Day 18 & 19: Scratch That Itch

I finally broke out of the 160's this morning! Hooray! That must mean I'm doing something right.

Although I also discovered this morning that my scale is not really that accurate. When I first weighed myself, it showed that I was 158.8. I jumped for joy. Then a few minutes later I wanted to show Husband so I got on again and I was 162.2. What?? Booooo. But that seemed weird to me. So I then proceeded to bump, move, step on, step off, relocated and reset the scale. Now I'm 161 even. Without moving the scale, I stepped on a few minutes later. 159.8. I have no idea what was going on but I decided to just keep that last number as it was kind of the average of all the numbers I got this morning. And an important lesson was learned: That number really does mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. So next time I'm celebrating a 2 pound loss or mourning a 2 pound gain, I'm going to have to take that number with a grain of salt. Because apparently, it's really give-or-take 3 pounds.

So, unfortunately (and embarrassingly), I already failed my 50 day yoga challenge. I want to say it was beyond my control, but I think I let it happen. I was exhausted and when Sunday got too busy for me to fit in a yoga class, I relented and kinda gave up. I went for a long run instead.

I'm not too upset, I certainly did try and I'm definitely going to keep going to yoga everyday if possible. I think if I alternate running and yoga that would certainly make for a good fitness recipe. I will be going to yoga tonight, hopefully, as long as I can get Baby Girl down for bed at an early time.

Running has been going great. I am really getting into it. I can run for 30 minutes - no problem. (Although it should be noted that I run really slowly, at a snail's pace). And when the 30 minutes is up, I always feel like I could do more. That's just where I want to be for awhile. It feels great! I am so pleased with my progress.

I have been really lazy about photographing my meals lately. Or maybe it's more that I'm so freakin hungry by the time I eat that I'm not thinking straight. But anyway, here are the highlights from Cheat Day:

Chicken and vegetable yakisoba (homemade with leftover spaghettini noodles) mixed with lots and lots of edemame beans. Yummers!
And of course, lots and lots of almond butter. Mmmmmmm.

For dinner, I made some turkey tacos which turned out just OK. No pics.

The funny thing about my last Cheat Day is I wanted something but I couldn't figure out what. In hindsight, I realize that it was that Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from Dairy Queen that's been all over TV lately. To satiate myself, I tried eating lots of almond butter, a 100-calorie snack pack of chocolate covered pretzels, and a HUUUUGE bowl of cereal but by the end of the evening I was stuffed, but unsatisfied. And the scale was not kind to me the next day so to me it really wasn't worth it.

My valuable lesson learned on Cheat Day: If I'm going to indulge, at least make it count. It's not worth it to eat for the sake of eating. If it's not delicious then I shouldn't waste my time.

I spent all day thinking about that Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from DQ and I never got it because I was trying to behave myself. And now I wish I'd just gone ahead and satisfied that craving, rather than eating a lot of other stuff that didn't scratch that itch, KWIM?

Now I know.

Day 15: Two Weeks

It's official. I've completed TWO WEEKS on The Plan. I've followed my diet to the letter and I've exercised every day. I am very proud of myself.

And my hard work thus far was rewarded this morning by some really good news on the scale. I have dropped to the lowest weight I've been since I've started the plan. I'd love to hope that maybe I'm finally out of this weird up-and-down weight fluctuation/plateau thing that has been plaguing me lately, but I'm smarter than that. But I'll take this little accomplishment and keep it in my back pocket. I weighed exactly 160.0 today. I'm one-tenth of a pound away from finally getting out of the 160's!!

Cheat Day is coming the day after tomorrow and of course I'm already daydreaming about what I want to eat. Almond butter tops the list again so I think that will be incorporated into my breakfast. I've also been eyeing up that Pumpkin Pie Blizzard that Dairy Queen has been advertising recently. I don't know if I will go as far as to have one but oh wow do they look good.

My mum is having a family party on Sunday and I thought about using my Cheat Day then, but the main course is going to be a beef dish and since I don't eat beef, I figure it's not worth it to use a whole Cheat Day up just so I can eat side dishes. I'll just pack my lunch instead! And if anyone asks why I'm not eating, I'm just going to be honest and tell them that I am on a diet.

I've been really focused on exercise over the last couple of days. It's almost impossible not to be when I've been going to nightly yoga classes. It's a bit hard, but not because the yoga itself is difficult (although it can be pretty intense). It's more of a challenge for me because evening after Baby Girl goes to bed is my time, when I get to relax in front of the TV, blog, check email, surf the internet. I am missing my shows! But my health and fitness is definitely worth more than an episode of America's Next Top Model and I just keep telling myself - it's only 50 days. I can get through anything for 50 days.

Here's my lunch today!An open-faced herbed cream cheese and spinach sandwich with a side of bright, beautiful cherry tomatoes.

Mum is going to babysit Baby Girl so I can go for a run today. Nice!

Day 10: Such a Nutty Day

I went to my first hot yoga class (in 5 years) today and it was just lovely. I had one heck of a workout, and sweated enough to fill a bucket. I struggled a bit from being out of practice, but I remembered most of the poses and the heat felt wonderful.

So today is Cheat Day and it has been very nutty. Literally. I guess I've been craving nuts - they're so hard to fit into a low calorie regime - so today I really went nuts with the nuts!

Breakfast was the first thing on my mind when I woke up this morning. I knew exactly how to start Cheat Day. With this:A toasted flax bagel positively slathered in almond butter. Drool. But, then I decided it was missing a little something so I added:Half a sliced banana and (of course) a sprinkling of cinnamon! I think cinnamon is my favourite spice ever.

