Alright...

Okay, okay, I'm embarrassed enough! Moving on!

I have nothing to write about though, except that I'm stressing out about my paper. I really should have more of it done than I do, and it's driving me nuts at how slowly its going (and how perfectionist-ic I am sometimes)! I skipped my workout yesterday so I could work on it all afternoon. And wrote about two paragraphs.

Exactly.

All right, back to work! I was awake at 5:30 this morning, probably due to stress. Normally I'm hard-pressed to get out of bed before 7:30 (and then wonder why I don't get anything done during a day, yes?).

Embarassing Enough

My car wouldn't start this morning. So, considering that I had to get my daughter to school, I decided to use the bike to get her there. Now keep in mind that while yesterday's temps were near 40, today's temps were in the teens and dropping, with the wind increasing. Honestly, I should have turned the bike around when I realized how windy it was and called a mechanic, but because I'm either a) stubborn or b) stupid or c) both, I decided to go for it.

Two miles has never seemed so long in my life. Flat tires on the bike and the trailer, plus perpendicular winds, made for a tough ride. I had to get off and walk several times. No turning around for me!

It was stupid, actually. Really.

By the time I got my daughter to preschool, she was crying, I was nearly crying, and I could barely walk. It took about 45 minutes to traverse the two miles.

Yeah. Really stupid. I proceeded to the nearest garage and had them haul me back to my place and jump the car, which I promptly drove back to town so the battery could be changed.

On the bright side, I got in my workout today. And the tires on my bike are no longer flat, so on the first NICE day of spring I can get my bike out there.

But I still need to have my brain checked out, that's for sure!

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On a side note: It's twelve weeks exactly to Judgement Day (Memorial Day) and 9 weeks until graduation commencent (my peak date, I've decided). I would like to finish my thesis so I can re-buckle down on the workouts/nutrition, rather than this half-ass I find myself doing.

Deviant

Today's weigh-in: 149.5

Ugh. Not sure what I did wrong this week, esp. since I weighed in at 145.5 on Wednesday...although I did feel pretty bloated yesterday; today I felt normal and thought I'd come in at 147. Sigh. On the weight-loss front, this hasn't been the year for me so far. I know that I have REALLY got to start kicking my butt on the nutrition aspect, but I'm just not really finding it in me.

I believe I may have too much on my plate.

No, really?

7 clients, one major pain the a$$ thesis, two classes, a child, a hubby, housework, and did I mention that thesis? plus graduation anxiety looming, thesis, workouts, etc. And that thesis.

It's no wonder nutrition gets shoved to the back sometimes. I'll be definitely grocery shopping this weekend, so I've got some veggies next week and no excuses. I should probably spend some time on Sunday preparing meals too.

Daughter's feeling better today, so that takes a load off!

Today's workout was awesome though:
Tabata Sprints- 20/10, Thrusters, for 4 minutes (15 lb for 2 min, 10 lb for 2 min)
Rest 2 min
20/10, Kettlebell Swings for 5 minutes (20 lb kb)
Rest 2 min
20/10, Bent-over rows for 4 minutes (10 lb weights)
Rest 2 min
Ab workout- 1A) Ball rollout, 3x10
2A) Stability ball plank, 3x20 sec
1B) Spiderman climb, 3x20
2B)Stability ball ab crunch, 3x15
Treadmill HIIT- 30/90, 7.0 mph/3.0 mph

And may I say, ouch...

Running, Ran

Today was a cardio-only day, and since I had all kinds of energy (not) I decided that I'd see if I could run a mile today. I've found that when I want to run, HIIT just doesn't seem to work because my body doesn't allow me to run fast enough to actually get much more than winded; I hurt more than anything. So I rarely break a sweat if I do HIIT on the treadmill.

HOWEVER, I wanted to run, so I challenged myself to run a mile. After a 5-minute warm-up, I set the treadmill to 5.5 mph (I know, I'm a turtle), and set the pace. The treadmill I use has a neat feature telling you what pace you're running the mile in when you set the speed, and it said I was running a 10:54 minute mile. All right, then, I would run until the clock said 15:54.

Well, I did it. YIPPEE! I (me, myself, and I, the NON-runner) ran my first mile without stopping or slowing down (like ever). So I'm happy. Even if I am slower than molasses in January, I can beat all of you at HIIT kettlebell swing contests, so there. ;)

I didn't feel too bad during the run either, slightly winded but not out of breath. My legs got tired more than anything; it was hard not to focus on how tired my ankles were. I must have weak ankles or something. I'm also an odd runner. I have to work harder on my right side than my left. This is what causes the hip issues (well, actually, the hip issues cause the odd running, but in a nice cyclical fashion, the odd running makes my hip hurt- at least, it used to, not so much anymore b/c all my balance muscles are stronger- thank the single leg deadlifts and SL RDLs for that).

