Day 26 - Falling Short

Today I felt like my car ran out of gas 15 feet from the finish line. It was the worst feeling in the world. I was completing my cardio workout and was on level 10 with 30 seconds to go. I looked at the clock and said "almost there Carey, you can do it, give it your 10" and at that moment my legs stopped moving. I was in disbelief as I tried with all my might to get them going again. By the time I had a somewhat decent rhythm going, time was up. I felt so disappointed. Jason said I gave it my all and I should feel good about that. I am not sure what to think but I suspect I gave up not gave out.

I managed to keep to our eating regime but the snacks were much closer together today as I was super hungry!

Breakfast - protein cinnamon oatmeal

Mid-morning snack - small portion of dinner last night with 7 chips

Lunch - portion of dinner last night with 1 wasa cracker

Mid- afternoon snack - final portion of dinner last night and 1 wasa cracker.

Seeing a trend? I felt too hungry for protein shakes to satisfy. I needed meat! I did a really good job of not cheating today and kindly turning down the opportunity. I went to visit a friend today. When I visit she is such the gracious host and we enjoy lattes and a yummy pastry. I caught her before she had popped the yummy cookie/scone looking thing in the oven. She smiled and said she understood as we both are trying to lose weight. For my coffee I had plain espresso. It was a nice small shot and I loved the way it tasted. Very strong and robust. While I enjoy the steamed milk, having it hot in a shot was a nice jolt to my normal routine.

For dinner I made meatballs (leftovers) and some marinara sauce and attempted to make pita bread. I love garlic bread with Italian food so I looked on the Internet for some oil and sugar free bread. I came upon this pita recipe.

http://www.food.com/recipe/healthy-whole-wheat-pita-bread-no-oil-or-sugar-156543

Again, I didn't exactly do as well as I had hoped. You are to take it out at 5 minutes. Well, it didn't look done so I left it in there until it was nice and brown. What did I make? A large cracker! Ha ha. It was very hard and a bit chewy but it was good. I intend to try it again but not a while since I have plenty of leftovers! Ha ha.

I think we ate too much today though. I got to thinking I need to start measuring our portion sizes to make sure we aren't overeating. If we are going to chisel this hard earned fat off our body, I have a feeling it isn't going without a fight. Tomorrow is our cheat day as we are going to see a musical to celebrate our anniversary. It should be fun. But, we aren't getting back until really late, so no post tomorrow.

Total Eclipse Customs in Huachuca City

Big shout out to anyone looking for body work on their vehicles. This guy (Michael Russell) is awesome and did a bang up job on our car. He doesn't cut corners or overcharge. Give him a call at (520) 236-8626

Day 25 - Beating the Cheat Gremlin

The cheat gremlin has been whispering in my ear all day. Compounding the problem is I have been super hungry today - for real food this time. This morning I stared into the pantry for at least 20 minutes before finally having the ability to close the door. I really wanted some bad food today, come crackers or nuts…something! I kept hearing the gremlin urge me to cheat with those wicked words “but you have been doing so good and look at your arms…you are just about perfect, why try for more?” I am nearly lulled into a belief that I don’t need this life change and I am perfectly happy with the way I look.

Then I go clothes shopping. I suggest anytime the gremlin speaks to you, go try on some revealing outfits that accentuate your flaws. Yes, either evening dresses or swimsuits, they both highlight your problem areas. I have been hearing a lot from people that I am just right, why am I trying to be skinnier? It isn’t that I think I am fat, I don’t. It is I am tired of looking in the mirror and hating what looks back at me. I see the saggy skin, the flabby arms and the cellulite packed legs. I want what I see possible and I know I can achieve it. As I put the dress on hanger I no longer felt the desire to cheat. It had been replaced by a need to work out; harder than ever before!

I feel I have a lot more energy today. I completed my Upper Body Workout this morning at 5:50. It never fails when I start late, I always end later. The workout took about 55 minutes to complete, leaving me 15 minutes late for my day. Grrr.

Today I lifted more weights than I have in a very long time. I had to fully concentrate when the weights increased as I wanted to not exert the effort. I found my brain was telling me, that is too much weight we can’t possibly lift that. This is even before I had even started! I told myself, just try and if it is too much we will go down. No big deal.  Shifting those thoughts aside, I began my workout:

CHEST: Chest Press first five; Push Up last one.

SHOULDERS: Seated Dumbbell Press first five, Side Raises last one.

BACK: Wide-Grip Pulldown first five, Reverse Grip Pulldown last one.

TRICEPS: Close-Grip Pulldown first five, Tricep Extensions last one.

BICEPS: Seated Dumbbell Curls first five, Hammer Curls last one.

It is time to refresh this workout too. My shoulders are looking awesome!

For breakfast we had coffee, eggs and chilies and salsa with left over flat bread from last night. Another failed attempt at my roti. L It is just going to take practice!

Morning snack was ½ banana and protein powder.

Lunch was left over dinner. I was too tired to explain it last night but I had the most amazing meat - emu meat. It is 97% fat free and it smells so good going into the pan. Normally I am not a fan of ground anything going into the pan, it smells funny. Not this stuff, it smelled delicious! It is another Carey Concoction:

Emu Mexican Chili

1 lb ground emu meat

1 chopped green bell pepper

½ onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 20 oz can plum tomatoes

5 roasted chilies, chopped

15 oz can or 2 cups cooked black beans

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp oregano, crushed

In a large heavy pan over medium heat, cook the emu meat and the onions and bell pepper until meat is barely done and the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a short time. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until flavors blend. Serve with flat bread.

This was really good. I topped it with some salsa and Tabasco. Yummy.

Since I was out of the flat bread after breakfast, I improvised and ate it with two wasi crackers. They are whole grain and taste horrible by themselves. Add toppings and they come alive in flavor!

I missed my evening snack and ate nearly the same thing for dinner but I opted for blue corn tortilla chips instead. I figured since I hadn’t really used my oil, it wouldn’t hurt things if we had some chips. They are blue corn and we had 12 chips (a serving size per the container). It was delicious.

For my evening snack I had a small apple and a boiled egg.

The three things I did well today:

1.      I resisted the temptation to cheat;

2.      My workout stretched the limits of my mind and body;

3.      I drank my 10 glasses.

The one thing I am doing better tomorrow:

1.      Getting started on time.

Day 24 - Fighting Fatigue

Motivational Quote: If your body is telling you to slow down, listen to it. If your body is saying you should keep going...then keep going. ~Lynn Swann

Ever have one of those days where you just want to lay down and rest? That is my today. It never fails when I feel tired, I also feel hungry and not for good food. I want that gooey, yummy mess that only comes from something really high in sugar and fat. My friend Miche reminds me not to cheat now, if I do it comes easier to give in next time. Very true. Anytime you compromise or lie to yourself, it only hurts the first time. As with everything, it gets easier to do it the next time. This has been my life, compromising on my goals and dreams and lying to myself about why it happened. There are always "reasons" but underneath it all is me, like it or not.

