Day 31 1/2

Yes, this is my second post of the day, but I was just "pinteresting" and found THIS LINK that totally and completely relates to me and my body.  I don't know if I've shared this before, but who wouldn't want to read more about my body issues? (sarcasm....) I gain weight in my mid-section, chest, love-handles, and arms.  I have super skinny long legs and no butt or thighs, so those definitely aren't my problem areas.  These four exercises are great for getting rid of armpit fat.  This stuff literally haunts me.  It has kept me from wearing tank tops and swimsuits for the past 4 summers, and I am prepared to tackle it before this summer comes.  These simple 4 exercies help blast the fat in that area, and I am definitely more inclined to do an exercise routine when it comes with 4 exercies instead of 30.  So click on THIS LINK and crank out some push-ups if your arm fat is haunting you as much as mine is...

Day 31

I woke up this morning prepared to feel bloated and honestly just "fat."  But after looking in the mirror and throwing on some jeans I realized that although I stuffed my face this weekend it didn't have that much of an impact on my body.  After eating whatever sounded good at the time for the past 5 years expecting to wake up and not feel good about myself is just out of habit.  That really needs to change because the changes I see in my body and how I feel just gives me more motivation! One thing I have been doing since starting this challenge is NOT coming home and immediately putting on extra-large sweats and an oversized t-shirt from high school.  This used to be a horrible habit of mine.  While everyone comes home and changes into comfy clothes, I tended to take it to the extreme.  Part of this was so I could eat anything I wanted and not see or feel it through my clothing.  Not taking time to look in the mirror or examine how my clothes were fitting allowed me to stuff my face with absolutely no consequences.

My attitude about comfy clothing has now completely changed, and definitely for the better.  Although it is still winter here I come home and put on some cute, form-fitting yoga pants or shorts along with a tank top or some sort of fitted shirt.  You might think I am crazy, but seriously, THIS WORKS! I am way less tempted to order a pizza or drive-thru Runza when I can see and feel my body through my clothing.  It is hard to explain, but seeing myself how others will see me on Friday night or Sunday morning really helps me to stay focused and on track.  Getting into fitness clothes also gets me motivated to work out or take a walk around the neighborhood.

No, this isn't me :) But I really like this quote! I would always get so discouraged when starting a new diet or work-out program in the past and it didn't show INSTANT results.  I would give up because my jeans didn't fit better in a couple of days.  This is the first time I have ever given myself 60 days, or around 8 weeks, to take the chance to notice a difference and feel so much better!

I'm juicing my first sweet potato today, I've never been big into the orange things but hopefully it's a life changing experience ;)

Day 30

The past two days have been kinda rough.  I have no excuses not to juice everyday, but I was dog sitting again as well as working and didn't want to drive the 15 minutes back to my house to juice for the day. I know, no excuse :( I really wanted to do measurements half way through but I think I'm going to wait for the weekend.  I have an opportunity to get back on track with working out and juicing for the next couple of days and measurements WILL come this weekend.  I went grocery shopping tonight after work so I could get back on the grind right away tomorrow morning.  Even though this weekend was kind of rough, I still have 30 days to go and have already accomplished so much with my juicing! I bought more beets tonight and am literally craving them for breakfast tomorrow.  Summer is going to come before I know it and I am DETERMINED to wear tank tops and shorts without feeling big and embarrassed in my clothes.

Day 27

Only 3 days from being half way done! This week was amazing.  I didn't get to work out at all because 2 12 hour day shifts and 2 12 hour night shifts really messes with my head.  I precept days and work nights...yes, it's as awful as it sounds.  Aside from not being able to work out I think I did really great this week.  I did eat Chipotle on Tuesday but aside from that I've been sticking to soups or sandwiches for my meal along with around 3 jars of veggie/fruit juice a day.  I noticed that I have really start transitioning away from many fruit juices.  Yes I love them but would rather eat my pretty berries than juice them up.  Canteloupe, oranges, apples, and grapes are about the only fruits I've been juicing lately.  If I do juice some canteloupe or oranges I throw in some spinach, kale, or beets to even things about a bit.  I am feeling awesome.  Still down about 7 pounds and will be taking measurements again on Day 30!

