A whole new level of UGH...

I was doing pretty darn well, then Christmas came.  Sigh...
I really need to figure out how to handle these things better next year! 

I WILL be getting back on the horse again, I just need to figure out a better plan of attack and how to keep this going for the long run.  I feel awful, and tired, and almost sick to be honest.  I have been eating a ridiculous amount of cookies & sugar, and I know that I'm crashing.  Blech.

Anyway, tomorrow is a new day, and 2012 is almost here!  No better time to start again, right?  Even if it is for the 100th time.... ;)

Wednesday - Another early morning!

I met Stacey early this morning for a run again - we jogged around City Park, and it was great.  SUPER cold, but great!  I rode my bike into work today too, and it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  It was definitely chilly, but I bundled up!  Any way to keep moving! 

FOOD 
Scrambled tofu w/ nutritional yeast over arugula, about 1 tbsp organic ranch dressing, 1/4 an avocado, diced tomato, and salsa.
Juice: 3 carrots, 1/4 a sweet potato, 1 apple, 1 orange, about 6-8 strawberries

Stove-popped organic farmer's market popcorn!  (I was so proud of myself for making it this way!) Sprinkled w/ nutritional yeast, and some flavored popcorn seasonings.

Leftover whole wheat lasagna noodles (cut into strips) topped with tomato / red pepper soup, 1/2 a fake italian sausage link, black beans, tomatoes, 2 thin slices of polenta (cubed & seared), some spinach, and about 2 tbsp of Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese.

Takeout Chinese food (rice, veggies, curry sauce, egg rolls)
2 whiskey-gingers

EXERCISE
30 minute jog with Stacey
Bike ride into work

Tuesday - skatin' around

Sunny & I met up early this morning to do some more skate training at the warehouse.  It was pretty rough (as usual) - my feet need to build up their calluses again, and I was exhausted.  It was great though, and I really really needed it! 

Only thing about these mornings is that I don't have much time when I get home to get ready for work.  Hence I grabbed kind of an unhealthy breakfast on my way out the door... but at least I ate breakfast, and I didn't get something fast-food-like!

FOOD
Coffee w/ splash of soymilk & maple syrup.
Amy's organic Mac & Cheese TV dinner w/ hot sauce (hey, it's probably still better than getting a breakfast sandwich or burrito somewhere!)

Brown rice topped with fresh arugula, tomato / red pepper soup, 1/2 a fake italian sausage link, black beans, red onion, 1/4 an avocado, some firm tofu cubes, and about 2 tbsp of Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese.

2 beers
1/2 a cheese & veggie quesadilla
4 jalapeno poppers
I kinda felt like crap after eating all that cheese... probably a good thing that John ignored my request to stop at Dairy Queen so that I could get a vanilla milkshake! ;)

EXERCISE
40 minutes of skating drills, sit-ups, and leg lifts.
Bowling with John!  3 games total - that's a lot for me.

Monday - Christmas will be here SOON!

I just realized that Christmas is only 2 weeks away - holy cow!  Crazy how time flies... 

Stacey & I met for a very cold run this morning, but it felt great.  I've been running without music lately, and I actually think I like it better.  I feel like I'm calmer, and that I'm using it as kind of a time to meditate in the morning.  Also, the last 10 minutes or so of our jog, we actually had a CONVERSATION!!  It was pretty awesome!  First time we've ever been able to do that. :) 

FOOD
Fresh spinach topped with salsa, black beans, 2 small slices pan-seared polenta, 1 egg + 1 egg white (mixed with about 1 tbsp ricotta cheese).
Juice: Strawberries, 2 carrots, 1/3 a sweet potato, 2 apples

Brown rice topped with fresh arugula, tomato / red pepper soup, 1/2 a fake italian sausage link, black beans, and about 1/4 a cup of shredded mozzarella.

1 bottle of Guayaki Yerba Mate tea (Peach Immune support blend)

Tortilla Pizza - large tortilla, canned tomatoes / sauce (no salt), fresh spinach, mushrooms, red onions, garlic salt, mozzarella cheese.
2 glasses red wine, 3/4 a beer.
Wheat Thins with 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese & maple syrup. (uhm, night-time snacking, wha?)

EXERCISE
25 minute jog
20 minutes on Wii Fit 

Oh the weekend...

This weekend I was a bad girl (again).  Why do I struggle so badly on the weekends?  Because it's "relaxing" time? 

This is an area that I will definitely need to work on when January comes, and really focus on.  It's my biggest weakness!!

Otherwise, I did get in a good workout on Saturday because I snowboarded for a good 5+ hours!  Woohoo!

YEAH!! Friday has arrived!!

I struggled like a whiney 4-year-old to get out of bed this morning.  I planned to do a run at 6am, but hated the idea of leaving my warm bed for the cold outdoors.  But after hitting my snooze about 5 times (sorry, John!) - I did get up.  And I went for a run.  And it felt GREAT.  :) 

FOOD
1 egg over polenta with gravy.
Juice: 1 apple, 1 pear, 3 carrots, 1/3 a sweet potato, 1/2 a lemon

Brown rice, kidney beans, black beans, splash of Braggs, spinach, salsa / diced tomatoes, scrambled tofu (with seasonings & nutritional yeast), red onions.

Leftover carrot soup (about 1 cup)

1/2 a veggie burrito from Qdoba, and 1/2 chile con queso w/ chips.
1 small cherry dr pepper.
2 beers, 1 glass wine
Nachos (that was a BAD idea!)

EXERCISE
27 minute jog w/ stretching

Thursday....ugh... why Wine? WHY??

Ugh... a little bit hungover from the freakin' bottle of wine I drank last night.... *facepalm. 

In turn, I didn't get up and workout this morning, and I'm kicking myself for both counts!  Dammmmmit!! 

FOOD
Juice (2 apples, 2 carrots, 1/2 a lemon, 1 orange)
Leftover spaghetti squash alfredo (about 3/4 a cup)
Cup of tea with honey & splash of unsweetened soymilk

Brown rice, kidney beans, splash of Braggs, spinach, salsa / diced tomatoes, scrambled tofu (with seasonings & nutritional yeast).

Pecans with some chocolate chips.

Carrot soup (about 2 cups), chips & salsa, pistachios.
2 oatmeal raisin cookies. 

EXERCISE
None.  I suck!

Wednesday (Why is it not Thursday yet?)

I feel like this week should be going by faster... I'm ready for the weekend! 

FOOD 
Salmon patty, fresh spinach, sliced tomato, 1/4 an avocado, hot sauce, 1 egg.
Cup of coffee w/ soymilk and maple syrup.

Leftover spaghetti squash alfredo (made w/ chickpeas & spinach) - a little over 1 cup.

Satsuma.

Tortilla pizza (large tortilla, tomato sauce, spinach, tomatoes, onions, about 2 tbsp of Daiya Mozzarella cheese)
1 bottle of Chardonnay (yes, an entire freakin' bottle.  Why do I do this to myself?)
...and in turn, another freakin' bag of popcorn.  Ugh.  That was pretty silly of me!!  At least I'm all out of popcorn now...


EXERCISE
None today - I needed a break!

Tuesday (BRrrrrr!!!)

It's damn cold outside today - I think it got down to the double-digits below zero last night.  I always think about homeless people when it gets this cold, and I worry - I always pray that they have somewhere to go to find warmth.  I can't imagine anyone trying to spend their night outside in sub-zero temperatures. 

Anyhoodle, I met with Cat & Sunny this morning at the warehouse for some MUCH needed skating.  We did some endurance training and squats, and it felt really great.  I have been so out of shape with skating, and it felt amazing to be doing it again - even though my ankles & legs were aching!  I'm going to be feeling it tomorrow for sure! 

FOOD
1 egg over-easy, 2 thin slices of polenta - over fresh spinach, leftover gravy, and 1/4 an avocado.
Juice (1/2 an apple, 4 carrots, 1 pear, 1 orange)

Coffee (I really wanted it today!), with 1/2 cup of Soy Egg Nog and honey.

Illegal Pete's with friends!  Cup of vegetarian green chili w/ corn salsa, side of chips and pesto.


Dinner at Lops & Denny's place!  1 1/2 glasses red wine - 1 plate of sweet potatoes, chili, spaghetti squash alfredo, pesto pasta.  A slice of pumpkin pie, and 1/2 a cookie. 

EXERCISE
About 30-40 minutes of endurance skating

Monday - Back on Track!

Today I got up early and used my Wii Fit!  Stacey & I decided with it being less than 0 degrees outside and a fresh layer of snow on the ground, that indoor workouts would be better today.  :) 

I'm definitely getting better at the games, and it was fun!  Only problem is that it told me I've gained 1.3 pounds since last time I did the Wii - I was kind of bummed about that.  I have a feeling it was because of my indulgences over the weekend, but I also weighed myself at a different time of day too!  So we'll see about the next time - here's hoping it's a drop!

