The 7 P's

Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

Courtesy of www.21to21.com

As most of you know, the importance of planning was the first lesson I learned as I embarked on this path to cut crap out of my diet.  Planning the meals for the week, packing them each day and entering them into my log holds me accoutable; it gives me a road map for the day.  Without the map, I'm lost and will definitely take wrong turns.  A wrong turn into Chipotle or the dead end at the bakery....yum, cupcakes.

Today for lunch, a large group of co-workers went to a great Mexican restaurant, but I knew how limited my options are at restaurants and I had prepared a great Chickpea Salad last night so I was able to say no and truthfully after my 2 day food hangover earlier in the week I did it with ease.  So I sat at my desk and had a modified version of a recipe I found on Pinterest.  I used garbanzo beans that I soaked and cooked Tuesday day and added chopped red onion, roma tomato, radishes, reduced fat feta, and parsley - I dressed it with a combo of lemon, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.  It truly was delicious and I am so full.  High five to the 7 P's.

Thursday is the only day of the week I usually go to the gym in the evening.  I love my early morning workouts, the friends I have there and the energy it gives me throughout the day.  But I also have a love affair with Spinning and there is a 30 minute Spin class on Thursday at 5:15 that I adore.  If you have never tried Spinning, find a good instructor and hop on.  For me it is a competition against myself.  Can I increase the resistance?  Can I go faster?  Am I at my limit - because I should be!  Is there sweat dripping off my nose?  Did I leave a puddle? We have three different really great Spin instuctors at our gym and they all push me in different ways.  Before class I usually either lift or run. But, instead of doing a C25K run tonight, I think I am going to do some HIIT on the treadmill - the articles I have been reading about high intensity interval training are intriguing so I am going to give it a shot one to two days a week.  We already do HIIT on the Spin bike but it will be interesting to try on the treadmill.  If you don't mind, take a moment to send up a prayer to the God of your understanding that I don't sling myself off the back of the treadmill and cause serious harm during one of the "all out" sprints.

I REALLY am what I eat!

I still feel like crap from my "cheat meal" on Saturday night.  I am amazed but also comforted in knowing my body does like the new clean fuel I am putting in it.  On Saturday we left the house late afternoon for a date; Justin purchased a new gun, we killed time watching some basketball and then went to the movies.  I got in a killer workout on Saturday morning at the gym; 30 minute Spin class, 30 minute Advanced Step and then 60 minute strength training that completely left me with T-Rex arms.

Courtesy of Pinterest

We had a few hours to kill before our movie so we went to Old Chicago for a few beers and an appetizer.  We also got to watch the Florida State and Duke basketball game and you would have thought the entire bar area was full of FSU alums the way we were cheering.  Duke makes us puke in the Bluegrass State.  Anyway, I had one piece of garlic bread, one pepperoni roll and a few nacho chips from the sampler platter (those of you who have been to Old Chicago know this is not a large portion) - we were planning on Movie Tavern so I was saving room.  At the Movie Tavern I choose the mini burgers and fries -- you know, go big or go home, right?  S.E. got a pizza.  I had a small piece of his pizza, two of the mini burgers and some fries.  Initially I was happy I had indulged but not over indulged.  Well.....I felt horrible on Sunday and still don't feel one hundred percent today. 

My stomach just feels bloated and painful at times.  I was tired and lacked motivation.  My mood and my physical well being was the result of the CRAP I put in my body on Saturday night.  YUCK! I don't want to feel like this again so I am rethinking my definition of a cheat meal.  Cheat meals don't have to be fried balls of dough or carb laden meals, they can be really good meals that I don't usually allow myself to have.  A meal at a local winery with cheese and an excellent main course or a great filet with mashed potatoes seems to be a better choice for me.  I'm not saying I will never have fries or a greasy burger ever again, but it won't be for awhile.  I enjoy how damn good I feel lately and a two day food hangover from processed crap is not fun!

