Sunday Weigh-In (July 29, 2012)

Current Weight, as of 07/29/2012: 131.2 lbs.
Pounds lost since last weigh-in: -- lbs.
Goal Weight: 125-130 lbs. 

~~~

I am not surprised that I gained back two pounds since doing my cleanse.  In fact, I expected it.  However, I did not expect to be 0.4 lbs. lighter than my last Sunday weigh-in.  I thought that I'd be heavier, especially because of the way that I've been eating the past few days.  I missed food, what can I say?

I am pretty happy that I am still on track to losing some weight.  I'm almost to the top of my goal range, which is always exciting!  I'm trying not to let me love of food get to me again, but after my cleanse, all I want to do is eat the yummy, fatty food.

I started exercising again today.  Did Week 3 of Ripped in 30 by Jillian Michaels and wanted to cry at points.  I actually paused the DVD with the intention of doing something else, but after a minute of being a wuss, I put it back in and went through it.  I admit that it's hard for me to get through, but I am   She keeps yelling about "Skinny jeans!"; while I am not that excited about fitting into skinny jeans, I do get excited about the excitement of shopping for clothes, if that makes sense.  I have developed a love for shopping lately, and I browse ModCloth, ASOS, and even look at the K-DASH Collection on QVC for cute things to buy.

Alright, I'm going to look at more clothes and things, so I'll see you guys next post!

Shakeology Cleanse: Recap Post

Shakeology 3 Day Cleanse – RECAP
FINAL WEIGHT: 129.2 LBS.

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS: 3.8 LBS.

Dear Food:

I have missed you the past three days.

I know I ate salad and chicken and I admit, it wasn’t bad eating that.  But you know what I missed?

Eggs.  Bread.  A slice of pizza.

I just really missed you.  Let’s never part again.

I love you,

Tritia

~~~

My final weigh-in today was 129.2 lbs. – which is 0.2 lbs. away from the lowest weight I’ve been. 

I’m not sure if the weight will stay off – I’m pretty sure I gained it back with all of the food that I ate today – but I am proud that I went through the cleanse.  I told my fellow cleanser that I would probably do it again, but after my first sip of coffee, and after taking a bite of my delicious egg scramble this morning … yeah, I don’t know if I would, unless I needed to drop a few pounds quickly.

I am so happy to be eating food again, though.  As I mentioned yesterday, the third day was the hardest.  My mouth would water at the slightest thought of something solid … ugh.  So frickin’ good.  It will also be nice to get back to exercising again; I didn’t exercise during my cleanse in order to preserve my energy.

So, today I ate.  And it was so delicious.  I had a delicious brunch at Yolk, took a final, had some froyo afterwards, and then had chicken teriyaki for dinner and it was all so effing good.  My stomach is so satisfied.  Hell, my mind is so satisfied.

In other news, each time I’ve been downtown, I’ve gotten free Mentos.  That’s awesome, right?

Until Sunday, folks!

Shakeology 3 Day Cleanse: Day Three Blog

Shakeology 3 Day Cleanse – DAY THREE – My last day!
DAY THREE WEIGHT: 130.2 LBS.

I managed to drop another 1.4 lbs. between yesterday and today.  That’s pretty astonishing for me.  I figured that, because I am at a relatively decent weight, and because I’ve been eating and exercising well for the past few months, that I wouldn’t drop more than two or three pounds.  But here we are on day two and I’ve lost a total of 2.8 lbs. so far.  If I lose another 1.4 tomorrow, I will be at 128.8 lbs. – the lowest I’ll have been in decades.  That will also bring my total weight loss on the cleanse to 4.2 lbs.!  I’m curious to see if the weight will stay off or if I will gain it back after I’m done cleansing.  Guess we’ll just have to find out in the next few weeks.

So, here I am on the last day of my cleanse.  My shakes for the day have been consumed and I’ve eaten my delicious dinner.  While I can’t say that I’m sad that it’s coming to an end, I can say that I am glad that I did this.  Out of the three days, today was the hardest.  I am really missing the more savory food that I’m used to eating, both good and bad.  I really want some bread, beef, pizza, milk, and frozen yogurt.  I’ll be honest – I want to sit down and just eat toasted bread or warm pandesal dipped in chocolate milk.  I want to eat eggs, bacon and rice.  I want to shove a slice of deep dish Chicago pizza in my face.  I want to friggin’ eat! 