FOOD
Vegetable juice (carrots, celery, zucchini, sweet potato, tomato, 1/2 an apple, 1/2 a lemon, splash of hot sauce)
1 slice of tofu, and 2 small slices of polenta - with sauteed zucchini, onions, garlic, and leftover gravy

1 Christmas cookie (whoops - they're SO good though!)

Salad (romaine lettuce, 1/4 cup leftover chili, black-eyed peas, 1 morningstar veggie patty, 1/4 an avocado), with about 2 tbsp ranch dressing, 1/8 cup soymilk, splash of hot sauce, and nutritional yeast.

1 cup of leftover butternut squash soup

1 small plate of Thanksgiving leftovers (finally the last of it!)
1 3.2oz bag of cheddar popcorn
2 glasses red wine
(yeah, I wasn't a very good girl... this is damn hard!)

EXERCISE
25 minutes on Wii Fit (aerobics, yoga, weightlifting)

The weekend...

I'm not going to try & track my weekends, as I make it a point to not go online on weekends - and tracking things would just be too difficult.

However, Saturday was my "flexible day" and it went pretty well!  I managed to only eat 1/2 of my eggs benedict for brunch for Kendra's b-day, and I actually kept things pretty under control most of the day.  I did have some drinks on Saturday night though, and I didn't really stop eating poorly on Sunday (as I was in a cookie-making mode that day, and I had to sample my creations)! 

I also didn't get any workouts in over the weekend (bad girl!), so I'm not too happy with myself about that.  Ah, well.  Back on the horse again today!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Finally Friday!

My abs are KILLING me today from the Wii Fit yesterday!  I guess it did what it should do - I have a feeling it was the hula-hooping game.  My sides hurt the most, and that's probably a good thing!  I'm going to do it again tomorrow, that's for sure. 

It was ridiculously cold this morning (the news said it would get down to like 7 degrees), so Stacey & I planned to workout indoors on our own.  Instead I bundled up and went for a run anyway.  I was so proud of myself!  It was damn cold, but I really layered up - I figured if our 5k in 2 weeks is a cold day, then I'd better get used to it!  It was a bit slippery in areas, and kind of difficult to get through the areas where the snow wasn't shoveled, but I totally did it, and felt great afterward.  *Self high five / self chest bump! 

That was a big first for me (jogging when the weather isn't perfect), and I'm so glad I did it.  Also, a sunrise over everything blanketed in snow?  Beautiful!

FOOD
Juice: Apple, 1/2 a lemon, 1/2 an orange, celery, 2 carrots, 1/4 a yam
1 egg over-easy with tomato, siryacha sauce, and 2 slices of polenta (about 1/3" thick)

Brown rice, black eyed peas, onions & green peppers (lightly sauteed), red pepper, arugula, tomatoes, 1/2 a can of organic vegetarian chili.

Satsuma orange.
1/4 a cup of pecans.
2 beers (at Denver Beer Company)
1 small plate of Thanksgiving leftovers. 


EXERCISE
22 minute jog in the bitter cold!

Also, they say that you should use a picture of YOURSELF when you were in better shape / weighed less as a motivational tool.  A while ago I got down to 138 pounds, and could wear anything I wanted to!  You can see a picture of myself at that time here (in my first post on this blog).
Again, I was not as healthy as I could have been (I was eating ONLY meat & veggies - no carbs or fruit), and I was a smoker.  But if I can get there once, I can do it again!  

One small step at a time... 

Snow day!!

Happy December!! 

Last night John helped me get set up on Wii Fit so that I could do it this morning.  That system is total crap when it comes to measuring you - it said I was overweight (ok, that part is true), and that my "Wii Age" is 44!?!?  WHA?  Bunch of baloney.  Ah, well!  

FOOD
Juice (apple, orange, 1/2 a yam, 1/2 a cucumber)
1 egg over-easy (w/ spray oil), side of brown rice with 1/4 an avocado, sliced tomatoes & siryacha sauce

Cup of blackberry green tea

Brown rice with black-eyed peas, arugula, tomatoes, zucchini, red/green peppers, onions.
About a tbsp of ranch dressing with 1 tsp mustard, unsweetened soymilk, and nutritional yeast.

Snack: About 3/4 cup of Taryn's leftover butternut squash soup (with fake sausage)

Juice: Cucumber, lettuce, orange, lemon, apple, pear, carrots, celery.
Thanksgiving leftovers (on a small plate) - the usual!

Cup of hot cocoa with whipped cream (okay, this probably wasn't the best choice.  But I almost went to the store and got a bottle of wine, but resisted!  I figured this would be the lesser of two evils!) ;) 

EXERCISE
30 minutes using the Wii Fit - running in place, hula hooping, some yoga, some strength training - it was actually pretty fun, and I got my heart rate up too!

Wednesday - Day #3

A little motivation for myself (and you, maybe?) - So true... why not start now? 

I always put things off... It's my birthday!  It's cookout season!  It's Thanksgiving!  It's Christmas!  It's New Year's!  - ending all of that with "I can indulge as much as I want", but it just ain't true.  Sure little indulgences are fine, but I tend to just give up (especially around the holidays).  Why not be healthy year 'round?  Sure, have a little more than usual to celebrate things, but don't keep doing it or those occasions won't seem quite as special.  See what I'm sayin'? 

FOOD
Fresh juice (apple, strawberries, pear, kiwi, ginger)
1 egg over-easy (w/ spray oil), side of brown rice with 1/4 an avocado, sliced tomatoes & siryacha sauce

Cup of vanilla spice tea.

Lunch with Daddy at Euclid Hall!  Simple salad (greens, sweet / salty dressing), lobster soup.

Snack - cup of minestrone soup (guess it was a soup kinda day today!)

Juice (apple, pear, orange, and 1/2 a yam)
Leftovers (small plate of mashed potatoes, mushrooms, gravy, tofurkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce - a little bit of everything!)

Chamomile Tea

EXERCISE 
25 min jog with Stacey - it was a hard one today!

photo from www.weheartit.com

Tuesday - the next step!

There's always day #2, which always seems to be harder than day #1!
But so far so good.  :)  Last night I was exhausted by the time 10pm rolled around which is pretty unusual for me.  I think my body is readjusting to the healthy foods!

FOOD
Smoothie (froz banana, froz blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, 1/2 a pear, some egg nog soymilk / unsweetened soymilk, ground flaxseed, a little bit of honey)

Cup of Peach Detox tea

Leftovers!  I'll be eating these for a while... (in a portion-controlled container - about 2 or 2 1/2 cups of food) - including mashed potatoes, zucchini, green beans, stuffing, gravy, tofurkey, cranberry sauce, squash casserole, some cheese.

Another juice!  I did a lot of veggies in this one... cucumber, tomato, kale, celery, red pepper, green pepper, 2 apples, a lime... it was interesting to say the least!

Tea

EXERCISE
None today unfortunately! 

Monday Mooooonday (post-Thanksgiving Blues)

Today I thought I'd dust off this blog, and try tracking my stuff again.  I've reached my highest weight ever, and I'm not too proud of that!  Initially I told myself that I'd start again after the holidays but after seeing myself on video yesterday, I realized that the time is now.  I can't make excuses anymore.  We'll see how this goes, but the first thing to do is take the first step...

NEW GOALS this time around!! 

I WILL lose 40 pounds.  

Yes, 40. That is what will get my weight down to a healthy 140 again, where it should be!  Please don't do the ridiculously simple math that will tell you what my weight is now...
And I will be down those 40 pounds before the end of May 2012.

I WILL fit into my snowboarding pants again. 

I WILL fit into the jeans that Katy gave me (Seven brand). 

I WILL workout at least 5 times a week (even if it's only a little bit!) 

Those are some pretty simple, straightforward goals.  I had a talk with John tonight too so that we could make a "pact" about reaching our goals together.  It's always great to have a buddy!

FOOD
Smoothie (frozen banana, froz blueberries, strawberries, 1/2 a pear, ground flaxseed, 1 tbsp brown rice syrup, unsweetened soymilk)

Thanksgiving leftovers (in a portion-controlled container - about 2 or 2 1/2 cups of food) - including mashed potatoes, asparagus, green beans, stuffing, gravy, tofurkey, cranberry sauce, squash casserole, some cheese.

Cup of Yerba Mate tea.

Apple

"Dinner" juice (with our new juicer) - Apple, Carrot & Strawberry juice!
Cup of cherry tea.

EXERCISE
20 minute jog with Stacey
5 minutes of arm weightlifting

This is how I wanna feel the rest of my life.... :) 

A Healthier Outlook

I realized today that I didn't really leave this blog on a very positive note in the last post, and I wanted to revise my previous feelings.

