Two Weeks and Going Strong (Day 15)

Whew, today was intense! I forgot my AGG stack at lunch again, which means this is the second time this week that I’ve missed a supplement with a meal. I think I’m going to forgo my “off” day and just not take PAG at bedtime on Wednesday.

I hit the gym again today and did the same workout routine: 2 minutes running, 2 minutes walking for 30 minutes. I’m hitting 4K this way and would love to inch it up to 5, though I don’t think that’s going to happen this week as I’m still huffing and puffing by the end of the workout.

Workin' like a dog!

I also did strength training. Good god, two-part push ups are NOT easy. I start fully extended in push up position, go down halfway and hold for 2 seconds, go down all the way and hold for 2 seconds, come to the halfway point and hold for two seconds, and finish by fulling extending my arms for (you guessed it!) two second. After two reps of 15 my arms are pooped!

I WILL get Michelle Obama arms!

The nice thing about all this working out is that my legs are feeling less and less sore after I run. Endurance success! I know that Tim Ferriss recommends kettlebells but I can’t afford them and I genuinely enjoy runner’s rush. Besides, I’m losing weight regardless of exercise!

Workout Plan

Meals were pretty standard. There is a sadness amongst the house because (GADZOOKS, NO!) we ran out of bacon today. I MUST get more tomorrow!

Shredded bacon and scrambled eggs, pinto beans, mixed veggies (I couldn't finish the pinto beans/veggies mix) (Breakfast).

Leftover pintos and veggies, chicken thigh, salad with balsamic vinegar and crushed hard boiled egg (Lunch).

Taco Salad Bowl 1 (Dinner)

Taco Salad Bowl 2 (Dinner)

Jello dessert!

Nutritional Totals

Until tomorrow,
xx
Suzie

Lazy Sunday (Day 14)

I am definitely guilty of participating in some major sloth after a rowdy evening last night. My entire eating schedule was thrown off (I ate at 10:30/2:00/8:00) and I even forgot to take my AGG for lunch. Not the end of the world, but not what I want either. I’m ready to get back to the routine tomorrow with exercise, lots of protein, and a more structured schedule.

Soy and balsamic vinegar sauce with eggs (two whole, one egg white), turkey bacon, black beans, and mixed veggies (Breakfast).

Chipotle chicken bowl with a dab of sour cream (agh!! NOT 4HB FRIENDLY: DO NOT DO THIS) and extra beans (Lunch).

Black eyed peas, two chicken thighs, and mixed veggies (Dinner).

Nutritional totals

Today turned out to be a low calorie/high fat day. Good thing? Maybe, maybe not. It’s the carbs that make you fat anyways!

Until tomorrow,
xx
Suzie

That Was Incredible (Binge, Day 13)

Wow Houdini, I’m posting yesterday right now! I didn’t get in until late last night and didn’t have the time to publish. I had a phenomenal cheat day yesterday! The best part of cheat day is just letting go and doing whatever the heck you want in all aspects of your life for about 16 hours (provided you do some air squats). That said, my day yesterday:

Normal high-protein breakfast with eggs, beans, and vegetables

A glass of grapefruit juice, followed by what I have been missing all week: three Keebler® Fudge Shoppe® Grasshopper® cookies

We went out to one of my favorite Atlanta mexican restaurants, Tesoro. I had a strawberry margarita to go with my meal.

Tofu quesadilla (Sorry forgot to photo until halfway through... I was so excited to eat it!)

Four more cookies (because I can!!)

One magnificent original Krispy Kreme donut

I then went to a friend's party. There was so much food available!

I only really wanted a bit of Hawaiian punch though.

I ended the day at Dark Horse in Atlanta. I may have had a few. This is why I didn't post last night.

Though I had beer for dinner and thus didn’t take my third AGG of the day, I would have to say cheat day #2 was quite successful. I definitely did enough dancing to make up for my squats. Can’t wait until next week!

Until later today,
xx
Suzie

5 Ways the Internet Makes Dieting Easier (Day 11)

Yes, the internet has its problems when it comes to dieting, like encouraging young girls to being unnaturally skinny or promoting unhealthy weight-loss methods. However, I’ve found that the web has done far more good than harm. Here’s why:

1. Support. I post links to my blog on Twitter and Facebook (#4HB), and all I see is people responding with positive feedback and encouragement. Sometimes, in the offline world, it can be tempting to try and goad dieters into eating unhealthy (I know I’ve definitely done it), and we all have friends like this. However, in the online world food isn’t ever present, so there isn’t such a temptation to fall to a saboteur.
2. 

