Tag: weight loss

Whole 30 – Egg Roll in a Bowl

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And another one *DJ Khalid voice.

In April, I went vegan for 21 days. I lost about 13 pounds. I saw some pretty cool health benefits, such as,  no acid-reflux, better sleep, and the 13 pounds gone. The downside, I was consuming too many carbs, especially, for someone pre-diabetic. I needed a healthy eating solution but I this was not it. So, I set out to find another one.

I have been attending this boot camp that consists of HIIT weight training. The instructor/owner does this 30-day Challenge every month. I had been researching Whole 30 for nearly a year – no lie. It seemed easy to align the 30-day elimination diet, Whole 30, with the 30-day workout challenge.

I decided to spend my Sunday meal prepping as to make this journey a little easier. Below is my go at an Egg Roll in a Bowl recipe I found online and tweaked. What do you think?

1 head of cabbage

1/4 cup red onions

5-6 coves of garlic

6 green onions

2-3 tablespoons of coconut aminos

1 tablespoon of garlic chili sauce

1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar

pepper to taste

Sauce:

1/4 cup mayo

1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce

salt to taste

Fitness 2013 – Rhythm-less Nation

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You must forgive me for my behavior and this post. I am usually very uplifting and positive. I like to see the cloud's silvery lining. Yesterday? Not so much.

My trainer is out of town. Not wishing to fall behind on my workouts, I decided I would check out the classes at my gym. Yesterday, I realized there was a Body Pump (weight-lifting) class followed by Zumba (cardio-dance) scheduled. My training is usually pretty intense so I decide to take both classes. Body Pump went as I expected. Life weights to music and we are good to go. I was super pumped for Zumba because this is where you get to GET DOWN!

Chile!

The fact that Zumba (which is a pretty popular class) had all of ten people present should have been a warning. This Zumba class was taught by the most rhythmically challenged African-American woman that I have ever seen in my life. This includes me! lol

OMG.

The music started and I noticed that the moves were pretty basic. No worries, I told myself, we are just getting started. How can you teach Latin dance with a complete inability to move your hips and snake your back? It was like Geppetto was controlling her limbs with invisible strings.

Bless her heart she tried. I mean, she was energetic and engaging. I even gave her a high-five in the middle of a routine. I was thinking, I can get through this. I can get through this UNTIL she busted out the Macarena!

I left after about 40 minutes.

The funny thing is – I have always wanted to be a dance aerobics instructor but I know I am #team rhythm-less nation. I wondered what my class experience would look like. Last night, I peeked into my future and it was not pretty. I still would like to teach the course but TRUST I am going to take dance lessons first!

Fitness 2013 – The Brilliance of Not Giving Up

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I had just written the perfect post about not giving up and facing obstacles when my computer froze! The entire brilliant piece was deleted. Here I am starting again.

 Talk about practicing what you preach!

 Long story short. I had a rough time during my workout and contemplated quitting. I was tired of overcoming one challenge only to fall short on another.

 Then I had an epiphany. If I am tired of starting over, I should stop quitting when things become difficult; or when facing a significant setback, like losing my post a few minutes ago.

 Weight loss and fitness Is about consistency. A preacher once stated that success comes by doing what you are required to do regardless of how you feel. I felt like giving up. Many excuses ran through my head but I have given up before. I know the outcome of that. I want to feel the outcome of not giving up. I want to see the other end of being consistent, disciplined and working hard for a fitness goal.

 I am out of time so this post, while not as long as my original, is still kind of brilliant in its brevity.

 Do what you need to do to get what you need to get regardless of how you feel.

 

BAM!

Fitness 2013 – The Plateau or the Cliff

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I am not as obsessive with my scale nowadays. I get on it one every other day and not everyday :-).Seriously folks. For a few weeks, I had been gaining and losing the same 3 lbs. It was starting to get on my freaking nerves.I felt myself getting close the that cliff. That edge that tempts you to chalk it up to genes and eat the darn Doritos. We have all been there, right? Right? Ok, maybe just me.

Then I remembered my post – It's All Mathematics.

That extra slice of cheese, that helping of ice cream was all adding up. . .on my thighs. Back to the drawing board. I reviewed my diet and designed a workable plan. Back to my oatmeal in the morning. Plain yogurt and fruit for snack. Reasonable lunch 800 calories or less and a sensible dinner.

NO.MORE.DORITOS! lol

I reviewed my workouts via my phone app and I had slacked to about 3 times per week. My goal is to be at 5 times per week. Seriously, I have been working out extra hard with a trainer. Why put myself through that torture – and believe me it is torture – to undo it with mindless snacking, being lazy or eating out? 

In the words of Sweet Brown, 'Ain't nobody got time for that!'

I get on the scale today. For the last few days, those 3 lbs have stayed gone.

Shoot, I'm tryna be fine by my birthday.

#countdown

Fitness 2013 – Keep That Body Moving

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Woo chile! What a week! I have been working some mandatory overtime and getting up early to do it. It is taking some getting used to. I thought – erroneously – that I would just sleep a little longer, you know, nap a little more. I skipped a workout here . . .there. The result, I was tired all of the time.

What the what?

