This is what they call yo-yo dieting... and I am a Pro at it.

Enjoying my Mexican fiesta at Cholo's, on my Halloween cheat day!

So, the whole diet thing has not been going well.  Stress, vog (the nasty volcano fog that makes it hard for me to breath, and see, and sleep and gives me pounding headaches), allergies, church parties, kids, and just plain holiday fever...it feels like everyday it is something else, something that is making it harder and harder to make  the right food decisions.  

Last week was great, except I couldn't stay on my diet.  

My cheat day was not as fun as I thought it would be, my food was yummy and it was fun going out with the family...but I felt like a cheater (cause I had already cheated all week) and I shouldn't get such a tasty reward for that.  

I wish I could say that I have started over fresh, psyched and ready for this new week.  BUT, I haven't... I had cold pizza for breakfast (courtesy of my husband) and I am planning on having a cook out with my sister later this week.  On a positive note, I have hardly eaten any of the left over Halloween candy, and I have been doing well on exercising (not super good, but good enough).

I didn't even weigh myself yesterday, and I am too afraid to get on the scale today.  This is going to be a hard holiday season...

I wish I could get that focus back that I had a couple weeks ago, when I was doing so well.  

This is not the end.  I will get back on that horse (or treadmill) and start over, yet again, and probably not for that last time.  It is just going to take me longer (a lot longer) than I thought.

FRUIT!!!!

Tomorrow will mark 14 days on the detox diet.  I did really really well, if I must say so ;)

I cheated a little the first day, and I did cheat a little yesterday (it was sample day at Costco), but both times I cheated it was a very small amounts and not things that were out of control unhealthy.  I think the thing I am most happy about is, I finally have been able to get my portion sizes under control (one of the things I really used to struggle with).  It has been the one thing that has made the most difference.  I eat most of my meals on the kids little plates, and fill it up with veggies first, before I add anything else to my plate.  I get full so much faster than I used to...which I know will come in handy on my cheat days.

The next two weeks of the detox diet, are the same as the first two...lean meats, and lots of veggies.  Except now we get to add FRUIT!!!!!  I can not wait to eat an orange...and tomatoes!

Weeks 3 & 4

Add all fruits. Lots of grapefruits and berries. Tomatoes are ok.

No bananas, watermelon, or grapes. 

Pretty simple.  And only 13 days until Halloween, and my next cheat day!!

I did not do very well on my working out, at all.  I did not even try.  It is the thing I hate the most, especially when I am not feeling well.  In between trying to figure out if this diet was tyring to kill me, or just a horrible sinus infection...I could hardly muster the energy to do my household chores, let alone 30 minutes on the tread mill.  I am hoping to try a little harder this week, I am hoping, hoping, hoping.  I KNOW I am not going to keep on losing weight if I don't get up off my butt!  

So, here is to the next two weeks, FRUIT, exercise and Halloween! Go, Fight, Win!

Let's do this thing!

After weeks of cheating my little heart out, I am ready to start over.  I feel extra focused this time, and even excited.  I am tired of wallowing in my own self pity, and blubber.  I am tired of always trying to think of more excuses not to do something, when the real reason is I am just LAZY.  So here I go, AGAIN, tomorrow is the day.

Here is the plan;

Monday- Friday

6:30am Wake-up for stretching, workout, and healthy breakfast. I have recorded a lot of different workouts from the Fit-tv channel...a lot of variety.  My Dad also taught me how to make a delicious and healthy veggie omelet.  As a reward for getting up WAY too early, plenty of reading and quiet tv time before the boys wake up (hopefully).

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 

Jogging on the treadmill for 20-60 minutes after Jason gets home.  I have been saving up tons of tv shows on my dvr to keep me going.  Running is the thing I want to work on the most, so I can run the 10k in February.

Saturday or Sunday

Hiking with the family, or long run by myself.  

My diet for the next two to three weeks will be a detox diet (that my Dad recommend, and he has even tried it, with great success).  It is not over the top crazy like some of the other detox diets I have tried (like my lemonade, maple syrup, all juice diet).  Mostly it is a lot of lean meats, and fresh fruit and veggies.  The goal is to rid your body of all the toxins and SUGARS that build up in your body, and make you crave more sugary and fatty food.  (Totally something I need.)  I am actually really looking forward to doing this, and my Dad, little sister and Mom are even starting with me!  Strength in numbers right :)

The First 2 weeks (or 3 weeks, depending on how much I cheat):

Meats: Chicken, Turkey, and Fish. Eggs are OK.  No red meat or pork.

Vegetables: You can eat as many green vegetables as you want, but no peas or beans. Red potatoes and avocados are ok.  (Red potatoes!!!  Sounds like a treat to me!)

Nuts: All nuts but no peanuts.

Do not use bottled salad dressing. Make your own with lemon, garlic, olive oil, tarragon, vinegar, and pepper.

No salt. No dairy. No grains.  (OUCH! I love salt, especially when I am eating a lot of veggies, this will be one of the hardest parts for me.)

Drinks: Drink lots of water. You can add a lemon or lime to your water. V8 juice, carrot, celery or any other vegetable juice is fine. Almond milk and unsweetened tea are ok too. No soda of any kind.  (Already 4 weeks soda and caffeine free, yay me!)

Snacks: Carrots, sardines, or Quaker Rice Cakes (Unsalted or Butter Popcorn flavored only.) 

And there you go, not too hard.  For a detox diet it still has a lot of options.  It is only a couple weeks, and then I can add on other foods and fruits!  The hardest part for me will be no salt, making my own salad dressings, and no cheese. 

Also, starting today I am starting weekly weigh-ins again (I am never good at this part, I loathe the scale).  Every Sunday I will weigh in, and report on the previous week's workouts.  

I am really excited about this, and I hope I can find some of this enthusiasm tomorrow morning when my alarm goes off at 6:30am telling me it is time to START. 

Motivation

I am thinking of joining a gym.  

I need more structure and accountability (which keeping this blog was supposed to give me, but I need a little more help).  It is so hard to jog on the treadmill at home, the boys are always destroying something or Jay needs me to make dinner, tons of reasons (or excuses I guess).  

I like the thought of going to different classes every evening (spin classes, yoga, Pilate's, kick boxing...so many options), and getting OUT of the house would be a HUGE plus, and maybe even getting a professional trainer to give me real tips.

$30 a month isn't that bad, and I think it will be really good for me.  A head start.

Let's all cross our fingers that I can convince Jay...

*UPDATE*  Jay said YES!  Woo-hoo!

My favorite...

My absolute favorite song to run to right now, and I can make it through the song twice (without stopping)! 

Wake Up by Arcade Fire...just a little bit of heaven to my ears.