Bouncing Back March 9, 2010

So after my moodiness surrounding the number on my scale yesterday, I did a few things that really helped:

• I did No More Trouble Zones DVD (Jillian Michaels)
• I went to Zumba with an amazing instructor who is always positive and really lifted me up
• I realized this is just a set back and I need to form and action plan, follow it, and move on (easier said than done)
• I also realized I needed to turn this frown upside down so I did some meditation to turn my thinking into more positive thoughts

So, I decided I am going to research heavy lifting and see if I think its right for me.  I think it is, but I need to be informed.  I need to realize this is just a minor setback that can easily be rectified.  I need to eat more veggies (I only eat them at 1-2 of my 5 mini-meals).  I hate that I let the scale get to me so much, but abandoning it just does not work for me :(.  I think I can weigh myself once a week so I do not become obsessive but at the same time am held responsible for my eating.  Weight just plays with my mind so much and I thought I was beyond those thought processes but I guess I am not.

Today I am going to do a little yoga now to make my sore muscles (from Jillian Michaels) feel better and to put me in more of a zen place.  My fav Zumba class is also tonight, so I am going to go to that as well.  There is also a Whole Foods trip in my future today, we found a tequila lime rubbed salmon that is TO DIE FOR = dinner tonight!  I also need some essentials like broccoli, Fage 2%, stevia, strawberry mineral water, you know the usual. 

Today I am also promising myself I will call back recruiters and get some resumes out.  I am writing it on here so I actually do it!  So, I have not really talked about my life situation, but I graduated from UT Austin this August.  Some endocrine issues got in the way after graduation, so I have been living at home with my lovely parents, Marianne and Kevin.  I finally have my thyroid and pituitary issues worked out as of two weeks ago I started feeling better, so now I am on the job hunt!  I love to work, I just hate to look for work but who doesn’t?  So many things to do, I better get started on them now!

Have a great afternoon blog friends, and I will be back later tonight!

xoxo Erin

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Food Journal and Exercise Rut March 8, 2010

Goals for this week:

• Start food journal (discussion below)
• Do JM No More Trouble Zones 3 times
• Add more veggies to each mini meal
• Be religious about taking allergy meds
• Send out resumes times 50!
• Get to Zumba at least 3 times
• Go to Hot Yoga
• Make something new and interesting for dinner

 

So, starting tomorrow (I need to find a spiral)  I am going to start food journalling (is that a word?).  I am not going to track my calories, but I feel like I have been doing a lot of unnecessary mindless eating which is not good.  When I lost my 35 pounds, I would track my calories online.  But I found myself a little too obsessed with the numbers (I am a math kind of person) and I would end up eating lower calorie foods that usually contained too many chemicals.  I do not want to get like this again, so I am just going to simply write down everything that I eat and make sure I am getting my daily water and veggies in.  No daily plate, just a plain, old spiral so that number crunching and minimizing does not ensue.

I want to lose 5 to 10 more pounds (not only for vanity reasons but it would also help my PCOS), and I think getting rid of my mindless eating could really help in reaching this goal.  I have also been doing more cardio in order to accomplish this.  Zumba is my new favorite thing, it really is just fun to me!  I am actually thinking about getting the Zumba DVDs because Zumba is only offered 3 times a week at my gym :(.  I know, I sound a little DVD obsessed lately, but I just need a change in routine and do not know where to start.  I think I need more strength training and a better mix of cardio, but I am just not inspired lately.  Does anyone have suggestions for routines?  Help a sista out, lol!

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood! March 6, 2010

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but it has been too gorgeous outside to be indoors despite my terrible allergies!  Here in Texas, it is 70 degrees and sunny, so it is a must that I at least jog the bike path by my house.  My sister is on her way to the Hamptons right now for Spring Break (rough life right?), but it is 50 degrees there and she is a little jealous of our warm weather.  I don’t know I think I would rather be strolling the beach in the colder weather than being in plain old Texas. 

