Day 56

Breakfast
Same as yesterday-

• 1 cup Kashi Go Lean (Honey Almond Flax)
• Blueberries
• Coffee with 1 cream,1 Splenda

Lunch

•   Salad- Romaine, red and green bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, grapes with 1 tablespoon Ginger-Soy salad dressing
• 2 slices low-sodium turkey with 1 Sandwich thin

Snack

• 1 Honeycrisp Apple

Dinner

• Salad- Romaine, green bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, 1 clementine, 1 tablespoon Ginger-Soy salad dressing. 
• Some leftover Sweet Potato "Fries" 

• 2 tablespoons Egg White Substitute
• 1 tablespoon Garden Vegetable Egg Substitute 
• Chopped green bell pepper

Dessert

• 30 Annie's Organic Bunny Grahams (like Teddy Grahams only organic! Yay!)

 Workout

• 30 minutes on the elliptical, 2.79 miles, 329 calories. 
• 13 minutes 30 seconds on the treadmill 1.04 miles, 120 miles. 
• Some strength training.  

 

Day 55

Okay, so that whole not-posting-what-I-eat-thing, wasn't really working for me. Yeah, maybe it's boring to read, but it helps keep me on track. I've noticed that over the past few days (which have been mighty stressful.), amidst the holiday goodies was me: feeling stressed, craving chocolate, and in desperate need of a jog.

And the one thing I needed to keep me focused I didn't have- an audience. Yeah, I kept track on my phone throughout the day, but it's not the same. Announcing every single thing I eat to "the entire world" (ha...haha) makes me think twice before I pop that second red velvet cake truffle. So, although the break was nice, it's back to the daily grind.

And after a sweat session and a new recipe today, it feels good to be back. :)

Breakfast 

•  1 breakfast sandwich
  1 whole wheat English muffin
  1 tablespoon of Egg Beater's Garden Vegetable...eggs?
  2 tablespoon of Egg Beater's egg whites
  Some chopped green peppers
• 1/2 grapefruit 
• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Yumm. I'm an eggcellent chef.

Lunch 

• Salad BEAST
• Romaine, red and green bell peps, cukes, carrots, red grapes and 1 tablespoon low-fat sesame-soy dressing.
• 1 whole wheat Sandwich Thin (toasted) with 2 slices low-sodium turkey.

 

Post-Workout

• 1 Chobani low-fat blueberry Greek yogurt.

Dinner

• Salad- Romaine, red and green bell peps, cukes, carrots and 1 clementine with 1 tbsp Low-Fat Sesame-Soy dressing
• Awesome sweet potato fries.
  I took 1 (huge) sweet potato cut it into "fries" or...I attempted to. Then, I took 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary and a super secret ingredient. (It's not a secret. I just don't know what it's called right now and..i'll let you know.)  and mixed them together in a small bowl.
  Next, I placed the raw fries in a big baggie and poured in 1 tbsp of olive oil (healthy fats! wooo!).
  Then comes the fun part! I poured in the spices and shook it up!
   *Bake at 400 degrees for 22 minutes.
  
  
   

 They were delicious and filling. My mom and I both had some, and we had leftovers. They were a huge success!

 

 Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.76 miles, 336 calories
• 10 minutes on treadmill (everything else unknown...my ride showed up just as I was getting started) :( 
• Some strength training
• this intense circuit
• A short cardio workout from The Fitnessista's   Youtube channel
• and a 20 minute yoga workout that came free in my Kashi box. :)
  
  (What can I say? I was feeling energetic today. Who knew that could happen on a Monday?!)

 

Working in a Winter Wonderland (An Update)

Yeah, it's that time of year again....the holiday season. (My favorite season!) Unfortunately, that means i'm working retail in the mall. I know it's not a full time job, but i've been getting slammed with hours lately.
I'm not complaining, more hours means more money, but the blog has been suffering. (I know, excuses excuses.)

Not only the blog, either. My workouts have just been kind of mediocre lately...skipping the gym because I have work is occurring more and more often. I still love the gym, (well. as much as a person can love going to the gym), but dealing with frantic holiday shoppers is so draining. When i'm done work, I just don't feel up to it.

However, my diet has been spot on. (Woo!) Even on my recent trip to NYC (I did my research, post coming soon.)

Speaking of dieting, I'm considering not posting everything  I eat and drink every day. If I do decide to do that, i'll still keep a record. I think it's good for me. I just won't publish it- because to be honest- it's boring. I don't know yet though, we'll see.

Now, if I eat something super delicious i'll post it, but by now...you guys know what I eat. It's pretty much the same stuff on a different cycle.

Anyway. I have a feeling after Christmas things will die down and I can give you a REAL update.

But until then-
What do you do when you're schedule changes or gets crazy hectic? How do you keep with your workouts? Do you keep up with your workouts?


What are you doing in preparation for the holiday season? I hope you're not working retail...mall food is badddd. :(

xoxo
Tanya

(Yeah you read that timestamp right. It's 1.27 AM...got done work at 12:30. Blahhh.)

Day 47

Breakfast

• 1 slice whole wheat toast with natural peanutbutter
• 1 organic apple
• Coffee with Almond Breeze and Splenda

 Lunch

• My signature salad beast! Romaine, green peppers, cucumbers, carrots, low-fat natural soy-sesame dressing!
• 1 slice wheat bread with low-sodium turkey

Dinner

• 1 tilapia fillet.
• Greenbeans
• Cauliflower

Late Night Snackin'

• 30 (equal to 1 serving size) Annie's (organic) Honey Bunny Grahams.  

