Three-minute cookies & 3 second revelations.

Before I get all serious and heartfelt, I HAVE to spread the word about my new favorite recipe, the 3-minute Oatmeal Cookie, thanks to Tina from Carrots 'n' Cake. I tried it this morning for breakfast because I actually had raisins for once and it was basically like eating a warm, fluffy and hearty treat. Made for a great post-workout meal. I'd highly recommend following Tina if you aren't already. It's fun to read about health, good great food, fitness and see many pictures of her adorable pug. Since I love pugs, it's pretty much the best one-stop blog for me, ha.

I did in fact make it to the gym this morning. Did some running, incline training and the stairmaster. Getting up that early is always the hardest part, but once I make it through the first 5-10 minutes, I'm good to go.

Now for the sappy stuff... I was watching Biggest Loser last night and usually when Bob and Jillian are giving their little speeches to individual team members, I must admit, I kinda zone in and out and don't really pay full attention to what they're actually saying. Well, last night while Jillian was talking to Migdalia (sp?), I paid attention and I'm glad I did. I'm paraphrasing it somewhat, but Jillian basically said that "it takes strength to show vulnerability."

Seeing as how I had just admitted yesterday how vulnerable I've been feeling, hearing her say that almost felt like a punch in the chest. I think I stopped breathing for a bit as I started to choke up. I know it's just a TV show (a controversial one at that) and I know a lot of what goes on is being done for dramatic effect, BUT there's no way I can hear a speech like that and pretend that it did not speak to me on a deeply personal level. Here I was, associating my own vulnerability with weakness, only to be told the exact opposite by one of the toughest women in the world. So naturally, I no longer have just a girl-crush on Jillian Michaels; I want to straight up marry that bitch (sorry Doug).

Good Ol' Crazy Eyes.

So I laughed quite a bit at Biggest Loser last night. Couldn't help it- things got that ridiculous. And there are more people that I'm irritated with and ready to see go home. Liz, especially. Why that woman couldn't shut the fuck up that whole episode, I don't know. She kept saying she would kill herself at the gym and I kinda wished she had. And Dina really disappointed me with the whole "I can't jump on the platform!" nonsense. Ugh. People's reasons for doing things or not doing things on that show are so weak & misguided sometimes, it makes me stabby. But I guess that's the point of the show; to help people work through those issues and get stronger. Some of them will see through their own bullshit eventually. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have those same excuses back in the day. Anywho.

FOOD:

breakfast:
sun-dried tomato chicken sausage- 2
egg beaters- 1
spinach- 0

snack:
9 almonds- 1
apple- 1
carrot/cucumber- 0
hummus- 1

lunch:
ronzoni pasta- 3
tofu- 3
broccoli- 0
PB2 sauce- 1

snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1

dinner:
chicken- 2
low carb tortilla- 1
tomato- 0
wing sauce- 0
f.f. ranch- 1

post-dinner:
yoplait delight- 2
vitatop- 1
s.f. pudding- 1

total points used: 22/22
activity points: 23 min. weight lifting routine- 2
WAPs: 9/35 remaining

Quiz tonight, so I already have quick/easy dinner planned.

EXERCISE:

Lifting day!

Today's routine:
-5 min. warm-up (jump rope, jumping jacks, high knees, butt-kicks)
-4 sets of 12 squats (jump rope in between sets)
-4 sets of 12 bench presses (burpees in between sets)

Still at 30 lbs. I think it'll be a while before I can take on much more than that, haha.

Berries, Brawls and Biggest Loser

I just have to say that even though I tend to have the same mix of foods for breakfast everyday, I just do not get sick of some things. I can't imagine ever getting bored with the creaminess of greek yogurt, the sweetness of juicy, plump berries and the crunchiness of toasted oats and grains. This morning I just had to pause in between bites and think about how much I love good food. And when it's healthy for me as well, I can almost hear my body saying, "THANK YOU!"

