30 Day Challenge Day 8 and 9 - Termination

"30 Day Challenge, Day 8 and 9. Guys, I'm not killing it anymore. I've been sleeping for two days. My guy is out of town and my sleep schedule is all out of whack from the wedding and my overnight shifts. Working 20 hours of overtime this week in addition to the holiday. Don't even know if I want to go to my family get together because I'm working the overnight on either side and need to sleep. My eating hasn't been terrible since the wedding, but I think that's just because I've been sleeping and have frozen leftovers... So need to clean Mr apartment and do dishes... Packing and laundry (clean and dirty) and Tupperware everywhere... Four days off. Should I go back to my workout video tomorrow....?"

Between the holiday and twenty hours of overtime, this just wad not the time for s thirty day challenge.

Will try again at new year's.

30 Day Challenge Day 6 and 7

"30 Day Challenge, Day 6 and 7. Did a lot of dancing at the wedding, so my calorie count isn't as over as it could be, though I definitely indulged.... I did not get any stretching in Saturday, and I was gonna workout today, but I was exhausted so sleepy to prepare for my shift tonight. Will hopefully get back at it tomorrow. I think I needed the rest day anyway, and I'm doing pretty well I think. Not much muscle soreness and I did the DVD four times in seven days. Much better than my usual exercise track record as of late...!"

30 Day Challenge Day 5

"30 Day Challenge, Day 5. Beginner Shred, Day 4. I'm slacking a little, but getting through the workout. Have all my food budgeted for the day. On my way to a wedding rehearsal dinner with the wedding tomorrow, so who knows what will happen tomorrow, but it meant I had to get the workout in today. Also did 15 minutes of deep recovery yoga stretching. May try to do at least that again tomorrow before call for the wedding to avoid DOMS. Added onion salt and turmeric to my eggs today. Yum!"

30 Day Challenge Day 4

"30 Day Challenge, Day 4. Day 3 of Jillian Michaels Beginner Shred, Level 1. Fitbit says I didn't burn ass many calories today. Maybe I didn't push as hard. Will try again tomorrow"

I'm doing some of the advanced modifications. It makes me feel good. Previewed Level 2 today. Not sure how it's gonna go.

Fitbit: 158 calories.

30 Day Challenge Day 3

"30 Day Challenge, Day 3. Did 15 minutes of deep recovery stretching. Helped with the soreness a bit. Back at it tomorrow."

Man, was I tight. Stretching helped with the muscle pain in my thighs some. Getting back at it tomorrow!

Fitbit: 36 calories.

30 Day Challenge Day 2

"30 Day Challenge, Day 2. Second day of Beginner Shred, level 1. Lots of squats. Feeling yesterday in my thighs. Gonna take it easy and recover tomorrow, probs do some yoga!"

I was feeling the burn, had some pain in my thighs getting through the workout today... Did it, though. Didn't do as well as Day 1, took more rests. Time for a recovery day!

Fitbit: 221 calories.

30 Day Challenge Day 1

"30 Day Challenge, Day 1. Did Level 1 of Jillian Michaels Beginner Shred. All the gym time is paying off. Much easier than last time I attempted it! Now to eat some protein and go visit my mum!"

I tried this video when I first bought it about two years ago, and it kicked my butt! Now I can make it all the way through it! Totally gorged myself on Alfredo pasta with my mum, though. But it was totally delicious. Long time since I binged....

Fitbit: 219 calories.

30 Day Challenge

Documenting my MFP posts about my 30 Day Challenge here so I can easily look at them later!

"Thinking about starting a 30 day challenge. I have a number of Jillian Michaels DVDs at home. Gonna check them out again when I get home from work. Monday, perfect day to challenge myself! Anyone interested in joining me?"

So, no one joined me, had some light interest, but I'm doing it anyway. I've been having trouble getting to the gym consistently, so maybe this will give me a bit of a boost again. I do like lifting weights, though!

Decided to do Jillian Michaels Beginner Shred!

Recipes and Progress Pic

I spend a lot of time thinking about and planning out my food. Meal prepping helps me keep portion control in check, and hearty meals with lots of protein, veggies, and limited carbs keep me satisfied.