Day 46

Breakfast

• 1 slice whole wheat toast with all natural (crunchy!) peanut butter
• 1 organic apple
• Coffee with Almond Breeze, Splenda
  
  
  (why yes, I do use Christmas plates. Thank you very much.)

Lunch

• 1 slice whole wheat toast with low-sodium deli turkey
• Salad BEAST. Romaine, green peps, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots and the best dressing I have ever tasted.  

 All Natural, fat free toasted sesame soy & ginger dressing? 20 calories per tablespoon? I was craving this stuff by dinner.


(Mmmm. It's making me hungry just looking at it!)

Snack Attack

• 1/2 cup of Lifeway Kefir Strawberry Smoothie
  My mom bought this for me because she heard it was really healthy. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but it was good! It was just like strawberry yogurt.
  Have you guys heard good/bad/anything about Kefir?

Dinner

• Second salad BEAST of the day.
• 1 sweet potato 

Workout

• Strength training with my best friend. She teaches me how to use free weights. :)
• 30 minutes on elliptical,  2.80 miles, 330 calories
• 20 minutes on treadmill, 1.25 miles, 130 calories
  Total (cardio) 50 minutes, 4.05 miles. 460 calories

Day 45

Breakfast

• Quaker Weight Control oatmeal with cinnamon
• clementine
• coffee with cream, 1 Splenda

Lunch

• Kashi Heart to Heart (individual packet) with Almond Breeze
• 1 clementine

Snack

• 12 almonds 

Dinner

• Salmon with lemon juice and thyme
• Fresh green beans

Dessert/Late Night Snackin' 

• About 6 strawberries 

Workout

• 30 minutes on the elliptical (I don't have the stats because my machine stopped all of a sudden! Boo...)
• 12 minutes on the treadmill, .75 miles, 85 calories

Day 44

Breakfast

• 1 slice whole wheat bread with peanut butter
• Pineapple chunks, a few grapefruit slices

Snack #1

• 1 apple 

Lunch

• Salad- Romaine lettuce, bell peps, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes
• Grilled chicken

Snack #2 

• 12 almonds

Dinner

• 1 sweet potato
• String beans
• Brown rice

Late Night

• 1 cup Peppermint tea. :) 

Day 43

Breakfast

• 1 slice whole wheat bread with organic peanut butter
• pineapple chunks

Lunch

• Turkey and swiss on 1 slice whole wheat toast.
• Side salad- Romaine, cherry tomatoes, red and green bell peps, cucumbers.  

 Dinner

• Salad beast!   Romaine, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, a few crasins, chick peas. 
• 1 sweet potato

Late Night Study Snackin'

• 1 low fat pumpkin bran muffin
• a few walnuts

Workout

• 31 minutes on elliptical, 3.00 miles, 350 calories
• 21 minutes on tread mill, 1.40 miles, 150 calories
  Total: 52 minutes, 4.40 miles, 500 calories 

Day 42 (F for Fitness during Finals)

I'm feeling like I failed on my diet/exercise plan today....studying for finals finally caught up to me (i'm still not done). Besides having a HUGE 10 minute presentation in Spanish (speaking in another language....)  today, I also had to study for my 2 hardest finals, which are both tomorrow. I went 5 hours without eating while I was in the library...which was bad. I inhaled dinner and I knew it was bad. I was just starving. That will not happen again. A mistake isn't a mistake if you learn from it...right? Right? I hope so. I can't wait until finals are over so I can have more food choices and more time to work out. Thursday night can't come soon enough...

Anyway..here's the daily:

Breakfast

• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda
• 1 slice whole wheat bread with organic peanut butter
• 5 orange slices

Lunch 

• Turkey and Swiss on 1 slice whole wheat bread (toasted)
• A few red and green bell pepper slices, a few cucumbers
• A few pineapple slices

Dinner

• Grilled chicken
• Vegetarian chili

Study Snackin'

• Some Kellog's Low Fat Granola with raisins. 

No Workout
 This is where I get irritated. I was so motivated to jog today, but I just didn't have time. I know it's not a huge deal, since I can just go for the rest of the week, but I hate when I deviate from a plan...

That's another reason why i'll be glad to be home...I can have a PLAN! At home, I know what I will be eating for dinner. At school, it's always different. Also...i'll know the nutrition information for everything I put in my mouth, and i'll have measuring cups! Such a luxury!

Anyway. I'm just going to keep telling myself what I wrote earlier.
It's only a mistake if you don't learn from it. Yeah....yeah.
xoxo
Tanya
 

Day 41

Breakfast

• 1 slice whole wheat bread with organic/natural peanut butter
• Organic apple

 Lunch

• Salad! (I took a picture on my phone, but it won't send!) Romaine, peps and cukes (aka red and green bell peppers and cucumbers!), chick peas, black beans and some walnuts on the side!  

 Dinner

• Another salad- Romaine, bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, grapes.
• 1 sweet potato

Late Night Study Snackin'

• 1 banana 
• Celestial Lemon Zinger tea....it's gonna be a long night. (Even though the tea is caffeine free..shhhh) 
  

 Soo good.

 And possibly the best thing about these teas is the sayings on the little tabby things. :)
They always make me smile.

It's gonna be a longgg night. 10 minute presentation in Spanish tomorrow... Time for a study break? Si, por supuesto!

 Workout 

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.85 minutes, 330 calories
• 20 minutes on treadmill, 1.30 miles, 150 calories
  Total- 50 minutes, 4.15 miles, 480 calories

Day 40 (HIIT!)

