Monday, March 11, 2013
100 Day Challenge
100 Days. What kind of changes can you make in that amount of time? We found out the answer to that in our last weight loss challenge, which ended on Saturday, March 9th. Of the 38 challengers, 36 lost weight. That's a REALLY nice number considering the challenge contained Thanksgiving, Christmas AND New Years!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Day 5 of the Sugar Detox
Ahhhhh...Back on track and it feels GOOD!
I also snacked on some of my jalapeno and peppadew cheese but didn't snap a pic.
I am feeling really good so far. My sugar cravings seem to be disappearing which is a VERY good thing!
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| Breakfast was 2 whites and 1 whole egg scrambled with 1 cup of spinach and 1/2 oz of cheese on top plus 100g broccoli and some cut up grape tomatoes. |
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| Lunch was 3 oz thin sliced roast beef, a small salad and brown rice. |
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| Snack of a small banana with peanut butter. |
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| Dinner was 5 oz of chicken breast, green beans and some green apple slices with cinnamon on top. |
I also snacked on some of my jalapeno and peppadew cheese but didn't snap a pic.
I am feeling really good so far. My sugar cravings seem to be disappearing which is a VERY good thing!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Day 4 of the Sugar Detox
Yes, I am calling it Day 4 instead of "Day 1: Again" because even though I screwed up majorly on Saturday, I am continuing on instead of dwelling on the past. I woke up after about 3 hours of sleep because I had signed up for the Frigid Five Miler race.
After the race, they served pancakes but since I am still sugar detoxing, I didn't use the race as an excuse to eat them. Instead, I let my family have them and I drank tons of water.
We were invited to a 5 year old's birthday party that was somewhat near the race so we headed there next. I decided to stop at Giant Eagle on the way though to make my own salad from their bar.
I didn't even feel a desire to eat the pizza or cake served so I am really happy about that. On the way home from the party, we decided to stop downtown and visit a few places. We intended to get the kids a bagel or some other treat but pretty much everywhere was closed so we ended up at Subway where they shared a bag of Doritoes. When I looked at the bag, while they were eating, I literally felt sick to my stomach about what I was allowing them to put into their bodies and decided, at that moment, to try much harder to get whole foods into them instead.
We left downtown at 4pm and I was a mess. I was sooooo tired. My head was pounding and I was really feeling just rotten. We were planning to head to 4:30 Mass but instead, Nick drove me home and continued to the church with the kids. I walked in the door and wanted to go straight to my bed but instead, decided I should eat something first.
I, then, took the time to plug everything into MyFitnessPal and realized I was way under on calories so I hurriedly ate a few scoops of peanut butter before heading to my bed.
I am happy with Sunday's change. I just need to get better at planning out my meals before I am confronted with temptations.
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| Breakfast was quite non-traditional but I had 2 eggs over medium and carrots with hummus. |
Women 35 - 39/W35
1 Erin Nicotra, 37, Cranberry Townshi, PA 34:14 34:18 6:51
2 Andrea Plubell, 39, Oakdale, PA 40:41 40:51 8:08
3 Kristan Casteel, 37, Butler, PA 41:01 41:07 8:12
4 Maria Fruscello, 35, Pittsburgh, PA 41:47 41:51 8:21
5 Christine Gass, 38, Oakdale, PA 42:03 42:09 8:25
6 Jennifer Fedel, 36, Pittsburgh, PA 42:24 42:47 8:29
7 Cindy Piendl, 37, Cecil, PA 42:38 42:43 8:32
8 Connie Jenkins, 35, Verona, PA 42:43 42:46 8:32
9 Renee Pompi, 38, South Fayette, PA 42:43 42:50 8:32