I'm learning to curb impulse eating... and to buy indulgent snacks that are low calorie. Maybe not the healthiest, but low calorie. Recent additions have been 210 calorie Handful of Cashew pouches from Trader Joe's, 80 calorie Tangy Welch's Fruit Snack pouches, 90 calorie Mint Chip Swirl I've cream bars by Enlightened, and 60 calorie Sugar Free Dulce de Leche Jello pudding cups. Even these, I don't eat all the time, but they make indulging a little bit more reasonable!

Right now I'm scrolling the internet and drooling over recipes. I'm going to save some of them here so I can find them again.

But first, a progress pic!

I'm down 34 lbs, 18 of that in the past 3 and a half months. I didn't realize how much better I looked until I put the pictures side by side. It reassures me that I'm making progress. Onward and downward!

And now, the recipes.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes
I love both brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes, so this sounds really good, minus the pecans...

Loaded Cauliflower Bake
Cauliflower, cheese, and bacon. How can you go wrong?

Slow Cooker Frittata with Kale, Red Pepper, and Feta
I don't know how I feel about making a frittata in a slow cooker, but I have been making egg casseroles as of late. I love kale, and think this combo could be a good newbie in my rotation. My others are breakfast sausage with kale and cheese, and ham with broccoli and cheese.

Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Cups
I've been eating a lot of eggs, yogurt drinks, and mozzarella prosciutto sticks, and I've been wanting to expand back into the realm of oatmeal. I have a lot of overnight oats recipes pinned on my pinterest, but these say you can freeze them and zap them real quick in the microwave. There's a couple links to more oatmeal cups at the bottom of the page. Mmmm, peanut butter chocolate chip!

Baked Ginger Pear Oatmeal
This sounds yummy, but bakes for 45 minutes, so I don't know if I'll ever make it...

Crispy Parmesan Chickpeas
I just love chickpeas, so these sound decadent, and low-calorie! Great snack!

High Protein Cajun Jambalaya
This sounds easy and tasty. I'm looking to add some variety to my standard set of dinner meals.

The Truth Behind Turmeric
Maybe I'll try adding turmeric to my fried eggs next time for something different. I wonder if I already have it in my spice collection, though... Will have to check.

Yum yum!

First Goal Approaching

July 30th: 219 lbs.
November 4th: 204 lbs.

I'm actually doing it. I'm actually really doing it.

15 lbs in about three months. That's about 5lbs a month, a healthy, steady loss.

I have my fitness pal set to lose 1.5lbs per week. I do pretty well eating my goal everyday, with one major cheat day a week to keep my metabolism confused.

I'm averaging one strength workout per week, though it's been a bit rocky because my trainer busted up his knee and is out, so I'm on my own for now. I'm gonna try to get two in this week, but we'll see. It's been a long work week and I may need to sleep.

This is the most success I've had, which you'll see if you follow the history of my blog.

My first goal is under 200 by the end of November which right now is looking very doable despite the fact that I'm a bit stalled. My weight is fluctuating from 208-210 to 202 on a daily basis. I don't know if it's a plateau or water weight or what, but it's really frustrating.

I haven't been under 200 lbs since October 2015, so this first goal will be a major accomplishment. Two years to do it, but better late than never!

I'm meal prepping these days. I think that's the biggest and most successful change I've made. I pre-portion meals and leftovers before I eat, try to eat less than 100 grams of carbs a day, and try to eat a lot of protein and veggies. Most meals I don't eat a pasta/starch, but I have been lately, because I went shopping hungry and bought a bunch.

Maybe that's why I've stalled out....

Anyway, it's working better than any of the fad diets I tried. I didn't like paleo. Keto was too extreme for me. This seems to be working. So I'm going to stick to it.

Right now, when I'm tired and hungry, 1400 calories a day seems measly, but most days I do pretty well.

 I just read an article on myfitnesspal that says plateaus are common after losing 10% of your body weight. 20 lbs will be approximately 10% of my starting body weight three months ago. Maybe that's why I stalled out after losing the first 15 lbs last year...

I'm going to keep at it this time, though....

I had a surplus of food in my cupboards and freezer, so I've been eating creatively trying to condense my supplies. I'm due for a good shop. Need some more protein and basics.

This has been an update from yours truly. Will keep you posted.