I lost my pace at about 15:00 minutes, and got a nice stitch in my side as a reward, but I finished out and went to 16:00 minutes. So I know now that I can run a mile. Next goal? A mile and a half, so 16 minutes of straight running, which would bring me to 22:00 minutes on the treadmill. Hmm, nice challenge. I may run a 5k this summer after all...

Cinched

Today's weigh-in: 145.5

Comparing that to last Friday's weigh-in, which was that consistent 147, that's a 1.5 pound drop, also coming off a bad weekend. Not bad I'd say. I'm seriously considering doing the fast again on Thursday-Friday, maybe starting a little earlier in the day on Thursday (which apparently seems to be tomorrow already...). We'll see. Daughter now has strep throat on top of the Influenza B, so perhaps I should be making sure I'm just getting as much nutrition as possible, eh?

I do believe I must have had a culinary success last weekend with the Asian stir-fry (or sorry-two weekends ago), because my hubby made a variant of it on Sunday and again today. Not too bad, either. See? He's not a lost cause... (and just so I don't confuse anyone, he's home this week b/c daughter is sick)

2 portions spaghetti noodles (approx 1 cup)
3/4 pound pork loin, sliced/cubed
vegetables- he used sugar snap peas, corn, and peas
1-2 tbsp chili olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
chili powder, black pepper, and Cavendar's Greek seasoning, to taste

Boil water and prepare spaghetti noodles. While that is cooking, cook pork loin until just browned through. Add chili olive oil and vegetables to pan, add soy sauce, season, and cook until veggies are just done. Serve over noodles!

Some thoughts today on the post-fasting: I really did feel today like I was going into things with a new mindset. I noticed that I had been becoming a little obsessive about food, almost to addiction, partly because my schedule has been busy and interesting, and at times I've had to rush to get any food in at all during the day. There was no obsessing today. I ate when I needed to, and only as much as I needed to be satisfied. No fear that there wasn't going to be enough food. So, perhaps it was good for me (I say that very grudgingly, as I know that Brad Pilon is going to be going, "See? I told you so." *grin*).

Task Complete

Well, I did it. Although I REALLY didn't want to, I completed the 24 hours, and likely it was because I put it out there earlier and had some accountability to keep it going. So, I fasted for 23 hours (due to class at 6, I had to eat at 5).

Toward the end I was starting to get hunger hiccups, which I managed to staunch by drinking water that contained FiberSure, Crystal Light Sunrise Orange (1/2 a packet), and a pinch of sea salt. I was also shaky and had a hard time keeping my attention focused, kinda ADHD-like, I went from one thing to the next never really focusing on anything.

One weird side effect that might be TMI: I was peeing every 20 minutes this morning, on approx 1.2 liters of water. So, I do believe that I got rid of a lot of water weight!

I may try this again, just to see what adding exercise to the mix does. I REALLY want to get a good gym workout in, since I haven't been since Friday. I should be able to get in tomorrow, as it's hubby's turn to take the sick tyke, and I am looking forward to it. I know I know, kettlebells next to the desk, quit reminding me!

Taking to the Task

Proof that I'm not alone (or that you're not alone): Billy had a bad weekend too. And so did I. Yep, the paradigm of perfection ;) had a bad weekend food-wise. (I actually laugh at myself because my brain wants to think I'm perfect, but I know I'm very far from that- I have waaay too many imperfect days!)

So, yes, it was kind of an odd weekend. I had a fish fry supper on Friday followed by a few pieces of fat-full chocolate, and since I was already coming off of a well-fed week (I believe I actually ate AT maintenance last week), it didn't feel so great. Then on Saturday, I just kinda ate my way through the day, even though I wasn't hungry at all. My daughter has been sick since Saturday, so we're operating on little sleep and lack of workouts (no excuse here- I've got kettlebells sitting right next to my desk, and I just didn't do it). I also used the weekend to work hardcore on my thesis (and am up to a grand total of... 4 pages. Yep. Two sentences per every hour worked so far...). However, I'm not really beating myself up about it. I did a little bit on Sunday evening, but otherwise, I don't linger on that stuff anymore. I gave it up about one year ago, to be precise, and it definitely keeps me happier, or at least out of a rut.