After a lot of thinking, and a bit of self-discovery, I've realized that I will be okay. 
I may lose some weight in the future, I may gain some weight.  But either way, I'll still be me and I'll still be beautiful. 

I think I needed to remind myself of that.

I am not perfect, and who knows if I'll ever be what I consider "thin" again.  But it doesn't really matter, because I feel good about myself, and I have a wonderful boyfriend, wonderful friends, and a wonderful family - that love me just the way I am.  I'm healthy (I eat well most of the time but with little indulgences here & there), I'm active (I workout at least 4x a week, and ride my bike as transportation when I can), and I'm finally getting in the right mindset about my weight and my body image. 

I have a little bit of jiggly around the edges, but not too much.  And you know what?  I think I'm okay with that.  I hate the idea of going back to a "diet" and killing myself over having a slice of cake or a glass of beer.  I don't like living my life that way.

I love food, and I love the feelings that I get when I eat healthfully and exercise.  I love fruits and vegetables, I don't eat meat, and I love pizza, burritos and pie.  I try to limit my intake of processed foods, I eat organic fruits & veggies, buy local when possible, and keep my indulgences small and savory.  Sometimes I cave and go a little overboard, but who doesn't every now & then? 

Anyway, I guess I just wanted to voice that!  I feel better.  I hope that someone out there finds this inspiring in some way.

You are beautiful and wonderful and amazing.  Just the way you are!
XO
Beth

Well hello! It's been a while!

I still haven't posted my "after" pics, and there's a reason for that. 
I fell off the wagon.  Yep. Sure did!

I pretty much gained any weight back that I lost.  It sucks, but it's true.

I don't feel all that bad though.  This plan helped me keep track of my exercise and make me aware of that - one of my biggest problems.  I have still been going strong with the Couch to 5k plan with my friend Stacey, and we're jog/walking 3x a week!  It's great!

I think the problem here (as it is with a lot of people) is that I LOVE food.  I love pizza and ice cream and butter and cookies and all of those things that are "bad" for you, but are such a lovely treat!  The thing for me is, it's never just a "treat".  It's a binge. 

Once I start, I can't stop.  I've been buying a pint of Ben & Jerry's pretty much every other weekend for the past 2 months.  What the hell?  I don't even really want it that much - I just eat it because it's there!  WHY DO I DO THAT??

I don't like that I succumb to the cravings of processed foods.  It's one thing to have a treat every now & then made from all-natural organic ingredients, but when I scarf down a Tostino's Triple Cheese pizza or 9 Oreo cookies, or shovel pre-packaged pimento cheese dip into my mouth with Wheat Thins - I feel like shit.  It tastes great at the time.  But I feel awful afterward.  It's a vicious cycle.

A few years ago I bought a book called "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Furhman.  I made a half-assed attempt to follow the plan, but gave up pretty quickly (as I tend to do).  Sigh.  I hate that I give up so easily!!  I want to accomplish this, but for some reason keep saying "screw it".  Will it take a life-changing event??  Will something drastic have to happen??  What the heck??  Sorry, off on a tangent there.

Anyway, click here for the basics of the first 6-weeks on the plan.  It's pretty strict, but it's a TON of fruits and veggies which you really fill up on during the day.  I love those things, but the hard part will be giving up dairy, between-meal snacks, salt, and of course, sugar.  I don't have to track anything though, which is great.  I literally tells me what I can eat, what I need to limit, and what I can't eat.  That's pretty straight forward!

I know that doing this plan will make me feel better.  I know it will make me lose weight without having to keep track of anything (which is great).  I know it will do amazing things for me - both mind and body.  Yet, why am I afraid?  Why am I already setting myself up for failure?  Because I've always failed in the past, that's why.

My proof:

- I did the South Beach diet (probably my biggest success to date).  I lost 25 pounds over about 3 months or so.  I looked great, and I felt great.  I never really left Phase 1 of the diet, so I was already restricting myself WAY too much (no fruit, no grains).  To celebrate my success, I started eating the way I did before.  I gained all of my weight back, plus 10.


- I did Weight Watchers.  With the support of my mom I had some success with this one too.  I lost about 10-15 pounds, then quickly got tired of tracking everything I put in my mouth (even just checking the little boxes on the CORE plan).  I gained all of my weight back.

- I did this Total Body Transformation.  I lost a little weight at first (about 5-6 pounds), and my daily exercise was never better.  However to be honest, I wasn't watching my salt intake, nor was I being very careful with my sugar intake (even just with natural sugars).  I gained it back. 

Why will it be different this time around?  What will change?  Will anything change at all?  Will I be able to resist temptations, stick to what I know is healthy for me, and use my willpower to guide me?  I DON'T KNOW.  I can't answer any of those questions. 

All I know right now is that I want it to change.  I want to be at a healthier weight, and I'm SO close to it.  I want to have more energy throughout the day.  I want my allergies to disappear.  I want to succeed.  

I don't know if that will be enough, but I hope it will be.

I wanted to wait until after Katy's wedding, and after my trip to visit Amber in New York.  Mostly because I know those will be very difficult times to be good.  But when is there EVER a good time to start something like this?  There will always be a holiday, a trip, a wedding - ALWAYS something tempting me. 

So I'm going to start slow.  Baby steps through the wedding / my trip, then going full-out when I get back. 

I don't want to feel the failure anymore.  I don't want to give up.  I can't. 
I MUST DO THIS.

Day 90 (Sweet Dee) - Is that all there is?

Gosh, I can't believe that technically yesterday was my last day!  Holy crap!  

I will have to get up my final "after" pictures soon.  Since I'm moving at the end of this month I've been a little preoccupied! 

Overall, this entire thing has taught me that most of the time, I'm not very aware of what I'm eating (or how much), until I write it down.  Same goes for working out - it's amazing how much you THINK you're working out, and how much you really are!  I'm excited to see where the couch to 5k plan takes me (uhm, hopefully at least to a 5k), and I'm going to continue with that.  I may keep logging in to track stuff, just to keep on top of everything and not get stuck in a rut like I used to!  

So stay tuned, kiddos.  Day 90 does not mean I'm finished! ;) 

FOOD
Ezekiel toast with cream cheese, arugula, and baked beans
Cup of tea with soymilk and sugar
Salad with fake bacon bits, peas, and ranch dressing
2 oreo cookies
Pupusas (thanks, Sunny!!) topped with zucchini, onions, diced tomatoes, hot sauce, and tofutti sour cream

EXERCISE
Day #5 of Couch to 5k plan (20 minutes of alternating between 90 seconds of jogging and 2 minutes of walking + a 5 minute warm-up).

Days 88 & 89 (Sweet Dee) - Whirlwind Weekend

I've gotten a bit behind on my posts.... whoopsies. ;)

I claimed Saturday as a "cheat day" since most of the day I spent pigging out (since I had the girls over for a hangout night, and decided that would include plenty of snacks & pizza). 

Here's what I ate in general:
Coffee
Tea
Ezekiel toast w/ baked beans & arugula
Pizza
Crackers & cheese dip
Chocolate dipped strawberries
Cat's awesome 7-layer dip
Brie cheese with rosemary & olive oil Triscuits
Red Wine
Oreos
A Pluot

Etc etc etc...

I did kind of get a workout for the Running of the Bulls, but I was a bit hungover on Sunday so didn't get one in that day...

Day 87 (Sweet Dee) - Free Food Friday!

My Couch to 5k buddy, Stacey, got a free $50 gift card to Paris on the Platte, so we're going to enjoy that for dinner tonight!  I'm excited!! :) 

OH, and I'm looking forward to another fun / relaxing weekend.  I literally wrote on my calendar for Sunday "Sleep In". 

FOOD
An orange. 
Leftover brown rice with Daiya cheese, vegetarian baked beans, and scrambled tofu (hey, I told you I was running low on supplies!  Well, the Brits eat baked beans for breakfast all the time, anyway - I'll have you know!) 

Crappy work coffee w/ sugar and 1/2 & 1/2

Mixed green salad with white beans, fake Tofurkey sausage slices, and ranch dressing.  (thank GOD I still have some greens left!)

Ramen noodles.  Nothing to add to make it healthier unfortunately!

White pizza with tomatoes & fresh basil, and a cheese plate with walnut glaze, fruit & crackers.
2 1/2 glasses red wine

EXERCISE
Day #4 of Couch to 5k plan (20 minutes of alternating between 90 seconds of jogging and 2 minutes of walking + a 5 minute warm-up).

Day 86 (Sweet Dee) - Holy crap! I'm almost done!

Wowza - I can't believe my 90 days is almost up!  :)  Thanks for reminding me, Cat!  Ha!