Breakfast 

•  1 S'mores Luna Bar (My Sunday Luna Bar ha!)
• 1 Green Tea with Splenda (I need Stevia. Splenda=Bad)
• 1/2 Grapefruit

Lunch

• 1 organic apple
• Carrots with Sabra Chipotle Hummus

Dinner

• I was busy when the caf was open, so dinner wasn't much. 
• Celery with organic/natural peanut butter

Late Night Snackin'

• Some organic/gluten free granola that I got from the caf the other day...delicious!

Workout (HIIT IT!)

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.85 miles, 330 calories
• 30 minutes on treadmill, 1.90 miles, 220 calories
  Total: 1 hour, 4.75miles, 550 calories
  I did some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) today, and let me tell you...the "intensity" part is no joke! Recently, I've found that my workouts on the elliptical haven't been as challenging and HIIT is great for weight loss. So here is what I did:
                 5 minute warm up...6 on incline 7 on resistance
                  20 minutes of HIIT- 1 minute of sprinting/high intensity, 2 minutes at a slower pace.
                  Every 3 minutes (1 minute fast, the other 2 slow), I would kick up the resistance. (I range from 7-9) and I always stay on the 6 incline
                  5 minute cool down
  Same thing on treadmill, just with jogging...and no incline...and not so fast, but I'm working on it. :)
  

 

Day 39

Breakfast

•  Organic Gluten-free "oatmeal" with Craisins!

• 1/2 Grapefruit

Lunch

• Turkey and Swiss on 1 slice toasted whole wheat bread
• Cucumbers and red and green peppers (cukes and peps...gotta love the veggies)

Snacks (not pictured)

• Baby carrots with Sabra Chipotle Hummus
• Celery with natural peanutbutter

Dessert/Late Night Snackin'

• 1 frozen banana with 1 spoonful of dark chocolate chips...hit the spot. :)

Workout

• Today I skipped the gym and did:
  20 side squats on each leg, 20 plie squats, countless crunches, 30 "girly" push ups, and some of this circuit from Tone It Up. (It's my goal to complete the whole thing without stopping over Winter Break!)

Day 38

Breakfast

• 1 slice whole wheat bread with organic/ natural peanutbutter
• grapefruit slices
• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Lunch

• 1/2 of a whole wheat/ low fat cheese and chicken pizza!
• 1 organic apple
  
   

Dinner

•  The other half of that delicious pizza!
• Carrots with Sabra chipotle hummus

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.90 miles, 340 calories
• 20 minutes on treadmill, 1.30 miles, 165 calories
  Total- 50 minutes, 4.2 miles, 505 calories

Weigh-in (sort of)

(I wrote this post 2 nights ago, now i'm finally getting around to pusblishing it. Enjoy.)

Sometimes... a nighttime workout is just what the doctor ordered. :)

I switched it up tonight and hit the gym at night. I bundled up in a hoodie and a winter coat and braved the 21 degree weather with my water bottle, iPod, and Spanish text book in hand.
Yeah, you read that right. Spanish text book. It's the end of the week before finals! So, yes, I was that girl studying on an elliptical...hopefully my grades and body will both thank me for it.

So that was part 1, the elliptical/estudiando para una prueba en clase de espanol manana. Part 2 consisted of the treadmill, walking briskly for 10 minutes, then walking for 90 seconds and jogging for 90 seconds for the last 10 minutes while watching Disney's Prep & Landing on abc. This movie is such a fun and cute holiday special. It's just all around adorable.


...and that, my friends, is just what the doctor ordered.
I've been so busy with balancing the end of the semester, suitemates, working out and eating right, plus regular holiday stress that I needed to just unwind at the end of the day. I usually feel pretty good at the end of workouts, but tonight I felt like something had really been lifted off my shoulders (the benefits of working out!). And...it could have had something to do with the fact that I listened to Christmas music on my way back from the gym. :)

Anyway, this post was just a long-winded way of saying I'm sorry. I know i've been slackin'on the bloggin' lately, but I promise you two things:

1. That will all change Dec 17th. 
2. I have not been slacking on my plan. Take a look for yourself and read some posts below. Comment on em'. :)

Also, I haven't stopped weighing myself. I weighed myself on Tuesday as usual, I just didn't upload any videos because school is a priority right now.

SO- I'm going to post a video when I come home for the holidays! I'm going to do it big (ha, no pun intended), so keep a look out! 

I hope you all are cool with that. Just know that i'm still on track!

Anyway, I hope your holiday stress is at a minimum. If not, you should hit the gym, watch Prep & Landing and listen to some Christmas music. (It gets you in the holiday spirit so you're not a Grinch and clears your head.) :)

xoxo
Tanya

Day 37

Breakfast

• 1 slice wheat toast with organic/all natural peanut butter
• 1 clementine
• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Lunch

• Baby carrots with Sabra Chipotle hummus
• 1 mini whole wheat pumpkin muffin with oats.
  
  

My friend Devan made these muffins at the cafe on campus i'm always raving about. We're going to swipe the recipe. Shhhh (Oh and for the record, that muffin looks wayyy bigger than it actually was.