This morning was cardio. Seems like my cardio days are harder than my lifting days. Today I could tell I could push past the resistance and I finished strong. The ability to differentiate between a good push and a bad push is critical. A bad push can cause injury, extreme soreness and be emotionally draining. A good push can be exhilarating and build your muscles. Most people don't listen to their bodies enough to be able to identify the exact feeling. It isn't easy but with practice you and your body can be onboard together.

Too tired to post what I ate or anything else tonight.

Day 23 - Keeping Focused

Motivational Quote: I can't concern myself with what goes on with the club or what the media is writing. If you pay attention to those things, that's when you get yourself into trouble. ~Don Mattingly

Some days, like today, I feel like I do too much. It is on these days that the world grabs my attention and I find myself constantly distracted. Today I found myself not drinking enough water, forgetting the water bottle at home, almost forgetting my afternoon snack, putting oil on my lunch salad and licking off my fingers when I touch forbidden food. What is my deal?? These were all mindless tasks that I didn't even realize I was doing until after it was done. Crazy. Good thing getting up and exercising was part of my routine, I might have forgotten to do it!

Staying focused is key. What we focus on, we make happen. I find that I think about what I need to do and it becomes overwhelming. I almost become paralyzed with indecision on what to do next. A girl I follow on twitter today remarked on how she injured her foot while working out. She remarked she wasn't positioned right for a moment. I find in my workouts if I don't consciously think about what muscle group I am building, I miss the mark on my workout. I don't have time to miss marks, I need every workout to count! It only takes a moment to change the path of your life. Make this moment count!

I didn't sleep that great last night, I found myself waking up a few times. When the alarm finally went off, I was awake already. I had my workout all ready but when I went into the garage I realized I didn't want to do that workout. If I start to find things wrong with my workout, that means I need to spice it up! I have been doing pretty much the same thing for the past three weeks. I then asked myself, what exercise would you rather do? It is amazing how every time I ask questions of myself, I actually get an answer! This is the new lower body workout:

QUADS:  Leg Extensions, first five; Squat last one.

HAMSTRINGS: Leg Curls, first five; Deadlift last one.

CALVES: (okay, didn't change this one up) Calf raises first five; decline calf raises last one.

ABS: (same 'ol, same 'ol here too) Straight Leg Raises first five; Twist Crunch last one.

I left feeling refreshed and ready for the day! What a difference it makes when you start to LIKE your workout!

Breakfast was protein oatmeal and cinnamon with one cup of coffee.

Snack was banana vanilla protein shake

Lunch was ½ leftover chicken breast cut over bed of greens and a little oil (oops) and some balsamic vinegar and a ½ of grapefruit.

Snack was again banana vanilla protein shake

Dinner was awesome. I got my inspiration from the South Beach Diet Cookbook. It is called Spice Rubbed Chicken Fingers with Cilantro Dipping Sauce. I had to make some changes to fit my low-oil lifestyle. It is good!

Heat a large pan over the stove and spray lightly with oil.

Two raw chicken breast, pounded flat and sliced into chicken fingers.

Combine:

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

¼ tsp salt

Sprinkle over chicken and rub into until a nice reddish tint. I use a cast iron grilling pan and it works awesome. Place chicken on pan and cook until 170 degrees.

In a food processor combine:

1 bunch parsley (cut off stems)

1 bunch cilantro (stems cut off)

1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and trimmed)

2 TBLS Lime Juice

3 cloves garlic

Process until somewhat smooth (it appears slightly chunky when done)

Chill until ready to serve.

Dip the chicken in the sauce and enjoy. I served this with ½ green apple. This sauce even tasted good on the apple, a bit of spicy sweet!

Tonight I am enjoying some crystal light and a shot of vodka. Delicious.

Three things I did well today:

1.      Resisted the temptation to eat a piece of pecan pie... yum

2.      Exercised my heart out

3.      Ate really well today (with the exception of a few finger sucking instances...darn my child eating some really good forbidden food)

One thing I am doing better tomorrow:

1.      Drinking my water!

Day 22 – Doing the Best I Can

Today was a super rough day but I didn’t deviate from the course. I got up this morning still feeling a little ill. The alarm went off and I rolled over and didn’t get up. Jason beat me out of bed - that usually doesn’t happen. I finally made it out to the garage and knew my 20 minutes would take everything I had this morning because I sure didn’t have much. I was hurting too bad till about 10 minutes in and then I started focusing on one minute at a time. At one point I realized my feet weren’t moving very fast but I was exerting a lot of effort. I then laughed as my upper body was doing all the work. I had a white knuckle grip on the handle bars and I was rocking back and forth with such force that I had stopped pedaling very fast as a result. I laughed at what I must have looked like!

I know I have a distinct goal everyday on how hard I think I need to work out. Today, I really felt like I was missing my mark, but I knew I was giving it everything I had. I finally said to myself “It’s okay Carey; you give it everything YOU have.” I knew I had to accept my shortfalls and sometimes my mind has ideas my body can’t measure up to. I can’t beat myself up about not being everything I think I need to be every day. What’s important is that I am giving it everything I have every day. I have to learn to accept what I can do versus what I want to do. It is likely tomorrow is going to be better. It doesn’t mean I quit trying; I just have to quit hating myself when I don’t achieve the nearly impossible all the time.

I ate on target today, even though the leftover pecan pie in the fridge is calling my name every time I open it! AHHH…!  I am happy to report that it is the end of the day and I ate all my snacks.

6:30 breakfast – Western Omelet

9:30 snack – Vanilla Protein Shake and ½ mashed banana

12:00 lunch – Chicken Pico De Gallo and one roti tortilla (still working on it, I am making some improvements – no oil in it today!)

3:00 snack – Vanilla shake with ½ mashed banana

5:45 dinner – Ate out tonight, I was too tired to cook. We ate guiltless steak at Chilis. It came with steamed broccoli, (it did have a sprinkling of parmesan cheese but I figured it wasn’t enough to really throw us off our diet) 2 corn tortillas and one glass of red wine. Perfect! The waitress remarked on how healthy we were eating, maybe so but it tasted so good I didn’t miss all the deep fried yummyness I saw on the menu. J

8:30 snack – since my stead was a little bigger than my hand, I opted to have ½ grapefruit for my snack and no protein.

I am thinking I will feel better tomorrow. I am really happy this day is OVER.