My food supply is pretty limited right now, as I'm trying to save money and just eat what I have.  It's hard to be creative when you don't have very much fresh produce though, so that sucks.  Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the grocery (or Farmer's Market) this weekend!  

FOOD
1 orange, and a glass of Ruby Red grapefruit juice
1 bottle of homemade Kombucha (with blueberries)

Mixed green salad with leftover brown rice, white beans, and ranch dressing.

Plain bagel with herb cream cheese
Cup of crappy work coffee w/ sugar & 1/2 & 1/2

Dinner at Linger with some derby girls!!  A shrimp spring roll thingy with a small side salad... 1 waffle fry, and a half a cheese thingy... It was all really yummy, but I didn't eat much since I was on a budget!

Rice noodles with some Tikka Masala sauce & coconut milk - plus tofu (I had to eat somethin' else, I was still kinda hungry). :)

EXERCISE
None today! 

Day 85 (Sweet Dee) - Couch to 5k is going great!

This morning marked Day #4 (and week #2) of the Couch to 5K plan for Stacey & I.  So far it's going great, and I really love how they ease you into jogging.  It's so nice getting to hang out with Stacey this many times / week too - she rocks. :)  

FOOD 
Same as yesterday (oatmeal & blueberries)
cup of coffee with hazelnut so-coconut creamer

Unsalted nuts / seeds & raisins

Tortilla chips with homemade salsa (about 1/2 a cup)

Rice noodles with white beans, veggie sausage, romaine lettuce, pickled peppers - sauteed in a spicy Tikka Masala sauce.  (this was not my most delicious creation... but I was using leftovers, and I wanted to include as many healthy items as possible!)

Personal pizza, glass of Riesling.

EXERCISE 
Day #4 of Couch to 5k plan (20 minutes of alternating between 90 seconds of jogging and 2 minutes of walking + a 5 minute warm-up).

Day 84 (Sweet Dee) - Back to work...

...ah well, at least it's a short week!

FOOD 
Steel cut oats with 1/4 a cup of cream, water, organic maple syrup, and blueberries.

Leftover quinoa, wheat, dried berry & nut salad (about 1 cup)

Brown rice with leftover tofu dog sauteed with frozen broccoli and Tikka Masala sauce, splash of cream, and a splash of Braggs & Vegetable broth (about 1 cup)

Cherries

1 4th-of-July cupcake. :)

Lentil Curry creation (made by John - he's so good at making up delicious / healthy / vegetarian recipes!), over ramen noodles, with a toasted wheat tortilla. 

EXERCISE 
Brisk 45-min walk around City Park

Days 81, 82, 83 (Sweet Dee) - 4th of July Weekend

There was oh-so-much-fun to be had over the long weekend, and yet again, I just didn't feel like keeping track.  I ate lots of cookout food (black bean burgers, tofu hot dogs, salads, fruits, corn on the cob), indulged a little bit (ice cream, pizza, chips, wine), and didn't do much of the exercising.  I've been kinda sucking with the end of this TBT thing lately, but I've been ROCKING at livin' life!  Haha! 

I do need to be much better about working out - that seems to be my biggest problem.  But this whole plan has helped me realize that, and I've definitely learned how important it is to stay on top of. 

Here is some of what I had fun with over the weekend eating & drinking! 

Day 80 (Sweet Dee) - 3-day weekend! WOOT!

Nothin' much to say, other than I am REALLY excited for the 3-day weekend. :)  HAPPY 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND!! 

FOOD 
Scrambled eggs with goat cheese, fresh tomatoes, hot sauce.  Side of Ezekiel toast with butter & sugar-free raspberry jelly.

Brown rice with broccoli, lightly fried tofu, hoisin sauce, and syiracha sauce.

Lunch with daddy!  I had a ridiculously rich dish at the Italian place we went to... but I just couldn't help myself.  Handmade ravioli stuffed with buffalo mozzarella & tomatoes, topped with gorgonzola cream sauce and fresh grated parmesan.  I kinda OD'd on dairy.

Cookout at John's!!  Not sure what I'll eat tonight, but I made some black bean veggie burgers that I'm excited to try, and I'm making popcorn, Becca is bringing corn on the cob, some other people are bringing salads & fruit... YUM.  

EXERCISE
Day #3 of Couch to 5K!  5-minute warm up walk, then 60 seconds of jogging alternated with 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes.

Day 79 (Sweet Dee) - Weird dreams...

I had a very strange and ridiculously vivid dream last night.  I went to Germany on a trip, and met a very strange fellow that I took a liking to.  He wore heavy Icelandic-looking sweaters, spoke very witty broken English, had a beard, and looked mysteriously like the now deceased (RIP) Ryan Dunn.  It was weird, but I think it was partly because my friend Sean brought up the subject of Ryan Dunn when I was telling my boyfriend's son to never drink & drive last night.  He's 10 years old, but it's never too early to learn!  I just remember thinking that Ryan Dunn was the only Jackass dude that I was even remotely attracted to, so maybe that's what spurred the dream? 

Tonight Katy & I are going to Beauty Bar for their 1-year anniversary.  They'll have an open bar.  Which means I'll be drinkin', so I may as well just consider this a cheat day!  :)  Yeah, I'm broke.  What of it? 

FOOD
Egg (over-easy), with Ezekiel toast, butter, and jalapeno jam (nothing too exciting today!)
Coffee with sugar & half and half.

1 chocolate chip cookie.

Ramen noodles with fresh onions and edamame.

Leftover mashed potatoes with green peas, homemade gravy, and a Morningstar "Riblet"
2 whiskey gingers

EXERCISE 
20 minute bike ride (to/from work)

Day 78 (Sweet Dee) - Scooter! NOOOoooooooo!!!!

This morning I was up at the butt-crack of dawn again with John & Stacey.  We all went to City Park because today was Day #1 of the Couch to 5K plan for Stacey - and Day #2 for me (and John had to do a 3 mile run for training for his upcoming marathon).  

It all went great!  We enjoyed our jog/walk, and realized that this is TOTALLY something that we can both accomplish.  Slow & steady wins the race! 

Then I got on my scooter to head home, and it didn't start.  

Luckily Stacey was still there, so she gave me a ride home, but my poor lil' Audrey 2*!  I locked her up in the park, and had to leave her there until I had the time to walk her over to John's place.  So sad. 

Luckily I have multiple other ways to get to & from work!  Today I rode my bike.  Maybe this was a good thing in a way - make me ride my bike more! ;)  Haha!  

I really do hope she's not dead though, and that it's an easy fix.  I've only had a coupla months to enjoy her, and I'd like a lot more time than that**

*My first car was named "Audrey", so I found it appropriate to name my first scooter "Audrey 2".  Of course, I totaled that car after 4 years of driving it, and in scooter years that's like 1 year so I really hope I didn't jinx her.  However "Audrey 2" just happens to also be the name of the killer plant from outer space in Little Shop of Horrors, so I'm hoping it gives her super strength! 

**Annnnnd I'm an idiot.  MY SCOOTER ISN'T BROKEN AT ALL!  John drove it when we rode to the park together, and he is good about turning off the kill switch, and I am not (I usually just turn the key).  Whoops.  :)  

YAY for no broken scooter though!!

FOOD
Egg (over-easy), on leftover beet greens with hot sauce.  Side of Ezekiel sprouted toast with butter & sugar-free raspberry jelly.

Unsalted nuts & seeds.

1 small vegetarian Jimmy John's sandwich (the free guy came by again today!  YAY)
Crappy work coffee (uck), with 1/2 & 1/2 and sugar.

Mixed greens with roasted beets, caramelized onions, & goat cheese.  Homemade maple-dijon vinaigrette.

2 pluots.

1 bag of popcorn (I was feeling snack-ey!)
Salmon burger w/ half a whole wheat bun, dijon mustard, salad with vinaigrette, about 8 potato chips, and 2 screwdrivers.  I was at a cookout, and I actually think I did pretty darn well! :)

EXERCISE
Day #2 of Couch to 5K!  5-minute warm up walk, then 60 seconds of jogging alternated with 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes.
40 min bike ride (into work, to John's, to Tyson's for cookout, and home).

Day 77 (Sweet Dee) - You are my sunshine, my only sunshine!

Gosh, these mornings have been making me happy.  They've been so beautiful lately - just a little bit chilly, and a nice mix of clouds & sun.  I love love love it when mornings are like this! 

Today I was up very early (5:50am) for yoga with Stacey.  It was an hour-long class, and it was wonderful.  Such a great way to start the day!  We discovered a little coffee shop just next door too that was super cute, so we had a cup of coffee together before going our separate ways.  I even had time to read my book for a good hour before heading into work.  I LOVE it when that happens! :) 

FOOD
Coffee with vanilla soymilk, and honey.

Unsalted raw nuts & seeds with raisins, and fresh cherries.

