Temptation, Temptation

Hey everyone!!

I know it's been a while since my last post. Things have been crazy busy lately. I feel like I'm always working, and I've been taking online classes, so I've been a little stressed, lol. Sorry to have kept you waiting, and I hope you've all been eagerly awaiting my latest post! Unfortunately, I don't exactly bring good tidings with this post.

In fact, I have some bad news...

I caved. I gave in. I fell off the wagon. I'm a cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater (pumpkin ice cream, to be more specific). Over the past week or so, despite my best efforts to bring healthy meals to work and avoid temptation at home and out to eat, I've had the occasional slip up. I'm not proud of myself by any stretch of the imagination, and the fact that my occasional cheating has caused my weight to plateau in the past week is hugely disappointing to me. In addition, I've been PMSing this week, and as all the ladies know, this causes you to retain water and have some hardcore cravings. I wish I could tell you that my PMS cravings were along the lines of, "Hmm... I could really go for a candy bar right now." Sadly, my PMS cravings overwhelm me with the unfortunate desire to pillage an entire small country, eating all of their livestock and crops.

Now, PMS is not an excuse to eat your weight in junk food. There are ways to deal with your cravings, and I just wish that I'd had some more willpower over the past week to deal with my own cravings. There are protein bars out there that are absolutely delicious and can be used as a meal replacement or low carb afternoon snack. My personal favorite are the Pure Protein bars. You can buy them in bulk at places like Sam's Club, and they have some awesome flavors like chocolate peanut butter. It's no Reese's, but it does get the job done.

But let's get back to my little cheating slip-up. Not only did I let myself down, but I let you, my readers down. Yes, this is a weight loss journey, and I'm not perfect, but at the same time, who wants to read a weight loss blog about a girl who gave up half way through and got fat again? The fact of the matter is, I've lost almost 30 pounds. THIRTY pounds!! That's kind of a big deal. And all of the weight that I lost was a direct result of hard work, not cheating.

And I'm gonna let you all in on a little secret about cheating. IT'S NOT WORTH IT. Seriously. I know we've all heard countless fitness experts say things like this on TV, but it's because it's TRUE. There's a little saying I learned once; "A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips." Truer words have never been spoken. I work at Dunkin' Donuts, and despite the great personal strength I think I've exhibited in resisting many of their tempting pastry treats, one day I gave in and had a chocolate glazed donut. And I'm gonna tell you what. IT WASN'T WORTH IT. Yes, it tasted pretty good for the 30 or so seconds it took me to eat it. But once it was gone, all I felt was guilt. And nausea. Yes, literal nausea. Foods like chocolate glazed donuts are not meant to be put into our bodies. They're not really food! 95% of it is chemicals. (Trust me, when you work at Dunkin' Donuts for five years, you learn some things that you wish you didn't know.) Once you make the decision to lead a healthy lifestyle, your body is going to get used to eating nutritious foods, and eating processed fast food of any kind will literally make you sick. After eating that ONE donut, I felt sick for the rest of the night. Not worth it. And cheating once only leads to cheating again, and no one wants that. You just have to have the willpower to say no, and get right back into the routine of making healthy decisions.

So with that being said, I hope that you all won't judge me too harshly, and that you'll continue reading so we can all focus on being successful, and not slipping up. Stay tuned, because I'm going to have a lot of posts coming your way to make up for my impromptu hiatus, and I have a little something special planned in my next post for all you coffee lovers out there :) Remember, stay healthy!

Chocolate Glazed Munchkins: The bane of my existence : /

You're Probably Wondering...

So you're probably wondering what happened to my last post. Last night I put up an in detail post where I talked about the specifics of my fitness plan and workout routine. However, after some careful thought, I realized that it would probably be best to take this post down. While it is my goal through this blog to inspire people on their weight loss journeys, and give as many helpful tips as possible, I am NOT a fitness expert. Also, I don't think it's fair for me to be giving away ALL of the information that my trainer, Lauren, has given me, and potentially take away from her business. The fact of the matter is, Lauren is a trainer, and she makes her living off of writing up diet and exercise plans for people just like me. To give away all of her secrets wouldn't be right.

