabbage, 3/4 cup garbanzos, 1/2 red pepper, cucumber, 1/2 small avocado, zesty tomato dressing
+ large fuji apple

S - 1 oz roasted sunflower seeds, 2 FF fig newtons

D - 1/2 head cabbage (cooked) with tomato sauce, a LOT of mashed cauliflower with "cheeze" (1 tablespoon, vegan - made from walnuts and nutritional yeast)

E - run: 0:50, swim: 0:30

Day 15/42

It's only day 3 of this new training schedule and it's already killing me.  I had to swim last night, swim this morning, and lift weights this afternoon.  I couldn't even keep up with anyone in my swim lane this morning. Tomorrow morning I'll go to the track workout, then swim again in the evening, and then on Friday, I do 2 bike workouts.  I am going to be exhausted come Saturday and that's when all the "long endurance" stuff is planned!

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz cauliflower stems and bok choy, 1/2 large orange, 1 kiwi, handful of blueberries, 1 T flax seed

L - salad: romaine, collards, 1/2 red pepper, 3/4 cup black beans, cucumber, 1/2 small avocado, zesty tomato dressing + 3 clementines

D - 1 pint grape tomatoes, 1/2 small head of cabbage with tomato sauce, mashed cauliflower with "cheeze sauce" (walnuts and nutritional yeast)

E - swim: 1:10, weights: 0:45

Day 14/42

So... February. I realize that I haven't been logging much with the recent trip but it's time to get back to it. February is the month where Coach said the volume was going to start to increase. And it has... I just received a new training schedule from him - though I haven't followed the first week since I was out of town. I am now doing 4 bike workouts, 4 swim workouts, and 4 run workouts per week. I had hoped to be at a lower weight at this point since working out more makes me so much hungrier and I didn't want to deal with cutting calories and possibly decreasing performance, but I am hopeful the higher volume will also make it easier for me to lose.

during workout: sports drink (50 calories)

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz cauliflower and bok choy, 1/2 large orange, 1 kiwi, 1 T flax seed, handful of blueberries

L - salad: romaine and collards, 1/2 red bell pepper, 3/4 cup black beans, cucumber, 1/2 small avocado, zesty tomato dressing + 4 clementines

S - (before swimming): 1 banana, powerbar (shouldn't have had the bar - I was stuck in traffic for an hour and thought I was "starving")

D - A LOT of Chinese broccoli, dried mushrooms

E - bike: 1:00, run: 0:45, swim: 0:42

Return from Tahoe

I'm back now... a few days later to posting than I originally wanted. I actually returned Saturday evening, but the events of the last few days have made things rather crazy around here. First - the actual trip...

I'm proud to say I think I did fairly well for being away! I mostly ignored my family's comments about my "weird eating" and stuck to eating frozen vegetables, beans, and fruit in the little hotel room we had. Luckily, it was equipped with a microwave and small fridge. No, I wasn't ETL-perfect. On the days I snowboarded, the day generally consisted of a breakfast of 1/2 bag of frozen vegetables and peas, a lunch of a peanut butter + banana sandwich on whole wheat, and a dinner of 1/2 bag of frozen spinach with more mixed frozen vegetables, and 1/3 cup of lentil soup poured on top. The lentil soup definitely had way too much sodium but it was all I could find in the local grocery store. I had to dilute it with water. The rest of my companions had fast food every night we stayed in. We spent the last night at a fancy restaurant, where I strayed somewhat, eating bread and fish. I did also make sure to order vegetable sides -- delicious but probably had too much salt and oil.

I was getting lots of rest too, feeling very good overall (besides the bruises from falling!) and my pants even seemed looser.

Then we came home.
And it was back to the stressball life.

I spent most of Sunday doing homework for a class I'm taking. While in Tahoe, the Boy found out his condo was leaking into his neighbor's. We later learned that the damage to his condo is quite extensive and trying to be the gracious girlfriend, I of course offered to have him stay with me while his home is being repaired. This should be an interesting test... now he will see just how crazy I really am with my early morning workouts and truly "weird" eating habits. But I figure if things develop into something more serious, this is a good way to see if we can handle each other.

And finally for the biggest stressor... on Sunday my sister sends me a strange text message asking questions about a guy I dated last year.

Her: "Does he own a road bike?"
Me: "Yes - why?"
Her: "Because this guy at my superbowl party looks a lot like him..."
(Minutes later)
Her: "Oh it IS him! Maybe I will chat him up!"

Hours later, she calls me on the way back from the party and gives me the scoop. Her friend just bought a place and decided to hold a superbowl/housewarming party and coincidentally his new roommate is ... the former boyfriend. But not just any former BF either. This one broke my heart and trampled on it. Strangely, while my sis and I are talking, the jerkhole in question sends me a text message.

He says he ran into my sister and how random it was and hopes I'm doing well. Typical. So as not to be rude, I send him a message back, "small world!" to which he replies "Maybe we could catch up if you want?"

Hmmmmm.

It bothers me that this whole episode bothered me at all. I thought I was over him and had moved on. Heck, I'm dating a great guy right now! Yet I couldn't put it out of my mind.

And so what happened? I ended up bingeing. I am kicking myself now as I write that. I wanted to numb my emotions with food, which of course, never works.

Now I am somewhat calmer, but worried that my episode has put weight back on. Well, only time will tell... Scale Day is tomorrow.

Snow Time

Leaving today for a snowboarding trip that will last to the end of the week.  I plan on ETL-ing as well as I can.