Sandwich with Ezekiel sprouted bread, organic romaine lettuce, farmer's market organic tomato slices, mustard, jalapeno jelly, onion slices, and 3 slices of fake bacon (Morningstar brand).
Cup of Yerba Mate tea.

Fresh organic strawberries, with a sliced pluot*.

Mexican Pizza (I was so proud of this thing that I took 2 pictures!) 
Leftover salsa on a jalapeno cheddar tortilla from the Farmer's Market, Daiya shredded cheddar "cheese", corn, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes.  It was SO YUMMY.

Homemeade cherry iced tea (mixed with green tea) 

EXERCISE
1-hour yoga class

*A pluot is a plum and an apricot mixed together.  It's more sciencey than that, but it's basically a fruit-mutation. :)  I discovered these last year at the farmer's market and fell in LOVE!  I don't usually like the tartness of plums, and the apricot somehow evens it out and just makes it super sweet and delicious.  YAY for science!!

Day 76 (Sweet Dee) - OH what a beautiful MOOOORRRNNNNING!!!

Oh what a beautiful day!!  ;) 

This morning was a little bit chilly, but oh-so-gorgeous.  I love it when there's a little chill in the air (especially when it's been so DARN HOT outside)!

I think I'm going to start the "Couch to 5k" plan today too.  It's time I started running (especially since I won't be playing derby for 2 months)!  

FOOD
1 organic egg, toast with vegan butter and jalapeno jelly, crushed tomatoes, cottage cheese.  Cup of tea with milk & honey.

Unsalted seeds & nuts, with raisins.

Salad (mixed organic greens, leftover teriyaki seitan wings, peas, onions sauteed in spray oil with garlic powder).  Ranch dressing watered down, with mustard & hot sauce.

Tortilla chips with ranch dressing.
Homemade blueberry Kombucha.

Morningstar brand BBQ "Riblet" with a side of homemade mashed potatoes, and beet chard steamed with low-sodium veggie broth.

Cup of "Calming" tea.

EXERCISE 
Day #1 of the Couch to 5K plan! :)  5-minute warm up walk, then 60 seconds of jogging alternated with 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes. 
10 minutes of arm weights, alternating with ab workouts.

Days 74 & 75 (Sweet Dee) - Weekend time!

I have a terrible time tracking my eats on the weekends, just due to the fact that I'm pretty much NEVER on my computer during that time.  I don't consider that a bad thing though - I'm staring at a computer screen 8 hours a day 5 days a week!  Why would I want to add on to that on my weekends?  I have no idea. ;)

Saturday was our annual Gays VS Straights bout at our warehouse.  It's basically a fundraiser for the league, and it's always a lot of fun.  I was on the "Gays" (aka the Taco Belles), and we WON!  It felt great.  I think it was also that it was my first time that I felt that the way I played contributed to my team winning.  Yah, it was the perfect beginning of my derby LOA! 

FOOD (guessing - Fri & Sat)

Pizza
Chips & Queso
Red Wine
This breakfast was in there somewhere:

Watercourse with mom (seitan wings, coffee, soup, quinoa salad, veggie sandwich with sprouts on foccacia)
Homemade quesadilla
Etc...

EXERCISE
2 hours of derby on Saturday night (I played a LOT so I'm counting this for sure)
30 minute bike ride with my mom on Sunday

Day 73 (Sweet Dee) - YAY FRIDAY!

This morning I had early press with Henry Cho, so that means I get to leave work early today!  WOOHOO!  Becca & I arranged to do a happy hour at Rio, which is fantastic because I have a gift card there, and I'm completely broke. :) Yay for FREE Fridays! 

FOOD

Coffee with 1/2 & 1/2 and turbinado sugar.
1 small slice of coffee cake (it was FREE at the radio station), and 1 sample-sized Lara bar.

Cherries

Coconut M&M's - 1 bag.  I had to do it.  Flo is in town, and she made me.

Uhm... crap.  I don't remember what I had for dinner!!  Whoops. 

EXERCISE
Sigh.  Nope.  Again.  I'm going to fix this over the weekend!  Apparently I really needed a break?

Day 72 (Sweet Dee) - Kombucha bottling day!

As you've probably seen in my posts, I've started making my own Kombucha.  You can google that if you want.  :)  It was one of my new year's resolutions to start making my own instead of paying $3 / bottle for it.  It's a bit of a process to make, but totally worth it.  

I gave my good ol' healthy bacteria tea a taste last night, and it's ready to be bottled!  This time I got Acai juice to flavor it, and I have some frozen blueberries and peaches that I will probably try as well.  I love that you can experiment with all different kinds of flavors! 

FOOD
Smoothie with a banana, acai juice, 1/2 a bottle of homemade kombucha (mixed with some green iced tea), frozen blueberries and peaches.  Plus 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed.
2 cups of Wellness tea. 

A free vegetarian Jimmy John's sandwich!  Yes, it included white bread, but hey, it was free - and only about 3 inches in size.  Lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers - YUM. 

Oriental flavor Ramen (can you tell I'm broke?) with fresh spinach, mushrooms and onions added.  I only used about 1/2 of the seasoning packet to cut back on sodium.

Unsalted nuts & seeds (pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)

Apple

Leftover pasta with crushed tomatoes & leftover hollandaise sauce (I know that sounds gross, but it was really yummy).  2 slices of toast with vegan butter & jalapeno jelly (I was really hungry last night for some reason, and wanted another snack). 


EXERCISE
Wow, I really hate that I keep writing "none" in this section now.  Time to change that!

Day 71 (Sweet Dee) - A day with friends!

This morning I met my very preggers friend Nikki for breakfast at Snooze, then I'm meeting my soon-to-be-married friend Katy for lunch!  I love days like this. :)  I got to hang out with John last night too which was wonderful.  I haven't gotten to see him for a good week or so - we've been busy with our own life-stuff.  We finally got to catch up though, and have some QT.  Rockin'. 

I know I've been slacking with my workouts, but I think I needed a break from everything this week.  I don't feel good about not exercising, but I also don't feel bad about taking a "vacation" without actually going anywhere.  Sometimes life happens that way, you know?  

FOOD
Breakfast "tacos" (scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, cheese, hot sauce, fresh tomato salsa, lettuce, corn tortillas), and 2 cups of coffee with raw sugar & cream.

Leftover pasta from last night, and 1 leftover breakfast taco.

1/2 a bottle of homemade pomegranite kombucha

Banana

Ramen noodles with fresh spinach, onions, and mushrooms added
Homemade corn chips with spicy queso. 

EXERCISE
None.  I don't even feel bad about it either! 

Day 70 (Sweet Dee) - Feeling Better

Gosh, sorry about the bummed-out post from yesterday!  My goodness.  I guess I needed to whine a bit though and just get it out of my system.  I'm feeling better today.  I talked to some people, prayed, had some time to myself, and got my head straightened out a bit.  I even sung along to some Queen on my way into work today!

I decided to move forward with my Derby LOA, and I realize now that it was the right thing to do.  I know that derby will always be there (as will my friends), and I don't have to be afraid of taking a break when I need one!  It's amazing how hard it is to pull yourself away from something, even when you know that it's the best thing to do at the moment.  I will miss my derby girls a lot, but luckily there are still plenty of ways to see them outside of practices.  And yes, I mean stalking. ;) 

FOOD

Smoothie (homemade kombucha, acai juice, raspberries, a banana, frozen blueberries & peaches)

Coffee with "So Coconut" hazelnut creamer, natural sugar. 

Unsalted seeds (pumpkin, sunflower) and dried currants. 

Wrap (jalapeno cheddar tortilla, fresh spinach, sliced mushrooms, 2 eggs scrambled with spices & red onions, crushed tomatoes, leftover brown rice, and leftover hollandaise sauce)

Cherries

Pasta drizzled with olive oil and topped with toasted pine nuts, broccoli, and brie cheese.  I love this dish so much, it's ridiculous! 

EXERCISE
None...again!  :(  I've been sucking at this right now, I know.  I need to get back on the horse again.  I've been slacking for sure! 

Day 69 (Sweet Dee) - Debbie Downer...

I'm feeling a bit deflated today... and I have been for a little while now.  Just with a lot of things in my life.  I talked to my big sister for a while yesterday, and it felt good to get some stuff out.  This summer is shaping up to be kind of a weird one so far - there are a lot of usual summer activities that haven't really been happening as I'd planned, and it's throwing me for a loop.  Not that a change is bad, but I'm definitely noticing that I'm limiting myself due to the high number of weddings I'm attending this summer (that I need to get gifts for), and my struggle with finances right now. 