In addition, even though the workout plan I posted was extremely detailed, there is always a risk involved when you begin a new exercise program. Without the proper training and supervision, you could seriously hurt yourself, and I wouldn't want that to happen to any of my readers. You CAN achieve any goal you want through hard work and determination, but sometimes you need a professional guiding you along the way to give you that extra help and support. Unfortunately, I am not a professional, and I apologize if any of my readers feel misled in any way. In each post I stress the fact that the tips that I provide come from a workout and diet plan that is tailored to MY body and specific needs. I cannot begin to express how important it is that my readers NOT follow my plan exactly. As I've said in the past, what works for me may not work for you depending on your body type and nutritional needs.

I can't praise my trainer, Lauren, enough. She has helped me to achieve so much in my life through the weight loss program she provided me with, and I would recommend her to anyone who is serious about their health. Even if you're not looking to lose weight, and you just want to tone up, Lauren can provide you with a plan that will work perfectly for you, and you'll be seeing the results you want in no time. Her diet plans are delicious and easy to follow, her work outs are worth it, and overall, she's an excellent trainer and is willing to put in the time and effort with you to help you succeed. Once again, I sincerely apologize if you feel that I've deceived you in any way in this blog. That was never my intention, and I would never want to see anyone hurt themselves by trying out workout tips that I've posted without the proper supervision. I urge you to take a few moments to check out Lauren's page here, and seriously consider getting in touch with her about starting your own weight loss program. Thanks so much for continuing to read, and stay healthy!!

P.S. This isn't the end! I don't want anyone to think that I won't be blogging about my weight loss journey anymore, because that's not the case at all. I still intend on updating you with my progress, tips, recipes, and struggles throughout my weight loss journey! I just won't be including specific workout plans or menus, so I don't want there to be any confusion.

Workout Time!

I think it's about time we had a serious discussion. About working out, that is. Most people dread going to the gym, going for a run, or engaging in any kind of physical activity for that matter. For some people, they just don't like working out, while with others, the problem lies in getting motivated to actually leave the house. But the fact of the matter is, working out needs to be an important part of your life if you're planning on making the lifestyle changes necessary to be the best you that you can be. So far in this blog I've talked about my eating habits, and things that you can change in your own diet in order to reach your goals. But let's be honest, I didn't lose 26 pounds in two months just by reducing my portion sizes and cutting carbs.

No, in fact, the progress I've made in my weight loss journey has a lot do to with the hard work I've put in at the gym. Now I'm not going to lie to you. When I first starting working out, I wanted to die. Even now there are times when I wake up in the morning and think to myself, "Maybe I won't go to the gym today." But I always end up going, because I know that in the end, the results I'm going to get from this diet and exercise program will all be worth it. Yes, it's true. When you first start an exercise program, it's going to be difficult. To be honest, I still hate the days that I do cardio workouts, because I am NOT a fan of the dreadmill treadmill. Working out can be time consuming, difficult, and definitely sweaty.

But never fear!! If you put in the time and energy, you WILL see results. The most important thing about starting a workout plan, however, is making sure you have the RIGHT workout plan. Believe it or not, running everyday is not necessarily going to get you the results you're looking for. Yes, you will see some results, but why settle for a decently nice physique when you could have an absolutely AMAZING body?? There's a lot more to working out than just running, especially when you're trying to lose weight. In fact, incorporating weights and resistance training into your workout routine are both big factors in achieving the results you want. Check back soon for my next post where I'll detail my own workout routine and give you tips on proper technique and form!

Gym equipment like this can be daunting

when you first start working out

But isn't it worth it to make the effort if you

could eventually see results like THIS??

NOTE: As always, my diet and workout plan is tailored specifically to my body type and my dietary needs. For your own personalized fitness plan, please get in touch with my trainer, Lauren, here. Stay healthy!!

Recipe of the Day: Homemade Chicken Salad

Hey everyone! I hope you found my tips about dining out in my last post super helpful. I just wanted to put up a mini-post today of a recipe that I use all the time. My trainer, Lauren, has me on a very specific diet and exercise program, and my menu is very detailed. One of the dishes she's listed for me as a frequent lunch option is chicken salad. It's something that can be prepped in advance, it's low fat and low calorie, and it's absolutely delicious.