Day 21 - Sick of Cheat Day

Okay, don't get me wrong, I love my cheat day....until evening. Tonight it is hitting me especially hard. I am feeling a little sick and I can tell my body is not enjoying having to process what I ate today. Funny, we only ate two meals.

Yesterday was Easter Vigil and I made a Hungarian twist bread for my basket, it turned out beautiful. I had the bright idea of making this cream cheese custard french toast thing using the bread. It didn't turn out as planned. I made the mistake of adding milk to my cream cheese before I had whipped it and it turned out lumpy. I dumped it on the bread anyway but I wasn't as happy with the dish as I had thought I would be so I am not sharing the recipe because I think it was poorly written.

This morning we ate some turkey bacon, the bread stuff and had a couple cups of coffee. For lunch I munched on some chips and salsa (highly recommend this salsa, it tastes amazing!), made a ham (used the glaze provided that came with the spiral cut ham I bought at the store), with ham gravy, some fresh green beans (sautéed in pan with onions, some balsamic vinegar and a few splashes of red wine), rolls and pecan pie (I added ½ cup chocolate chips to the pie). Jason and I shared a bottle of Pinot Noir. I whipped up some cream for topping on the pie. I had another cup of coffee. That was at 2:30 pm. It was 6:00 pm and I started not feeling so well. I was lethargic, had a mild headache and felt a little sick to my stomach. Then by 7:30 pm I was feeling better so we had some leftover gelato ice cream from last week. Not going to lie, if we didn't have it in the freezer, I wouldn't have thought to eat it. I wish I hadn't. Shortly after I ate it my body immediately felt ill again. I had to lay down. It took about 30 minutes but I began to feel well enough to get up and start writing this blog.

As I was laying there trying to recover, Jason and I began to talk about how we need to scale down our cheat days. Neither one of us want to eat as much anymore. We are thinking of eating a few things we can't have but overall, we need to stop eating as much crap. Jason made it through giving up soda for Lent. He now feels like he doesn't even want a soda. Today Jason began to see real definition in his abdominal area and his shirts are fitting bigger now. He is very excited about the changes he is seeing. We now have zero desire to eat fast food.

My success journal yesterday talked about how few people make it to this point in the program. Funny, I don't even remember reading this page before. Bill Phillips said that it is either attributed to unrealistic goals or a lack of commitment. I think the goals are always realistic, I think people are unprepared for the commitment part. Jason laughs and remarks on how he knows I didn't think he would make it this far, and he is right. I didn't. I thought it would be like all the other times and he would be falling by the wayside and I would be stuck finishing this out all by myself. I am super proud to say that he is standing strong and it shows! I also think most of our success is the commitment we made to each other. Together we can do anything if we work as a team. Also, it is fun to have someone there with you to experience the ups and downs with you.

So while cheat day has been an event to look forward to, we have decided to step it down a notch or two. Maybe that is a part of progressing in the program, a kind of maturing in our new healthy lifestyle. Yes, we can eat whatever we want, we are choosing not to. It is a wonderful feeling to be in control of our emotions and cravings.

Happy Easter!

Day 21 - Sick of Cheat Day

Okay, don't get me wrong, I love my cheat day....until evening. Tonight it is hitting me especially hard. I am feeling a little sick and I can tell my body is not enjoying having to process what I ate today. Funny, we only ate two meals.

Yesterday was Easter Vigil and I made a Hungarian twist bread for my basket, it turned out beautiful. I had the bright idea of making this cream cheese custard french toast thing using the bread. It didn't turn out as planned. I made the mistake of adding milk to my cream cheese before I had whipped it and it turned out lumpy. I dumped it on the bread anyway but I wasn't as happy with the dish as I had thought I would be so I am not sharing the recipe because I think it was poorly written.

This morning we ate some turkey bacon, the bread stuff and had a couple cups of coffee. For lunch I munched on some chips and salsa (highly recommend this salsa, it tastes amazing!), made a ham (used the glaze provided that came with the spiral cut ham I bought at the store), with ham gravy, some fresh green beans (sautéed in pan with onions, some balsamic vinegar and a few splashes of red wine), rolls and pecan pie (I added ½ cup chocolate chips to the pie). I whipped up some cream for topping on the pie. I had another cup of coffee. That was at 2:30 pm. It was 6:00 pm and I started not feeling so well. I was lethargic, had a mild headache and felt a little sick to my stomach. Then by 7:30 pm I was feeling better so we had some leftover gelato ice cream from last week. Not going to lie, if we didn't have it in the freezer, I wouldn't have thought to eat it. I wish I hadn't. Shortly after I ate it my body immediately felt ill again. I had to lay down. It took about 30 minutes but I began to feel well enough to get up and start writing this blog.

As I was laying there trying to recover, Jason and I began to talk about how we need to scale down our cheat days. Neither one of us want to eat as much anymore. We are thinking of eating a few things we can't have but overall, we need to stop eating as much crap. Jason made it through giving up soda for Lent. He now feels like he doesn't even want a soda. Today Jason began to see real definition in his abdominal area and his shirts are fitting bigger now. He is very excited about the changes he is seeing. We now have zero desire to eat fast food.

My success journal yesterday talked about how few people make it to this point in the program. Funny, I don't even remember reading this page before. Bill Phillips said that it is either attributed to unrealistic goals or a lack of commitment. I think the goals are always realistic, I think people are unprepared for the commitment part. Jason laughs and remarks on how he knows I didn't think he would make it this far, and he is right. I didn't. I thought it would be like all the other times and he would be falling by the wayside and I would be stuck finishing this out all by myself. I am super proud to say that he is standing strong and it shows! I also think most of our success is the commitment we made to each other. Together we can do anything if we work as a team. Also, it is fun to have someone there with you to experience the ups and downs with you.

So while cheat day has been an event to look forward to, we have decided to step it down a notch or two. Maybe that is a part of progressing in the program, a kind of maturing in our new healthy lifestyle. Yes, we can eat whatever we want, we are choosing not to. It is a wonderful feeling to be in control of our emotions and cravings.

Happy Easter!

Day 20 - Seeing Real Changes

Today I didn't get up and exercise right away, that happened at 9:30. I did give my exercise everything I had and came to some interesting thoughts about how the exercises are performed. The other day Jason commented that he had been exercising incorrectly and it was causing him to constantly lose his form. He read the book again and found that you add weight until 6 reps then you drop the weight significantly to hit 12 reps. The way the exercises are explained in the book, you hit total exertion at the end but in my mind I disagree. I think you hit total exertion at 6 reps then after dropping the weight you can then do it again. Okay, if I haven't totally lost you, bear with me.