Also, I'm struggling with other things too.  My job is still frustrating me, and I'm trying to work on my next step with that, but it's definitely hard.  I'm moving in with John at the end of July, and although I feel good with my decision I still battle with my fears (what if it doesn't work out?  What if it's a mistake?  I'm scared!  What if what if what if??), and general past "relationship baggage" that I know is just stupid.  

And on top of all of that I'm feeling pretty burned out with Derby.  I love the sport, and I love my girls, but it has been the cause of some added stress, and I never wanted it to be that way.  I'm finding myself tired of going to practices all the time, and even dreading them!  That is SO not good.  I took a short 3-week-long leave of absence earlier this year, and it may be time for another one.  That LOA helped light the fire for me again, and maybe that's what I need.  I don't know.  I'm just burned out on life right now, and it's frustrating. 

Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer in this post! :(  I guess I just needed to get some stuff out.  I think I need a break in some part of my life... just not really sure what that is yet. 

FOOD
2 cups of coffee with mom at the Market (with 1/2 & 1/2 and honey)
Banana

Brown rice with fire-roasted low-sodium diced tomatoes, onions & zucchini sauteed in oil, seasoned w/ salt & pepper.

Small spinach salad with raspberries, candied walnuts, goat cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette with olive oil.

Cherries

Ramen noodles with hot sauce
Some ice cream
Acai juice

EXERCISE
None... ugh... such a bum!

Days 67 & 68 (Sweet Dee) - Busy Weekend

I indulged again this weekend, because some reason I can do a great job sticking to the plan during the week, but once the weekend hits I think "YAY I can do whatever I want!" and I fall off the wagon.  

I'm not going to regale you with what I ate, but let's just say that I got carried away.  I'm ready to start again today though!  So weird how weekends do that to me... 

I did get in a 10 mile bike ride with my dad on Sunday for Father's Day though which was super nice.  That was the bulk of my workouts for the weekend, but it was still pretty great.  

Back on the saddle, again! 

Day 66 (Sweet Dee) - Have I told you lately, that I love...FRIDAYS?

YAY!!  So excited for another weekend.  This week actually went by faster than I expected, which is pretty darn nice.  I've been looking forward to this weekend for a while - tomorrow I have Book Club, Katy's bridal shower, then the Westword Music Showcase.  A busy day of FUN!! 

Sunday I'm doing a bike ride & breakfast with my daddy & my little sister, then I'm helping with the bout at the warehouse.  After that I get to RELAX - my favorite thing to do on Sundays. :) 

FOOD
Ezekiel sprouted toast w/ vegan butter & jalapeno jelly, 1 organic egg over easy, dollop of low-fat cottage cheese with hot sauce, fire-roasted no-salt-added tomatoes, and spinach.  This was pretty much the awesomest breakfast ever.

Soy latte with chocolate & cherry flavoring.

Illegal Pete's Lunch (vegetarian burrito bowl with pinto beans, tomatoes, corn, cheese, vegetarian green chili, chips, side of pesto sauce)

Cherries

Cheese Pizza & 2 light beers

EXERCISE
20 minute bike to/from work

Day 65 (Sweet Dee) - New Yorker for a day!

Last night I re-watched "Super Size Me".  I've seen the movie before in the theater, but that was a while ago, and I wanted to watch it again.  It's really a great documentary, and it was a good reminder about the obesity problem in America - and what we can do to change it.  The biggest part is making the right choices, being educated about it (which most of the time we have to do on our own), and not going into fast food places AT ALL! 

Another thing that the director / writer reminded me of is that New Yorkers walk (I think) 3 times more than everyone else in America.  I thought about every time I went to visit my sister there, and how exhausted I was at the end of my trip because of all of the walking we did!  I thought today I'd get in my workout by spending my day as a typical New Yorker - and walk EVERYWHERE. 

I got up early and walked the mile & a half to King Soopers to grab a few groceries (luckily they're open 24-hours, so I could get there early).  I brought a backpack to make it easy on myself, and didn't even turn on my iPod - I enjoyed the quiet morning, the birds chirping, the leaves rustling... it was lovely!

Then I put on a sundress and my comfiest slip-on shoes (that aren't running shoes), and hoofed it to work!  It took a little longer than I expected, but it felt great, and I listened to 2 podcasts on the way.  My feet hurt a bit when I got to work, but hey, no pain no gain!  And I'm going to New York again in August, so I need to prepare - maybe this is good training for me!  Shoot, even if I did it once a week - what a benefit! :) 

"Back in the day with J.C. we used to walk everywhere!  Did you ever hear of a fat apostle?  Nuh-uh!"

- Chris Rock (Dogma)

FOOD
Organic egg (over easy) with Ezekiel sprouted toast, vegan butter, and jalapeno jam.
Smoothie (banana, frozen blackberries / strawberries, ground flaxseed, homemade kombucha, light pomegranate juice).  1/2 a bottle of homemade iced green tea. 

Brown rice w/ splash of Braggs, thawed frozen broccoli, drizzle of hoisin sauce & siryacha hot sauce.

Apple

Small personal-sized pizza with red onion, spinach, and mushrooms.  Caprese salad (mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, basil), and a small cup of lobster bisque.
Glass of red wine. 

EXERCISE
45 minute walk (to/from grocery store)
50 minute walk (to work)
50 minute walk (home from work)
(So about 2 hours & 40 minutes of walking!  Holy crap!  I calculated the miles, and I've walked 7.4 miles today.  Woohoo!) 

Day 64 (Sweet Dee) - Gorgeous, dahling!

Yep yep - it's GORGEOUS outside today!  I sat out in the sun for 30 minutes with my sister for lunch, and I managed to get a little bit burned.  Doggone it!  I knew I should've put sunscreen on today...

I took the night off from derby, because I've been feeling a bit burned out.  Honestly, it was great to have an evening to myself.  I think I needed a little break.  I know next week will be another busy derby week, and sometimes a gal just needs to have some "me" time!

So I made some dinner, went for a walk, lifted some weights, watched "Super Size Me" and finished my book! :)

FOOD
Organic egg (over easy) with Ezekiel sprouted toast, vegan butter, and jalapeno jam.

RAVE salad (from Green Fine Salad Co) - mixed greens, romaine lettuce, red potatoes, tempeh, fizzled leeks, beets, and quinoa. Curry vinegarette (on the side).
1 dark chocolate chip cookie (small).

2 vegan hot dogs on whole wheat buns with mustard, sweet relish, vegan mayo, onions sauteed in vegan butter, and fire roasted no-salt-added tomatoes (I don't own ketchup, but this was an awesome healthier option!).  I also didn't finish all of the buns - too much breading.  I probably only ate about 1/3 of them. 

 2 cups of Calming tea

EXERCISE
30 minute brisk walk
Arm weight lifting (numerous reps, different combinations), and 3 sets of about 15 squats - 15 minutes total.

Day 63 (Sweet Dee) - Early day... sooooo tired...

Last night it thunder stormed and I LOVED it!!  I turned off my music as I was cooking lunch for today, opened my kitchen window, and listened to the rain falling.  It was wonderful.  

I could have slept for a lot longer though!  The evening got away from me, and I ended up getting to bed a little later than expected.  So I only got about 6 hours of sleep (ugh).  I would say that I will be getting to bed early tonight, but I doubt that will happen since we're going to Film on the Rocks to see "Scott Pilgrim VS the World"!  I usually can't resist the temptation of booze when we attend these movies, but tonight I definitely will be!  I made iced tea to bring instead. 

FOOD
Wrap with romaine lettuce, corn, fake bacon, onions, daiya cheddar cheese, vegan mayo, hot sauce, splash of salsa.  (I know this is a weird breakfast, but I was starving after yoga class, so I kinda ate my lunch as my breakfast!  Ha!) 
Cup of Yerba Mate tea. 

1/4 a small watermelon

Curried apple & veggie soup (w/ 1 whole wheat matzo cracker)

A cupcake (dang work birthday parties!  Ah well, it was delicious, and I only had 1).

Subway Veggie 6" sub (whole wheat bread, lots of veggies, low-fat mayo, mustard)
Homemade iced tea.

EXERCISE
1 hour yoga class

Day 60 (Sweet Dee) - Holy crap! Only 30 days left!

Whoooooops!  Totally forgot to post this before I posted my weekend stuff!  Haha!  

OH, well - better late than never... 

It's kinda weird - I feel like my 90 days has been flying by!  I can't believe I only have a month left - that's pretty nuts.  Honestly, I kind of don't want to limit it for the 90 days!  This has been a great lifestyle change for me, and I kind of want to just keep going.  Really, I'm just doing everything I'm supposed to be doing!  Working out more, eating better - it's fantastic.  And holding myself accountable on this blog has been really helpful.  

This whole thing has made me more aware of what I put in my body, and how much exercise I'm actually doing.  It's right in front of my face every time I log in, and I think that's what I really needed to make the change.  It has been gradual, but I can tell it's happening, and I really want to keep going!