• 1 medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and cubed
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil mayonnaise (It's absolutely delicious, and it's good for you too! I like to use Hellman's brand)
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• (Optional) A small amount of chopped onion (I'm personally not a fan of onion in my chicken salad, but if you like the flavor, then go for it!)

All you have to do is mix all the ingredients together and keep it refrigerated! This recipe makes one serving, and I usually don't prep it more than one day in advance, because I only eat chicken salad a couple of times a week. However, if you're planning on making chicken salad for multiple people, or you want to have this for lunch or dinner a few days in a row, just use larger quantities of the ingredients as needed.

Homemade Chicken Salad: Delicious AND Satisfying

NOTE: As always, my diet plan is tailored to my specific dietary and nutrition needs. For your own personalized diet and fitness plan, please get in touch with my trainer, Lauren, here. Stay healthy!

Don't Be Afraid of Cheating When Eating Out!!!

Going out to eat. We all do it/ have done it/ enjoy it. Don't quote me on this, but I think it's entirely possible that Americans go out to eat more than any other group of people in the world. But for those of us on diets, going out to eat can be particularly challenging. The menus at most restaurants primarily offer foods in ridiculously large portions with loads of calories, fat, and carbohydrates. Often times people on diets opt not to eat out, because they're afraid of cheating. Quite frankly, this is a totally unrealistic mind set.

Personally, I love going out to eat, and if a group of friends asks me if I want to go to dinner with them I'm not going to say, "No thanks, I'd rather stay home by myself and eat a chicken breast." While preparing your own food and eating at home is usually your best bet when it comes to eating healthy, you CAN go out to eat every once in a while! When going out to eat, however, it's important to keep in mind how many calories you're consuming.

While most people enjoy having some sort of beverage with their meal (alcoholic or non), I recommend staying away from anything other than water. Sodas, teas, and lemonades all have tons of sugars, and it's almost pointless to drink your calories. Yes, I will admit, every once in a while I crave a cocktail or two. Who doesn't? But it's important to stay away from fruity mixed drinks with numerous different alcohols and syrups in them, because they're loaded with sugar. According to my trainer, Lauren, if you absolutely NEED to have a drink, it's best to stick with either gin or vodka with tonic and either lemon or lime. I know, a vodka tonic doesn't sound nearly as delicious as some fruity little drink with a cutesy name invented by some bartender at Friday's, but let's be serious for a minute, no one's really drinking for the taste ;)

Another important thing to stay away from when you're eating out is the bread. There are so many restaurants out there that give you free bread with your meal, and they'll keep it coming as much as you like. I'll admit, I LOVE bread. Believe me, I could go to town on a basket of rolls from Bertucci's. But as of right now, it's very important that I not eat carbs. And regardless of your dietary needs, it's probably best to stay away from the bread anyways, because, once again, unnecessary calories.

Now let's get to the good stuff; the entree. (I personally recommend staying away from appetizers and desserts, but a house salad won't kill you, just make sure you're not ordering it with the most fattening dressing available on the menu) A lot of people assume that just because they're on a diet, they HAVE to order a salad. Not only is this not the case, but sometimes a salad ISN'T the healthiest thing on the menu. Yes, the idea behind a salad is great. Leafy greens, mixed vegetables, some kind of protein on top. But when it really comes down to it, the salads available at most restaurants just aren't that good for you. Now, I'm not a nutritionist, and I certainly don't claim to be an expert on health and fitness, but in my experience, if a salad has fried chicken tenders on it and is smothered in blue cheese dressing, that's usually a sign that it's not so healthy. Also, I've noticed that the lettuce used in most chain restaurant salads is primarily iceberg and Romaine. Now, Romaine lettuce isn't bad for you, but iceberg lettuce basically has no nutritional value, and in my experience, it's salads that include greens like spinach that are the best for you. The greener the vegetable, the more nutrients it has.