More people are starting to notice my weight loss, which is really motivating.  I've also been drinking TONS of water and this green tea.

I usually don't like hot tea but this tastes amazing and is a nice change from just plain old water.  My sister got me hooked on it and it actually tastes like Blueberries; I highly recommend it! 

And according to Pinterest strong is the new skinny, so I'm gonna get my butt to the gym! 

Day 24

This morning I made the Green Lemonade from the Reboot Program.  It was just what I needed after indulging myself in some Chipotle last night.

Green Lemonade
1 Apple (Preferably Green)
3 Handfuls Spinach
2 Handfuls Kale
1/2 Cucumber
4 Celery Stalks
Juice of 1 Lemon

This juice has 210 Calories and 10 g of protein! What is great about the juices is that you can basically add anything you have on hand.  I also love that I have not thrown out any produce since starting 23 days ago.  It can all be incorporated some shape or form into juices and none of it goes to waste.

This Challenge is different than any fad diet or starvation method that I have ever tried and failed at.  The difference is that I let myself give in to my cravings once in a while (see: Chipotle) and then get back on the grind the next day.  Instead of beating myself up over one meal and thinking that I have completely ruined my diet and body I start the next morning off with a fresh outlook and some Green Lemonade!

Day 23

Happy Valentine's Day! I wish I could say that I am just heading out for a hot V-day date, but I just got off of a 13 hour shift and the only thing I can think about is crawling into bed! I stopped by Chipotle on the way home and got a chicken burrito bowl to indulge myself in for the night :) Horrible Bosses is already in the dvd player to watch after I get done with The Real Housewives of Bev Hills THIRD reunion show.
Maybe I'll make a RED HOT beet juice to make up for the non-existant flowers...althought my mama did make me banana bread, which makes up for everything! Thanks mom!

Day 22 1/2

Today I became an Official Member of Sam's Club! I had been using my parents Sams Card illegally (I guess they don't like people borrowing other peoples?) and decided I better hop on the Sams Club train.

Thanks to my Mom I got put on my parents account and have my own card! How exciting huh? Juicing would be much more difficult if I couldn't go to Sams and get a huge bag of carrots for $4.00 or 5 heads of Romaine for $3.50.  I used to buy bags of frozen strawberries and blueberries, let them thaw, and use them for the week, but they have the best fresh berries for so cheap! I honestly thought juicing would be super expensive and not within my budget, but I'm spending way less than I used to!

I'll be posting some more measurements on Day 30, so stay tuned!

Day 22

Today is Day 22 and I am really getting into the swing of things with eating one meal and juicing for the rest of the day! It is so much easier than I thought it would be.  I do all of my juicing in the morning, store about 3 mason jars for the day, and I'm good to go.

I've been starting my day off with a veggie juice usually loaded with some mix of cucumber, spinach, celery, apple, carrot, orange, or romaine lettuce.  I eat a HUGE bowl full of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries along with my morning juice.  I would juice the berries, but they are just so pretty and turning them into juice instead of eating them kinda breaks my heart.  It also fills me up for the next couple of hours and it's nice to eat/chew something in the morning.

Lunch is another jar of veggie juice.  I'm starting to add alot more tomatoes, beets, and kale to my juices.  They give them such a great color and different flavor than the redundant carrot, celery, cucumber.

I usually "eat" my meal between lunch and dinner time.  I mentioned before I made a huge pot of chicken noodle soup last Wednesday and I am just finishing it now! The soup has done a great job of filling me up during the day without making me feel bloated.  It's really awesome to have something easy to throw in the microwave if I'm working or precepting and I think that making a pot of soup just might become a weekly event!  Supper is another veggie or fruit juice along with a banana!

You guys, I cannot tell you how amazing I'm feeling.  My clothes are fitting like they used to and juicing isn't a chore anymore, it is just part of my everyday life.  I've also been carrying around a bottle of water with me Everywhere I go and that has really helped me stay hydrated and full throughout the day.

