Cheat Day gone WILD!

OMG... This Saturday (my cheat day for the week) I ate like I've never seen food before! LOL
I literally went to bed 3-5 pounds heavier then I woke up!

UGH... I think Cheat days are there to remind you about how much BETTER you feel when you are eating healthy, nutritious foods... because BOY, did I feel like crapola Saturday night! (Granted, I must admit, I did eat MORE then I would have normally eaten even before I started this nutrition plan! I was a PIG! HAHA)
I didn't feel guilty about it though, which is something that I've been trying to tell myself NOT to feel on cheat days for the past month... so I am making progress. But I do see the damage that it's done on the scale this weekend... that kinda makes me miffed!
It was a MUCH easier transition from Cheat day back to Nutrition plan this time though. I didn't want to "cheat" once yesterday! I ate all of my healthy foods, and I'm starting to feel good again!

Next cheat day I am planning on eating healthier foods... not Taco Time, Arby's and Moxie's all in the same day! LOL

Stupid week, I hope it doesn't screw me up!

Thursday was my 2nd Free/Cheat day on my plan. This one was an emotional day for me... like I didn' know how I felt about eating the sugar again! (everything is sooo much sweeter now... I had to water down my tea! What the??) So emotional that I almost cried twice. First my bank card wouldn't work at the coffee shop in the AM (and that was my only form of payment. Boo) And second... I was so excited for hamburgers for dinner and Collin forgot mine on the grill and burnted them pretty bad :( (And I HATE eating burnt anything! I WILL NOT!!! I cut off the charred parts, so my burgers were like really thin slices of meatloaf! LOL) It just seemed like nothing went smooth for me... Like someone was telling me "Ah, Ah Ah... don't be a cheater!" Stupid, guilty conscience! I guess overall, it's a good thing!

Tonight, I planned on working out, but still haven't! (And it's 10:30pm!) I might do 15 minutes of skipping and some pushups and sit ups... I'm just not in the mood to sweat anymore! But I did go for a tan today! That felt awesome! (First tan since my trip! Even out those tan lines finally! haha!)

Tomorrow is Collin's mom's Birthday dinner... I am going to TRY NOT to cheat... but I don't know if I can turn down BIRTHDAY CAKE!!! Maybe I will, but who knows! I'm not expecting to have a very positive diet day!!! I guess you only live once, right?
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My Dieting Personality

I don't like to call it "dieting" it's more like "food budgeting", right? (Dieting has such a negative connotation these days!)
I had joined SparkPeople a while back, and decided to use their food journal to help track my daily intake during this initial stage of my nutrition plan.
They also had a quiz to determine what your dietting style is, and it hit the nail on the head for me... and gave me so many great tips on how to make sure I attain my goals. Have a look:

I'm the FAST FUELER:
Convenience is everything - and it's a problem. You tend to be on the go a lot and have a no-nonsense but inconsistent approach to health and fitness. The rational side knows about good nutrition and how it helps you get more done. But eating right all the time is a real hassle, especially when you just want to know what tastes good! Moreover, you prefer to eat when hungry but your busy schedule makes it difficult. Relatively speaking, it is also likely you have less weight to lose compared to most.
Fast Fuelers as a general rule tend to get caught up in what they're doing and sometimes forget to eat. A skipped breakfast or lunch is a recipe for trouble, usually ending up in an evening or late night calorie load-up. Fast Fuelers do not necessarily eat a lot of fast food, but your hectic day can lead to unhealthy food because a trip home or the grocery store just isn't convenient.

What can you do? Retake control of your diet with meal planning, convenience, and more consistency. Spacing out smaller, more frequent meals will keep your energy reserves stable and avoid the highs and lows of "grab and go" meals and late night snacking. You need to structure good nutrition into your day (like other appointments) to avoid the compromising situations that cause you to skip meals or hit the drive thru. You are likely an excellent do-it-yourselfer in other areas of your life. Plan and pack ahead. Use that advantage of discipline and determination to stick to a real plan!

How SparkPeople can help: SparkPeople's structured meal plans match your caloric needs and take the guesswork out of healthy food choices. Our searchable 10,000-food database makes it easy to plan ahead and keep track of calorie levels, overall nutrition and your weight loss progress. Choose from our plans or mix and match your own. Our food planning, tracking and calendar tools help you control your eating habits without using up a lot of valuable time or brainpower.