So you're probably wondering what you CAN eat if you're not having a salad. As far as my diet is concerned, I'm eating a lot of chicken and fish right now, so I would probably stick with a grilled chicken or fish entree with a steamed vegetable side. Obviously you should order based on your dietary needs, but if you're on a diet it's best to stay away from anything breaded, fried, or smothered in cheese or sauce. If you are planning on going out to eat, you might find it helpful to check if there is nutritional information available online for whatever restaurant you're going to. Most chains these days do provide nutritional information on most of their items, and this can be really helpful in making a healthy eating decision. You'd be really surprised to see how many calories are in some of your favorite dishes!!

Chicken Parmesan: One of Olive Garden's most popular dishes.

But is it really worth it for a whopping 1090 calories??

Probably best to stick with the Herb-Grilled Salmon,

which is less than half the calories at 510

So there you have it, the do's and don'ts of eating out while on a diet. As always, what works for me might not necessarily work for you, so make sure you are following a diet that is best for your body and your goals. If you'd like to get in touch with my trainer, Lauren, she can get you started on a diet and exercise program that will be 100% tailored to your specific needs. Like I mentioned in my first post, she's in excellent shape, and all the advice she's given me thus far has been amazing. After all, I lost 15 pounds in the few weeks I've been following her plan! Definitely take an opportunity to check out her fitness and nutrition planning program here. She's been a great help to me, and hopefully she can help you too! And remember, stay healthy!

So It's Been a Little While...

Hey everyone!

I know I said my hiatus wasn't really going to be a hiatus, and that I was going to be updating from the road, but that clearly wasn't the case. But blogging was really the last thing on my mind during a solo drive of 1400 miles. Yup, 1400 miles. There were a few times where I considered pulling over on the side of the road and curling up to die. Despite the fact that both Jeff and I moved back north for the summer, we had to take separate cars on the drive back, so there was no switching off on the driving, no sleeping in the car, and no entertaining each other. Needless to say, it was NOT a good time.

But that's besides the point. What I'd really like to focus on is my eating habits during the trip. I have to say, I'm not exactly proud of myself, but I also don't think I really took into account the kind of toll such a long drive would take on my body. Day one didn't start off exactly as I would've wanted, but it wasn't TERRIBLE. With the craziness of showering, last minute packing, and mentally preparing myself for the drive that lay ahead of me, I didn't exactly have time to make breakfast at home. Jeff and I had decided the night before that we would make a brief stop at a nearby Starbucks to start our trip off right (I normally try to stay away from drinking coffee, mainly because I was extremely addicted to caffeine a few years ago, and also because any coffee drink I like drinking would never be included in my strict diet plan). Starbucks has a delicious spinach/ feta/ egg wrap thing that I knew would be a good start to my morning. I'm not really supposed to be eating carbs right now, but I figured the wrap would have significantly less carbs than an English muffin or toast...

"Sorry, we're all out of that sandwich right now, did you want something else?"

REALLY???????

I ended up settling on some veggie egg sandwich situation, and not only could I taste the preservatives oozing out of the previously frozen egg, but the sandwich just so happened to be on ciabatta bread. I was pretty aggravated, but I knew it was important for me to have SOMETHING to eat before we hit the road. Now despite the fact that this sandwich wasn't exactly my first choice for breakfast, the iced venti non-fat white mocha with no whip was a definite choice. One that I'm not particularly proud of, but quite frankly, anything without espresso really wasn't gonna get the job done, and I figured a road trip of this magnitude was an extenuating circumstance where slight diet deviation would be acceptable. The rest of the day went pretty well, with a Special K bar, a yogurt, and a 5-hour energy holding me over for most of the trip. But it was once we hit Georgia that things kind of went down hill. In northern Florida Jeff wasn't feeling so well, but we both kept driving on and I figured he would be fine in a little while. Once we hit Brunswick, GA though, we were both feeling pretty crappy. We stopped at an IHOP and split an appetizer sampler. There's never an excuse for fried, greasy food, and even though it made me feel a little bit better, the regret I felt later wasn't really worth it. After taking a bit of a nap, we were both feeling better, so we kept driving until we hit South Carolina and decided to stop for the night. By this point, I was absolutely ravenous, (see, I told you fried food's never a good idea) so we both split the homemade chicken salad we had made the day before, found a nice hotel, and got some much needed rest.

