Eat, Drink & Be MERRY

Anyone will agree that this is a terrible time of year to try to lose weight.... unless you are just completely anti-social. I had three Christmas parties last week, two more this week and two more next week. I am taking the attitude of doing the best that I can.
I am within 5 pounds of my goal weight and feel like I can give myself a little forgiveness. If I mess up one night, I have told myself that I have to get back on track the very next morning! There was one night within the last week that I only got 4 hours of sleep but I still got up and ran 3 miles with my friend.... thank goodness for accountability!
So this is my encouragement to you.... If you mess up one day/night, forgive yourself and get back on track the very next day! No excuses!

before the Tacky Light Tour on Dec. 7, 2012

Gobble Gobble

I know it's been a while since I have posted and I hope to make my next post sooner rather than later! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I was invited by my cousin to go with their family to Jekyll Island and what a treat it was!
I brought all of my shakes and bars with me, however, I didn't have most of it. I new I was going to eat Thanksgiving lunch and I did... it was VERY yummy! I still stuck to the principle of the perfect plate... half raw green veggies, quarter steamed green veggies and a quarter of turkey.... except double it and add in dessert! :)
I am training for the Shamrock Half Marathon in VA Beach on March 17th..... part of my training included running 2 miles on Thanksgiving morning... I ended up running about 3 miles and walking another mile... so I was feeling good about eating a little more than normal for Thanksgiving lunch.
After lunch the cousins ended up playing basketball... a very competitive 3 on 3 game!... I was pooped after all that exercise!
I have lost a total of 22 pounds as of the day before Thanksgiving (11-21-12)!

5 weeks in... 18 pounds lost

I did it! I made it through the first part of the "transformation phase".
I was "allowed" to weigh in after the first 4 weeks succeeding the Restart and I have now lost a TOTAL of 18 pounds! I started really seeing it in my face and feeling it in my clothes first (about 2 weeks in to the transformation phase). I am back to fitting in to my old clothes! Thank goodness!
The meals are getting so much easier to prepare and I'm learning to plan my days better.
I have now learned to cook fish and I love it... it's good to get 2 meals of fish per week in your diet.
Thanks for reading and please let me know if you'd like to learn more or if there is something specific that you'd like me to share.
I am now allowed to add in ONE glass of red wine per week! This makes me SO happy!
Have a great week!

All Smiles,
Jaclyn

I CHEATED!!!

As I enter in to week 3 I am getting more excited about my weigh in date which is November 7th! Also, I have a confession to make.... I CHEATED! I have been really good about sticking to the plan, however, I just really wanted a glass of wine.... and how could I resist in the situation I was in. This past weekend, I went hiking 1.7miles at Crabtree Falls - it was a little tough for me but I really enjoyed it and I made it all the way to the top! After the hike, the group I was with decided it would be a good reward to go to a vineyard on the way back home. Ssooo... we stopped at King Family Vineyards in Charlottesville. I did a tasting of their wine and I had ONE glass of wine. Even though I cheated and had a glass of wine... I at least limited myself to ONE glass. AND I haven't cheated again since. Once I've reached my goal weight, a glass of wine will not be considered cheating... thank goodness.
I'm happy to answer any one's questions that they have about what I am doing and what I am eating.... I AM eating and I am NOT starving! :)
-Jaclyn

Go to bed HUNGRY!

After the first 5 day Restart there is a 4 week Transformation Stage.... I complete Week 1 tomorrow. It's been going really well and I'm not struggling nearly as much and I'm not nearly as hungry as I was during the first 5 day restart. In fact, I would say that the only time that I feel really hungry would be in the evening.
I am not allowed to eat after 7pm and I've been really good about it. My coach explained to me that being hungry when you go to bed is actually a good thing. She explained that when you go to bed with a full stomach, your body spends time digesting. If you go to bed after your food has digested than your body can spend the time you are sleeping to repair itself. It's been amazing that even though I may go to bed hungry, I don't wake up hungry.

I had a friend comment to me this week: "You sure do have a lot of energy for someone who is starving themselves!". My response was that I am not starving and I do have plenty of energy.

If any of you have questions about how I'm feeling or what it is exactly that I'm doing, please leave a comment on the blog and I will answer your questions.



Lamb, broccoli, shrimp, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, salad

Salmon, broccolini, salad

First week after the detox...

It's going really well!
It really helps to have the shakes on hand as a meal because Thursday I didn't have time for a real meal. If I didn't have the shake, I know I would have found myself in a drive-thru somewhere.