FOOD
Ezekiel sprouted toast w/ natural cashew butter, sliced strawberries.  An over-easy egg with 1/4 an avocado, and hot sauce. (I told you this was my favorite at the moment!) :) 

1/4 a seedless watermelon (sliced)

Salad (romaine lettuce, boiled red potatoes sauteed in vegan butter with diced red onions & dill, green peas, 1 stalk of celery, leftover teriyaki seitan wings).  Organic ranch with mustard.

Happy Hour food (a couple of appetizers - can't really remember what!  One of them was fishsticks... and I did have 2 glasses of wine... and a slice of cheesecake!  GAck!)

EXERCISE
None

Days 60, 61, 62 (Sweet Dee) - Getting caught up!

I did a lot of quick-grab-this eating this weekend, mostly because it was a weekend of derby!  Home team tournament time, so lots & lots of skating, and just eating whenever I could.  I didn't eat the best that I could have, but I did fit in some healthy stuff too.  I'm just going to generalize again, as I can't remember everything exactly (man, it's difficult getting behind and keeping track of everything)!  So here goes... 

SAT & SUN - FOOD
Egg with Ezekiel sprouted toast & jam
Granola bars
Powerballs
Homemade salad wrap
Pizza
Scrambled eggs w/ toast & fruit: 

Cheese pizza
2 beers

SAT & SUN - EXERCISE
Lots of Derby!

--------------------------------------------
MONDAY - FOOD
Powerball
Vitamin Water & Odwalla Superfood
Unsalted nuts / seeds with dried currants
Qdoba Gumbo (with veggies added & lettuce)
Dinner with daddy at the Hornet.  I had the Pupusas (sp?) appetizer - corn cakes stuffed with black beans & cheese, with a side of shredded cabbage & tomato vinegarette dressing. 
2 cups of Calming tea

MONDAY - EXERCISE
None - I really needed a break!

Day 59 (Sweet Dee) - Cheat Day / Cat's Birthday!

My cheat day has arrived early this week, due to Cat's Birthday day of fun!  

We're heading to Crepes & Crepes for some rich & creamy crepe amazingness, then we're going out for dessert after derby practice!  Good thing I got in a couple of workouts today...

FOOD
Ezekiel sprouted toast w/ natural cashew butter, sliced strawberries.  An over-easy egg with arugula, 1/4 an avocado, and hot sauce.  (I think this is my new favorite breakfast!)
Cup of black tea w/ agave & unsweetened coconut milk.

Leftover shrimp salad on romaine lettuce w/ 1 leftover teriyaki seitan wing (chopped).  About 1 cup total.

Apple

Crepes at Crepes & Crepes! :)  I had the creamy mushroom one (*drool*) then Cat & I split the nutella, strawberry, banana & cream cheese one.... ugh it was AMAZING!

Amy's Organic Mac & Cheese microwave dinner

Steuben's for Cat's B-day!  I had a 1/2 a veggie burger, and a chocolate malt.  I think I was still pretty full from the mac & cheese. :)

EXERCISE
1 hour brisk walk w/ Stacey at Wash Park
1 hour derby scirmmage

Day 58 (Sweet Dee) - Bike to work day! (Well, for me anyway)

Today I biked to work!  I've pretty much been scooting everywhere since I got Audrey 2, but today since I've decided to take a little break from derby tonight (it has been a busy week for derby), I decided to bike.  It was a gorgeous morning, and I didn't even mind much that 2 bugs got stuck in my lip gloss along the way.  Ew. 

Tonight I need to hit up the grocery store, then I'm going to relax!  I can't wait! 

FOOD
Ezekiel sprouted toast w/ natural cashew butter topped with strawberries.
Organic egg (sunny-side up), with hot sauce and a side of arugula.
A pear.

Lunch with Brian Grimes at Wahoo's Fish Tacos!  I got the 2 enchilada combo (1 fish, 1 cheese), with a side of brown rice, white beans, salsa, and green sauce.  It was deeeeeelicious! 

Apple

Mixed unsalted nuts & seeds with dried currants

Creamy Shrimp Roll (shrimp, vegan mayo, salt & pepper, celery, red onion, lemon juice) on a whole wheat hot dog bun, with butter lettuce.  Can you tell this is my new favorite plate?  I got it at Anthropologie on sale.  I could still only afford 1, so I just keep washing it over & over.  Ha!
1 beer. 

EXERCISE 
20 minute bike to/from work
15 minute walk

Day 57 (Sweet Dee) - No clever title today!

One of my derby sisters, Raven Lunachic, broke her ankle at practice last night.  That is by far my biggest fear in derby!  :(  Luckily she had a lot of people there to lend their support and comfort.  

This morning I was up early for yoga.  It actually wasn't too hard since my apartment was so effing HOT!  Ha!  I was sweating like the dickens. 

After helping with newbie practice (a very little bit), and helping with evaluations, I went to City O' City to meet up with my friend Jesse!  I haven't seen that kid in ages, and he cracks me up.  It was so nice to catch up with him a bit! 

FOOD
Mixed unsalted nuts & seeds, dried currants
Cup of Vanilla Rooibos tea

Taco salad (quinoa, romaine lettuce, 1/2 an avocado, fresh salsa, hot sauce, fresh lime juice, red onion, poblano pepper, red pepper - lightly seared)

1/4 a small seedless watermelon
Soy latte w/ a squirt of White Chocolate flavoring

Dinner at City O' City with Jesse (Teriyaki Seitan "wings" with vegan ranch, fries w/ vegan gravy & cheese).  I only ate about 1/2 of each thing - I got full really fast!  I did have 1 glass of wine too.
Pomegranite juice (1 glass)

EXERICSE
1 hour yoga class
Very light derby (just skated around for about 30 mins as a "Big Sister") 

Day 56 (Sweet Dee) - Can I have the weekend back please?

I was SO not ready to start my day today!  I hit my snooze a LOT more than usual... I think part of the reason is because the weather has finally warmed up, and there's something about laying in a warm beam of sunlight in my soft bed... and thinking about getting up and going back to work... that makes me not want to leave! 

I have a ridiculously busy week scheduled - lots of derby, lots of events.  It'll be good, but it might be a little crazy.  Hopefully I can keep my head on straight! 

FOOD
Strawberries

Salad (romaine lettuce, fresh pear, red onion caramelized with balsamic vinegar, chopped veggie ham slice, caramelized walnuts*, homemade agave/dijon vinegarette dressing)

Vegetable Apple Curry soup (about 1 cup)

Mini cheese pizza (leftover) topped with arugula
1/4 a small seedless watermelon
A handful of chips & fresh salsa

*I put some grade B organic maple syrup in a pan, added a splash of oil, a bit of salt, and some cinnamon, then tossed in the walnuts.  After thoroughly coating them, I spread them on a pan and baked them for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. 

EXERCISE
2 hour derby practice

Days 54 & 55 (Sweet Dee) - Cheat Day / Wedding Weekend!

This weekend was pretty nuts with being in CO Springs for most of it for Tina & Jeff's wedding!  There was much celebration to be had, lots of wine, lots of eating, lots of dancing... and general run-of-the mill shenanigans.  Needless to say, we had a fantastic time!  

FOOD (in general) for Sat & Sun
Breakfast burrito
1/2 a calzone w/ veggies
Fried mushrooms w/ ranch dressing
1 package of dunkin' stix (ugh - love these things!)
Coconut water
Wine...lots & lots of wine
Dinner rolls
Salad w/ ranch
Veggie stuffed tart thingy
Pizza
More pizza
Eggs Benedict
1/2 a pancake
More pizza
Kombucha / Vitamin water
etc.etc....

EXERCISE
LOTS of dancing.... and that's about it.  I was hungover pretty much all day Sunday! :(

Day 53 (Sweet Dee) - I heart Fridays!

This morning I got up early for a walk with Stacey!  I love our morning walks.  Turns out she was having some trouble motivating herself too, so we had a nice little bitchfest - which everyone needs from time to time!  ;)  We actually worked some stuff out... encouragement / tough love... it was all there.  

This weekend we have a wedding in Colorado Springs - the first one of 4 for the summer!  Wowza!  Luckily I planned my cheat day for tomorrow.  YEAH buddy!  Weddings are fun. 

FOOD
Breakfast pizza (Ezekiel sprouted tortilla, vegetarian refried beans, Veganese, and Daiya cheddar "cheese").  This sounds kinda gross, but it was actually pretty darn yummy!