So, I have not really filled y’all in on my allergy history, but I have had terrible allergies since exiting the womb (I was a preemi).  I also have allergy triggered asthma, with my first attack at age 18 months, also the only day I crawled in my entire life.  Needless to say, I have tried every allergy medicine on the market, and I have found that Stinging Nettles a la Whole Foods really work best!  I have to take two at a time to have them really work but they are better than Claritin or Allegra any day!  My seventh grade humanities teacher actually told me this, but it was not until my uncle and fave vitamins department employee at Whole Foods confirmed their love for the nettles was I willing to try the herbal remedy.  I now swear by it and recommend it to any random I meet at the grocery store, a bar, etc that talks about their allergies.  I know, a little out there, but they work so well I feel like I have to spread the news!  My family seriously lives off of these come allergy time!

Dr. Oz (I am a BIG fan!) always talks about the neti pot for allergies.  Has anyone actually tried it?  I have heard great things, but for some reason it just kind of creeps me out!

  Source Source

This morning before Pilates core fusion aka class of death,  I made some vegan cookie dough a la Averie (of Love Veggies and Yoga) check out the recipe here!  I did not have chocolate chips so I made the recipe without and it was still great!  I made two batches: one with cocoa and one without, also I stuck one batch in the oven for 10 mins at 250 degrees aka made them not raw.  I actually liked the baked ones a little better because the flavors melded together a little better and brought out the sweetness.  Really though, they were both great and I will be munching on them for a while!  I also think they are delish frozen.

I have also been on the hunt for the new Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown.  I have been to Target, Wal-Mart, Dick’s Sports, and a couple of other places,  I think it’s an Amazon purchase waiting to happen.  Has anybody tried it?  I think yoga is a great thing for my breathing, but I can not always handle it in a studio, so I think I need a DVD.  I love Jillian’s training method, so I think that may be a good way to ease me into yoga practice.  I used to do yoga a couple of times a week, but I was just not good at it and decided I needed more cardio in my life.  Does anybody have suggestions for yoga or Pilates DVDs or any other exercise DVDs?  I think I need a break from the gym, I am just kind of tired of it right now.

Ok I am off to eat grilled BBQ chicken and some eggplant, weird combo? Probably, but I think it will be delightful!  I have not had homemade BBQ chicken in years because my sister really does not like it, so I am quite excited to have some tonight!

Goodnight bloggies, have a great Saturday night!  See you tomorrow!

COSTCO and Chocolate February 28, 2010

So we finally went to Costco to buy the usual, broccoli, Pellegrino, spinach, some kind of protein for dinner tonight and stirfries throughout the week, and Larabars.  I forgot how crazy it gets on Saturday, but there were ohh so many samples to keep me distracted from the crowd 🙂  I was also thinking about buying another Jillian Michaels DVD because I love her No More Trouble Zones workout, but there were none to be found, sadly. 

I also went to the Pilates of death class today, formally known as Pilates core fusion.  I have a love/hate relationship with this class because it is hard and I am always in pain and barely make it through the whole hour.  I had not been for two weeks, so it really kicked my booty!  I was talking to the instructor for tips to get stronger before her next class since my missing it for two weeks really made me weaker, and she said come more often!  haha I really like her and will make sure to go to her Tuesday and Saturday class this week!

Yesterday I made Averie’s (of Love Veggies and Yoga) Raw Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate and loved it!  I changed her recipe just a little:

1 T Coconut oil (melted with the Agave)

1 T Agave Nectar (Instead of her 1.5T)

1/2 t vanilla extract

2 T Cocoa powder

I added in a drop of mint extract with one batch and it was good as well! Peanut butter would also be good in this recipe.

Tonight we are grilling pork tenderloin for dinner.  I did a marinade of miso dressing with Sriracha, should be good!  We are also broiling some brussle sprouts with some cayenne, onion powder, salt and pepper and making a spinach salad with miso dressing and some mushrooms.  We will see how everything turns out!

Have a great Saturday night!

xoxo Erin