Dinner

• Salmon
• Rice pilaf
• Broccoli
• Chips with homemade salsa
  
  

I know what you're thinking. "Tanya, that's a lot!" Well, I can explain. Tonight was the famous Holiday Dinner at school....people line up outside the caf an hour in advance to get in there fast. The food is delicious, the decorations are amazing and the desserts are...TEMPTING. So, considering what I would have eaten if I wasn't on these plan, I did pretty darn good. Plus, those chips and salsa are only offered once a year. I had to eat them. You would, too. I know you would. Let's be honest. :)

Dessert/Late Night Snackin'

• 1 frozen banana

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.80 miles, 325 calories
• 30 minutes on treadmill, 1.85 miles, 210 calories
  Total: 1 hour, 4.65 miles, 535 calories.

Day 36

Breakfast

• 1 slice whole wheat bread with organic natural peanutbutter
• Yogurt with granola
• Green tea with honey

Lunch/Post-workout!

•  1 all natural (no sugar added and designed for weight loss!) Strawberry Banana and protein smoothie!

  
Can I just talk about this smoothie for a second? It was DELICIOUS! I usually opt for the mango smoothie, no protein, but the other day my friend Oshane (who hits the gym almost daily) told me I had to try this one. He was right. It was amazing and a perfect pick-me-up during the week before finals. Actually, I was sort of afraid to try protein powder, but it was tasty, and you know, good for you. :) It was sad that I couldn't even finish it.

Dinner

• Grilled chicken with some kind of sauce on it. (It's the caf people...eat in ignorance and enjoy. Not really. I hate not knowing exactly what i'm putting in my mouth these days)
• Rosemary red potatoes
• String beans/zucchini

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.85 miles, 330 calories
• 20 minutes on tread mill, 1.35 miles, 170 calories
  Total  50 minutes, 4.2 miles, 500 calories

Day 35

Breakfast

• 1 slice wheat toast with organic natural peanutbutter
• 1/2 banana
• Black tea with honey

Lunch

• 1/2 grapefruit  
• 15 almonds

Dinner

• "Black Bean Fiesta" salad. Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, black beans, onions, corn. 
• 1 mini sweet potato :)

Dessert/Late night Snackin' 

• 1/2 frozen banana 
• 1 graham cracker

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.85 miles, 335 calories. 
• 30 minutes on treadmill, 1.93 miles, 222 calories
  Total- 1 hour,   4.78 miles, 557 calories

Day 34

Breakfast

• 1/2 grapefruit
• 1 bowl of organic oatmeal
• Coffee with 1 cream

Snack/Lunch

• 12 almonds
• 1 organic apple

Dinner

• Rice pilaf
• Mixed veggies
• Cauliflower and sundried tomato bake
• Decaf lemon tea
  And I'm thinking of grabbing a little something (maybe carrots and hummus? Maybe a graham cracker?) when I get back to my room...that's right. I'm in the Computer Center studying my life away..who knows when i'll be back. =/ Darn you "crunch week", screwing up my eating habits.

Workout

• 30 minutes 30 seconds on elliptical, 3.00 miles, 350 calories
• 20 minutes on treadmill, 1.32 miles, 150 calories
  Total- 50 minutes, 4.32 miles, 500 calories

Day 33

Breakfast

• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda
• 1 S'mores Luna Bar
  

(It was glorious!)

Post-Workout/Lunch

• 1 apple
• 2 stalks of celery with 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Dinner

• The soup I've been raving about! Weight Watchers Veggie Soup!  (If you click the link you can get all the nutritional info. Good stuff!)

(This is a pic I took over Thanksgiving Break...21 calories in 1 serving?! Definitely something to be thankful for! Plus it's tasty!)

Dessert/Late night snackin'

• 1 clementine (They're in season!)
   

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical. 2.85 miles, 330 calories
• 40 minutes on treadmill, 2.55 miles. 310 calories 
• 20 sides squats, 20 plie squats, 20 "girl" pushups, 20 sit ups.
  Total (cardio) 1 hour and 10 minutes, 5.4 miles, 640 calories

Day 32

Breakfast

• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda
• 1 organic apple

Lunch

• Turkey and provolone on toasted wheat bread. (mmm...so good. The toasted bread was delicious!)
• Cucumber
• Red and green bell peppers

Dinner

• Some carrots to hold me over while I defrosted...
• Homemade veggie soup!

Late Night Study Snack!

• 100 calorie pack of 94% fat free popcorn with
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
  You better believe this is going to be my "Hooray! I survived finals!" snack, but it is obviously just an occasional treat.
  
  ...although this snack was pretty healthy and very tasty...I kind of scared myself when I was eating it..When I was eating this popcorn...I could feel myself going back to my old ways...eating too fast, wanting more NOW, and it scared me. I just freaked because I don't want to be that person anymore. and I won't. I CAN control this. Portion control is a big part of weight loss and I know that.
  
  So overall, I guess it's a good thing that I caught myself. I only had one serving...I didn't dive right into the chocolate again, which is exactly what I would have done a month ago. I guess I just have to be really aware of what sets off my binges (or...what did set off my binges...past tense!) So...beware of chocolate!
  Darn my sweet tooth! :(

Day 31

Breakfast

• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda
• 1 slice wheat bread with peanut butter
• 1/2 grapefruit

Snacks (Pre/Post Workout)

• 1 all-natural, designed for post-workout mango smoothie
• 12 cocoa roasted almonds

Dinner

• 1 salad with Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, craisins (yum!), chick peas.
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 candy cane! (I love peppermint! Double yum!)
   