   Follow me on Twitter! @rburger11

   Accountability. I know that people read my blog pretty regularly, so I feel guilty when I don’t post. Accountability online has translated to accountability offline; I don’t know how I would have gotten through yesterday without it.

3. Motivation. Like everyone, there have been days when I haven’t wanted to work out, or that I have really wanted a beer, or just want an easy dinner. However, I know that if I post my temptations on Twitter or in a status, people I don’t even know will give me that swift kick in the butt that I need. I feel like the Four Hour Body network has a really great community, and instead of sitting down in a group therapy session like Weight Watchers 10 years ago, motivation from others comes in a heartbeat 24/7 through social media. Thank god!
4. Online Tools. Though 4HB claims that one can diet without counting calories (though doesn’t discourage it), I still track my fitness and caloric, fat, carb, and protein intake through Sparkpeople.com, a free online weight loss community. There is little more encouraging than checking off workouts in my routine, or finding that I effortlessly ate less than 1500 calories in one day. There are tons of other tools available too, you just need to find them!
5. Information. I am no 4 Hour Body expert; I only read the chapters that applied directly to me (well… except the 15-minute orgasm chapter. Who could resist??), and I’ve had to reread them more than once. While I am no expert, there are people online with awesome ideas, like recipes, professional insights, and encouraging stories.

My day, as you can tell, has gone pretty well! I have great energy and renewed enthusiasm in the Four Hour Body. I’ve already made plans for Saturday: Tesoro‘s for lunch (and perhaps a wee bit of day drinking) and a party for supper. Just 2286 minutes until I can break into some carby goodness.

Two whole eggs, two egg whites, black beans, and veggies (breakfast)

Turkey taco salad (I couldn't even finish it! — Lunch)

Leftover taco salad, faux mashed potatoes, and salad (Dinner)

Mmm yummy. I made more sugarless jello last night too… if I weren’t full right now I’d be breaking into that. I’ve found that the jello and sunflower seeds have been the best things to curb any cravings. That, and knowing that Saturday is right around the corner!

Day 11 finals

Until tomorrow!
xx
Suzie

Back to Sanity (Day 7 Breakfast)

I definitely wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of cheat day. Twitterers everywhere were complaining about the side effects of cheat day. Yuck! And the effects of binge day were undeniably expected.

From 4HB Team

Right. Gross. Now that I’ve had my supplements and breakfast though, I’m feeling much, much better.

8 oz black beans mixed with vegetables, and 1.5 full egg + 1 egg white omelet with turkey bacon

Now doesn’t that just look much healthier? It felt much healthier on my belly too.

Breakfast totals

Since eating I haven’t had any cramps and my energy level has increased dramatically. That’s a good thing too, because it’s beginning to sound like we need to go back to the grocery store already, and do it before lunch. We’re already running out of some supplements and we’re almost completely out of veggies, which is absolutely required for taco salad. The list:

Supplements:

Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Green Tea Flavanols

Vegetables:

Cauliflower

Broccoli

String beans

Lettuce

Peppers

Meats:

2.5 dozen eggs

Turkey Bacon

Chicken

I doubt (seriously hope) that this is going to be another $100 grocery run. I don’t think I could afford it right now, especially since Lilly Pulitzer is on Rue La La! Yes, I bought myself a sundress. And I promise, promise, promise to be good for at least a few weeks so that my wallet can recover from my fashion addiction.

 

Lilly Pulitzer "Franco" Prep Green Dress (Cute, amirite?)

Until later this evening!

xx
Suzie

Judgement Day (Day 5)

Today is my last day before The Great Cheat, or my first cheat day since I started the diet. I am so ready for it! Today wasn’t a failure though… well, beyond exercising.

I feel like my body is slowly taking steps backwards. I should really look up how to train my body back into running mode; before I started slacking on personal care, I took advantage of the fact that I could run 7/8 minute miles comfortably and sustainably. Now… now I hobbled to .86 miles at 5.5mph (about an 11 minute mile) before my left calf  seized. I paused the treadmill, stretched, and power-walked/walked (slowly increasing speed from 2.5mph and maxing at 4.0mph) until I finished my 20-minute session. Though slightly discouraged, I am still undeterred from getting back to my eight-minute mile. I have new goals.