Example:

What the book says:

Chest Press: 12 Reps, 7.5 pounds, IL (Intensity Level) 5

                     10 Reps, 10 pounds, IL 6

                       8 Reps, 12.5 pounds, IL 7

                       6 Reps, 15 pounds, IL 8

                     12 Reps, 10 pounds, IL 9

Push Up:      12 Reps, zero pounds, IL 10

But this never happens to me, I hit IL 10 at 6 reps if I continue to raise my weights. This is good but following the "rules" makes me crazy! So I am now thinking instead of one progressive upward slope, there are actually two slopes that hit IL 10.

Example:

Chest Press: 12 Reps, 7.5 pounds, IL 5

                     10 Reps, 10 pounds, IL 7

                        8 Reps, 12.5 pounds, IL 8.5

                        6 Reps, 15 pounds, IL 10

                        12 Reps, 10 pounds, IL 8

Push Up:       12 Reps, zero pounds, IL 10

I think if I shoot for this, it gives my muscles a change to exhaust twice and enhances my workout. I also have started stretching in between reps. This has really prevented me from being too sore.

This morning's workout was really good. I grit my teeth on a few and had to drop weight in the middle of some reps because I lost total strength. I am feeling really good and officially noticed some significant change today. I put on a house dress I have worn for years and it dropped down so low in front that I had to pull it up. This has never happened before. Jason says he can see some abdominal definition on me. I got on the scale and I had lost one pound this week. I know eventually the weight will stop coming off, but it is the measurements I am most excited to see. That happens next Saturday!

My Upper Body Workout Today:

CHEST: Chest Press first five, Push Up last one;

SHOULDERS: Press first five, Side Raises last one;

BACK: Wide Grip Pulldown first five, Reverse Grip Pulldown last one;

TRICEPS: Close Grip Pulldown first five, Dumbbell Extensions last one; and

BICEPS: Dumbbell Curls first five, Hammer Curls last one.

We had the discussion a few days ago about form and upper our weight. I think if you maintain good form but add weight gradually, you can achieve the same end result without the risk of injury. I think pushing for the final one or two is good but maybe try to find a balance between how much you overcompensate to get that rep completed. I still believe if you lose your form, you lose the benefit.

Breakfast was eggs whites with onions, bell peppers and chilies served with left over Indian bread. We enjoyed a heaping spoonful of hot salsa sold at the farmer's market.

Morning Snack was ½ Banana mixed with vanilla protein powder, YUMMY!

Lunch was left over Indian potato stuff my friend Dhara made and ½ breast of left over fajita chicken breast.

Missed my afternoon snack.

Dinner was the same as lunch.

Evening Snack was a boiled egg and ½ piece of Hungarian sweet bread I made for my Easter basket. Now, I know that was not on the diet but I had to have some, it was too tempting. Jason wanted to eat 5 eggs but I told him it wasn't cheat day. I then wanted to eat more bread and he reminded me it wasn't cheat day. I really hate it when he catches me doing bad stuff. Darn him!

We are all ready for our cheat day tomorrow. Stay Tuned!

Day19 - Pushing My Limits

Motivational Quote: If you want to achieve a high goal, you're going to have to take some chances... Is taking the risk worth it? That depends on your philosophy of life. You realize that striving and giving it your all, but falling a bit short, is going to help you more than never having taken that risk. ~Alberto Salazar

My details of yesterday were done in haste and I realized after I had posted that I had forgotten a few things. I went to the Farmers Market yesterday (highly recommend) and found someone selling fresh salsa. I love salsa but I get so disappointed in the grocery store brands. This man offered me a taste and I accepted....the salsa, while absolutely delicious, was at the end of a chip. Not only that, in my enjoyment I pleasantly accepted a second chip. It was just as I bit down that I remembered, oh I am not supposed to be having this! So yes, yesterday I cheated with two chips. But it was worth it!

Another announcement, Lent is officially finished and I may resume drinking one alcoholic beverage. Note the ONE part, this I am not so good at. Yesterday, it was no problem but tonight, I seem to want to finish the bottle. Jason says no. Booo.

This morning was cardio again. While I enjoy the fact it is only 20 minutes, it takes everything I have. I had to chant my way through it. The workout starts at my exertion level 5, no biggie, but I have really ask myself - is this a five or is it less? I know myself, I know I like to slack off, so I constantly keep myself in check. Keeping myself honest keeps me going straight and not veering off my path to success. I like to compare things that are really hard to the last five minutes of a cardio routine. It is then that you are exhausted but you have to dig deep and push past the resistance to finish strong. Today, I was hurting at my last level 7. I couldn't think past each minute, it was too painful to think about what was coming up. I imagined I was riding beside Lance Armstrong and we were pedaling up a hill. It came time for 9 and I could clearly see the trees whizzing past me as we zipped along the trail. Then it came time for 10 and I yelled "give it to me 10, I love this, I love this, yes, this workout is almost over, give me more 10!" Before I knew it, I was pedaling faster than I had ever done and I could see the finish line ahead. As the seconds dragged on, I imagined how wonderful it would feel when the workout was over. Then, as I reached total exhaustion it was over. Glorious relief. Today I didn't feel sick but rejuvenated. The energy has stayed with me all day. The more we give away of ourselves the better we feel!

Jason and I are really starting to see some changes. Jason is losing weight in his neck and this morning he commented that his shirts are beginning to feel big. Not only are we both seeing physical changes, there are changes emotionally too. We are both handling stress better, we aren't as tired at the end of the day and eating has taken on a whole new meaning. It isn't about how much we eat, but savoring every small bite we do have on our plate. Having less really makes you appreciate more. Cheat day is only two days away!

Jason and I also have noticed that getting up to workout isn't as hard as it once was. It is just a part of our morning routine. Like taking a shower or eating, exercising is a part of our life. Not going to lie and say we don't miss laying around in bed, but getting up and exercising really preps us for a great day!

Today was Good Friday and is was to be an all day fasting with only one meal. Unfortunately, I suffer from blood sugar problems and for the safety of others, I did not fully participate. I still practiced what I have normally practiced (one regular meal and two small meals). This morning I had my western omelet. For lunch my friend Dhara gave me some lessons on making Indian bread. She is such a wonderful cook and she shared her wisdom and spices with me. Today, she experimented and for the first time made naan flat bread. It was soooo delicious. I ate one piece, some potato mixture and some cottage cheese. It was absolutely amazing! She even gave me lessons on making roti and I understand where I have gone wrong. I think it is going to take practice at this point. She is such a patient teacher.

For dinner I ate some leftover potato mixture and a slice of Indian bread. Right now I am starving and can't wait till I can eat tomorrow. Tomorrow is preparing to fill the Easter basket. I am excited, my first Easter basket to be blessed!

