Day 33 and 34: Faster and Stronger

Naughty blogger. No cookie.

Sorry I haven't posted my 1-month progress pics. Husband has been busy and I keep forgetting to ask him to take the photos. Ah well. Will do it this weekend.

I just came home from the most amazing run. I went after Baby Girl went to bed so it was quite dark out, which was a bit unnerving (I live in the middle of downtown Vancouver), but other than that, night running is where it's at. I am so proud of myself; I am really enjoying running now and can run for what seems like forever without getting winded. It actually feels really good the whole time. It's amazing how fast improvement happens. To think that only one month ago, I could barley run for 30 seconds and now, I can run for at least 40 minutes and I'm loving every second of it.

Hot yoga is also going well. In one of my classes last week, I really felt like I was starting to "get it". And the best part was that after class, the instructor pulled me aside and said (and I quote), "You have a beautiful yoga practice." What a compliment! I pretty much walked home on a cloud.

The Plan is going great. I am sticking to it like glue and the weight continues to come off. Slowly. Very slowly.

I have written far too much about Cheat Day over the last few weeks so I'm not going to get into it again in this post, save to say that I am still finding Cheat Days challenging. I look so forward to them all week but once I get to Cheat Day, I am just not finding them satisfying. It's really weird and I don't understand it.

Anyway, nothing too exciting to report! Oh, except for this: None of my bras fit me properly anymore! Haha...

Day 20: My Sneaky Little Snack

Yoga class was awesome tonight! Gosh that heat felt so nice after a couple days' break. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

So The Plan is still going really well. And I've made peace with the scale. Today was the first day that I just didn't care what it said. Well, okay, maybe I did care a little.... Probably in light of yesterday's shocking discovery that my not-so-trusty scale sometimes fibs, I just weighed myself, recorded the number and went about my business. Up or down, it didn't really matter. I am feeling good and my clothes are getting looser by the day.

I'm starting to understand that weight is a range, not a fixed, tried and true integer.

In other news, I found something wonderful, quite by accident, in the snack aisle of the grocery store today. Behold:(Don't mind the French, I live in Canada.) I am a nut butter - especially peanut butter - slave (not that you could tell by this blog) so when I found these, I just couldn't resist. ) Quaker Crispy Delights Peanut Butter Crunch rice cake snacks - They are soooo good!What an awesome treat for when I need a little sumthin sumthin.

Okay, I know there are a lot of controversy over these 90 or 100 calorie snack packs. Yes, they're not real food. Yes, they're loaded with all kinds of chemicals and junk. Yes, they're just empty calories. And Yes, sometimes you need to put the contents of the package under a magnifying glass to see what you're about to eat. And don't get me started on the environmental impact of all that extra packaging. I get all that.

But ya know, sometimes you just need something. Something to remind you that you're not on a diet. A little taste of a snack that you used to love. All in a safe protective package that keeps you from over indulging. A treat that you can easily sneak into your diet without a lot of sacrifice. Hell, even if you go NUTS and have TWO, you're only into them for 200 calories. No biggie.

So YES, I admit it, I am a big, BIG fan of the 100 calorie snack pack.

Day 11: Rock and Roll

Wow! I woke up this morning with SO MUCH ENERGY! I had a great sleep, and couldn't wait to get rockin' and rolling today. Baby Girl and I had a nice breakfast together - I had a big bowl of oatmeal with banana and cinnamon (I'm sparing you the pics - you've seen enough oatmeal for awhile) and then you know what we did? We went for a RUN! Well, I ran and Baby Girl sat in the stroller while I pushed her along.

Okay, we don't actually have a jogging stroller per se, but I'd say we did pretty well all things considered. I didn't go for a long run - just 15 minutes to the park, stopping to let Baby Girl have some fun on the swings and the slide, and then 15 minutes back. I worked up a nice sweat and it felt great. I am excited to know that I can now go for runs with Baby Girl, as opposed to being dependent on Husband's schedule so he can watch her while I go. My only complaint is that my upper arms are kind of sore, I think from holding the handlebars of the stroller. But I'm sure that will fade in time. All in all, an AWESOME morning.

I absolutely certain that my energy and mood today are thanks entirely to yesterday's yoga. In fact, I was feeling so great this morning that I didn't even freak out when I weighed myself and discovered that yesterday's Cheat Day resulted in a weight gain this morning of 0.8 pounds. Whatever. I'm not even thinking about it.