But again, I am glad that I did this.  It took a lot of dedication, motivation, and hard work to be able to get through it.  It helped that I could reach out to someone else doing the cleanse; they also agreed with wanting to eat and what it took to get through the days.  It was also nice to hear that I wasn’t the only one tempted to cheat; I wanted to eat just one tortilla chip because it “wouldn’t matter”, but I knew it would.   I wanted to do this right, which meant no cheating.  I’m not much of a cheater anyway.

I did this cleanse during the last week of summer classes.  The first day was a school day for me, and though it was difficult, I powered through it.  The next two days were filled of me studying for a final exam on Friday – which, by the way, was much harder than I thought.  I wanted to snack during my study sessions.  I wanted to sip coffee as well.  But I couldn’t.  So I didn’t. 

So what did I get out of this cleanse?  Several things: 1) The knowledge that my body can do whatever I need it to; 2) I can set my mind to do anything and accomplish it; 3) I can resist temptation in the form of food and easily say, “No, I do not want that” without regretting it; 4) I can tolerate green tea; 5) It’s great knowing that I am putting nutritious things in my body for a few days.  I’m sure I’ve gained more out of it, and maybe when/if I remember it I’ll post more.  I think the biggest thing I’ve gained is insight.  This cleanse helped put into perspective not only how and what I eat, but how I’m living my life.  I am stronger than I thought.  I don’t really need  to stuff my face with fatty food.  Also, my body doesn’t mind this cleanse.  Woohoo!

Would I do this again?  Definitely.  Would I recommend it to others?  Without a doubt.  My advice would be to see if you can get a friend or two to join you; trust me, it makes it easier to resist those temptations.  It also helps get another perspective on the whole cleanse.  Also, you have to be serious about wanting to do this.  Three days doesn’t sound like much, but you quickly realize how much you just want to eat food.  The shakes are delicious, and you do get to have salad each night, but damn do you want other food. 

That being said, it’s only three days and trust me, you’ll get through it.  Tomorrow will definitely be a treat though; I'll be having brunch with a friend of mine at a delicious restaurant and I cannot friggin' wait.

And now, some photos!  Here are some pictures I took of what I had during these three days. 

My morning tea.

Blend, Shakeology!

Waiting to be devoured!

What I've consumed the past three days.

The chocolate chip scone that has been staring me in the face since I started the cleanse.
I'm going to eat it tomorrow. It's gonna be so good.

Lunch time!  Chocolate shake and green tea!

My shake, tea, and my own reflection as I get ready to use the computer.

Have a great one, folks.  I’ll be adding another entry tomorrow with my final weigh-in.  I’ll be back on Sunday with a normal weigh-in post as well.

Shakeology 3 Day Cleanse: Day Two Blog

Shakeology 3 Day Cleanse – DAY TWO
DAY TWO WEIGHT: 131.6 LBS.

Friends, I have managed to make it through DAY TWO of my Shakeology cleanse.

Today was a bit of a challenge.  I had to trek downtown to have my TB test read (negative!  Yay!).  I met up with a friend of mine – the friend of mine whom I like to go out to eat with.  Seriously, every time we’re together we go have lunch or froyo (frozen yogurt) or some other delicious treat.  We couldn’t do that today, which was unfortunate, as we were amongst the smells of pizza and cheeseburgers.  Oy.  It was torturous.

In all honesty, though, today wasn’t that bad at all.  Of course, I wanted to indulge in some beloved pizza or other fatty foods, but I did not want to cheat on my cleanse.  It’s hard to resist temptation at times, but if you’re dedicated enough, you won’t blink an eye.  One of the reasons I’m doing this cleanse is to prove to myself that I can do it – it’s only three days and I am not ridiculously starving throughout the day.  My shake, snacks, and dinner all provide me with adequate nutrition and though I am not necessarily full, I am satisfied. 