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.85 miles, 330 calories
• 20 minutes on treadmill, 1.25 miles, 145 calories
  Total: 50 minutes, 4.1 miles, 475 calories

Day 30

Breakfast

• coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda
• 1 slice wheat toast with peanut butter
• 6 slices of grapefruit

Snack (Pre/post workout)

• 12 almonds
• Celery with peanut butter

Dinner

• Chicken with roasted red peppers
• Green beans
• Vegetable tortellini soup
• 1 cookie 

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.80 miles, 325 calories
• 40 minutes on treadmill, 2.50 miles, 290 calories
  Total- 1 hour and 10 minutes, 5.3 miles, 615 calories
• PLUS- today I did 20 side squats, 20 plie squats and some "girly pushups"...my legs were feeling that! 

P.S. I'm writing this from the library- my new home.  :(

Day 29

Breakfast

• 1 slice whole wheat toast with peanutbutter
• About 5 grapefruit slices (Yes! The caf had grapefruit again!)
• 2 orange slices
• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda (Gahh. I gotta kick this coffee habit...after Finals.)

 Lunch (That's right! Lunch!)

• Homemade veggie soup. Example of the recipe here.
• 1 small apple
• 1 cup Green Tea (which is apparently great for dieting! Just like soup!)

Dinner

• Salad- Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, a few raisins, walnuts, chickpeas
• 1 small sweet potato
•  A little bit of this rice-like stuff they had at the vegetarian bar- don't ask me what it was, but it was darn good!

Snack

• 13 (equal to 1 serving size) of Quaker's Whole Grain Fiber Crisps in Blueberry Pomegranate.
  (If i'm going to go for a packaged food....this is going to be it!)

**No gym today. It was torrential downpouring...I mean it, flood warnings and all, I don't lie! So what I did- I checked the weather for tomorrow and Friday. Both days are going to be clear and sunny! So instead of skipping the gym on Thursday, I skipped Wednesday! 

Weigh-in # 3

I lasted a month! Can you believe it?
I can barely believe it, actually, it's not that hard. Sure, some days are harder than others, but seeing results physically and on the scale is more than enough motivation to keep me going!
To be honest, eating healthy isn't hard anymore. They say that eventually your taste buds change, and I think mine are beginning to accept these healthy delicious foods!

So- are you ready for the Week 4 Weigh-in?
Well.....I lost 4 pounds! Which means I'm at 12 pounds total! That brings my weight down from 218 to 206....

And in case you are really bad at math, that means I need to lose seven more pounds until I'm under 200! (I think that will call for a celebration for sure!)

Also...i'm only 3 pounds away from the half-way point for my first goal. My first goal is to lose 30 pounds...sooo close to halfway there!! :)

Now, for the blehh news.
There are only 2 and a half weeks until the end of the semester. This means that blogging has to take a backseat for a while and i've got to pick up some of the slack in school. Finals are coming up, which is the reason why there was no video today. I really just don't have time. All the work in my classes is piling up, and as important as this blogging thing is to me, finals are pretty darn important to my education- and my GPA.

So even though finals may kill me, I'm going to try and refrain from gobbling down pizza (as much as I want pizza...mm) and keep going to the gym...hey! it clears the mind!
And i'll keep updating my food log, but that might be about it until Dec 17. (WHEN I'M FREE!)
So, as usual, wish me luck on my weight loss journey, but finals as well. Yikes.

xoxo
Tanya

Day 28

Breakfast

• 1 slice whole wheat toast with peanutbutter
• 4 orange slices
• 1 apple
• Coffee with 1 hazlenut creamer, 1 Splenda

Snack

• Carrots with Sabra Chipotle hummus

Dinner 

• Stir-fry- Chicken, white rice, red peppers, broccoli, sugar snap peas, carrots in General Tso's sauce. 

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.80 miles, 325 calories
• 30 minutes on treadmill, 2.80 miles, 200 calories 
  Total- 1 hour,   5.6 miles, 525 calories

 

Day 27

Breakfast

•  Pumpkin spice coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda
• 1 slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter
• 2 orange slices
• 1 apple

Snack

• 15 almonds
• 1 clementine

Dinner

• 1 salad (romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, chick peas, peas, walnuts)
• 1 cup of Lentil soup

After Dinner

• Celery sticks with 2 tablespoons of peanutbutter
• 1 cup of decaffeinated lemon tea with 1 Splenda 

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.80 miles, 330 calories  

Day 26

Breakfast

• 1 whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter
• 1/2 banana
• coffee with peppermint creamer

Lunch

• Homemade chicken soup- chicken, broth, celery, carrots, brown rice, lemon. 

Snack

• 13 (of Quaker's) Fiber whole grain crisps-blueberry and pomegranate flavored

Dinner

• Carrots with Sabra Chipotle Hummus
• Homemade vegetable soup 

Workout

• 15 minutes of strength training
• 30 minutes on elliptical, 3 miles, 360 calories
• 30 minutes on treadmill, 2.92 miles,   232 calories

Day 25

Breakfast

• 1 whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter
• 1/2 banana

Lunch

• clementine 

Dinner

• Chicken with red potatoes and mixed veggies. 

Movie Snack

• I brought half of a frozen banana with 1 spoonful of chocolate sauce and 12 choco almonds with me to go see HARRY POTTER! Delicious snack. Great movie. 

Day 24

Hi guys, sorry I was MIA...I don't have the internet at home...so it's hard to update. But i've been keeping track! No worries...I didn't quit!
Breakfast

• 1 whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter
• 1/2 a banana

Lunch

• Clementine
• 1 bottle of carbonated water (white grape flavored)

Dinner

• Homemade chicken soup with chicken, carrots, celery, brown rice and lemon.