10 Sabrina Shaner, 36, Pittsburgh, PA 43:03 43:24 8:36
11 Melissa O'Malley, 39, Pittsburgh, PA 44:25 44:43 8:53
12 Sarah Hoffman, 38, Pittsburgh, PA 44:44 44:49 8:57
13 Amata Welsh, 35, McKnight, PA 45:06 45:55 9:01
14 Kim Bell, 38, Cranberry Twp , PA 46:28 46:48 9:17
15 Jessica Irwin, 37, Gibsonia, PA 46:32 47:32 9:18
16 Lee Peet, 37, Pittsburgh, PA 46:44 47:34 9:21
17 Natalie Latal, 37, Allison Park, PA 47:20 47:39 9:28
18 Courtney Boone, 36, Pittsburgh, PA 47:40 48:15 9:32
19 Rebecca Russano, 36, Pittsburgh, PA 48:25 50:02 9:41
20 Erin English, 36, Pittsburgh, PA 48:33 49:01 9:43
21 Summer Fowler, 35, Cranberry Twp , PA 49:02 49:19 9:48
22 Chrissy Howard, 36, Greensburg, PA 49:20 49:32 9:52
23 Michelle Metz-Foley, 38, Gibsonia, PA 49:34 49:55 9:55
24 Jennifer Anthony, 39, Pittsburgh, PA 49:37 49:53 9:55
25 Jennifer Beck, 39, Emsworth, PA 49:54 51:03 9:59
26 Laura Sweeney, 37, Pittsburgh, PA 49:58 51:36 9:59
27 Rebecca Henke, 37, Carnegie, PA 50:04 50:18 10:01
28 Mary Boone, 36, Pittsburgh, PA 50:46 51:04 10:09
29 Kathy Palmer, 39, South Park, PA 51:28 51:34 10:18
30 Paula Metzger, 37, Pittsburgh, PA 52:37 53:18 10:31
31 Susie Landry, 39, Harmony, PA 53:57 55:05 10:47
32 Angela Yost, 36, Pittsburgh, PA 54:46 55:58 10:57
33 Stacey Aiello, 35, Presto, PA 54:58 55:20 11:00
34 Melanie Sibley, 37, Elizabeth, PA 55:13 55:55 11:02
35 Ashley Barr, 38, Aspinwall, PA 56:42 57:18 11:20
36 Paula Luna, 38, Port Vue, PA 57:07 57:37 11:25
37 Jennifer Cygan, 36, Butler, PA 57:59 59:00 11:36
38 Angela Singh, 35, Valencia, PA 58:30 59:12 11:42
39 Tina Day, 38, Pittsburgh, PA 58:31 59:38 11:42
40 Tricia Staley, 36, Pittsburgh, PA 1:01:44 1:02:39 12:21
41 Sarah Heibel, 37, Jeannette, PA 1:19:23 1:19:59 15:53
42 Allison Heibel, 39, Pittsburgh, PA 1:19:23 1:19:59 15:53
Despite the crazy hills and lack of sleep, I think I did pretty well. Maybe that "carb/sugar load" on Saturday night helped me? LOL! Probably not.
After the race, they served pancakes but since I am still sugar detoxing, I didn't use the race as an excuse to eat them. Instead, I let my family have them and I drank tons of water.
We were invited to a 5 year old's birthday party that was somewhat near the race so we headed there next. I decided to stop at Giant Eagle on the way though to make my own salad from their bar.
I didn't even feel a desire to eat the pizza or cake served so I am really happy about that. On the way home from the party, we decided to stop downtown and visit a few places. We intended to get the kids a bagel or some other treat but pretty much everywhere was closed so we ended up at Subway where they shared a bag of Doritoes. When I looked at the bag, while they were eating, I literally felt sick to my stomach about what I was allowing them to put into their bodies and decided, at that moment, to try much harder to get whole foods into them instead.
We left downtown at 4pm and I was a mess. I was sooooo tired. My head was pounding and I was really feeling just rotten. We were planning to head to 4:30 Mass but instead, Nick drove me home and continued to the church with the kids. I walked in the door and wanted to go straight to my bed but instead, decided I should eat something first.
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| Small plate of turkey with cheese and quinoa with just a bit of sauce on it. |
I am happy with Sunday's change. I just need to get better at planning out my meals before I am confronted with temptations.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Day 3 of the Sugar Detox
Day 3 brought with it A LOT more temptations....
I got up in the morning and had a healthy breakfast.
I knew I was NOT going to be in control of what I was eating that day, so I decided to pack some reinforcements.
Look what a nice job I did of packing these items. I wrapped roast beef and turkey into lettuce and then put baby carrots and hummus in too. And in another container, I had frozen some banana and put peanut butter on the side for dipping.
