Stuck, Stuck, Stuck!!!!

The scale has once again become my foe… it is stuck and refuses to move no matter what I do.  I’m hoping that by posting this some sort of magic will occur and the whoosh fairy will have mercy on me and pay me a visit tonight and sprinkle me with her sparkly fairy dust and the scale will magically go whoosh downward in the morning!   Yep… I’m willing to believe in the whoosh fairy if it’ll work!

But seriously, it went down and has been stuck for 4 days straight.  I’m going to start cutting my carbs back even more and see if I can’t get this moving again.  I’m getting so close to my goal… and soooo close to the deadline of this contest…. I won’t be where I wanted to be… but I want to be as close as possible!

Feelin’ Good!!!! Happy Saturday!

I woke up feeling terrible, but that has given way to me feeling fantastic today!  I feel leaner and like I’m finally fully back on track!  The scale hit a new low for me, but I’m not officially weighing until next Wednesday… I just couldn’t wait and had to sneak a peak!  

I have a super busy day today trying to get the house back in order after a trying week… but tonight is about fun!  I get to go to Medieval Times… I’ve never been.. and can’t decide whether it will be a cool experience… or a bit cheesy!   Guess we’ll see.  Either way,  I guess it’s more about getting out and having fun… I get to meet some new people and see some that I haven’t seen in a long time… I know I’ll have a good time!  The menu is a bit sparse and they don’t carry the “rabbit food” , as my friend calls it, that I normally eat… but if I stick with the protein and veggies… I should make it out unscathed.

I really wanted to get in a cardio session today, but it doesn’t look like the clock is gonna be on my side… I may squeeze out a mini whole body workout today with my fitness bands.  I’m pretty surprised at how effective these bands are depending on the amount of resistance you allow.  I definitely feel it when I use them.

Ok… off to accomplish the days work… Have a Great Saturday!!!

Hhhmmm… just not feeling that well…

I’ve been struggling with exhaustion and weakness the last week or so. I’m sleeping ALOT… or should I say napping a lot.  I don’t know what’s going on with me. I do believe that I’m ODing on caffeine though… I’m a total coffee addict and drink it all day long in between bottles of water. So this morning I switched over to hot tea and I’m gonna see if that helps.  I’m also gonna drag my behind back into the gym. I’ve had several days off and just felt to weak and tired to commit… but I’m going to at least do cardio today and see how I feel.  

My diet has been pretty stellar. Lots of leafy greens and lean protein.  I’m happy and content with my diet and have no cravings for junk… which is SO nice!   My biggest downfall at this point, if you can call it that, is good cheese!  I keep tossing yummy crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese into my salads and I know I would be better off without the added fat, but it’s so delicious and really adds something to my salads… so as long as the scale keeps going down… the cheese stays!

Divine Ezekiel French Toast w/ Warm Berry Sauce

Mmmmm, Mmmmm, Mmmmm!  It is a dreary, raining day here and I have really been wanting something substantial to eat…. so this morning I made french toast!  Ezekiel bread is a sprouted grain bread that is low glycemic, full of fiber and oh so nutritious! It’s much more dense than regular bread and sort of nutty… not great for sandwiches to me, but perfect for this.

• 2 Slices Ezekiel Bread (regular or cinnamon raisin!)
• 3 Egg Whites
• Dash of Splenda and Cinnamon
• 2/3c Frozen Berries (strawberries, blueberries, mixed, ect)
• 1/4c Water
• 1-2T Granular Splenda

     Beat the eggs with the dash of cinnamon and splenda, then soak the bread for at least 5-10 minutes, turning once. This bread is dense and gets better if you allow it to soak up the eggs.  While the bread is soaking, place the rest of the ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, mashing the berries now and then, until it becomes thick and syrupy. 

     Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet and cook the soaked bread until golden brown on both sides and firm to the touch (so you know the middle is cooked through).   Plate and serve with the warm berry sauce and a sprinkling of granular splenda if you like!

A Southern Wedding Weekend!

I must admit, that even though I have been doing much better about sticking to my plan and my workouts have been great, I was a bit worried about this weekend.  My cousin got married in a beautiful little historic town in Mississippi, roughly 8 hours away.  Road trips have always been a challenge for me diet wise.  It is usually one long food fest of greasy dives and yummy new finds… but not this weekend!  With the help of my trusty little cooler I mentioned in the previous post and some wise choices… the weekend was not all lost.  There were certainly deviations… such as several mimosas during our pampering session and of course a few too many carbs at the reception… and more champagne   But for the most part I was able to make wise choices and steer clear of many of the pitfalls that I used to jump into head first.   We’ll see tomorrow if there is any damage done on the scale,  but I’m guessing probably not. 

I’m looking forward to this new week.  I’ll be cleaning out the fridge tomorrow and making way for more pre-prepped foods for my little cooler.  I have 3 intense lifting sessions planned as well as 6 cardio sessions!  I’m also starting back to occupational therapy for my left hand.  I had developed what they believe to be something like a pain disorder and just wasn’t able to make any progress because the unending pain of therapy had finally messed with my head so to speak, but after taking a few months off, and making a bit of progress on my own, my therapist thinks that we may actually be able to get my middle finger to start to bend the way it’s suppose to… Oh, I hope so!  The therapy is horrendous… it’s kind of like volunteering to be tortured for an hour once or twice a week…. but as is the case with fitness…. no pain, no gain! 

One of the most valuable  things that I have learned through this last year, is to just get over myself!  LOL.  I used to have such a lazy, self-limiting mindset… I never wanted to do anything that made me too uncomfortable… pushed me too hard… was painful to me either mentally,  physically or emotionally… guess what?  That’s all of life!  Growth and change are painful… they do not come easily… to grow you must stretch beyond your current limits… you must reach those uncomfortable places that are so unfamiliar and scary.   I love the quote “Feel the Fear… and Do it Anyway!”  It says exactly what is necessary for true growth and change.  All of those success stories… all of those people who have done the very things you dream about…. do you think that it all just came easily to them? That they woke up one morning and everything was in place and ready for them to simply take the prize?  Nope!  Everyone who achieves true greatness… who does something extraordinary with their lives… fought for it… they went through the pain of growth and change and challenges, set backs and disappointments….. And Kept Going!  They faced the fear and did it anyway…. because the payoff is so worth the sacrifice of a little comfort!

Fitness on the Road….

In one hour it will be time for me to hit the road for my cousin’s wedding,  roughly 8 hours and 2 1/2 states away.  Luckily I will not be driving for any of it…. yay!   I have packed my trusty little cooler with my new favorite yummy salad (recipe to come),  Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Cocoa Roasted Almonds (review to come… oh yeah… YUM), and several small bags of turkey breast meat in case… I don’t know… I’m stuck somewhere with no protein.   I could actually use an extra cooler, but will just have to make do with this one, and try my best to make wise choices when we are eating out.  

I have been feeling fantastic! Workouts have been tough, but good. Meghan and I decided to up the weight I’m lifting for this last month of the contest… try and get those muscles to pop a bit.   She is KILLING ME…. but I love her… and am soooo glad she’s there to push me! 

The scale is my friend again… moving down, after being up a few pounds.   I’m not taking any bands or weights or anything with me, but will probably just work on my flexibility during any down time in the hotel this weekend.  I have been greatly neglecting this part of my fitness routine and I can feel it… all over! So, no more slacking on the stretching.