However, one of the reasons I feel this was an odd weekend is because, when I didn't WANT to eat, it kinda felt like my husband was forcing me to. I let slip last week somewhere that I'm really starting to see muscle definition, and perhaps he's starting to feel threatened. I would say "I'm not hungry" and he would go on and on about "what should we make for supper?" or, "I made this, it's really good, you should try it" (implying hurt feelings if I didn't). So. I hate having the food conversations with my hubby because, honestly, he lives with it all the time. He knows what I prefer, and knows exactly how to push my buttons so that I don't follow through on those intentions. Most of it is because he feels threatened. He wants to stay in his old ways, and trying new foods is a scary thing (even though he usually likes what I make). And yes, he is on the verge of being called obese. (Don't say that to his face, he's not quite at that "click" moment yet, although he's come close a couple of times.) And I know he doesn't read my blog, so for some strange reason I'm putting his problems out to the world. Likely because they become my problems. I've allowed him to hold me back, because when I try to forge ahead, he pushes back. Hmm. I'll have to give more thought about that.

So I still wasn't very hungry yesterday. I ate lunch, and was like, sheesh, I didn't even want to eat that. So, I ate a small supper last night, and just stopped there. Yep, I'm doing it- the fast. Die-hard "will-not-do-it" is doing it. I won't be able to go the full 24 hours unless I want to turn it into 30 as I've got class, so I'll be breaking fast at around 5 p.m. I'm not great right now, but I'm okay. I had to add some sea salt to my water, since I seem to get nauseous when I drink water right away in the morning without any food in my stomach, and I think it did the trick.

I'll have to do an update later on how the rest of the day goes.

Yum Number Two

Okay, I've already been on-line far longer than I planned to this evening, so I am going to make this quick.

I had another awesome meal tonight, and wanted to share it with you. I am not sure what to call it, but Chicken Spaghetti Parmegiana comes to mind...

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup spaghetti pasta noodles

In heated pan on medium, warm olive oil, then throw in minced garlic, chopped onion, and celery. Heat until limp or carmelized (your choice). Throw in broccoli and cauliflower, heat approx. 5 minutes, then toss mixture with spaghetti sauce. Put heat on low, add a little water if necessary, and simmer. Meanwhile, make your spaghetti noodles (or heat if they're done and cold from the fridge, which mine were). While all that is happening, finish the recipe by using these ingredients:

1 3 oz chicken breast, tenderized well
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Seasonings, such as Mrs. Dash, Rosemary, Oregano, Garlic Powder, Parmesan cheese, pepper, Italian seasoning, to taste (I didn't measure any of it, in other words)
1 tbsp olive oil

In a separate heated pan, heat olive oil. Mix cornmeal, breadcrumbs, and seasonings in pie pan. Tenderize chicken by pounding on it (or have the big rat do it--- sorry, daughter's been into "Ratatouille" lately). Bread chicken in pie pan, then place into heated pan. Cook approximately 5-7 minutes (or until no longer pink in the middle).

Place on plate in order of: noodles, chicken, then sauce. Then enjoy!

This recipe is probably a little high in fat, but at least it's the good kind. AND I got about 4-5 servings of vegetables in. I call that a good recipe.

And yes, I did pretty much make it off the top of my head, but Eating for Life and the Kraft Parmesan Cheese adverts taught me how to make the chicken once upon a time...

Yum

You know, I wonder myself sometimes why I can be so defiant as to try new recipes and foods. However, the February challenge has been good for me so far- this week's new food was cauliflower. I had tried it before, in its raw form, and couldn't stand its texture and lack of taste. However, cooked, it's a different animal.

On Saturday, I finally made the "Asian Beef Stir-Fry" from the Eating for Life Book by Bill Phillips. Even after owning it for four (?) years, I still have several recipes in there that I have not tried. So, the ingredients are spaghetti noodles, steak, garlic, onion, celery, napa cabbage, and soy sauce. I made it for my entirely-too-picky parents (who actually liked it) and brother (who wouldn't try it). Instead of steak, we substituted pork loin. The cabbage was coleslaw shredded with carrots (no mayo though, just the leaves). It was good on Saturday night, and an estimated 6 serving portions was more than we could handle, so there was leftovers. On Sat night, I decided that the next time I made it, I would add broccoli and water chestnuts, plus some chili flakes/oil to spice it up a bit (my favorite restaurant is HuHot, and the reason I like it is because it's spicy and filling, and you can have several servings of veggies). So, long story long, I re-heated some of the leftovers for lunch. And of course I added the extra ingredients: broccoli (1 stalk), cauliflower (1/2 cup), water chestnuts (1/4 cup), more cabbage (1 cup), and chili olive oil to sautee (1 tbsp). Heated that first, then added the leftovers. After a couple of minutes, I realized that this was going to be too much food and split it in half to eat, saving the rest for later (only because I had added the veggies, none of which contributed much for calories).