Adding a meal to my juicing has given me so much energy and I finished my first week of Couch to 5K! The first week was super easy and really got me into the swing of things.  You start off with a brisk 5 minute warm up walk, which is followed by running for 1 minute, then walking for 1.5 minutes.  Super easy right? You run 60 seconds then walk 90 seconds for 20 minutes, and it is ended with a 5 minute cool down walk.  Altogether it only takes 30 minutes to complete, 3 times a week!

I know I've said it before, but whenever I reach for a cookie or bag of chips I cannot help but think...."A moment on the lips, A LIFETIME on the hips" :)

Day 20

Day 20 is here, which means that this 60 day Challenge is 1/3 of the way over!

I was REALLY craving Jimmy Johns last night when I got home from work.  A Club Lulu with turkey, bacon, mayo, lettuce, and oil&vinegar was really calling my name.  Jimmy Johns is perfect because the one two blocks from my house has a drive-thru (drive-thru = don't have to leave the car, no one in the restaurant is judging your greasy hair or days worth of mascara, and you can order more becuase it seems like you are taking some home for friends or family...yea, this has literally gone through my mind)
and who can resist their jalapeno chips?

Plus it was Friday night, and since I was staying in instead of going out for dinner or to the bar I totally deserved SOMETHING after my long day at work. Usually when cravings come on I give in to them immediately and I was almost out the door in my pink sweats and uggs when I remembered......the money I've been saving, my fridge STOCK FULL of fruits, veggies, and some yummy homemade chicken noodle soup, and all of the hard work that was just put in over the last 20 days.

It literally took all I had not to go, but in my mind it was a huge victory.  In the end I roasted up some broccoli and asparagus and had a Skinny Cow Mint Chip Ice Cream Sandwich for dessert.  They only have 140 Calories and are 4 Weight Watchers points ( I have no idea what that means according to points, but it's low, so I'm thinking its good?).

Sorry about my Jimmy Johns rant....now onto Breakfast and Lunch!

I finally used one of the beets that I bought last weekend.  I'm not going to lie, I almost threw them away because they are kind of scary looking and I've have heard that they add an "earthy taste."  But they were Amazing! That beauty on the left is the one I had for breakfast and I am so glad that I gave them a chance. 

This recipe was adapted from the Apple-Beet-Carrott Juice from the Reboot Program:

1 Apple

1 Large Beet

3 Large Carrots

2 Handfuls Spinach

Juice of 1 Lemon

It was seriously so good! They will definitely be on my weekly grocery list from now on.  It's not weigh in or measurement day, but I thought I'd share something with you guys.  For the heck of it I decided to get on my body fat/weight scale this morning and to my complete and utter shock it said that I have lost 10% body fat! Can you believe it? I almost can't.  I had to weigh myself 3 different times just to see that it wasn't lying. I have no idea where all that "fat" came from, but I'm glad it's gone :) 

Day 18

Today was the first day of my Preceptorship in Labor and Delivery. WOW! What an amazing, eye opening experience. I'm so happy that I chose such a postive place to learn from in my last semester of nursing school. Spending 12 hours straight for clinicals or my job at the hospital can be difficult to plan for, but I've been juicing about 2-3 jars for the day.  I made a huge pot of homemade chicken noodle soup on Wednesday for the rest of the week, so I have a yummy, healthy lunch AND snacks to look forward to.

These are the two jars I made for tomorrow- one veggie and one fruit! 

Vegetable Jar:

1 Cucumber

Handful of Kale

1 Apple

1 Handful of Asparagus

Juice of 1 Lemon

Juice Jar:

1/2 Orange

1 Handful of Blueberries

1 Handful of Strawberries

1/4 Cantaloupe 

I know it takes some nutrients out when juicing in advance, but there is NO way I am going to get up at 5:00 am to juice. And it's still so much healthier than grabbing a bag of Doritos or Chex Mix. 

P.S- How pretty are those colors?