Three things I did well today:

1.      Exercised my little heart out;

2.      Only had one glass of wine; and

3.      Drank my 10 glasses of water.

One thing I am doing well tomorrow:

1.      Preplan for workout. (boooo)

Day 18 - Renewed Energy

Motivational Quote: Guys running around the league make jokes about how hard we practice. And sometimes, in the middle of four or five hours of running, you're thinking, "Yeesch, this is rediculous!" ~ Doc Rivers

I finally feel at one with the eight ball. Not behind, not ahead but right there next to the eight ball. We are clipping along today at a great speed and I am keeping up. This is a new development for me. Usually I am way behind running trying to keep up with my day. I personally think it has a lot to do with working out on a regular basis. It gives me so much more energy!

Today got off to a not-so-great start. I think I woke up about three times last night. Just as I was really hitting that REM sleep, my alarm goes off. I turned on my lamp and laid there. We wanted to go back to sleep so badly. I get up and got dressed and started my workout right on time. Both Jason and I are on target for time and we enjoy an extra 20 minutes for breakfast. That is my favorite time of day and it is so nice not to rush things.

Breakfast at 6:15 was Western Omelet and coffee. I remembered my snack of vanilla protein shake and strawberries at 10:30. Lunch was leftover pasta at 1:45. Snack was vanilla protein and ½ grapefruit. Dinner at 7:30 was leftover pork marsala. This is what I love about this diet. We eat smaller portions and more is leftover. This makes it so nice for nights like tonight when I am exhausted and we don't have time to cook anything. Saves us from cheating or eating out.

Today was Lower Body:

QUADS:  Squat first five, Leg Extensions last one;

HAMSTRINGS: Leg Curls first five, Deadlift last one;

CALVES: Calf raises first five, Decline Calf Raises last one;

ABS: Leg Raises first five, Crunches last one.

The three things I did well today:

1.      Exercised my heart out!

2.      Ate all my meals; and

3.      Drank my 10 glasses of water.

One thing I am doing better tomorrow:

1.      No slacking on cardio, give it everything I got!

I love getting into a groove. It is too bad it took me three weeks to get there!

Day 17 - Telling Myself "I LOVE IT!"

Motivational Quote: "What is absolutely indispensable is strict follow-through, effort and stick-to-itiveness. Don't be frightened if things seem difficult in the beginning. That's only the initial impression. The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself. This ability to conquer oneself is no doubt the most precious of all the things sports bestow upon us." ~Olga Korbut

Today, food temptations were greeting me everywhere. We forgot our evening snack yesterday. I remembered as I was falling asleep, but by that time I was not getting up to eat. Then this morning I had my morning snack and lunch two hours later than I usually do. I had to go to the grocery store (aka temptation city). Double sucked that I bought Ian some goodies I know I can't have. He has been turning up his nose at the Cheerios lately so I thought to buy him Life Cereal instead. I love Life Cereal. Course, I forgot this until I opened the box and saw the crisp, sweet morsels staring back at me. Oh, and I was starving! This was just before I finally ate my lunch. I gave some to Ian and had to throw any left in my hand away as I wanted to throw them in my mouth! For breakfast this morning Ian enjoyed our left over french toast casserole and I had to wash my hands so not to lick my fingers after tearing it into little bite size pieces. The temptation is tough but I know that if I say no now, I will really enjoy my treasure later.

This challenge has forced me to do what the motivational quote says - master yourself. While I usually ate healthy, and usually exercised a few times a month, I never stuck with anything long enough to realize the fruits of my labor. It is really sad to look at my success journal now. Every day I preplanned but there was zero follow through. The pages are blank. It was like I had high hopes but when it came down to it, I always gave myself an out. Oh you are tired, oh you have been doing so good, oh oh oh...! I now see so clearly why I fell short in many of my goals. Hindsight is 20/20.

Not eating last night hit us in the morning. Both of us were lacking on energy and stumbling around. To up the intensity, I had been doing some soul searching about my workouts. I asked myself if I was really giving my workouts everything I had, and I had to honestly say...no. While I would push myself for the 9 and 10 parts of the workout, I was letting the five and six drop to two or three. Okay, if I haven't totally lost you. In the cardio workout, you exercise for 20 minutes. You push yourself on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most you can possibly give. So, when the workout calls for a six, I was giving it a two or three. Slacker.

Today, I opted to give it a real six and not let myself cool down so much. I tell you, I FELT, really FELT my workout today. I had to keep my mind focused on the moment and not think about how long I had to go. I focused on one minute at a time. I was feeling the burn at 5 minutes to go. When the minute came to give it my 10, my body wanted to stop. I closed my eyes and cried "I love this, I love 10, come on, you can do it!"I got off the bike and I wanted to die. I knew I had officially given my workout everything I had. There are no excuses here or room for slackers. Get real or GET OUT!

Breakfast today was protein oatmeal, not bad as I was starving. Funny how when you are really hungry everything tastes good!

Snack at 11:00 was vanilla shake and strawberries.

Lunch at 2:30 was leftover Marsala Pork.

Missed afternoon snack

Jason was working late so it was leftovers! Dinner at 4:30 was left over chicken fajitas with a twist. I sliced up fresh onions, yellow peppers and chicken into my slightly sprayed pan and heated it up. When it was about finished I added some salsa and Tabasco sauce. It gave it a nice spicy zip! I rolled that up into a whole wheat tortilla and enjoyed every bite!

My evening snack at 8:00 was a strawberry vanilla protein shake.

The three things I did well today:

1.      Gave it 100% in my workout today;

2.      Didn't sneak any small tastes from items outside my diet;

3.      Visualized success.

The one thing I am doing better tomorrow:

1.      Eating ALL my snacks!

Day 16 - Gaining Ground

Motivational Quote: You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. ~Michael Jordan

Last night as I was writing in my blog, it came time to state what I am doing better today. I hesitated. I didn't want to write preplanning. I knew what that meant - I would have to walk the talk. Honestly, I was tired and I didn't want to preplan. I thought about writing something easy and wouldn't take much effort. Then I asked myself, why am I not pushing past those barriers? I know when I encounter something I don't want to do that it means I should be doing it. For some reason I have a bad habit of doing this. My kitchen counter is a prime example. Everything I will eventually get to, hangs out there until I decide to get to it. But I never WANT to. This is part of what I am trying to overcome - procrastination. Reluctantly, I wrote down preplan and grudgingly went about making coffee, laying out my workout clothes, planning my workout and setting up the weight room. I gave in and didn't cut up my vegetables for this morning. It didn't set me too far behind but I didn't buy any time either. I sure could have used a few extra minutes this morning!

