3/29/12

Deadlift

Wide and reverse grip lat pulldown/
Cable row/
Back hyper

Seated dumbell curls
Standing barbell curls
DB preacher curls

Week 7 Check In

Weight: -7.5 lbs
Inches: -10

10 Inches!

I went camping (of sorts) this weekend. Knowing that my guy and his friend would probably only bring beer and Slim Jims, I packed some healthy snacks for myself. Roasted chickpeas, protein pumpkin pancakes, blueberry oatmeal muffins, cherry tomatoes and hard boiled eggs. It was a smart move to have healthy things to  eat. I wasn't following my meal plan exactly, but I knew I wasn't completely blowing it, either.

Breakfast of champions

I made a discovery this  morning that BLEW MY MIND.

1/2 c. dry oatmeal
a little less than 1c water
6 frozen strawberries

Nuke it all together! Mine takes 2-ish mins.

When most of the water is absorbed, toss in a splash of almond milk, 1 Tbl flax seed oil, and half a scoop of protein powder. My protein is cookies and cream flavored. Mixed with the strawberries? OMG. Dessert.

This is the perfect breakfast! Carbs, protein, fruit and a little healthy fat.

Almond Milk

In my haste to buy in bulk, I snagged a box of Silk Original Almond Milk at Costco. I should know better. It wasn't until I got home that remembered to check the label. "Original" does not equal "unsweetened". Cane sugar in the ingredients.

The organic UNSWEETENED almond milk at Trader Joe's is far superior. It tastes better and isn't as thick. It's also more expensive, but I know it will be worth it to switch back.

I don't like it plain, but almond milk is killer in smoothies and with protein powder. Super low calorie and adds a nice nutty flavor.

Hindu Squats

What fresh hell is THIS?!



Sets of 30 after every set of barbell squats = burning quads, lit up arches, gasping breath.

They were surprisingly fluid. I was taught to never ever everrrrrrrr squat up on your toes like that. I've heard of these, though, and they are fairly known/popular, so I wasn't dead set against trying.

I figured I would give them a try and if my knees exploded, I would stop. I think because you're SO far up on your toes and so centered/tall through the torso, it wasn't as much pressure on my knees as I had anticipated.

Protein Powder Review

I drink a LOT of protein on this fun little diet. A lot. About 3x/day. A few years ago I trained for a competition and had up to 3 protein shakes a day and, by the end of it, the smell of chocolate Muscle Milk made me gag. I was a little worried, this go round, that the same thing would happen, especially since I wanted to save money by buying a big jug of it.

So far, I've been buying from Vitamin Shoppe. They have a good selection and free shipping over $25. PLUS, a cashback bonus from Ebates (if you shop online at all, for anything, you MUST sign up for Ebates! If you decide to sign up, let me know so I can give you my email as your reference and score $5 for myself).

My first purchase was Champion Nutrition Cookies and Cream protein.

After having this 3x/day for almost a month and a half, I still love it. It's SO good mixed with unsweetened almond milk. When just stirred in, it's a wee bit chunky. No chunks when I use a shaker, though.

For fear of getting sick of it and ruining a good thing, I just bought a jug of Optimum Nutrition Whey Gold Natural Vanilla.


It's a little pricier, but I was drawn to the "natural" no artificial sweeteners or flavors part. Stevia might be "natural", but it's still a sugar substitute, and I think it tastes stronger than whatever chemical fake sugar that's in the cookies and cream powder. The plus side is that it dissolves really easily. Cookies and cream wins this battle, but I think it's good that I have a different flavor to throw into the mix sometimes, to mix things up.

New favorite snack

Trader Joe's fat free plain Greek yogurt mixed with half a scoop of my cookies and cream protein powder. It tastes and feels like chocolate mousse! I imagine any flavor powder would transform plain yogurt into a mousse/pudding treat. Super delish and super healthy!

Month 1 Check-In!

Weight: -6 lbs

Inches: -6.2 lbs

(Interesting that my weight lost and inches lost have almost exactly mirrored each other every week!)

Nothing changed much at my week 3 check-in, which was a little discouraging. How was I plateauing already?? Abby assured me that sometimes that just happens. She said that she's had weeks when she eats great and kicks ass in the gym and no numbers change. That made me feel a little better. 

My one month check-in was good, though. I dropped below a mile-marker weight that I haven't been below for a while, so that felt pretty awesome. 

Last weekend I went to Ohio to visit a friend. I didn't eat great, but I didn't go crazy, either. I feel ok about that. I decided not to feel guilty about enjoying my friend and a new city and some of the treats it has to offer. I also decided that I wouldnt use it as an excuse to go completely nuts and shove crap in my face all weekend. There a happy and tasty middle ground. The key, which I knew I was safe with, was coming back home and getting right back to work. I will admit that I feel better when I eat better (shocking, right?). I came home late Sunday night and immediately jumped back on my program.

I was excited to hear that Abby had changed my meal plan just a tad. A few more calories and a couple more options. After eating the same thing every day for a month, any little change is welcome! I also got new cardio assignments for the first time since the beginning. Cardio with squats and lunges mixed in. She is literally kicking my ass!

While I send front/back/side pictures to Abby every week, I didn't really look at them closely until the one month mark. I didn't want to obsess over and stare at them every week. If I didn't see a change, it would discourage me, and week by week there probably isn't a lot to see anyway. At this week's check-in, I allowed myself to look at the difference between the start and one month. It was nothing earth shattering. In fact, the only real difference that I could see was that my waist is smaller. I'll take it! These things take time and I understand that. The numbers are going in the direction that they're supposed to and I feel great being back in the gym again. That was my main goal, to feel better. I think I'm right on track.