Dessert

• 1/2 of a frozen banana with 1 spoonful of chocolate sauce (DELICIOUS!) 

*No workout, I work at a teen clothing store in the mall when i'm home...and today was Black Friday. I was exhausted by the time I got home...so the gym was out of the question.  

Day 23

 Happy Thanksgiving, All!
Breakfast

• Oatmeal with craisins
• Coffee with peppermint mocha creamer

Lunch

• Homemade veggie soup
• Baby carrots with Chipotle hummus

Dinner

• Roasted veggies (Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and onions) 
• 1 sweet potato

Dessert

• 1 slice healthy pumpkin pie! 

 ***Remember when I said I was going to try a mug of hot water with lemon? Well, I did, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think part of my coffee addiction comes from holding a hot mug in my hands first thing in the morning. :)

Workout

• Early morning jog//walk...i'd say about 20 minutes.
• Then to the gym! It was packed. Even though it was snowing/raining/sleeting outside. 
• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.75 miles, 330 calories
• 50 minutes on treadmill  3.06 miles, 336 calories

Grand Total (not including the jog/walk outside): 1 hour and 20 minutes, 5.81 miles, 666 calories!

Overall, I think it's safe to say this Thanksgiving was a SUCCESS!
Now, just to get through the rest of the holiday season...

Day 22

Breakfast

• 1 whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter
• Apple
• Coffee with peppermint mocha creamer (35 calories, 1.5 grams fat), 1 Splenda

Lunch

• "Weight Watchers 0 point soup" ...which is really tasty veggie soup. I love soup, especially this one, no meat!
• 10 baby carrots with Sabra chipotle hummus (I could live off of this stuff, I really could.)  

Snack

• 12 almonds
• a few homemade apple chips! I found the recipe<here>.

 Dinner

• Tilapia
• Brown rice
• Asparagus

Workout 

• Walked to my old middle school, power walked 8 times around the track= 2 miles. 
• Jogged 3 times around my block. (!!!)
• The "30 minute circuit" at the gym. It's strength training combined with stair stepping for a workout in half the time! I missed my gym at home. :( 

Gobble Gobble? You Mean Oink Oink: A Thanksgiving Survival Guide

So...Thanksgiving is TOMORROW (it crept up so fast!) and I have a game plan, and I am sticking to it, thank you very much.

There is no wiggle room in this plan. I won't allow it. I've been doing really well so far and I don't want one day to screw that all up. So, despite my friend's advice, i'm not having a "cheat" day.
In fact, I plan on avoiding three things at all costs.
The 3 C's. -Cranberry relish
-Casseroles
-Carbs (That means so flaky-buttery rolls!)

What I do plan on doing tomorrow.
-Waking up at the crack of dawn, drinking a hot mug of water with lemon in it. (I've heard this is supposed to be really good for you, especially first thing in the morning. I'll let you know how I feel about it...)
-Go for a walk/jog. (I'm going to burn those calories before I even eat them!)
-Watch the parade with a mug of peppermint mocha coffee, oatmeal and a piece of fruit. (Oatmeal because it will fill me up and then hopefully I won't be more likely to binge later.
-Hit the gym. That's right. The gym is open 7-1 tomorrow! So after the parade, that's where you'll find me.
-Lunch will be the veggie soup with carrots and hummus again.
-My mom and I are planning on making a healthy pumpkin pie!
-Then, the inevitable dinner...

.....and while I will be surrounded by sweet aromas and tasty foods, I will not indulge.
Dinner- My aunt's roasted veggies, a sweet potato, and something else? I haven't figured that one out yet. What's healthy?
Dessert- The "healthy" pumpkin pie. Yummm. The only hard thing will be not taking leftovers. :(

And plenty and plenty of water! I also plan on setting my fork down between every bite, you know, so I will eat slower.

So that's it! My game plan. What's yours? Do you all have any tips on eating a healthy Thanksgiving dinner?

I love your feedback, it really keeps me motivated. :) Just like I hope I am motivating other people to live a healthier lifestyle. We can DO THIS!

Day 21

That's right! Week 3!

Breakfast

• 1 English muffin with peanut butter
• Apple
• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Snacks

• Pear
• 12 cocoa roasted almonds

Dinner

• Peppered turkey on a whole wheat "sandwich thin"
• Baby carrots and chipotle hummus
• Fat-free tapioca pudding with freshly ground nutmeg

*No work out today...I didn't even eat a lot today...to be honest, I was really busy. (Last minute packing, paper writing...) I know I should have eaten more...and hit the gym, but the week is still young! I'm also going to try to start eating every 3 hours.


So question- how often do you guys eat? Every three hours? 5 small meals a day? Three large ones?

Gobble Gobble? You Mean Oink Oink.

Day: Thursday, November 25, 2010.
Time: 5:00 PM.
Location: Aunt's house. 


              Thanksgiving. The one day a year when people think it is perfectly acceptable to gorge themselves on a ridiculous amount of high calorie foods. (Ehh, it only happens once a year, right??) Well, not for me. Not this year. I'm coming up with a game plan, a strategy, that will get me through the holiday with no weight gain. (My mantra: No gain! Just maintain!)
               Now, with Turkey Day looming, I've got to kick it into gear. So I called my best friend, to give me a pep talk. Let me give you a glimpse into our conversation.