FOOD:

breakfast:
f.f. greek yogurt w/ blueberries- 2
kashi cereal- 1

snack:
9 almonds- 1
apple- 1
carrot/celery- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
low carb tortilla- 1
roast beef- 1
r.f. pepperjack- 1
2 c. soup- 4

snack:
protein water- 0
holey donut- 4

dinner:
ronzoni pasta- 3
tofu- 3
broccoli- 0
PB2- 1

total points used: 24/22
activity points: 45 min. HIIT routine- 6
net points: 22
WAPs: 9/35 remaining

Planning on throwing together a tofu dish tonight with some noodles, veggies and maybe a peanut sauce.

EXERCISE:

Pushed it pretty hard at the gym today. Like, when I was driving home, I felt beat the fuck up, as if I was just in a big brawl or something. But strangely enough, I kinda liked the feeling. Even though I was more exhausted than I had been in a while, underneath, I still felt strong. Probably because I knew I had just pushed myself out of my comfort zone and into a more challenging level of fitness.

As for what I did differently, I just took things up a notch in all of my intervals. For example, I ran at 7 mph for the majority of my run, I increased my resistance level on the elliptical, but lowered the incline a bit (which makes it harder because you're working with less range of motion) and I did the rowing machine for 10 minutes (doesn't sound like much, but since I did it last, it almost killed me). I swear, rowing has snuck up on me as probably the hardest interval in my routine right now. Even though you're sitting down, it still jacks your heart rate up.

I wanted to quit rowing after not even 5 minutes, but I dug a little deeper, reminded myself of why I woke up at 4:45 am in the first place and imagined Bob & Jillian from Biggest Loser in the gym with me, yelling at me to keep going. I know that last bit sounds incredibly silly (and maybe a bit psycho), but honestly, I do it all the time. They've become my fitness idols, so whenever I need a push during a workout, I imagine they're right beside me, telling me not to quit. Plus, it's Biggest Loser Tuesday, so I gotta get pumped for the new episode somehow!

Today's routine:
-10 min. warm up run
-15 min. incline training
-10 min. elliptical
-10 min. rowing

I need to remember to bring my lifting gloves next time I row; got a nice little blister on my hand today.

Payday! Woo!

(***If you're new to the blog, feel free to read my introductory posts and my Not-so-secret-Secret to Weight Loss.)

FOOD:

So the meat loaf recipe from last night? Yeah, don't try it yet. I mean, the flavor was awesome, but the typical meatloaf structure just wasn't there. Needs more breadcrumbs (and probably not the panko variety, which I'm partial to), eggs and probably less sauce and less zucchini. I drained it several times and left it in the oven longer than what I listed and each slice still fell apart when I served it. Just FYI.

breakfast:
egg white- 1
1 oz. avocado- 1
light english muffin- 1

snack:
apple- 1
carrot sticks- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
leftover meatloaf- 5
spinach w/ laughing cow wedge- 1

snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1

dinner:
chicken breast- 3
bell pepper/tomato- 0
1/2 tsp olive oil/parmesan- 1
white beans- 2

post-dinner:
yoplait delight- 2
PB2 sandwich- 2

total points used: 22/22
activity points: yoga (0.5), grocery shopping (1)- 1.5
WAPs: 29/35 remaining

Yeah, went over my points last night with ice cream. I'm usually not one to make excuses for poor food choices, but I'm gonna blame the hormones. Only because after inhaling the cold, creamy, chocolaty, peanut-buttery goodness, I felt loved, not guilty, haha. It was one of those feeding-my-soul moments.

EXERCISE:

Even though I probably could have slept until six, I still left my alarm set for 5 and did some yoga. I figured I would benefit from the stretching and I think I did. My flexibility and balance are still horrible though. I think I need to try and add the yoga to another one of my other workout days. Probably to a day where I do one of the Gym Junkies workouts, since they're so short, time-wise. I just don't think once a week is enough. Plus, I'm still doing weeks 1-2. I'd like to progress to the next level sometime this year, haha.