As I lsat on the couch seriously pondering where my get-up-and-go went, I remembered by high school science class. Sir Isaac Newton's First Law of Motions states that an object either is at rest or moves at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a force. {Source}

Or in laymen term, a body in motion stays in motion. A body in rest stays at? You guessed it – REST! The more I slept in and did not work out, the more I just wanted to layabout. I finally just bit the bullet and started back  in motion. This body started moving and just kept moving.

Moving feels good. Whether working out, cleaning up, or dancing, your body will feel great.

So no matter what hurdles life tosses at you, I would encourage you to keep moving. You can only reach the goal ahead if you are in motion towards it.

On This Weight Loss Journey, We All Need A Little Encouragement

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Every few months, I speak with a health coach. It is a thirty minute session sponsored by my insurance. I take full advantage of it. I had been in a blue funk lately, possibly some delayed reaction to my niece and nephew leaving and my big disappointment. When I get in these moods, I feel like I have no energy. The other day, when I normally would have been on my trail I was in bed sleep!

So, I get this call and a very energetic woman starts asking me about my progress. I am itemizing the changes I have made and my results. In the midst of her, 'Great' and 'You are doing such a good job' responses, something funny happened – I started to feel better. Blue funk and all, I have managed to stick with consistent workouts longer than I ever have in life.

My coach also logs my weight and other health info. When she states how much weight I have lost in a few months, I am like, wow, I am progressing.

My coach asks me how I think my diet and workouts are going. She suggests apps and websites to assist me. She even asks how am I planning to stay on track – down to suggesting I cook twice a week to help with my meal planning.

One conversation and I feel I am back on track. Last night I did my Abs Challenge workout. I woke up this morning had prayer and then started my leg raises lol. Talk about commitment. This healthy lifestyle is a journey. I was letting outside forces affect my mood which in turn affected my behavior. The cheering on of someone with no other interest in me except my progress was all I needed to get back on track.

A little encouragement goes a long way.

Staying on Track

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Confession: I am going to need to extend my abs challenge an additional week. I did not do a single leg raise. There is really no excuse. I mean, there are excuses just not good ones. I have come to far to chunk the deuces to the whole challenge. Slightly disappointed in myself but I will just go another week.

Speaking of disappointments, I received one this week. It is difficult when someone you believed in turns out to not be that believable. Not that any human being is perfect but honesty goes a long way with me. I was a little down and was going to skip my workout when my nephew suggested we go to the trail. I am thankful for his motivation.

It is just so easy to get off track – a glitch in a schedule, a missed workout, fatigue or a disappointment. The key is to be consistent – to stay on track. I heard a sermon once – success comes from doing what you know is right regardless of how you feel. I felt like climbing in bed and pulling the covers over my head. Instead I got up and did my 3 miles.

My niece and nephew are going back home tomorrow *insert sad face*. I am going to have to find some internal motivation for those down days. Maybe I should buy a new dress. There is no therapy like retail therapy. lol

 

Abs, Thighs and Apple Pies

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I am over a week in on the abs challenge. To be specific, I did 30 crunches, 30 leg raises and a 30 second plank. . .in stages. Hey, but I did do them!

In between, my niece complaining about having to wash dishes prior to placing them in the dishwasher AND learning that dish washing liquid DOES NOT go in the dishwasher, my diet has suffered. I can get by on oatmeal, Kefir and fruit and a sensible dinner. She wants me to actually cook. How they cook back home includes meat as the main dish.The delicate balance between being the cool aunt and responsiblity – I have yet to find it.

Needless to say, I have been undermining my workout efforts. I have had chips and ice cream. . .ICE CREAM!All I could think about after dinner was pie – apple pie to be specific lol. I am planning on putting up before and after pics in 7 months so 'ain't nobody got time for that!'

Focus, grasshopper!

I need to get back to planning. Oatmeal for breakfast and no senseless snacking. Snacking is so easy to do with kids around.

One good thing is that I have been keeping up with my workouts although my niece HATES the trail. That is one thing I insist upon.

Assess and readjust. I must get my workout on and my flyness back. I felt pretty awesome putting on some capris that had been in my closet for years because they could not get past my thighs. I felt so cute I even threw on a pair of heels.

'Cause I'm fly like that!

When It Comes to Weight Loss Advice, I Am Missouri

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As you are well aware off, I am on a weight loss journey. I am sharing my experiences with my readers and everyone I know in the hope that it will help inspire others.

One of my pet peeves, however, is the person who always knows a little more than you.

Do you exercise and diet to lose weight? Well, you should diet and exercise if you really want to lose weight.

Get it?

People love to give advice, particularly, unsolicited advice. Everyone has all of the answers. I do get it. I really do. I am partly to blame because I am a little obsessed at this point. In my excitement, I share my journey. I love hearing of new methods, recipes and workouts. . .

. . .however. . .

I will take your advice with a grain of salt until I see some results. Hey, if you were interviewing for a job, you would throw in some examples of how you are driven by results and all that jazz.

Call me Missouri. It is, after all, The Show-Me State.

I have written all of this to say, do not let the unproven advice of others take you off track. Surround yourself with people who are happy for you and will encourage you. . .like me 🙂

Anyway, I am wearing my jeans that had been hanging in my closet – brand new- for two years since we are talking about results and all.

What weight loss milestones have you passed?