I am happy to say I met and won my mental challenge yesterday. I slept like a rock last night and when the alarm went off, I wanted to sleep some more! All my preplanning helped in making sure I didn't run too late. For some reason, my workout took 10 minutes longer than anticipated. I started my workout 5 minutes later than I wanted and ended up 15 minutes behind! Ahhhh.

Funny thing is people are starting to notice little stuff. I have the Bright Start program for Ian and Debbie comes over twice a month. Today, she asked if I was going somewhere because I was dressed, the dishes were done and it appeared I had done my hair and makeup. Hmmm, I guess I did. I hadn't really noticed, but I have enjoyed more energy lately and doing these little things hasn't taken much extra effort. That is sad that before it was bad enough for people to notice! AAHHHH. In case you weren't aware, I am perfect or I tried hard to make people think that! Ha ha ha. Now, I make sure I get done what needs to get done. This is a change from only doing what I wanted to do, to hell with the other stuff, I would get to it later.

Today was upper body:

CHEST: Chest Press first five, Push Up last one.

SHOULDERS: Barbell Shoulder Press first five, Side Raises last one.

BACK: Pulldown first five, Back Rows last one.

TRICEPS: Pushdowns first five, Extensions last one.

BICEPS: Dumbbell curls first five, Hammer curls last one.

This morning breakfast was egg whites (real ones), onions and bell peppers with roti bread (Indian tortillas made from whole wheat bread and water with a tiny bit of oil) my good friend Dhara made me. They tasted awesome and were very small in size so we each had two. This with coffee was delicious.

Mid morning snack at 10:00 vanilla shake with two strawberries.

Lunch was left over salmon over greens and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and one roti tortilla.

Mid afternoon snack at 3:30 was vanilla shake and two strawberries.

Dinner was another Carey Concoction: Marsala Pork Tenderloin over Rice

I love it when I create something from nothing and it actually tasted good!

1 pork tenderloin, sliced in ½ inch pieces

Seasonings:

            ½ tsp Garlic Pepper

            ½ tsp Thyme

            ½ tsp Marjoram

            ½ tsp Salt

½ onion chopped

6 garlic cloves, roasted

¾ cup Marsala wine

1 package frozen brussel sprouts

Brown rice cooked according to directions on package

Smash tenderloin pieces until about ¼ inch thick and season both sides with seasoning mix.

Heat pan and lightly spray with oil. Pan fry the tenderloin and reapply spray pan when adding a new batch. When finished, set aside.

Do not clean the pan! Add onions and sauté in the drippings for a few minutes, add garlic, wine and brussel sprouts. Cover and cook until sprouts no longer frozen and cut them in half. Return pork to pan and allow to heat through. Serve over rice and be sure and spoon the extra pan juices overtop for added flavor.

Marsala wine is a cooking wine and has a unique flavor. It keeps for months if you store in the refrigerator. I probably would have added 1 cup but I only had ¾ cup left in the bottle.

Three things I did well today:

1.      Gave my all in my exercise today, nothing like gritting my teeth and grunting my way through it!

2.      Drank my 10 glasses; and

3.      Worked through my procrastination tendencies.

One thing I am doing better tomorrow:

1.      Preplanning breakfast.

Day 15 - Flexing the Self Control Muscles

Motivational Quote: Once you establish an aggressive mental attitude, you can turn your attention to correct technique. ~Tony Gwynn

Today was nothing but a mental game all day. It seems I had to power through every moment. What could go wrong, did. I had two options: overreact or keep my cool. Happily, I kept my cool. I found it easy to soften my tone, keep my pace and not allow circumstances to disturb my peace. Personally, this is out of the ordinary for me. Usually I am biting heads off (especially Jason's), rushing around like a maniac and stressing out the entire family. I have been working on this for a long time with limited success. It is remarkable for me to be able to show such restraint but I am noticing it has been happening in other areas of my life. I am controlling my inner cravings six days a week. This has never been done before. I always cheated on diets. Always. There was always the excuse "just this once" or "I have been doing so good." Now that I am able to control my diet, I am beginning to control my emotions as well. I wonder if there is a connection. Maybe I am creating an aggressive mental attitude and everything else will just fall into place? We shall see.

While yesterday my body seemed to have tolerated our meals, this morning it let me know it didn't. (I think the steak and gelato put me over the edge) This morning was rough! Ian woke up again with a wet diaper and clothes at 4:30. Thankfully he went back to sleep okay but between him and the bathroom, I couldn't get to my workout until after 5. I was really happy it was cardio day. I needed a quick workout as I was dragging some serious butt this morning.

I pushed myself through the workout. Even though I felt that I only wanted to give 50%, I gave 100%.  The last two minutes are killer! When the minute came for the 10, oh it took EVERYTHING I had to give it my all. My brain was screaming "oh, can't we stop??? PLEASE???" I shut my eyes and chanted "10, 10, 10, come on Carey give it your all!" Before I knew it the minute was over (I swear it was the longest 60 seconds of my life) and I was able to cool down. It is during these workouts that I especially appreciate that we have our gym in the garage. I imagine I would have attracted a lot of weird looks after I finished that one. I also might not of given so much of myself to finish, I might have called it quits. Who knows! Jason was super sweet and cheered me on the final minute and gave me a big kiss afterwards. He is such a great teammate.

I noticed during his workout that he had bad form when the weights got too heavy. I told him to drop the weight and he said no. He said in his experience he hasn't been able to realize progress when he does that. I hadn't thought of that. I felt bad I couldn't spot him, that is what he needs. Anyone with an opinion on that?

This morning we had eggs cooked with onions and peppers, one tortilla and coffee. Stark difference from yesterday. While I hate paying for it, cheat day is really delicious.

Morning snack at 10:30 was a vanilla shake and two strawberries.

Lunch was leftover chicken fajitas, one tortilla and some lettuce. It was really good but I wanted more!

We had an appointment in Tucson and my afternoon snack was missed. I was absolutely starved by the time dinner came. We decided to stop off at Boston Market for some rotisserie chicken. I figured it was the safest bet as far as fast food goes. We get there and everything looks really good. I love their cornbread. We order a ¼ chicken with mixed vegetables and roasted potatoes. We needed a carb and the potatoes were the healthiest option. They did taste like they had butter on them but there wasn't much we could do. I only ate a small portion of the potatoes, all of my veggies and ½ of my chicken (it was bigger than I thought it would be). To our surprise we were blessed with three cornbreads. How nice. I gave some to my son Ian and we threw the rest away. That was a bummer because I really, really love their cornbread. That took a lot for me to not even want to steal a bite. Super proud of my self-control.

