I made it through the first week of my Beach Ready 30 Day Challenge. It was tough. The week has been full of lots of events that in the past would have led me into the kitchen looking for a distraction in the way of food or a drink (the major event being the anniversary of my mom’s death). Well, guess what? The past and the present aren’t all that different. I still journeyed into the kitchen seeking comfort, only this time I found it by recognizing that I had made a commitment to my body and realized that even if I wasn’t in complete control of the events and situations I was confronting, I was in control of the foods I chose to eat. So, sometimes I caved but a girls gotta eat, right?
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I miss almond butter the most, I don’t miss how it makes me feel. Plus, it’s a “trigger food”. I can’t have just one spoonful, I must have 10 or more before I put it down. It’s what I moved to when I gave up Nutella.
I had some serious cravings (especially yesterday) but I was smart in how I handled them. When I really wanted something sweet, I sliced up an apple and doused it with cinnamon (surprisingly delicious and awesome in its simplicity). When I craved something salty, I sliced a cucumber and sprinkled it with sea salt. Each of these healthy choices did the trick in curtailing my craving without throwing my daily nutrition plan under the bus.
By making these choices, I learned that I’m a lot stronger than I thought and that’s a great feeling! Logging everything I eat and drink on MyFitnessPal has helped a lot. I truly consider what I am eating and if it’s worth the calories and how I’ll feel (like, if I eat too much fruit or drink too much coffee, I crash hard) and I have been taking a lot of joy in cooking awesome meals that are truly healthy.
I mentioned a lot about food, and you can find what I have been eating here. When you see a crazy assortment of fruits and veggies at breakfast, it means I made a “green smoothie” or a salad. When you see how many cups of coffee I have (a lot!) know that those are actual cups, as in measuring cup. Also, MyFitnessPal only allows 5 different spaces for meals, so the “Snack” categories are for all foods throughout the day that aren’t a meal and aren’t necessarily eating at once. I averaged my calorie intake over the past week for this post and found that it was 1702 calories per day. This is about 400 calories more than my BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) or what I burn daily without exercise, but I know that I’m operating in a calorie deficit. I also know that the calories I’m taking in are quality calories full of the nutrients my body needs. With the exception of yesterday, I have felt more energized than usual and have found it easier to get out of bed in the morning. Want to find out your BMR? I highly recommend it. You can go here and plug-in some simple data into the calculator to get you started.
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Excited about the changes that can occur in just a week!
One thing I haven’t gotten good at recording is the amount of water I’m taking in. When I get to the recommended 8 glasses, I stop keeping track accurately. Some days I drink a gallon or more (working out makes me thirsty).
Well, it’s time to hit the gym. Today I’m hitting the elliptical for cardio and then doing a pushup pyramid. Would love to make it a burpee pyramid, but gotta take it easy on my foot so no jumping. You can do a pyramid workout with any exercise. You just start by performing the exercise once, then twice, then three times and so on, until you get to 10. Then, go back down doing 9, 8, etc. Check out the image below. What are your fave workouts? I’d love to try one out!
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Exercise Pyramids are an awesome way to burn some calories and push yourself!
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
