This is NOT a diet...it's a LIFESTYLE!

I am not on a diet. I am not participating in a fad. This is not short term. This is a lifestyle. What does that mean for me? Does that mean that I will never enjoy food again? Does that mean that I cannot go out with my friends/family? Does that mean that I will be bored with my food for the rest of my life? NO. 

It means that for the time being, I have to be very selective about what I do and where I go. I can enjoy my food. It just means that I have to look at my food differently. I need to not look at my food as a crutch or a celebratory measure - but rather as fuel for my body. What I put in causes me to have the energy to do what I need to do on this weight loss journey. 

Nutrition is a very key factor in any weight loss/maintenance plan. If I go to the gym every day for 2 hours but then gorge myself on fast food and sodas, I have not done myself any favors. But...if I go to the gym every day for 2 hours and eat a healthy, balanced diet - I have given my body the fuel it needs to excel and push longer and harder. 

What does a typical day look like for me? Around 1200 calories. Every day it is pretty much the same thing, maybe with slight variations:

Breakfast: 1 scoop of Iso 30 protein powder with 6 ounces of cold water and 2 slices of Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel bread with I can't believe it's not butter spray

Morning snack: grilled/baked chicken; a complex carb I some type - I like the Minute Rice brown rice cups and some veggies. 

Lunch: 1 scoop of Iso 30 protein powder with 6 ounces of cold water and 22-28 dry roasted almonds

Afternoon snack: grilled/baked chicken with salad (no cheese, no dressing) or veggies. 

Supper: grilled/baked chicken with veggies or turkey burger or veggie burger

It's so funny to me that I was the girl who would never eat leftovers or would give away the doggy bag from restaurants. Yet for the major part of this journey I have had pretty much the same stuff. It just works. 

Likewise, it is important to have a gym routine. And that routine needs to vary somewhat. I learned that the two weeks I couldn't do much cardio! Holy cow my arms/shoulders/back hurt! But the point of it for me wasn't necessarily to work those muscles to points of exhaustion, but rather, to stay in the habit of going to the gym daily. Workout even when I didn't feel like it. The awesome soreness was just an added bonus. I proved to myself that just because I was down, it didn't mean I was out. 

I cannot thank all the people who encouraged me along the way of this recovery. Thankfully the doctor says it is healing faster than previous injuries and although it is still sore, I am getting my stamina back. It's amazing to see how quickly you can lose your endurance when you're not doing something daily!

At any rate I hope this blog post has explained a little bit about my plan. This may not be right for you. If you want more information about Anytime Fitness and/or personal training let me know! I'd be glad to help hook you up. 

Until then, make healthy choices!

Here's the thing about Danny...

So tonight I was back to my first cardio-allowable workout. It felt good to get back on the elliptical, as much as I hate that machine. I have to admit, I gained 8 pounds total since my surgery, 10 days ago. That is unacceptable. I want better for myself. That being said, I am aware of all the excuses I could use - you know, the "they put an IV of fluids in you" and "you're taking a medication that makes you retain fluids" - the list goes on and on. While all that is true, I also have to "woman-up" and take responsibility for the unwise choices I made while I was laid up. I knew I could not do cardio. I knew it. I also knew that I should have eaten clean. Probably wouldn't have gained 8 pounds. Instead, I indulged on the 4th of July (I did fine until the darn banana pudding and brownies, haha) and then I had a "Woe is Me" weekend. I ate whatever I wanted. So, on Saturday...I ate pizza and breadsticks. Truthfully, it stunk. It was not even good. I even made the comment that I can't believe I used to eat this stuff on an almost-daily basis! Then, on Sunday...I had a cheeseburger from Wendy's and a Frosty in the Waffle Cone. I don't know why. It tasted good, but it surely wasn't worth the 1,000 calories I had to burn off!

So, here's the thing about Danny. He has this way of pulling what you don't want to tell him out of you. It was like - he asked how my eating was, and it was like it all just spilled out. Every sinful detail. I promised him that I would "break up" with Chick-fil-a, and Wendy's and pizza. Then, he proceeded to whoop my tail for a loooooooooong workout. Actually, it was two workouts.

For small group training, he did a circuit...many things which I could not do due to leg and some due to weight I still am. So, he gave me a modified circuit. (1) Two minutes on the elliptical, level 7; (2) 25 pound snatches - five on each side (that is harder than it sounds); (3) draw the alphabet in CAPITAL letters with a ten pound plate; (4) 200 punches into the mitts. We went through this circuit three times total. I was drained. Who on God's green earth comes up with writing alphabets in capital letters while holding a weight plate? Don't believe me? Try it - it's harder than it looks and sounds. I had already done an arm workout when mom was with me. (Yahoo! She joined the gym tonight!)

Then, it was time for round three....personal training session. Yep, you guessed it...more elliptical intervals. This time, three minutes at level 8...then squat curl press (since I can't squat officially yet, I sat in a folding chair) with 15 pound weights. Ten reps...each time. I lost count of the number of times we did this, but Danny says about 5. When I tell you my arms feel like lead, I am not kidding. While that was a very hard workout, it was a good one. It's the one that will leave a "good kind of sore" for a couple days.

Personally, I don't know if this is retribution for Danny's birthday...see, last week, he had to complete a scavenger hunt around the gym, and complete a short interval of each exercise in order to gain the next clue. At the end, he was given a card with a Texas Roadhouse gift card. Now, let me just say...the workout wasn't super hard...but it was not easy, either. There may have been some burpees, ellipticals, treadmill running, rowing, etc. involved. So, I think part of tonight was payback for that...part of it was payback for the weekend I had...and part of it was just Danny pushing me like normal.

So truthfully, while I think Danny is a horrible person tonight, because I'm so sore I cannot see straight, I know in the long run I will appreciate it. He pushes me beyond what I think I am capable of, and makes me do more...all the time.