Around noon, I decided I'd better eat again so I'd have lots of energy for my 3:30 yoga class. After much rummaging through the kitchen, I decided on a big bowl of oatmeal with raisins, the other half of the banana, lots and lots and LOTS of walnuts, cinnamon and skim milk. See?That little bowl of yum turned out to be quite a powerhouse because it kept me full and energetic straight through yoga. Awesome!

When I got home from yoga, however, I was absolutely famished. I snacked on an unpictured granny smith apple but that barely made a dent in my hunger so I knew I'd have to eat some dinner soon. Because it's Cheat Day (la dee dah!), I convinced Husband to order some take-out from our favourite Thai place, just around the corner from our loft. We split an order of cashew chicken with extra cashews (told you it was a nutty day!) and some brown rice.It was soooooo good. It was the perfect amount of spice, the veggies were crispy and the cashews were toasted to perfection. It didn't take Husband and I very long to inhale every last bite.

Now, I'm sitting here feeling a wee bit hungry again and thinking about a snack. Will it be a bowl of cereal? A piece of toast with almond butter? Some 100 calorie chocolate? All three??? VIVA LA CHEAT DAY!!!

Day 9: Bring on the Almond Butter, Bring on the Heat

Well friends, here I sit on the eve of Cheat Day. Wahooooo!

I don't plan on going crazy tomorrow, really. But just eating whatever and whenever I feel like it, and not recording every single calorie, well that just sounds lovely. I am going to thoroughly enjoy my big gobs of almond butter (yeah baby) and I'm not going to worry about it. I am so excited.

I am also excited because tomorrow is the first day of my 50 DAY YOGA CHALLENGE. My muscles are primed and rested and I am ready to sweat!

Tonight's dinner was really good. I heated up some Fillo Factory Spanakopita that I bought from Whole Foods last week. They're all natural and 4 pieces were only 210 calories. Not bad! I threw some fresh tomatoes, cucumber and asparagus on my plate to go along with it. Decadent, filling, delicious and totally satisfying. I will definitely buy those again. Baby Girl really liked them too!

Here's what dinner looked like:

That's all for tonight! Gonna watch a movie with Husband and have a cup of tea and some 100 calorie chocolate. Mmmmmmmmm.

Why I Love Lululemon

Let me count the ways...

Lululemon is my new favourite store. Why?

Well, it's not because they have the cutest and best quality workout clothing. It's not because they offer free LIFETIME alterations. It's not even because the salespeople are knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.

It's because AT LULULEMON, I AM A SIZE 8. Wheeeeeeee!

Every other store knows me as a size 14, so comfortably fitting into a size 8 is just too thrilling. I'm not sure if it's their stretchy Luon signature fabric, or if they are onto some kind of a fantastic marketing gimmick, but fitting into a size 8 anything pretty well makes me want to buy up the store.

And while I didn't buy up the entire store, I did come home with these lovely gems:

and...

Yes, you're reading that tag right - I bought the Ta Ta Tamer. These 36 double D baby-nursing Ta Tas definitely need to be told who's boss!

My shopping adventure wasn't cheap. All told I spent just under $400. That's for two pairs of yoga pants, two tank tops, and a sports bra. Yikes. Thanks, Husband!

Day 8: Shopping, Almond Butter & 50 Days of Yoga

Well friends, hot yoga starts in two days and I've got to go dig out my mat, find some beach towels, and of course - do a bit of shopping here. I've already informed Husband that I plan to do quite a bit of damage and surprisingly, he was totally okay with it. I think I'm going to go today, just waiting for Baby Girl to wake up from her nap so I can feed her some lunch before we go shopping!

Speaking of Husband, he is STILL running (almost) every morning! I am so darn proud of him. I never thought he'd stick with it, but he is totally banging it out! He says when he skips a run, he really misses it. Amazing. He is such an inspiration and he truly helps me to stay motivated and focused. And my worries about Husband's eating preferences have been totally dashed. He even ate the vegetable lasagna I made (heated up) for dinner last night (I didn't take any pictures, it was nothing special) and liked it. I couldn't believe it! It sure makes dieting and exercise easier when your partner is involved, doesn't it?

---

I've decided that my first Cheat Day will be on Saturday. I am so excited. All I can say are these two words: ALMOND BUTTER. It's all I can think about. I've been craving it since I started The Plan but as we all know, nut butters, while delicious and very healthy, are highly caloric and I find it a challenge to fit them into my low-calorie menus. So that's gonna be my big treat on Saturday. I may just have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Now, normally, I would give myself a day off from exercise on my Cheat Day as well. But since I'm starting hot yoga on Saturday, I'm going to give myself tomorrow off instead, so I can rest my muscles. Mixing up Cheat Day a bit. That's allowed, right?

Did I mention that not only am I starting hot yoga on Saturday but I will be doing yoga for 50 straight days? You read that right. FIFTY as in 5-0. Why? Because the yoga studio I am joining has a great new student promotion for three weeks and then, during the month of November, they are having a "30-Day Yoga Challenge". This challenge is meant to encourage students to attend 30 classes in 30 days. If completed successfully, the students' names are entered into a drawing to receive one year of unlimited yoga. I WANT THAT PRIZE! So I'm going for it. And yeah, these two promotions together equal 50 consecutive days of yoga.

I'm totally going to take before and after photos because I have a feeling that 50 days of yoga might actually yield some visible results!