For my evening snack I wasn't in the mood for my usual shake. I opted for a small plate of cooked pinto beans and ½ grapefruit. Interesting combination but it was delicious.

The three things I did really well today:

1.      Exercised self control when facing temptation;

2.      Drank 10 glasses of water; and

3.      Pushed it to my limits on my cardio workout.

The one thing I am doing better tomorrow:

1.      Preplan. I am still not preparing well enough for tomorrow. Too many surprises resulting in delays.

Day 14 - Savoring the Moment

Getting ready for cheat day was almost like getting ready for Thanksgiving. I went through much care and preparation to develop a menu that was both delicious and easy on our digestive system. (I decided to forgo the pound of bacon this time) Sunday has become much like I remember as a child, church in the morning and large hearty meals later. I get very excited when I think of what we are going to eat and how nice it is to know we don't have to skimp on flavor for calorie sake. Bring on the whole milk!

On Saturday I began the preparation for my delicious Gelato. (Click on the word for the link) Jason loves coffee lovers ice cream at Cold Stone. Since I was feeling adventurous, I decided to make some homemade coffee gelato for Jason. Unfortunately there were no straight cut recipes and I had to go out on my own. Many called for crushed coffee beans or instant coffee, none of which I had. I opted to brew some espresso and just add it to the gelato. For mine I wanted chocolate mint. Again no recipe in hand so I added 6 oz of chocolate and 1 tsp of mint extract. They both smelled amazing. I wanted to lick the saucepan but Jason said that was cheating. I finally pressure him into having one finger lick so I could too! I know, that was bad but I really wanted to have some and couldn't bear to do it alone!

With that in the refrigerator to chill, I began to make breakfast. It is a lovely Overnight French Toast Casserole. Since the gelato needed egg yolks, I used the left over egg whites in this recipe.

8 egg whites and 2 regular eggs

1 ½ cup whole milk

½ cup brown sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp cloves

1 loaf of french bread cut into 1" slices

Arrange slices into a well greased 15x9 pan. Whip all ingredients together until well mixed. Pour over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

In the morning I got up and preheated the oven to 350. In the saucepan over medium heat melt ½ cup butter and ½ cup brown sugar.  Cook for a couple of minutes until the sugar is melted and pour over bread. Over top of that I sprinkled one container of fresh blueberries. Cover with tin foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Alongside the casserole I cooked the bacon. Brewed some coffee and poured some orange juice. It was a lovely breakfast.

For lunch we ate the leftover pizza from last week. For dinner we enjoyed a thick ribeye steak. Jason cooked them perfectly. I sprinkled some Chicago steak seasoning on both sides. While it cooked we added a couple of potatoes on the grill and made a salad. Jason and I both love blue cheese, and we both love it on our steak. In the past it has been a disappointment as the blue cheese would either fall off the steak or not completely melt before the steaks were done. I decided to sauté some red onion in some butter and add the blue cheese in a pan. I shut off the heat and it stayed nice and warm until Jason brought in the steaks. We smothered them with the blue cheese onion mixture and it was outstanding! I could barely finish the meal.

It took a couple of hours before we were ready for our gelato. Jason's turned out really good. The espresso flavor crept up on you but it was not overpowering. Mine was pretty good but I think I just ate too much. We mixed in nut toppings, a health bar and covered it with hot caramel topping. Oh my, it made a bunch!

Our weigh in was yesterday. So far I have lost 7 pounds and Jason has lost 15. After last cheat day we each gained one pound. It is nice to have a break and not feel guilty over the next week every time I get on the scale. Jason lost 3 ½ inches in his stomach but we aren't officially doing our measurements until the end of the month. We are very excited about our progress so far.

Back to the grind, cardio tomorrow!

Day 13 - Better Late Than Never

Motivational Quote: There is only so much physical energy and resilience in the body. If you go beyond a certain point, you're in trouble. ~Bill Rodgers

Today I felt exhausted. The alarm went off but I remained in bed. I didn't preplan the night before and I was able to self talk myself out of getting up. There were a multitude of reasons (aka excuses) I used for not getting out of bed. The primary one being that I hadn't preplanned and I didn't know where everything was, it was dark and I didn't want to wake my husband, etc...  The list goes on. I allowed the worst of me to get the better of me. The only thing stopping me from declaring today our cheat day was the ice cream isn't ready. Sad, but it got me to stick to today.

Then my procrastination enabled my husband to then procrastinate when he got up. We stayed true to the eating regimen and I decided to work off my breakfast before working out. I went about doing some much needed yard work and came in to put Ian down for his morning nap. I told myself I was working out when Ian went down, no matter what. I did.

The first five minutes was the hardest because I had fed the procrastination weed. I call it a weed, for one I was pulling them, for two I hate them, and three I can't think of anything else to call it. Anyway, the desire to not work out was overwhelming. I shut out my thoughts and continued to rack the weight. Once I had finished my squats, I knew I was good.

Maybe it was sheer exhaustion but I haven't exactly been pushing myself beyond my limits. I have been listening to my body, and I follow my routine. I think preplanning has more power than I gave it credit. If I go through all the effort of preplanning my workout, I might as well do it or else that time was wasted. I need to not wait until the end of the day to preplan, I think that needs to happen in the morning when I am fresh and full of energy. Good thing tomorrow is an official cheat day, no workout.

Lower Body Workout:

QUADS: Squat first five, Front Squat last one;

HAMSTRINGS: Leg Curls first five, Dumbbell lunges last one; (I had to reduce the weight to keep my form correct on the leg curls. While I never hit true a "10" I was able to prevent me using other muscles to help finish)

CALVES: Calf Raise first five, One-Leg Calf Raise last one;

ABS: Leg Raises first five, Twist Crunches last one.

7:30 Breakfast was western omelet and a cup of coffee. Sucked, mine had grounds in it.

9:30 snack of protein shake and a grapefruit.

12:00 lunch was salmon salad with dry toast. (Left over salmon over a mix of salad greens sold at the store covered in plain balsamic vinegar and dry toast)

2:30 snack was protein shake and grapefruit

5:30 dinner was fajitas.

Chicken Fajitas

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Place into a bag to marinate and add:

2 tsp crushed oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp Garlic Pepper

1 TBLS Lime juice

1 TBLS Tequila

½ cup water

Normally when I make this, I use beer but today I just added water. I allowed it to marinate for 30 minutes. You could do longer. When ready, discard marinade and place chicken on grill to cook.

While grill is heating up, cut up 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper and ½ red onion. Cover with 1 tsp oil and 1 tsp Garlic Pepper and 1 tsp Lemon Pepper. Cook alongside chicken until done to your liking. I tend to like mine well done.