And because today is Sunday, I've updated my "Numbers" in the sidebar to the right (as I will do every Sunday). As you can see, I'm officially down 3.5 pounds. Not bad. But I've fluctuated so much over the last week, I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to get out of the 160's! What a great day it will be when that happens.

Anyway, I'm feeling fantastic, energized and healthy today. I think I'm going to make a big batch of homemade vegetarian chili for dinner tonight, even though it's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. Yes, it's a very un-Thanksgiving meal indeed, but I'm cool with it. We're just gonna take it easy.

Monster hunger is starting to set in. Must go forge for lunch!

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!!!

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?

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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!

Day 6: My Scale is Such a Jerk

I woke up this morning and weighed myself, only to discover that not only had I not lost anything, but I was actually up 2-tenths of a pound from yesterday. Now believe me when I say that I fully realize that 2-tenths of a pound means nothing. I know that. But I must admit that it was discouraging to see those numbers.

How is it possible that I am eating so well, exercising every day, and yet I actually gained a small amount? Am I eating too much? Too little? Is it water? Is it the fact that I demolished 10 prune plums in front of the TV last night leaving only this in my wake?

I'm trying to keep perspective about this whole scale thing and for the most part I am; it's just so easy to get hung up on those silly little numbers. *Sigh* Ah, but I digress.

Husband sweetly offered to buy me some new yoga clothes as a little gift for starting up hot yoga again. I am totally taking him up on this and I'm really excited to go shopping here on Friday. Not only is it one of my favourite stores, but they always seem to have just what I'm looking for in terms of workout clothing. I can't wait to show you all what I end up coming home with. And on SATURDAY (mark your calendars folks), I will be attending my first hot yoga class in 5 years! I am pretty darn stoked about it.

On another random note - this post is turning out to be all my random thoughts for the day - I am getting totally into oatmeal. No stranger to fellow food bloggers, oatmeal is the King of Breakfast and I'm starting to understand why. First of all, it's totally versatile and you can throw in practically anything. Second, it's cheap. Third, it's totally delicious and healthy. And fourth, it really keeps you full. Like, for HOURS! It sure keeps hunger at bay a lot better than my bowl of Special K was doing.

This is what I whipped up this morning.
Very simple, just threw in some apple pieces and stirred in lots and LOTS of cinnamon. It was great, low calorie, and oh so filling. I love looking at the photos and reading the descriptions of everyone's oatmeal breakfasts out there in the blogosphere. It gives me tons of ideas!

Tonight, after a good rest day yesterday, I'm going to attempt a run again. Wish me (or rather, wish my quads) good luck!

Day 5: Trying Something New

I think I spoke a wee bit too soon when I mentioned in yesterday's post that I am no longer sore from running. Yesterday's run turned out to be sheer torture, and not only did I NOT enjoy it (at all!), but I actually felt like I might be hurting myself. I powered through it, but when I got home my quads let me know that I really shouldn't have pushed so hard.

I had to lie on the floor all evening and stretch out. A hot shower did help, and a good sleep helped even more, but I am still going to take the day off from running today - despite my best laid plans. I am still going to exercise - I think a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes will do - but sadly, running is just going to have to wait for tomorrow so I can give my poor legs a break. They just don't understand what's got into me the last few days.

And now that the weather is turning cooler, I've decided to get back into hot yoga (Bikram yoga). I used to love it about 5 years ago and because of life changes and stuff, I quit and never went back. I am feeling the call again, and am looking forward to some nice hot workouts. The best part about hot yoga is the calorie burn. A girl my size burns about 700 calories in a 90 minute class. That is insane! I'm not sure I could burn that many calories running uphill for an hour!

I'm going to start next week after the holiday (Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving) and my dear friend L is going with me. She is really excited and it's contagious. I can't wait! I think a mix of hot yoga and running will be a great combination for me. I'd also like to try pilates, I've never done them. Maybe that's next?

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The scale hasn't really budged much in the last few days. I'm trying not to let it bother me, but I must admit that it is a bit discouraging sometimes. In the past, the first few days of losing weight were always so epic, and I feel like I'm off to a slow start. Oh well, I am feeling better already, and that's nothing to shake a stick at.

As I type this, I'm snacking on a crispy granny smith apple, and a small piece of sharp cheddar cheese. It's heaven. Wanna see? Of course you do.