It was SO good. AND it reminded me that new recipes and foods are NOT a bad thing. Next up on the menu: cauliflower mashed potatoes. I've got a couple of recipes, and I'll let you know how it goes.

So, here's a challenge to you: what would you prefer to eat- two cups of Asian Beef Stir Fry with that much vegetables (equals a lot of food) or a half-cup of pasta with a little bit of marinara sauce?

I'll have to write up my spaghetti recipe for you soon. If you want more details on the Beef Stir Fry, let me know!

If it isn't one thing...

It's another. One of our four cats died last night, and I had the misfortune of discovering him this morning as I was heading out to work (nasty death too). Very hard, as he was pretty much my favorite. I have other cats to comfort me, but no more Big Benn. Sigh.

Got a great workout scooping my car out of the driveway yesterday, as I got stuck while trying to maneuver out. No, we haven't gotten snow recently, but we've got a spot where the stuff is constantly building up the moment we dig it out, so we usually just plow our cars through it. Didn't work yesterday. So, my muscles were a bit sore today, a good sore.

And of course it's 11 p.m. and my day's gone to pot. Eh. I'm going to bed.

The Skirt

I never did get on my blog and gloat about the skirt I got this past weekend. Huh.

Well, here it is: I went to Kohl's on Saturday for a new pair of tennis shoes (which I'm not too fond of, sigh), and ended up in the clearance racks on my way out the door. Well, with 70% off, I just couldn't resist and I found some pretty major deals. First, I grabbed a ton of clothes that were either size 10 or mediums, and found a skirt that was a size 6 and a sweater that was a size small.

On some crazy impulse, I grabbed both of them, even though I was sure neither would fit. Well, here's the amazing part: they both did. Yes, I'm speaking the truth here. The skirt, while I had a hard time getting it up over my thighs (you'd think the number of squats I do would have SOME kind of impact on them), buttoned up just fine and looked wonderful on me. I think my mind shut down right there, I was so amazed. That little voice in the back of my head says that skirt is a fluke, because com'on, I haven't even started to wear the size 8 jeans comfortably yet (and that's a thigh issue too). And no, I do not wear my skirts/pants at the level of the belly button. It either buttons below it or I'm not wearing it. The sweater fit too, although I didn't get it because I decided to get a sun dress instead and I'm on a limited budget (even in the clearance section).

So that's my gloat. Now for those jeans...

A Week without Words

Ever have one of those weeks/months blogging where you really just don't have anything to say? My life is interesting yet boring right now. Interesting because I've taken on 5 clients so far this semester, which is 3 more than I thought I could handle. Boring because it means I'm actually following a schedule, and also because I'm doing so much concentrating on research that my mind really isn't going anywhere else. All I can think of are studies doing this, studies doing that. Ech. Although I just reminded myself that I had a homework assignment due today, whoops- I'd better get on that before I get to bed.

February Challenge

All right, so here's the lowdown on February. I'm in the FAT coalition challenge again to keep me accountable, so here's the weight I'll be posting and what I plan to do. Since I'll be researching/writing most of this month pretty hard-core, I don't want to count calories or write down my food, but I will definitely be planning out my menus on Sunday and following them during the week. I wrote out part of this week's yesterday. Also, here's today's weigh-in: 147. Same as it was. I am going to have to cut down on what I eat, because there is no way I can workout more. sigh. I kinda really rely on Berardi's G-flux theory...and maintain really well...

However. I'm going to keep workouts to Turbulence Training recommendations. 45 min on Mon, Wed, and Fri and 30 min on Tue Thur. I'm going to love the veggies, and I'm well on track to trying one new one per week this month (I already tried, cabbage, raw pumpkin seeds, and flax in anything I can get it into, and that was just this past weekend!). However, I'm still getting the munchies pretty bad so I'm going to have to figure out a way around those (and no, gum does not work).

So, here's to February! It's National Heart Month, so give your heart some love this month and exercise it ;)