I can’t say that I notice much of a difference compared to every other day.  I know I’m a little bit more tired, but there’s a multitude of reasons as to why that may be (avoidance of studying for my final, for example).  I’m peeing a lot less than yesterday, but still peeing a lot.  My stomach has remained satiated and I have been drinking my water as needed.  I also discussed today with someone else who is going through the cleanse, and we are on the same page with things: not really hungry, feeling pretty good, feeling energized.

OH!  And in case you didn’t catch it above, I have dropped 1.4 lbs since yesterday!  I am back to the weight I was on Sunday, which is great!  I admit I was disappointed to start off the cleanse as 133, but as someone pointed out, I have still lost some weight.  I am curious to see if the weight will stay off.  I am also excited to see what my final weight will be on Friday.  I am hoping to get to at least 130.0 lbs., but anything under will do!

I want to add that I actually look forward to having my shakes.  I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I have a sweet tooth, so the shake actually satisfies my sweets craving.  That’s another reason why this cleanse has been going well – whatever I am ingesting tastes good!  … Except for the green tea.  I’m not a fan of tea, but I am learning to tolerate it.  Maybe one day, I will learn to love it – or at least like it.

I left you with a photo of myself sipping my last shake of the day.  Today, I have a photo of my salad.  It’s comprised of two cups of “Les Salades du Midi – Spring Mix” from Trader Joe’s, 2 tablespoons of the Sesame Soy Vinaigrette from Trader Joe’s, and about 8 oz. of oven-baked chicken.  It is so delicious. 

Yummy salad!

In random news, John Tesh re-tweeted me on Twitter last night.  I was pretty excited.  I used to listen to him while driving to the gym, and I read his Tweets regularly and re-tweet him like mad.  If you follow me on Twitter, you can see which gems of his I choose to share!

John Tesh loves me. 

Tomorrow is DAY THREE of the cleanse -- the last day!  Until tomorrow, folks!

Shakeology 3 Day Cleanse: Day One Blog

Shakeology 3 Day Cleanse – DAY ONE
DAY ONE WEIGHT: 133 LBS.

I began my venture with the Shakeology’s 3 Day Cleanse today!  I know, I’m excited too!

In all honesty, it was a lot easier to get through the day than I thought it would be.  I mean, I am somebody who loves food and the chance to indulge once in a while – I thought that I was going to nearly die from not being able to do so today (I’m aware of my gross exaggeration). 

Today was a bit challenging; not only was it my first day, but I also had class today as well.  In between classes, I usually grab lunch with a friend or two and we munch and chat until our next class.  My school is in a location that has many, many options for food.  Knowing I wouldn’t be able to indulge like I usually do on class days was a bit … sad.  Only because I was going to miss the inevitable pizza slice, though.

But I made it.  I had to make a few modifications, but I definitely powered through.  I pre-made one of my Shakeology shakes for lunch and stored it in a container, then sipped it while my friends ate.  I didn’t have green tea for lunch, but had some as soon as I got home.  That was a bit of a challenge … I don’t like tea.  I’ll suck down coffee like it’s no tomorrow, but tea?  Ehhh, I’d rather do without.

Anyway.

As soon as I got home, I baked chicken in the oven for the next few nights and then had my dinner of salad, chicken and dressing.  Oh my, it was delicious.  I used the Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette from Trader Joe’s and yum!  Can’t wait to use it for things other than salad, but I digress.

So far, so good, I’d have to say.  The only issues I’ve really had are urinating a lot, which I think is due to the green tea, and feeling a little gassy and bloated.  Other than that, I feel pretty damn good!  I thought that I would be ravenous come dinner time, but I only had two cups of my salad, 4 oz. of chicken, and two tablespoons of the dressing.  It was filling, too.  I haven’t had any crazy cravings, either!  The only time I really wanted some more savory to eat was during lunch; sitting in the food court wasn’t quite torturous, but I admit – I was dreaming of biting into a hot slice of cheese pizza.

I’ll update again tomorrow.  The next two days should be easier to handle since I’ll be at home studying for a final!

Drinkin' my last shake of the day!  I look exhausted.