Running on Empty

This one is going to be short friends.  I am still dealing with a dull headache and some fatigue; however from what I have read this is normal and I will start to feel markedly better from this point on.  Like many other drugs, processed foods (mainly sugar) are absolutely addicting to the body and I am simply going through withdrawal.  This is the end of day 3 so I am hoping I am over the hump. 

Classes also started back for me today so I no longer have free time. Ever.  There is always an assignment due sometime.  Organization is key for  me. Meal planning, packing adequate meals, cooking, classes, and more all require some portion of my time; not to mention my job and my family and friends! However I am determined organization and practice will make the juggling act easier within the next few weeks.  And to be honest, I love being busy; makes me feel like I have a purpose.

This post is a little ADD, but I want to post my menu from yesterday.  The Eat Clean Diet states you don't have to count calories, simply eat 5-6 meals a day with the appropriate macros of lean protein, complex carbs, healthy fat and maybe a fruit, but a clean eating lifestyle doesn't dictate if I count calories or not.  Clean eating just outlines the food I am allowed to fuel my body with.  Therefore, I am still logging my food due to I can justify anything......I mean technically aren't Skittles a fruit? Twizzlers?  Just kidding.  Eating 6 meals a day requires planning but I am definitely NOT hungry!

Here is the link to my menu from yesterday.  I use Myfitnesspal to track calories and exercise. My Fuel .

Good night friends! 4:15am comes early - Friday is a rest day for me and I need it!

Courtesy of Pinterest

3,2,1........GO

courtesy of Pinterest

Welcome to Clean Eating Chronicles! This blog is MY experience ONLY; I am simply sharing part of my journey in physically becoming the woman I know I can be.  Please don't think I am offering advice, medical opinions, nor am I a chef. However I am a woman who has struggled with her weight most of her life and I will be sharing what hasn't worked for me, what has worked for me, recipes, sources of inspiration, and even failures.  I'll even post the dreaded "before" pics........eventually.  Seriously, once I learn how to truly navigate my page and have tabs, etc I will post pics and measurements. 

My long-term boyfriend / spousal equivalent (aka S.E.) and I quit smoking on 1/12/2011 and joined a wonderful gym the next month.  We are still smoke-free and average at least 5 days a week at the gym.  I lift weights (heavy weight / low reps), participate in various cardio classes, and meet with a trainer for a new workout once amonth.  In the course of the last 10 months, I simply haven't seen the physical transformation I thought I would - I'm working out, eating right (most of the time)......why don't I look like Jamie Eason ??? If anything I feel and look a little bulkier! At first I thought I should lift lighter weight, do more reps, but after doing some research I realized I looked bulky because I was building muscle but NOT losing FAT! If I eliminate the fat, I am convinced I have some nice looking muscles under there.  OK, so lots of cardio and fat burning will eliminate the fat, right? Right.  I was a cardio machine for a few months and still no results.  That little voice in my head, some call it a conscience, we'll call mine Common Sense kept saying, "It's your diet, really, you can't eat good for 3 days, bad for 2 days, good for one day and expect to see results!" I kept telling Common Sense to ,"STFU! I workout hard, if I want to drink beer and have chicken wings every weekend, then I'm going to!"

Common Sense is right. I give! It's my nutrition, I know it is! I don't have a naturally high metabolism, I gain weight when I consume alcohol and eat crappy food, plain and simple.  I did manage to dodge the 20 pounds most put on after quitting smoking but that is it - I haven't lost any weight! So I started doing some research about clean eating and how it isn't a diet but a lifestyle change.  A VERY basic definition of clean eating is the elimination of processed sugar, white flour, man-made processed foods with upteen ingredients; essentially it is lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, and complex carboyhydrates 5-6 times a day. I discovered there are varying degrees of cleanliness and I had to decide what was right for me and S.E.  Here are some sites I have found helpful:  The Gracious Pantry and The Eat Clean Diet. 

So this blog will essentially be about me changing my lifestyle and the way I view food.  I am going to try to post something daily; however I work full-time and go to school full-time (non-traditional, trust me I'm not young) so sometimes I may miss a day.  As my knowledge grows, I will pass it along and am always open for comments from readers too.