Great tips for FAST FUELERS:
-Bring stability to your diet, using your rational side to plan ahead and stay consistent.
-Pack your lunch or have someone pack for you so it's there when you need it.
-Have and use plenty of disposable resealable containers of different sizes.
-Batch-cook food on Sunday for the rest of the week
-Make a point to have more fresh fruit and vegetables within arm's reach.
-Try cutting the intake of coffee and soda in half or substituting with green tea.


Doesn't sound like you? Are you more likely an Emotional Eater, a Portion Distortioner, or just Carb and Calorie Crazed! Find out at SPARK!

If you want to join me in my weight loss journey, I would recommend getting started by checking out Spark! It's got so much information and other tools to use to make your goals become a reality! You will be very surprised how much you can accomplish in the right environment and support!!!
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Pound number 2

So, since starting phase one of my new nutrition plan, I have already noticed a change on the scale! 2 pounds! (And I'm not even being super strict yet! ... it's amazing what eating a few meals of cheese curd and yogurt will do to your body! :) I know it's the bread and pasta that I need to avoid, and co far I've done a GREAT job at staying away from those carbolicious goodies!

Phase one of my nutrition plan is geared twards shocking my body, cutting out all of the processed sugars that I get way too much of normally! (Sweet tooth?!) It's been a bit of a slow process to get into this diet, but once I noticed that I was making progress, I was stoked! Yesterday I followed the diet to the letter, and I woke up today and lost another pound! YAHOO!

Trust me, eatting this diet is tough, but my saving grace is knowing that I only have to do it for a month! (...Then Phase two begins!)
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My Nutrition Plan - Part One

I've gained a bit of weight (ok, 10 pounds) since I met Collin and I was a little concerned about it. It seems like since I turned 25, my body gains an average of 5 pounds per year... is this normal? So obviously I've been eating more then my body can burn off. :(
I decided to get a professional's help! I called up a fellow group exercise instructor whom I know has a nutritionist degree and enlisted her help.

Check out my new meal plan (keep in mind this is only phase one!):
Oatmeal 50gr (dry weight)
Chicken breast 4oz (cooked weight)
Skim milk 0.75 cup
Dry cottage cheese 125gr (I recommend mixing it with the yogurt)
Egg whites 3-4
Yogurt non-fat 125gr
Oriental vegetable mix 100gr
Rice (brown rice better choice) 1 cup cooked
Protein powder 1 scoop

This is all the food I'm allowed for a day! (Well, add in fresh veggies like lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, celery, cauliflower, cabbage, mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, green beans Brussels sprouts, comatose, onions, broccoli...) but basically that's all she wants me to eat for the next 4 weeks!

I'm going to get started on this tomorrow... I guess I'd better scarf down those CRAVE cupcakes I got on the weekend TONIGHT!!!
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"I don't want to work....

...I just awant to bang on a drum all day!"
Well, really, I just want to be at home beading!!! I'm having withdrawl since my little frenzy of beading the other night! Oh well, maybe tonight while Collin is gone shopping!

PS. Last night I made this, and WOW, it was excellent! Collin ate it ALL up and I couldn't even finish my plate! Very filling, and great flavor! (Who doesn't love pasta and cheese???)
(My recipe mods: Rotini noodles instead of Fettucini I added fresh, crushed garlic to the sauce, and I also used 'Herb and Garlic' Creem Cheese instead of plain. Mmmmm!)
Also, check out how they cook the broccoli in this dish! They add it to the boiling pasta 2 minutes before it's done cooking, then drain... GENIUS! It worked out great, and was SO QUICK!!
If you make it, let me know how yours turns out! I gave this recipe 5 stars (out of 5!)
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Gypsy Soup

I have had the items to make this soup for almost a month... so I decided, since I'm starting my cleanse tomorrow, I'd finally make it . Well, If I can make it, anyone can make it! And it turned out GOOD!!
I've even scanned the recipe for those of you who want to try it! (I actually used crushed tomatoes from a can, instead of Step 1)
Good Luck!!!
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What's for dinner tonight?

Thai Chicken and Rice, that's what!
I made a trip to Safeway looking for some dinner inspiration and decided I wanted to make something Thai flavored! I managed to find a couple of packages that required minimal preparation and ingredients!
<---This is the final result!

It was really flavorful! The chicken sause was a bit spicy, and I had to use extra water to keep it from becoming too thick. I wouldn't recommend these two together (the chicken sause and the Ginger coconut rice) because they both had a very intense flavor that didn't mingle well. My suggestion would be to make the General Tso's saucy chicken with a plain Basmati or Jasmine rice. Keep it simple.
However the rice was really tasty, so it could be used as a side dish for a more bland chicken dish. Check my Flickr pictures for the packages of ingredients I used.)