38 days and counting.....

38 days in and it feels like so much longer. This is quite the process. I've gotten past the "sprint" phase and it's turned into a never-ending marathon.  So, I promised to keep you guys updated on how it's going and I felt like I've had some disappointments but also some great highs as well.

I like to start with the bad news and then hit the good stuff.

The bad news is, the scale is not my friend anymore. I've completely plateaued on the scale. I'm holding steady at about 4 pounds from my goal. Yes, I realize that isn't a lot, but I'm an impatient person and I only had about 15 lbs to lose to begin with. I have been working out pretty regularly doing HIIT workouts for about 30 minutes a day. (Sticking with 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels, because it kicks my butt every time) I probably have put on some muscle and I realize muscle weighs more than fat but still.. the scale is not my friend.

Now on the the good stuff.

Hello, Pinterest Recipes!!!! If you follow me on Instagram (lorig727), you will see my incessant posts of pictures of my food. It's because I am eating better tasting food these days than I EVER ate before my juice fast and my now clean eating kick. It is a LOT of veggies that are oven roasted. I have added in some lean meats and shrimp. My husband, Corey, has decided to start doing some cooking and he is really quite the sautéed shrimp chef now. I really mean it when I say that I am enjoying what I eat now more than I ever have. But it's all about making better choices. Better choices about organic, non-processed, less full of fat ingredients. I'm eating meat and I feel ok with that decision. I really felt like with my attempts to build muscle, I really needed to bulk up my protein content of my diet. High protein helps jump start that metabolism and quite frankly, I really enjoy eating meat.  I'm still staying away from bread, pasta, refined sugar, and starches. I may add them back in my diet in limited amounts at some point, but I'm not there yet.

Honest moment: We had company over for dinner Saturday night and I did eat a small serving of an oatmeal cookie fruit pizza. (with cream cheese on it). It tasted delightful but I didn't go back for another serving even though I wanted one desperately. Everything in moderation, right???

The other delightful development in my health/fitness journey is that I purchased a FitBit Blaze.
And I love it. I've had it since Thursday and I've worn it nonstop. So here is my review after  few days in:
 It has not required a charge for the battery yet, but will probably need one soon.
It has been mistaken as an apple watch several times. (so it looks pretty sweet)
I bought several bands to switch out on Amazon and they were inexpensive and give it some alternative looks (which makes it a super cute accessory)
It has been very accurate in my heart rate monitoring. (even during workouts)
It synced to my iPhone so easy and I can read my text messages from it (but you can't respond)

The best thing about the FitBit blaze for me has been how it has made me aware of how inactive my lifestyle has been over the past year or so. I work from home and my daily steps have probably been about 1500 MAX unless I go somewhere like grocery shopping or something like that.
That is frightening. Working from home is wonderful and I love everything about it, except that it's made me a lazy slug. Now that I'm wearing this thing, I have set it to alarm every hour to remind me to get up and take my 250 steps an hour. Because of that, I'm burning more calories. I have high hopes that this thing is going to help me blast through this plateau on the scale.

So I know I have droned on and on in this blog, but I wanted to update my progress.
If you are interested in some of my recipes that I'm eating, follow me on Instagram (Lorig727) and on Pinterest (Lori Dalton)... you can find some good recipes in my healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, and healthy dinner pinterest boards.

Stay tuned for more of my recovering food addict journey ;)

Tomorrow is Day 30

Tomorrow is day 30. Can you believe I have made it 30 days without sweet tea? And dessert? And bread? And pasta? and Bagel Bites? and Pizza? Well, it's true.  My weak, food addict self has made it 30 days eating clean. Pinterest has been my best friend during this whole process, which I will add is not over. (this isn't a diet after all. This is a journey I'm intending to stay on)

I have found some fantastic recipes on Pinterest. My very favorites have been tuna jalapeño patties (137 calories, 13 g of protein per patty), roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes, pesto zoodles, and one pan balsamic chicken and veggies. Search them on pinterest and enjoy!

Today I weighed. It was very exciting. I'm down 11 1/2 lbs in 30 days. I will admit, I hit a plateau with my weight loss after the juicing stopped, but I didn't gain any weight back, which was a win. I had to add in some exercise to break through the plateau. So, this week I have done 5 days of exercise. I chose the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred workout and I've been doing level 1 all week. It is HARD. One day I almost threw up afterwards. Seriously, laying down on the bed for an hour until the nausea passed. BUT- it paid off because I lost weight and I am seeing toning happening in my body.
I also added in some free weights for arms on the days I didn't do the workout.
I love that workout because it is only a 30 minute workout. I can do it on my lunch break and it doesn't take up much of my day. This workout consists of a warmup, then three sections of :3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. And I give it 5 stars :)

I have struggled with cravings occasionally but haven't given in. One day I couldn't stop thinking about homemade strawberry pie. But, I'm pressing on. I have 3 1/2 more lbs til I get to my first goal then anything else lost after that is just icing on the cake that I don't get to eat .. hehehehhe (sorry for my lame joke)

I will write another blog when I hit my goal to fill you in on more of my journey. Thanks for reading, and if you have questions about any of the recipes or the workout, send me a message or comment below. I'd love to share more about the process to those who are interested.  Stay tuned for updates !!