My Venture Into Cleansing - Shakeology's 3 Day Cleanse

I have been curious about cleanses since I began my whole journey into fitness.  I admit, I didn’t quite buy into the whole “your body needs to get rid of toxins!!!!” gimmick that seems to run amok.  While I do understand that my body may have some pretty disgusting things inside, that does not mean it’s completely unhealthy.  If I make wise choices when I eat, then my body should regulate itself and those toxins should barely exist.

However, I do realize that I don’t always make wise choices.  Those lemon cookies in my cupboard won’t eat themselves, you know?  Not only that, but I enjoy food.  The fattening kind.  We’re talking pizzas, cheeseburgers, rice – all of that stuff you shouldn’t eat, I enjoy.  And who doesn’t?  It tastes good.

That being said, I knew that my body had some pretty disgusting things just hanging out inside.  I’d read about some different cleanses that are out there – from the cayenne pepper cleanse to one that my sister, Erica, did a few months back.  I wanted to try it – why not? – but I didn’t want to pick just any cleanse to do.

Enter Shakeology, brought to you by Beach Body.  If you’ve heard of P90X and TurboJam, then you know Beach Body.  They are all about keeping a fit and healthy lifestyle and have a multitude of tools for you to use, including nutritional supplements and the like.  After getting some information about them, I ordered some chocolate-flavored Shakeology.  Quick sidenote: It’s delicious mixed with Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter, seriously.

As it turned out, there’s a cleanse that you can do while taking Shakeology.  It’s three days long and the best part is you aren’t doing something ridiculous, like only eating salad once a day.  Oh no.  The cleanse is as follows:

• -          3 Shakeology shakes a day
• -          2 cups of green tea
• -          Salad and grilled, white protein for dinner (so chicken or fish)
• -          Lots of water (they recommend 2-4 liters)
• -          Fruit for snacks, which is twice a day

And here is the schedule:

3 DAY SHAKEOLOGY CLEANSE

1 cup of green tea to start the day

BREAKFAST:

1 scoop of Shakeology with ice and 8-10 oz. water

½ cup of fruit (optional)

SNACK 1:

1 piece of fruit

LUNCH:

1 scoop of Shakeology with ice and 8-10 oz water

1 cup of green tea

SNACK 2 (you can have this before or after dinner):

1 scoop of Shakeology with ice and 8-10 oz water

DINNER:

Salad with grilled fish or poultry (Green salad, and no more than 2 tablespoons of no fat/low fat dressing)

See?  Pretty simple, right?  And notice how there’s still food involved?  You can also ingest more calories if you need to; that way, you’re not starving yourself. 

So, friends, I have begun this cleanse.  I will post a blog entry for each day of it and let you know what happens.  I am excited, to say the least.  I am always up for trying something new!

Sunday Weigh-In (July 22, 2012)

Current Weight, as of 07/22/2012: 131.6 lbs.
Pounds lost since last weigh-in: 1.6 lbs.
Goal Weight: 125-130 lbs.

~~~

So my weight-loss is going pretty well!  In the past two weeks, I have managed to lose the weight that I gained during my vacation and then some.  I feel so much better, stronger, lighter.  It took some changes in my eating and exercising, but I did it, and I am damned proud of myself.  I am now only 1.6 pounds away from the top range of my goal weight.

I have been told that I am exercising "too much" or not eating "enough".  I want to assure everyone that is far from true.  I make sure to eat at least 1200 calories a day -- usually more -- and I don't exercise for more than 45 minutes a day.  My exercising is taken from Jillian Michaels DVDs (I loooooove her!) or the Couch-to-5K app on my phone.   I have days where I eat unhealthily, but most days I make wise choices.  I think, for some, it can be alarming to see me at this weight -- let's face it, I haven't been this fit in my life, ever.  I spent the majority of my teenage years being overweight, obese at one point (I topped the scales at about 190 lbs. when I was 16).  

Hearing criticism or concern gets tiring.  Though I know my reasons for doing this, people seem to not believe me or choose to believe something else.  To put it succinctly, I am doing this for myself.  I don't want to get back to being "overweight" or "obese".  Exercising, eating right, living a healthy lifestyle has done nothing but wonders upon wonders for me.  My menstrual cycle is regular (and it hasn't been regular since I started it at 11).  My asthma is finally, finally under control.  I sleep better.  I feel healthier.  And most importantly, knowing that I can change something as big as my health and lifestyle gives me confidence that I can do whatever the hell I set my mind to.  I'm not doing this for a quick-fix; I'm doing this because I want to live longer.  I want to live.  

Choosing to change my life like this has not been easy.  It would be really easy for me to slip back into old habits.  I could stop exercising.  I could go back to eating whatever I damn well please throughout the day.  But I know what that feels like.  I know how unhappy it made me.  Thus, I don't ever plan on doing that again.