There's no need to get into explicit detail about day two of our little expedition. Let's just say that 17 hours later I couldn't feel my ass, and I could swear I was still moving once I got out of my car. I started off the day right with our hotel's continental breakfast. Their fruit selection was pretty grim, but I had a lowfat yogurt, a hardboiled egg, some scrambled eggs, and a piece of ham (I knew stocking up on the protein in the eggs and the ham would be a good idea since I would need it to hold me over for a while). We went for about 4 hours before we stopped for a bathroom break and I had a protein bar (Think Thin brand protein bars are awesome because they have zero sugar alcohols in them, which is an important thing to look for). After another four or so hours though, I was fading fast. I was extremely uncomfortable from sitting in the same position for such an extended period of time, and the fact that my last REAL meal was at 6:30 am was putting me in a pretty bad mood. By the time we got to a Wendy's in Pennsylvania, I was really agitated, and I think both Jeff and I were seriously regretting our decision to eat ALL the chicken salad the night before. And that's when a 10-piece chicken nugget became an inevitably. And I was not happy. It was nice to have something other than a protein bar, but it definitely wasn't the kind of healthy, fulfilling meal I was looking for.

So we kept driving. And driving. And driving. After that trip I didn't even want to look at my car. We were so close. Upstate New York, in fact, when I started feeling sick. I was exhausted, dizzy, and nauseous. We stopped for gas and I just wanted to die. It had gotten dark, the lights from other people's cars were giving me a headache, and I wanted to throw up everywhere. Jeff suggested we relax for a little while, sit down, and maybe have a snack. We each settled on a candy bar, and I also got a monster Slim Jim (I know, what a healthy eating decision). Once we ate I felt a little bit better. We got back on the road, and after an hour or so of driving, and 20 minutes of completely ridiculous traffic in Connecticut, we were passing out for a blissful 10 hours of sleep at his grandparents' house.

So that was my road trip, in a nut shell. All in all, it wasn't as much of a success as I would've wanted in regards to my diet, but it also wasn't a COMPLETE failure. But I definitely feel like it's important to chronicle on here when I do stumble, because I'm only human, and I do make mistakes. Besides, who wants to read a blog about someone who never messes up? I'm certainly not perfect, and I don't expect that anyone who reads this blog is either. And that's why this blog is not just diet tips and fitness advice, it's a weight loss journey that I hope other people can relate to.

Thanks so much for reading, and look for my next post where I'll talk about how to eat right when eating out, and how to not fall into the trap of eating crappy food at family functions. Stay healthy!

On the Road Again

Okay, so it's a LITTLE early in the blog to be going on a hiatus, but I wouldn't exactly call this a hiatus. Jeff and I are hitting the road to live up north for the summer, and I just wanted to let everyone know that my posting's going to be a little screwy for the next few days. I will be sending updates from my phone, but I obviously can't blog as extensively. But I'm definitely looking at this road trip as an opportunity to push myself to continue with my weight loss goals, and I do NOT plan on cheating. As we all know, road trips are a great opportunity to hit up interesting restaurants, try different foods, and of course, there's the fast food factor. But I don't want to fall into the trap of eating breakfast at McDonald's, lunch at Burger King, and dinner at some sketchy gas station where they sell "Chicken ParmASIAN" sandwiches that could probably survive a nuclear holocaust. In preparation for our trip, Jeff and I did a little bit of grocery shopping, where we picked up Special K bars, almonds, protein bars, and chicken for homemade chicken salad (I will be posting detailed recipes for a lot of the foods I eat after we get back). Now we obviously don't plan on surviving on just that for two days, but I'm hoping that these snacks will be enough to keep us satisfied during the day so we don't have to resort to unhealthy eating. I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to work out for a couple of days, just because I know it's going to be that much harder once I get back, but I'm definitely determined to keep up with my fitness plan once I get home. So wish me luck on my trip, and I can't wait to get back to post even better foods and tips for you to follow with me! :)