Too bad that didn't work. At all. I arrived at 10:30am and by 11:45, I was getting hungry. The food offerings there were sugary cereals, red apples, oranges, cinnamon rolls, cookies, bagels, and muffins. So, basically, sugar, sugar and more sugar. I decided to go ahead and have my banana/peanut butter treat.
Shortly after that, I was separated from my bag and couldn't get to it. I had a Nutrigrain bar at 1:30-ish but it just wasn't enough. Then, they handed out nachos with cheese at 3pm. I had maybe half of it and then gave it to someone else. At this point, I was texting my sister because I really didn't want to cheat on the detox but I was also super hungry. When they handed out pizza at 5pm, I still wasn't able to get to my bag for my wrapped up lunchmeat and carrots so I had 2 slices. At that point, my stomach started to hate me. Seriously. I felt so sluggish and gassy. No fun at all.
At 7pm, I finally got reunited with my bag and while everyone else ate the provided food at that point, I did eat what I had packed. Unfortunately, that is also where is all went downhill. Probably due to the pizza, I was CRAVING sugar in that worst way. I was so conflicted. I knew that just because I had screwed up already didn't mean I should do it again but despite knowing better, I noshed on some dry Lucky Charms cereal.
The floodgates were opened... Later in the evening, they brought out some mini candy bars and I had some of those too. At this point, I was seriously pissed at myself and vowed that I would get right back to my sugar detox. I didn't get home until about 2:30am and only got 3 hours of sleep. Seriously, it was just a bad bad day....
I got up in the morning and had a healthy breakfast.
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| " Hard boiled egg and a green apple with 1/2 serving of peanut butter. |
Look what a nice job I did of packing these items. I wrapped roast beef and turkey into lettuce and then put baby carrots and hummus in too. And in another container, I had frozen some banana and put peanut butter on the side for dipping.
Too bad that didn't work. At all. I arrived at 10:30am and by 11:45, I was getting hungry. The food offerings there were sugary cereals, red apples, oranges, cinnamon rolls, cookies, bagels, and muffins. So, basically, sugar, sugar and more sugar. I decided to go ahead and have my banana/peanut butter treat.
Shortly after that, I was separated from my bag and couldn't get to it. I had a Nutrigrain bar at 1:30-ish but it just wasn't enough. Then, they handed out nachos with cheese at 3pm. I had maybe half of it and then gave it to someone else. At this point, I was texting my sister because I really didn't want to cheat on the detox but I was also super hungry. When they handed out pizza at 5pm, I still wasn't able to get to my bag for my wrapped up lunchmeat and carrots so I had 2 slices. At that point, my stomach started to hate me. Seriously. I felt so sluggish and gassy. No fun at all.
At 7pm, I finally got reunited with my bag and while everyone else ate the provided food at that point, I did eat what I had packed. Unfortunately, that is also where is all went downhill. Probably due to the pizza, I was CRAVING sugar in that worst way. I was so conflicted. I knew that just because I had screwed up already didn't mean I should do it again but despite knowing better, I noshed on some dry Lucky Charms cereal.
The floodgates were opened... Later in the evening, they brought out some mini candy bars and I had some of those too. At this point, I was seriously pissed at myself and vowed that I would get right back to my sugar detox. I didn't get home until about 2:30am and only got 3 hours of sleep. Seriously, it was just a bad bad day....
Friday, January 11, 2013
Day 2 of Sugar Detox
I really should title this post "Out of the frying pan and into the fryer" because it was literally FILLED to the brim with temptations. Every other Friday, my friends and I get together for breakfast together. Everyone brings something but looking at the list, I could see that there wasn't going to be anything sugar detox approved. Things were prepared in a healthy way but there just wasn't anything I could have. I decided to cook up some breakfast before I went.
While I was at the breakfast, I pulled out my packed snack to eat instead of noshing on all the goodies here.
First temptation down but another one was waiting for me. A friend and I had decided earlier in the week that since it was a half day at school, we would take the kids to use their Pizza Hut Book It certificates. Instead of having pizza, I filled up one plate from the salad bar. Unfortunately, they didn't have a lot of veggies on the bar but fortunately, they did have oil and vinegar for me to use as dressing.
I ran a few errands afterward but when I got home, I was definitely hungry so I had a snack.