~~~

I do have to admit that being fit has it's perks.  I have gone on a bit of a shopping binge lately, as a good part of my wardrobe is now too big for me to wear.  I used to loathe shopping -- loathe it!  At my heaviest, I spent money on music and books instead of clothes because I couldn't find anything or fit into anything that wasn't plus size.  Now, department stores and brands are making clothes in a variety of sizes; however, back then, I rarely found anything that fit me that wasn't in a plus-size clothing store.

Whereas I used to fit in a Large/X-Large top with size 14-16 pants (at my heaviest, mind you), I now fit into a Small/Medium top with size 6-8 pants.  Though women's sizes vary by a ton (a shirt I recently bought from Hollister is a Large, but hey, it's Hollister), I get a certain sense of pride when I realize that the size 8 jeans I'm trying on are too big.  Or that the medium skirt that I want is too big, and that I need to get a small.  And the damn small fits.  Looking at myself in the mirror makes me feel great and healthy.  Before, I would feel ugly, unhappy, fat, disgusted with how I looked.  

But now?  Now, I feel fantastic.  

More importantly, I feel healthy as hell.

Sunday Weigh-In (July 15, 2012)

Current Weight, as of 07/01/2012: 133.2 lbs.
Pounds lost since last weigh-in: 1.8 lbs.
Goal Weight: 125-130 lbs.

~~~

Boom!  How do you like dem apples? ;)

Haha.  I'm just kidding, of course.

Sunday Weigh-In (July 8, 2012)

Current Weight, as of  07/01/2012: 135.0 lbs.
Pounds lost since last weigh-in: --
Goal Weight: 125-130 lbs.

~~~

I have been at 135 lbs. (more or less) for a few weeks now and I have to admit, it's a bit frustrating to not see the scale move like I hope it to move.  On the other hand, I know even though the scale hasn't moved, my body feels so awesome and strong.  Even in recent pictures, I look frickin' amazing!  Not only can I feel my body changing, but I can see it, too.

I'm deciding on whether or not a weekly weigh-in is even helpful anymore.  I may change it to a monthly weigh-in and just have weekly posts as needed.  I'm planning on doing some really fun things in the future and want to document those.  I'm also embarking on internship in August and I am sure that I will need to journal here and there.

I've mentioned before that I plan on posting more stuff in the future, and I swear that I will!  I even plan on giving this blog a make-over sometime soon!  I know, exciting stuff, right?

Sunday Weigh-In (July 1, 2012)

Current Weight, as of  07/01/2012: 134.8 lbs.
Pounds lost since last weigh-in: 0.4 lbs.
Goal Weight: 125-130 lbs.

~~~

Holy cow, can you believe that it's already July?!  I feel like I ask this every month, every year, but where the heck is the year going?  We're halfway finished already!

Anyhow, I managed to drop 0.4 lbs. this week!  Not a huge loss, but considering the scale hasn't moved in the past two weeks, it's a small success.  I've been doing my calorie cycling this past week and I think that might have an effect on what I'm doing.  I'm still going to try it out this week and see what happens next Sunday.

I've got great things to share with you all -- including recent pictures of me -- but those will have to wait for future posts.  I'm really excited to talk about my calorie cycling, my Couch-to-5K progress, and much more, so look out for those posts.  I'm also hoping to give the blog some kind of make-over.  I know, you're excited.

Also, in case you weren't aware, you can now follow me on Twitter!  I'll be posting about blog updates and the like.  You know you want to!