===================================

Too lazy this morning to rant too long on last night's Biggest Loser. Jillian had a lot of great moments though, I thought. I think it's funny how everyone thinks Tracey is crazy now. Did I or did I not call those Crazy Eyes the first night? I knew she was off from the beginning. Last night, my god. She rocked the scale though, so I can't hate on her too much. Poor Coach Mo.

In other news, it's PAYDAY! i worked on the grocery list for two days, haha. We're to the point where we cleaned out a lot of canned and frozen stuff too. Definitely going to re-stock on a lot of stuff. Especially beans, canned tomatoes and frozen fruits/veggies. I've been craving that stuff a lot lately. I'm even leaving work early today so I can hit up 3 stores. It really is pathetic how excited I am about this.

Biggest Loser

Forgot to post my thoughts on last night's Biggest Loser! I'll of course spare details so as not to spoil it for anyone who hasn't watched it yet, but here are few things:

- I'm sorry, but that Tracey woman from the purple team has Crazy Eyes. She just creeps me out. She has this weird look on her face and when she talks, she doesn't really say anything. And she seems high-strung. Maybe she's just nervous and still adjusting to being on the show, which I can understand.

- Shay needed to stop getting her panties in a twist over Julio. I know they all needed to work as one big team this week, but overall, you should always just focus on looking out for yourself. I know it's a show and a lot of what she said was aired just for sheer drama/entertainment purposes, but good grief. Shut the hell up already and get back to work!

- Ok, truth time: When the blue team weighed in last night, I cried. Rudy asked his teammate (Dina? I think that's her name) how it felt to lose 8 pounds. She paused and then said "I think sometimes I sell myself short." I can't fully explain why, but I totally burst into tears when she said that. It echoed in my head and reminded me of how I ALWAYS sold myself short when I was heavier. It further reminded me of how I sometimes still sell myself short even now, after losing the majority of the weight and trying to make it to goal.

I guess sometimes I forget (or try to) how much extra stress I put on myself by being unforgiving and flat-out negative. Lately, I've been trying to improve my self-image and re-assure myself that I am indeed awesome, but it's still a work in progress. I never realized how much time it would take to make the mental transition from being absolutely disgusted by myself to being proud of becoming a healthy individual. It's hard, yo.

I'm definitely more confident than I used to be, but I still find myself occasionally doubting myself like I used to at 248 pounds.

Anywho, hearing someone else say out loud the same exact thing that I practiced for YEARS just really hit me hard, but in a good way. In order to get me to stop crying, Doug made a crack about how Julio looks like Corey Feldman ate Corey Haim. Mean, yes, but also made me laugh hysterically. Mostly because I'm still geeky enough about the 80s to be genuinely entertained by a Feldman/Haim reference.

It's still too early to decide who I'm rooting for, but I think it's safe to say that I hope Dina sticks around for a little while longer.

Biggest Loser Tuesday!

Looking forward to the Biggest Loser premiere tonight. And looking forward to taking tomorrow off from work (and working out, heh).

FOOD:

breakfast:
egg beaters- 1
boca sausage- 1
spinach- 0
1/2 c. kashi cereal w/ 1/4 c. almond milk- 1

snack:
orange- 1
carrot sticks- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
healthy choice portabella spinach pasta- 5

snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1

dinner:
chicken- 2
ronzoni smart taste pasta- 3
olive oil- 1
zucchini/tomatoes/mexican squash- 0
parmesan- 1

post-dinner:
pumpkin bread- 2
s.f. pudding w/ lite syrup- 2
kashi bar- 2
popcorn ball- 1

total points used: 25/22
activity points: Biggest Loser Boot Camp, all levels- 3
net points: 22
WAPs: 20/35 remaining

For dinner tonight, I'm thinking a chicken pasta dish. My grandma came to visit this week and brought more zucchini, summer and mexican squash from her garden. I also have some tomatoes from my boss' garden that I need to use. I'm just craving those fresh veggie flavors and I think tossing it all up with some chicken and pasta would be pretty good.

EXERCISE:

Just did the Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD. My arms, shoulders and hamstrings are tired. Good morning workout though.