~ Run a mile without stopping ~
~ Run a mile without stopping within 10 minutes ~
~ Run a mile without stopping within 9 minutes ~
~ Run a mile without stopping within 8:30 minutes ~
~ Run a mile without stopping within 8:00 minutes ~
~ Run a mile without stopping within 7:30 minutes ~
~ Run a mile without stopping within 7 minutes ~
~ Run a mile without stopping within 6:30 minutes ~

And I believe that they are entirely doable.

 

Scrambled eggs with bacon bits (3 egg whites, one full egg), black eyed peas, and mixed vegetables (Breakfast)

Taco salad (Lunch)

Faux mashed potatoes mixed with two chicken thighs' meat, salad with homemade balsamic vinegar dressing, leftover taco salad (Dinner)

Sugarless Jello (Dessert)

For strength training, today was core day. I got Aaron to participate and… it was intense. But a good kind of intense.

Ab workout

Day 5 nutritional information

Feed the Bear (Breakfast, Day 4)

Get in my belly! I had what felt like a complete breakfast this morning, but when I plugged in to Spark People, I found that I only consumed 251 calories. I’m full for now, but I will likely have a snack before lunch. I’m worried that the lack of calories is making me hallucinate though… ya’ll are seeing what I’m seeing, right?

Yeah. I thought it was weird too. Anyways, my breakfast:

Mixed veggies, 2.5 slices turkey bacon, 2 eggs whites + 1 whole egg omelet, salsa, and (not pictured) one scoop sauerkraut

Breakfast totals

All of the stress over this diet has sent me on a bit of a shopping binge. Last night, Gilt Group was being SO MEAN: they had a Betsey Johnson intimates sale! I couldn’t resist.

I bought the whole set ($34)

It was so pink and cute and I needed to replace my current one ANYWAY so... $32

To make matters worse, I had been pondering and pondering over whether or not I would buy a necklace pendent for the past week. I finally caved and bought this adorable necklace from Etsy (from Lemayhem‘s shop).

Supercute, right? Right. $32

Totally worth it.

Until demain… or later today.
xx
Suzie

50g Protein at Breakfast! (Day 3 Breakfast)

Meals are slowly getting bigger and I am binging on protein. Today is another workout day, where I will be running and working on my lower body. Ideally, after my workout I will be able to get to Walmart and Whole Foods for more supplies. What we decided is that we will buy almost everything at Walmart  because groceries are so cheap there. However we will be shopping at Whole Foods solely for meats because I worry about food quality. Beans are beans are beans, but not all animals are treated equally.

Wakie wakie eggs and brekkie

Breakfast:

– Three hardboiled eggs (though I only ate one of the yolks)
– .75C refried black beans
– Steamed mixed veggies (mixed in with the beans)
– 3.5 pieces of turkey bacon

Delicious!

Breakfast totals

Hungry (End of Day 2)

I ate a lot today and I’m still not satisfied, which is really obnoxious. I know that I’m expected to want to eat more than I normally would on this, but it’s an odd feeling to put so much food in my mouth and still be hungry. I know that not every calorie is created equal, but this somewhat high-fat, very high protein diet makes me nervous. Maybe it’s because “fat” is called fat. I wish that fat in foods was called something else so that we don’t attribute it to fat in our bodies. That said, food for the day:

Taco Salad (Lunch)

Salted sunflower seeds (snack--I'm allergic to nuts)

Two medium soft boiled eggs (snack)

1.5 servings unsweetened jello (snack)

Two drumsticks, mixed steamed veggies, taco salad (Dinner)

All supplements taken and accounted for.

Total for the day

The Glory of Bacon… Turkey Bacon (Day 1 Breakfast)

Today starts the first day of the diet. Because Aaron and I went to bed past midnight, we went to bed after taking PAGG. Thank goodness for no side-effects; I was worried that it might disturb our sleep!

8:00AM: Woke up, took AGG + V (daily vitamin), drank 2c ice water
8:35AM: Ate breakfast. Nom!

I’m IN LOVE with Applegate’s Hardwood Smoked Uncured Turkey Bacon. It’s organic, nitrate free, and totally delicious. Just smelling it sizzle made me want to eat it raw. Mmm…

For eating so much, it surprises me that I “only” had 286 calories. I am going to have to be very conscious of what I am eating to make sure I get enough energy.