For dinner, I had found a paleo recipe for Eggplant Pizza Rounds.
At night, I was bored and wanted to eat. Can't say whether I was actually *hungry* or not but I decided to have a snack.
All in all, I think it was a pretty successful day. I feel great and ready to continue with this journey.
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| Breakfast was scrambled (3 whites, 1 whole) eggs with a cup of spinach, a few grape tomatoes, and covered with one slice of a hot pepper cheese |
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| Celery and natural peanut butter made for a good morning snack. |
First temptation down but another one was waiting for me. A friend and I had decided earlier in the week that since it was a half day at school, we would take the kids to use their Pizza Hut Book It certificates. Instead of having pizza, I filled up one plate from the salad bar. Unfortunately, they didn't have a lot of veggies on the bar but fortunately, they did have oil and vinegar for me to use as dressing.
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| Romaine with grape tomatoes, cheese, and cut up egg with oil and vinegar. |
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| 1/2 of a green apple and 1 oz of jalapeno and peppadew cheese |
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| Eggplant Pizza Rounds (toppings - cheese, grape tomatoes, and green peppers) with 1 serving of quinoa and sauce. |
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| Baby carrots and 2 servings of roasted red pepper hummus. |
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Day 1 of the Sugar Detox
Bright and early this morning, I got all the necessary materials to begin this detox. This includes a general guide, FAQ sheet, recipes for meals and smoothies, information about supplements and even some suggested workouts. I am mostly concerned with the eating aspect of it so that's what will be my focus.
I made a grocery shopping list and headed out to the store to stock up in the afternoon. Loads of produce and nothing processed - easy enough. I also can't have corn, peas, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, pretty much all bread products, bakery items, candy, anything with added sugar and... FRUIT! Seriously?!?!?!? That ticked me off but upon reading, I learned that even a handful of grapes will spike up your blood sugar, which causes cravings which, for me, would result in a few bowls of Reese Puffs cereal, eaten secretly so that the kids don't notice. Okay, it's just a week. I can handle this! Fortunately, I *can* eat green apples and bananas that still have green on the stem.
Here is what I chose to have for Day 1:
So far, I actually feel pretty good. On the site, they say that Day 2-3 are when things can get a little tough. I am already seeing how this is going to be difficult. Tomorrow, I have a scheduled breakfast playdate at a friend's house (I'll be eating before I go) and lunch at PIZZA HUT because it's a half day and I promised Emily she could use her Book It certificate (planning on salad but bringing own dressing). Wish me luck!
I made a grocery shopping list and headed out to the store to stock up in the afternoon. Loads of produce and nothing processed - easy enough. I also can't have corn, peas, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, pretty much all bread products, bakery items, candy, anything with added sugar and... FRUIT! Seriously?!?!?!? That ticked me off but upon reading, I learned that even a handful of grapes will spike up your blood sugar, which causes cravings which, for me, would result in a few bowls of Reese Puffs cereal, eaten secretly so that the kids don't notice. Okay, it's just a week. I can handle this! Fortunately, I *can* eat green apples and bananas that still have green on the stem.
Here is what I chose to have for Day 1:
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| Breakfast was eggs (3 whites and 1 whole) scrambled with a side of sauteed peppers, broccoli, and grape tomatoes. |
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| Lunch was a quinoa stuffed pepper (I threw in sauteed onions, garlic, celery and grape tomatoes too), topped with 1/2 oz of cheese and 3 oz of deli turkey. |
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| For an afternoon snack, I chose half of a green apple with an ounce of one of my absolute favorites, jalapeno and peppadew cheese. |
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| My family was having pork chops for dinner so I just threw 2 oz of the pork onto a huge salad. This bowl is meant for a table full of people. I added in a hard boiled egg for a little more protein and topped it with balsamic. |
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| I went to an American Girl Book Club tonight and they served cookies. Thinking about having some peanut butter with my nightly snack was the only thing that kept me from cheating. I had the other half of my green apple topped with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter. |
So far, I actually feel pretty good. On the site, they say that Day 2-3 are when things can get a little tough. I am already seeing how this is going to be difficult. Tomorrow, I have a scheduled breakfast playdate at a friend's house (I'll be eating before I go) and lunch at PIZZA HUT because it's a half day and I promised Emily she could use her Book It certificate (planning on salad but bringing own dressing). Wish me luck!