When ready to eat, cut the chicken and eat it with the peppers wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. We ate two. It was good!

8:30 evening snack was strawberry protein shake. We ran out of chocolate protein and it isn't as good with vanilla.

I really excited about eating tomorrow, I made some homemade Gelato tonight so it would be ready tomorrow.

Three things I did well today:

1.      Exercised;

2.      Ate according to my regimen, even my snacks!

3.      Visualized success.

One thing I am doing tomorrow:

1.      Nothing, I am enjoying a day off.

Day 12 - Standing Strong

Have you ever had one of those days when all you wanted to do is shove mass amounts of food in your mouth? That is my today. Worse, it is fasting day and I am hungry. So what do I do? I buy an ice cream maker! I found a use for those left over egg yolks - gelato. My husband has said 'no' to the ice cream maker before because it makes a large quantity. His thinking was we would eat it and remain fat. Now that we have cheat day - who cares! While I do not intend to go as overboard as last week, we are eating our favorite foods on Sunday. That includes gelato. This would be my first time making it at home. It is a two day process, so I plan on starting it tomorrow.

I am super proud of myself for not cheating, there were some moments today. I keep my urges at bay by reminding myself of sweet success. Hence the ice cream. Moments of pleasure of more intense if there is waiting involved. Yes, I am still talking about food here... Foremost, I do not want to admit to my husband that I cheated, nor do I want to admit to you, but most of all I don't want to spoil my cheat day. I think it would be like looking at your Christmas gifts BEFORE Christmas. Then unwrapping is more of a formality, no fun there. I love surprises.

Today's Motivational Quote: It's the lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believe in myself. ~Muhammad Ali

Funny, but I am 100% positive we are making it to the finish line. I don't think I have ever said that about any diet I have been on after two weeks. Mostly, I wouldn't have lasted two weeks. This challenge is more than losing weight. It is about proving to myself that I have within me the self-discipline to restrict my diet for 12 weeks. That self-discipline will touch other areas of my life and that's what I am most excited about. Sure, having a body I love looking at in the mirror is a bonus, but it is how I am changing inside that keeps me motivated.

Today was my cardio workout. I pushed myself and was fully exhausted by the time I got off the bike. Really good workout.

6:30 breakfast was a western omelet.

11:00 light lunch was a protein shake

5:45pm dinner was a bowl of soup and two slices of bread.

This diet is painful on Friday's during Lent!

The three things I did well today:

1.      Stayed true to the diet regimen and my Catholic faith;

2.      Exercised with all my might; and

3.      Posted my blog.

The one thing I am doing better tomorrow:

1.      For real this time, not missing my snacks!

Day 11 - The Road Gets Easier

Motivational Quote: I'm trying to do the best I can. I'm not concerned about tomorrow but with what goes on today. ~Mark Spitz

I don't know if you have noticed, but I haven't been talking so much about the upcoming cheat day. I think I still will enjoy it, but not so much off the deep end. I thought of that this morning while I was doing my workout. I realized it was already  Thursday and I needed to think about what to cook this weekend. Then it occurred to me that I didn't even really miss eating like a pig. Sure there are things that I miss, like cheese and butter, but overall we had already been eating pretty healthy. Making this adjustment to smaller frequent meals wasn't that bad. Well, I say that now! Ha ha. We all know I was struggling last week.

I was listening to a radio program yesterday and they talked about being happy and what it takes to be happy. In order to be truly happy, you have to forgo today's wants for tomorrow's treasure. Interesting. I felt that happiness last Sunday morning. I imagine if I had cheated during the week, having that breakfast wouldn't have felt as satisfying. Having sugar, fat and salt is addictive but mix it with blood, sweat and tears of the week before and you have something amazing! The thought of cheating doesn't even enter my mind anymore. I don't lust after that cheesecake or dread eating dinner, it is what it is.

In our society now, we hardly put off for tomorrow what we can enjoy today. That is why we have credit card debt right? Why wait till we have the money, I can charge it and start enjoying it today. I can still remember lay-away! Maybe that is why diets don't work in the long run. People get tired of putting off their desires because down deep they don't even believe they can ever achieve their ideal weight.

This morning I didn't lay in bed as long and was able to make it out to the garage and start my workout at 5:46. Today was the upper body workout. I am starting to push myself and I exhausted my arms today. Remember what I was preaching about a few days ago about keeping your form? Well, I failed. Jason caught me and I didn't even realize it. My arms were done but I wanted to finish the set too bad. I was doing my raises using 5 lbs and I was shrugging my shoulders to get the weight up. That is really bad form and could cause me to injure myself. I guess that is what I get for not listening to my body. When working out it is easy to get into a zone. Focus on the muscle group you are working. If you feel any other part of you working, stop and correct it immediately. This was a great lesson for me today. My workout consisted of:

CHEST: Chest Press for first five, Incline Pushups for last one. (Pushed it hard today)

SHOULDERS: Seated Press first four, exhausted my arms and switched from the bar to dumbbells for lighter weight last of the five, side raises last one. (Here is where I had bad form)

BACK: Wide Grip Pulldown first five, Rear Pulldown last one.

TRICEPS: Pushdowns first five, Bench dip last one.

BICEPS: Curls first five, Reverse Curls last one.

Breakfast at 6:20 consisted of Western Omelet for Jason and Eggs and Toast for me. I savor my one cup of black coffee and chug my two glasses of water.

Snack at 9:30 was cottage cheese and strawberries.

Lunch at 11:30 was left over spaghetti and meatballs

Missed my afternoon snack....:(

Dinner was at 5:00 - Salmon, green beans and toast.

I was at the farmers market today and picked up some fresh salmon (frozen) from Alaska.

Salmon: Heat pan until it spatters water when put on it. (med-high heat). Sprinkled a mixture of cumin, coriander and pepper (About ½ tsp each) over top. I placed skin side down first, cooked for three minutes, flipped and cooked three more minutes. Perfect. I squeezed half a lemon over it.

Green Beans:

¼ onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 Tbls vegetable stock

2 Tbls Red Wine Vinegar

1 lb green beans

Sprayed pan with oil, sautéed onion until translucent, added garlic and cooked for about one minute then added the stock. I added vinegar and green beans and cooked for about 5 minutes. I shut off of the heat and covered the pan and let sit for 5 minutes. Perfectly cooked!

We toasted some bread and wha lah..dinner was served.

Evening snack is in about 30 minutes and we are having strawberry chocolate protein shakes.

The three things I did well today:

1.      Exercised;

2.      Ate my regimen; and

3.      Posted on my blog.

The one thing I am doing better tomorrow:

1.      NOT MISSING MY DARN SNACK! What a disappointment, I was doing so well.