Flour is the enemy

So I just came to the realization that i I want to SERIOUSLY lose weight, I have to ditch flour/gluten. I was having a snack of sesame flat bread crackers with some left over guac, some farmers market cheese, and then the little bit of left over homemade mac and cheese from Sunday night and it was like, even though I didn't eat that much, I just felt super full afterward and not really energized. And I was looking at it thinking like, "I could be having this guac with sliced peppers, and I could have this cheese on some fruit, and the mac..well.. i could probs just do without that (even though I used whole wheat pasta)". So I think I gotta just rip off the band-aid and chuck everything that has flour in it. There are some gluten free rice crackers at hannaford, but I think even with crackers I have to portion myself.
Gonna hit the gym after class today, and since I did circuit training yesterday I'm going to do 20 mins of cardio, 20 mins of squats/lunges/abs and then 30 mins of swimming because I fee like swimming ties everything together nicely, and I just love to play in the water

Food is the original social media

Today was the OFFICIAL first day of school, and I must say it was fairly uneventful.  SC wasn't in the office breathing down my neck and when I got all my work done I just went home, which was great because I got to make a healthy lunch wrap and take Cooper for a walk. I had a pretty good work out today: 30 mins cardio, 20 mins of circuit training and then about 10-15 of abs/stretching. I swear there is nothing in this world better then a good butt stretch after the stair master and walking on an incline. I even had a healthy light meal of 2 tofu dogs with Guacamole and freshly sliced tomatoes with moz cheese before heading to lead my first Athletes for Sexual Responsibility class with Mr. Swag_Boy himself (obviously we rocked it even though I'm not an athlete and he's not sexually responsible). But then my friend Matt invited me to get OHOP with him cause Mondays is 2 for one pizza, and I realized what my major diet downfall will be: the sociality of food.

I am perfectly eating healthy if I just eat all the healthy food I buy, don't drink, and don't go out to eat unless it's sushi or salad. Fat chance. Half of the battle with food is that it's such a social thing. My whole plan with Matt was centered around food. It wasn't just to hang out, it was specifically to do it around food because of a specific pizza deal. And I know come football season it won't just be come over to watch the game, it will be go somewhere to get wings, beer and watch the game. So how does one stay healthy in a world where often times being social= getting food? I think will power is going to have to play a key roll in overcoming this obstacle. I did ok tonight, I only had two pieces of pizza, which honestly for me is pretty good since BBQ chix pizza is my fave and I could honestly take down an entire pie. In the future, I think it should just be one piece. Or if it's to a bar for a game, get either beer or wings, but not both. Portion control and not over indulging is gonna have to be the winning strategy.
On a different note, having a dog in the house has def upped my activity level, because I always feel so guilty when I leave him that every time I come home I take him for a quick walk, and usually one long on in the morning, plus my gym time. They say the best way to get in shape is not just to hit the gym 5-6 days a week but to up your level of physical activity throughout the day. I certainly am feeling like I have more energy!

Good night all, thanks for following my progress! Should have a weight loss check in by the end of the week!

First weekend back and my inspiration

In order to overcome any challenge, you gotta have inspirations.  One thing that really inspired me is the book "Where Men Meet Glory" by Jon Krakauer, the story of Pat Tillman. He was an NFL player who left to join the army after 9/11 and was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. He was someone who was always learning, always striving to be better, and always pushing to reach his potential. He is truly an inspiration. I'm also inspired by the lessons I learned at NOLS about overcoming challenges, tolerating adversity, and digging deep to find your inner strength. Whenever I work out and start getting tired, I always think "Dude, you kayaked for 5 hours a day for 3 weeks straight, 10 more minutes on the stair master ain't nothin!!" It also makes me realize that I'm the only person standing in the way of my success. I can end my work outs early and go easy, or I can push myself to go harder and make the most of my workout.

 So it was the first weekend back,and it was definitely a mix of successes and pitfalls. I bought really healthy food and made healthy food and got some good exercise in between gyming it, painting and putting my room together, and walking cooper. But both Friday and Saturday night I drank....a lot....and Friday night got into some buffalo chicken. Womp womp. I think if I am going to accomplish my goals I need to avoid these three things:
1) Excessive drinking- it leads me to feel sluggish, it's full of sugar/calories, and it usually makes me eat really bad food.
2) Buffalo chicken- it's fried, it's salty, and it comes with blue cheese. BAD BAD BAD and the more I eat it the more I want.
3) Chocolate-similar to buff chix, the more I eat the more I want. This is my true weakness. I'm going allow my self small amounts of dark chocolate because otherwise I risk binging, but I really need to steer clear for the most part.
Little Joshy poo said he's going to bust my balls about keeping it "real" on the blog and is def on my ass about the cleanse.......but I guess that's where he likes to be ;)
Tomorrow is the start of classes!!!! Gonna make sure to pack a healthy wrap for lunch and hit the gymski before Atheltes for Sexual Responsibility.
xoxo

PS this is why I shouldn't drink..... Nom nom pumpkin bombs

Kickin' things off right!

It's the start of Fall semester and the start to  my new weight loss goal! I figured if I made my journey public it would be good motivation to not quit because A) you all are holding me accountable so I don't want to embarrass myself and B) If I know I have to post things, hopefully it will motivate me to do more.
 So here it goes! I have 4 months to lose 30 lbs. Now I know that may seem like a lot, but I figure if you aim high then you will achieve more than you hoped. I also know from my NOLS course that I can pretty much do anything I set my mind to and overcome any challenge that comes my way.
So here's what I will be sharing with y'all:
1) goals and progress
2) Work outs
3) Recipes
4) Challenges and obstacles
I hope it's interesting, and if not I don't really care because I'm doing this for me, not you ;)

I have started doing Bethenny Frankel's SkinnyGirl Daily cleanse and weight management supplements that you can learn more about here. So far it's making me feel pretty good, and I can't believe I'm not craving any bad foods (except chocolate a little, but that's always a given). I was going to hit the gym, but my roommate's dog had already torn up the trash and my tortilla chips, so I figured he needed a little exercise (and punishment) too. This is the route I ran, almost a mile, but I was pretty proud that I ran almost the entire way, and even threw in a few quick sprints. Running outside and with a dog is much different then running on a treadmill. For dinner I made chicken fajitas and washed it down with a Kombucha and a glass of the cleanse mix. I've been eating pretty well the past few days, so here's to keeping up the healthy eating and exercise, even with a Hurricane on the way!