TLC: Should I just give myself a cheat day? I should, shouldn't I?
M: Yes. I give myself a cheat day once a week.
TLC: But I don't want to. Wahhh. What am I going to do??? I can't live without pumpkin pie. I just can't.
M: You have plenty of healthy options! Think about it! Cranberries, sweet potatoes, turkey, green beans...


Ahh.... You see, this is where she is wrong. 


Cranberries? Yes. However, my family makes the sweetest (and most delicious) cranberry relish known to man. I wouldn't hesitate to say there is at least a pound of sugar in one batch.



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Sweet potatoes? Check. There's plenty of sweet potato casserole to go around. Complete with crispy, ooey-gooey marshmallow on top of the nutrient-rich vegetable.
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Turkey? Yeah. There's turkey. But I never eat it. During my vegetarian years I didn't eat it. And even though I eat turkey now, I always skip it so I could have more cranberry relish. Plus, It has Tryptophan which makes me sleepy, and I don't want to be sleepy. 


Green beans? Yes, we have a green bean casserole that I'm sure is just loaded with fat. But it's green...so it's healthy, right?
{source}
Apples? Pumpkin? Pineapple? Yes, we have all three of those. Apple pie, pumpkin pie, and pineapple casserole.

 {source}

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 Ugh.. This is going to be tempting. PLUS my family always has food to feed an army, so you better believe I go home with leftovers.
And that's just stop #1. Oh. Didn't I mention I go to two houses on Thanksgiving? Check back tomorrow for my "Thanksgiving Survival Guide"
Gobble Gobble? You mean Oink Oink.

Day 20

Breakfast

• 1 English muffin with peanut butter
• 4 strawberries
• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Snacks

• Banana
• Pear
• 12 (equal to one serving size) cocoa roasted almonds

Dinner

• Taco Salad! Yumm. One of my favorites! (Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, chicken, taco sauce)

Dessert

• 7 (equal to one serving size) Stacy's cinnamon sugar pita chips

Workout

• 30 minutes on the elliptical, 2.75 miles, 320 calories  

Day 19

Breakfast

•  1 Pear
• 1 small pumpkin/whole wheat and oats muffin
• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Pre-workout Snack

• 12 (equal to one serving size) cocoa roasted almonds

Post-workout Snack

• 1 Fuji apple
• 1 nonfat strawberry banana yogurt

Dinner

• Salad (Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, chick peas, carrots, homemade salsa)
• Minestrone 
• 2 sesame crackers

Do I know how to make a salad or what?
Workout

• 30 minutes on the elliptical, 2.75 miles, 320 calories
• 30 minutes on treadmill, 1.80 miles, 175 calories

               Total- 1 hour, 4.55 miles, 495 calories

Day 18

Breakfast

• 1 Luna bar (Peanut butter cookie) and for the record, these are wayyy better than Clif bars.
• Pumpkin spice coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Lunch

• Turkey and Swiss cheese on wheat bread with lettuce, red and green bell peppers, and cucumbers*
• Minestrone  

Snack

• 1 Pear

Dinner 

•  Stir-fry veggies with 2 sesame soy nuggets.  
• Minestrone

No workout today! I've decided to skip Saturday instead of Sunday this week!

*So, my famous "weekends at school" sandwich is quite delicious. So delicious, in fact, that at lunch asked me what I was eating and then went up and made himself one because he said it looked so good!
See? Healthy food can be oh so yummy, too!

Weigh-in #2

That's right! I lost five pounds this week! Crazy, right? Now i'm at 211! It really shocked me because that's not even close to what I was expecting! But you know, what? This week I learned that everything in moderation really is okay. (Well, at least sometimes!)

....Now the goal is to keep that in mind during Thanksgiving!
So if you have some really tasty and healthy recipes send em' on over because i'm looking for them!
xoxo
Tanya

Day 17

Breakfast

• Coffee with 1 cream 1 Splenda
• 1 slice of 12 grain toast with peanut butter 
• 3 pineapple slices
• 2 orange slices

Lunch

• 1 mini whole wheat grilled chicken pizza (half at 12, half at 2

Dinner

• Salad (Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, chick peas, walnuts)
• Caribbean rice 
• Broccoli
• Lemon tea with honey

Workout

• 30 mins elliptical, 2.65 miles, 320 calories
• PLUS walked 2 miles for RELAY FOR LIFE!  

Day 16

Breakfast

• 1 slice wheat bread with peanut butter
• cantoloupe
• 1/2 slice pumpkin bread

Lunch

• 1 banana
• 15 cocoa roasted almonds

Dinner

• Pasta with red sauce
• 1 sweet potato

Snack

• 7 Stacy's cinnamon sugar pita chips

*No workout today. One of my good friends suggested that I let my body rest, I had to agree!
 

Day 15

Breakfast 

• 1 slice wheat toast with peanut butter
• Pineapple chunks

Snack

• Banana
• 5 animal crackers

Dinner

• Chicken piccata
• Red-skin potatoes
• Green beans
• Zucchini

Workout 

• 30 mins on elliptical, 2.75 miles, 315 calories.
• 20 mins on treadmill , 1.20 miles, 110 calories
• **30 mins on elliptical, 2.65 miles, 305 calories**
  Total-1 hour 20 minutes, 6.6 miles, 730 calories

**I had a really bad/stressful day today.  The semester is winding down, registering for classes is like torture, and the stress is kicking in.
There was one point in the day when I just wanted to cry out of frustration. This was at about 12:30pm...and I knew I wasn't going to get back to my room until about 7:30, so what was I going to do? I had already gone to the gym, but when I got back to my room, I didn't even think...I just got changed and walked to the gym. I needed to blow of steam.