Vegan Curried Apple Soup (this is one of my favorite recipes from the How It All Vegan cookbook.  Super easy, and great to use when you have a lot of veggies you need to gobble up before they go bad!)  Apple, onion, broccoli, peas, asparagus, brown rice, water, curry, salt, spices. (I only had about 1/2 a cup of this - I wasn't too hungry)


Salad (arugula, butter lettuce, red pepper, poblano pepper, 2 fake ham slices pan-seared, frozen corn, 1/2 an avocado) with organic ranch w/ hot sauce.

Unsalted mixed nuts & seeds (with dried currants)

Stuffed pepper w/ cucumber & tomato salad (John made this - it was delicious!) 

....and here's the bad news... 
2 slices cheese pizza (at Maims's sort of b-day party)
2-ish glasses of wine

EXERCISE
1 hour 10 minute walk at Sloan's Lake with Stacey - with continuous arm weight lifting (5 lb weights)

Day 52 (Sweet Dee) - Halfway Pictures

Well, here they are!  I'm actually kind of shocked.  I haven't felt like I've been doing all that great for the last couple of weeks (my workouts have sucked), but can you see the difference?  I SURE CAN!!  It's not a huge difference, but my pooch has shrunk a LOT, and I feel like my arms have slimmed down too.  But you know where I'm seeing it the most?  My waist!  Please refer to the "back" pictures at the bottom.  My booty hasn't really shrunk much, but my waist looks like it has slimmed down a lot from where I started.  YAY!

This has definitely picked up my spirits.  It's not a huge jump, but it's a start - and I must be doing something right!  I think staying away from the scale is helping too. :)  Thanks to everyone for all of your encouragement so far - it has been SO helpful!!

FOOD
Powerball & a banana.  Cup of peach detox herbal tea.

Mixed unsalted nuts & seeds, with some dried fruit.

Salad (arugula, butter lettuce, frozen peas, red pepper, red potatoes & red onions sauteed in olive oil w/ dill & spices, chopped fake chicken patty, organic ranch - about 1 tbsp, water added).  This was kind of the most delicious salad I've had in a long time. :) 

Iced tea (splash of sweetened raspberry tea added)

Free salad!  One of the employees here brought in some leftover salad that his friend had from a catered event.  Romaine lettuce, bean shoots, celery, and cucumber - with a spicy Asian vinaigrette.  Yum!  I had about 1 cup w/ a splash of the dressing.

Buckwheat soba noodles with onions & shitake mushrooms & garlic - sauteed with a splash of Braggs, Teriyaki, and about 1 tbsp hoisin sauce (plus a drizzle of Siraycha sauce).  I'm going to post how to make this here - it's really easy!

Cup of black tea w/ unsweetened coconut milk & agave.


EXERCISE
1 1/2 hour brisk walk around Wash Park (twice!) 

Day 51 (Sweet Dee) - Motivation

Dangey, I hope you were right when you said that your 1/2 way point pictures re-motivated you!  I haven't been doing as well as I know I could be the last couple of weeks - little cheats here & there, missing workouts, etc.  I really hope that seeing how far I've already come will keep me going for the rest of this plan.  I need the motivation! 

FOOD
Breakfast croissant (see, I told you so!) - avocado, egg, cheese.
Cup of coffee w/ splash of 1/2 & 1/2 and 2 packets natural sugar.

The other 1/2 of the pineapple / orange juice

Taco salad (black beans, lettuce, rice, cheese, small amount of Ranch, salsa, tomatoes, etc)

Pizza (Ezekiel sprouted tortilla, salt-free tomato sauce, low-fat jarlsburg cheese, arugula, 2 slices of fake ham)
Homemade sweetened iced tea.

EXERCISE
House cleaning / up & down stairs 6 times for laundry... and that's it.*

*I skipped practice last night, as I had a ton of stuff to do at home that I've been putting off for a while.  I'm glad that I did it (I crossed everything off my list!), but I missed yet another workout because of it! :(

Day 50 (Sweet Dee) - Back to reality...

It was so nice to have the long weekend - I wish it had been longer!  I felt a bit unfocused at practice last night, but it was still a good one.  It was fun hanging out with my new teammates too - they're all nutcases, just like me!!  YAY! 

Tonight we're going to the first Film on the Rocks of the summer!  I'm so excited.  It's "The Big Lebowski", and I'm sure we'll have a great freakin' time.  

Halfway pics coming soon!  I'm hoping to have them up by Thursday, so stay tuned. :) 

FOOD 
Powerball & a banana
Cup of coffee w/ unsweetened coconut milk & 1 tbsp grade B organic maple syrup

Leftovers day!  I needed to finish up a lot of things in my fridge.... 
Curry w/ veggies & quinoa (about 1 cup)
Slice of cheese pizza (1)
Apple w/ natural peanut butter


Sandwich (Ezekiel bread, low-fat jarlsberg cheese, fake ham, lettuce, veganese & dijon mustard)
1/2 a bottle of pineapple/orange juice
1 beer
1/2 a vegetarian burrito

EXERCISE 
None... the 3 hour practice last night kind of killed me by this morning!
Although if you include hiking all of the damn steps at Red Rocks just to pee a workout... then I got one! ;)

Day 46, 47, 48, 49 (Sweet Dee) - A-Camping we will go!

A bunch of us are going camping this weekend, so I'm getting very prepared with all of my food stuff for the trip.  I have it all planned out, and it's going to be healthy AND delicious!  Lookout! ;)

OK - I just decided to include everything on this post!  I had a great & relaxing weekend camping - it was really wonderful.  I didn't do too bad either!  I brought a lot of healthy & yummy foods with me.  I had a couple of marshmallows, and some wine, but nothing that I felt was overindulging too much.  Yay!  I CAN camp & be healthy too!  WOOT!

We also did some great hikes while we were out.  I am still sore today, and it was wonderful being outdoors and enjoying the beautiful weather! 

FOOD (Days 46, 47, 48 - all together)
Powerball & a banana.
Cup of coffee with grade B organic maple syrup (about 1 tbsp), and unsweetened coconut milk.

Asparagus, shitake mushrooms, onions, garlic - sauteed w/ tsp of teriyaki & squirt of braggs - over quinoa.

Herbal Teas

Breakfast Burrito (vegetarian baked beans, veggies, eggs, Daiya "cheese", green chili, vegetarian chorizo)

Grilled sandwiches - 2 total (Ezekiel bread, low-fat jarlsberg cheese, fake ham, lettuce, mustard, Veganese)

Carrots & Hummus
Apple w/ natural peanut butter
Nuts & seeds
Granola bar
Vegetarian chili w/ vegan hot dogs (2 total)
Low-sodium Minestrone soup
3 large marshmallows
Some wine
Powerballs (2 total I think)

FOOD (Day 49 - cheat day) 
Powerball

Benny's lunch with John (YUMMY!!!) - it was the perfect day for this! 
Modelo Especial, enchilada, chile reillno (sp?), chile con queso, salsa, chips, guacamole tostada.

Sweet Action Ice cream stop! :)  I got a malt made from the vanilla fudge brownie ice cream.  It was AMAZING.

Leftover Benny's for dinner!

EXERCISE (for the weekend) 
2.5 mile hike
2 mile hike (at a high incline - it was a tough one - my calves are killing me!)
3 hour derby practice

Day 45 (Sweet Dee) - Halfway Point!

Holy moly!  I can't believe I'm 1/2 way there already!  Woohoo!  

I'm planning on taking some halfway point pictures soon, I just have to find a working camera.  It may not be until next week, but I'll get 'em up as soon as I can!  I am excited to see the change... even if it's just a small one. 

I pulled out some books the other day (and wrote myself a little note) to help my motivation. ;)  If you haven't read either of these books, you definitely should!  They're full of great information.  I love anything by Michael Pollan too - "In Defense of Food" was a book club book from last year.  It's fantastic and interesting and important!  

And apparently I OD'd on cherries today.  I just ate a bunch of them, and for some reason my body decided - "hey, enough with the cherries already" - and I threw up.  What the heck?  I don't know where it came from or why it happened, but my body just did NOT want cherries in my tummy today.  I'm very dissapointed about that. 

FOOD
Smoothie (strawberries, banana, frozen blueberries, ground flaxseed, cashew butter, almond milk, a drizzle of grade B organic maple syrup)

Cherries (about 1 cup) - although I'm not sure if I should even count these since I barfed 'em up.

Wahoo's Lunch with Daddy!  2 enchiladas w/ cheese & veggies, and fish - side of brown rice & beans.

5oz Kuulture frozen yogurt (Hawaiian Taro) w/ yogurt chips. 
I've been having a bit of a grumpy day today (it feels like a monthly-grumpy if you know what I mean) so this was in order.  I know, it's sugar, but it was a better choice than going for flat-out ice cream! 

Black bean sliders (at Appaloosa Grill) w/ a few french fries, 2 glasses red wine. 

EXERCISE
Apparently I felt that sleeping was more important than working out today.... dang!  I need to step up my workouts!