Welcome to 2013!
Hi <waves> Remember me? I know it's been awhile but...
I just kinda remembered that I *do* have a blog and that maybe just maybe I should be writing in it.
And lucky you, fine reader, because I actually have something to write about at this particular moment in time. But, before that, let me catch you up on the last ummmmm..... 168 days.
At the end of July, we went to Catholic Familyland, where we spent a glorious week of praising God, enjoying nature, and spending an uber-amount of time together. In August, I was super busy preparing for and running the show for the New Member Social for a club in which I am heavily involved. It was A LOT of work but very rewarding at the same time. During that month, Jonas had surgery on his jaw so I spent a lot of time pureeing his food and fetching Gatorade and applesauce. September came, along with school for all three kids. We also had a death in the family that month. The hectic schedules we were following was almost too much to bear. In October, things slowed down a little bit and, besides a trip to Children's Hospital for Emily, was fairly uneventful. November and December went as they always do - way too fast. The holidays, for us, were wonderful even though we all wished they could have lasted a little longer.
And now, here it is January of 2013 and of course, I have my New Year's Resolutions. Here are mine:
1. To be more modest around the kids (i.e. covering up after a shower and not leaving the bathroom door open)
2. To continue healthy living by working out at least 5 days a week and eating as much organic and whole foods as possible.
3. To set aside more time for Nick
4. To use my skin care stuff DAILY so I don't end up all wrinkly before my time
5. To read the Bible in one year, using a program I found online.
So far, so good on all of them but it's only 10 days into the year. *wink*
As part of resolution number two, I decided to try to break my sugar addiction. As most of my readers know, I am a HUGE cupcake fan. Really, any sweet thing gets me going. The problem is that once I start, I seriously cannot stop. All my reasonable thinking goes out the window, and I don't regret it until a little later when my stomach feels sick or when I have a sugar crash. So....
My wonderful sister, Colleen, suggested doing the 21 Day Sugar Detox. Today was my Day 1. I will be chronicling my journey with this detox (which I am starting at 7 days and *then* deciding if I want to continue or not). Stay tuned for my day 1 post, coming up next!
I just kinda remembered that I *do* have a blog and that maybe just maybe I should be writing in it.
And lucky you, fine reader, because I actually have something to write about at this particular moment in time. But, before that, let me catch you up on the last ummmmm..... 168 days.
At the end of July, we went to Catholic Familyland, where we spent a glorious week of praising God, enjoying nature, and spending an uber-amount of time together. In August, I was super busy preparing for and running the show for the New Member Social for a club in which I am heavily involved. It was A LOT of work but very rewarding at the same time. During that month, Jonas had surgery on his jaw so I spent a lot of time pureeing his food and fetching Gatorade and applesauce. September came, along with school for all three kids. We also had a death in the family that month. The hectic schedules we were following was almost too much to bear. In October, things slowed down a little bit and, besides a trip to Children's Hospital for Emily, was fairly uneventful. November and December went as they always do - way too fast. The holidays, for us, were wonderful even though we all wished they could have lasted a little longer.
And now, here it is January of 2013 and of course, I have my New Year's Resolutions. Here are mine:
1. To be more modest around the kids (i.e. covering up after a shower and not leaving the bathroom door open)
2. To continue healthy living by working out at least 5 days a week and eating as much organic and whole foods as possible.
3. To set aside more time for Nick
4. To use my skin care stuff DAILY so I don't end up all wrinkly before my time
5. To read the Bible in one year, using a program I found online.
So far, so good on all of them but it's only 10 days into the year. *wink*
As part of resolution number two, I decided to try to break my sugar addiction. As most of my readers know, I am a HUGE cupcake fan. Really, any sweet thing gets me going. The problem is that once I start, I seriously cannot stop. All my reasonable thinking goes out the window, and I don't regret it until a little later when my stomach feels sick or when I have a sugar crash. So....
My wonderful sister, Colleen, suggested doing the 21 Day Sugar Detox. Today was my Day 1. I will be chronicling my journey with this detox (which I am starting at 7 days and *then* deciding if I want to continue or not). Stay tuned for my day 1 post, coming up next!
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