Some folks have asked me about exercising during this transformation phase. It is recommended that if you are going to exercise that you only do 20-30 minutes of light to moderate activity. I play 2 volleyball matches one night a week and I've been doing fine to get through those. If you've played volleyball before, you know that depending on the position you are in on the court, you might just be standing there for a bit and not actually doing much except for watching if the ball comes towards you. Other days of the week, I am mostly walking or jogging and only longer than 30 minutes if it's a leisurely walk.

I did have time to cook dinner Friday night which was great! I had a salad which had lots of beautiful green veggies on it (no salad dressing, only a little olive oil & balsamic vinegar), steamed zucchini, and baked turkey. (I purchased a half breast of turkey and rubbed it with a mixture of fresh and dried herbs.) It was very tasty!


Day 9 Dinner!
My salad was a little on the "larger" side!
 



My new and improved fruit bowl!
We are encouraged to eat the color green in our fruit too!
The lemon is to add to water or salads.

I lost 5 pounds!!!

The firs thing I did when I woke up this morning was weigh myself! I couldn't wait.... and what a relief. I really didn't know what to expect but I thought that if I lost 3 pounds that would be fine... but man - FIVE - now that was really worth it!
I feel fabulous, have plenty of energy and really... I feel like I could run miles and miles!

Today is the first day that I get to have a "real" meal. My friend, Tyler, and I who are doing this together have decided to make it easier on ourselves that he will cook one night for the two of us and I'll cook one night for the two of us. This way it will make it to where we don't have to cook every night!

When we met with our coach last night, we were told what we could eat as our meal. It's a "ideal plate" which is half of the plate being raw veggies, one quarter of the plate being clean & lean meat (no sauce) and the other quarter being cooked grain (quinoa or brown rice) or steamed veggies.
Tonight's meal was lettuce, broccoli and zucchini with lemon juice, bok choy with beef and shrimp.


My first real dinner in 6 days!

I did it!!!

Day 5 is COMPLETE! This means that I completed the 5 day "Restart" and I DID NOT cheat!!! Not even once!
It was tough but I think anyone can do anything for 5 days!
I met with my coach tonight who informed me of my plan for the next 4 weeks.....
Which is... pretty much the same thing I just did with the exception of DINNER! Yes, I finally get to eat REAL food!
Pictures of food to come soon!
Also... the weight loss weigh in is tomorrow morning so I'll be able to tell you exactly how many pounds I lost on the 5 day Restart!
-Jac

Only 1 MORE Day left!

I have completed Day 4!
Mentally the last 2 days have been a struggle. I have said several times, "I just want to eat real food!".
I will weigh in on Tuesday and then be able to post how much weight I lost over the 5 day restart.
I will meet with my coach tomorrow night to find out more about how the next 12 weeks will look. I have to remember to PLAN! I must plan my meals!

For those of you who are reading, what are your questions, thoughts and comments? They are welcome as I'd like to try to improve this BLOG and make it interesting for you to read.

Thanks!
-Jac

Day 2

I was between appointments today when I got a little hungry and I thought... How easy it would be to pull in to a drive-thru... but NO I can't do that! I have to stick with this detox for 4 more days! It's interesting to do this detox and learn what triggers you to make bad choices.
It's relieving for me to know that I had something planned to eat that was healthy!

I still didn't starve today and I still feel great!

So my lessons today were:
1. Plan your meals.
2. Know what your weaknesses are.
3. Know that you CAN say "no".

Day 1 Complete

While I learn to blog for the first time I'll be losing weight as well!
I have started a detox, a.k.a. "Restart", by USANA.
The "Restart" consist of a box of food that I purchased from USANA.

Here is what I am doing for the next 5 days:
Breakfast: Protein shake
AM Snack: Bar
Before noon: 1 serving of fruit (I can have this anytime before noon and can also mix it in with my breakfast shake)
Lunch: Protein shake
PM Snack: Bar
After noon: 2 cups of green veggies (I can have this anytime after noon. Today I had broccoli)
Dinner: Protein shake

I completed Day 1 today and I feel great! I have energy, I didn't starve... everything was normal with the exception of what I ate today.
If I wasn't on this detox, I would have delighted myself with the feast in front of me this evening.
I refrained and had my goal in mind. I have to finish this 5 day detox/"restart" by USANA .

My goal is to lose 27lbs by January 18, 2013. Why? Because I want to lose weight to feel good and look good AND because January 18th is my 30th birthday!

The spread I refrained from. YUM!