I needed to hop on an elliptical, blare my iPod, and go. 

and go. and go. and go.
No tears, just sweat.

Day 14

TWO WEEKS DOWN!
And apparently it's getting to me...
Confession: I had a dream about pizza last night. Haha.



Breakfast

•  Pumpkin coffee with 1 cream 1 splenda
• 1 piece toast with peanut butter
• 3 strawberries
• 1 banana

Post-workout

• Non-fat raspberry yogurt

Snack (at 2 different times)

• 1 apple
• 2 graham crackers

Dinner

• Salad- lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, carrots, red grapes, walnuts (perhaps one too many walnuts)

Workout

•   30 mins on elliptical, 2.75 miles, 315 cals. 
• 20 mins on treadmill, 1.30 miles, 130 cals.
  Total- 50 minutes, 4.05 miles, 445 calories

Day 13

Breakfast

• 1 slice wheat toast with peanut butter
• 3 strawberries
• 1 banana
• Green tea with honey

Pre-workout/Post-workout

• 12 cocoa roasted almonds
• 1 banana

Dinner

• Sweet potato
• Rice pilaf
• String beans
• Fresh pineapple

Workout

• 25 mins on elliptical, 2.35 miles, 265 calories
• 20 mins on treadmill, 1.25 miles, 105 calories
  Total- 45 minutes,   3.6 miles, 370 calories.

Food For Thought

"Every morning she checked her weight on the bathroom scale as if there was a goal to be achieved. She weighed seven pounds six ounces at birth and hoped to return to that some day." Dallas Clayton (via yvestown) 

Day 12

Breakfast

• Pumpkin coffee, 1 cream, 1 splenda
• Organic apple

Brunch/Lunch

• 1 english muffin with peanut butter
• 3 strawberries
• A few pieces of honeydew  

Snack

• 1 banana 
• Veggies- red peppers and cucumbers

Dinner

• Oatmeal (didn't go to the caf tonight!

Dessert

• 7 (equal to one serving size) Stacy's cinnamon pita chips  

Day 11

Breakfast

• Clif bar- white chocolate macadamia nut (I thought I'd try one! not an everyday option, of course)
• Pumpkin spice coffee, 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Lunch

• Turkey and swiss on rye bread (Again, out of wheat!) 
• Red bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes 

Dinner

• Salad (lettuce, cucumbers, red bell peppers, chick peas, walnuts)
• A side of sundried tomato and spinach pasta

Dessert

• 1 low fat chocolate pudding
• 1 cinnamon graham cracker

Workout

• 30 mins on elliptical, 2.80 miles, 330 cals
• 30 mins on treadmill, 1.75 miles, 155 calories 
  
  Total- 1 hour, 4.55 miles, 485 calories

Weigh-in #1 (Plus VIDEO?!)

Surprise Surprise! It's video time!


Here are the results from Weigh-in#1! Check it out!
And sorry about the shakiness! I promise i'll get better!



In case you couldn't see the video here's the summary:
I lost 2 pounds!! (UPDATE- I checked again today, the day I was actually supposed to weigh myself and it looked more like 2.5! woo!) I know that when you first begin to lose weight you lose more pounds at a quicker rate, due to water weight and all of that, but i'm still pretty pumped! Seeing results is the best motivation, even if they're not on the scale!
But this is only the beginning! Now let me know- would you want to see more vlogs? Or should I just stick to writing?
And here is your question of the day-
How often do you weigh yourself? Never? Daily? Weekly? Biweekly? Leave a comment and let me know!

xoxo
Tanya

Day 10

Breakfast

• 1 piece rye toast (they ran out of wheat) with peanut butter
• 5 strawberries
• grapes

Post-workout

• Mango smoothie*

Workout

• 25 minutes on treadmill, 1.50 miles, 175 calories
• 20 minutes on elliptical, 1.55 miles, 245 calories
  Total calories = 420

And that's right! I sucked it up and did the treadmill! I didn't even fall! I jogged some. Check the comments on this post to see some tips I got from a follower! :)

Dinner

• Salad (lettuce, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, chick peas, sunflower seeds)
• 1/2 sweet potato
• Mixed Asian veggies (soo gooood)

Snack/Dessert

• 7 (equal to one serving) of Stacy's cinnamon sugar pita chips.
  
  

* I have two friends who work at the gym on Wednesdays and Fridays. One works at the little health-food cafe and the other one actually works inside the gym. It's great because I visit them before and after my workouts on Wednesdays and Fridays. Actually, it is probably one of the only reason's I drag myself to the gym on Friday...
But there is a catch:
After my workout when I stop by the cafe to visit with one of my suite mates, i'm always pretty hungry from my workout. Then I walk in and am immediately bombarded with posters for this "recovery shake" which is supposedly fat free, designed for weight loss and post workout and 100% all natural fruit. They don't sound too bad for you! (and i'm not kidding they have about 6 posters advertising them in that place.) However, recently i've been getting them every week, this week I had one twice. I know that's going to add up.

But fear not, my friends! I have decided to bring a piece of fruit with me to the gym for after my workout. Then, i'll have something to munch on while talking to my friend. Now, I may look like a crazy person bringing a banana to the gym, but oh well. I'd rather bring a stupid banana (which i've heard are great post-workout) than fight the temptation of those mango smoothies....So bananas it is! And eventually I will probably go bananas, so i'm going to limit myself to a smoothie once a week or once every other week. We'll see how it goes! It's all about the journey!