Meal Prep and A New Diet

Yesterday I started doing some research on the "if it fits your macros" ( IIFYM, as the cool kids call it) diet. This was formerly known as flexible dieting, and it's not really a new concept, but I did some extensive research on it yesterday and thought I would give it a try. I'm a little concerned about the amount of protein I need to be eating. I can't imagine getting that much protein every day considering it's more than double my current intake, but I'll buy some protein powder and go from there. 

If you don't know what IIFYM is or want more information about tit, google it. There's tons of information on it, and I'm not knowledgeable enough to explain it adequately, but basically the concept is that if it fits into your macro nutrient goals (fats, carbs, and protein) then you can eat it. Of course it shouldn't be used as an excuse to stuff your face, but it's designed so that you can indulge and not feel deprived in your new lifestyle. 

I'll keep you posted on how it goes. 

I work the next four days, granted Friday-Sunday are only four hour shifts, they require me waking up at 5:15. That's too early. Even though they're only four hour shifts, they're the busiest four hours and my body is just simply not used to turning, bathing and cleaning people anymore. I used to work 12 hour shifts 3-4 times a week and now a 4 hour shift terrifies me. A year and a half of unemployment has not been good to me. 

Anywaaay. I know myself and I know that I am not going to be up to cooking meals. I also know that because I will be exhausted I will feel hungry. In order to avoid complete derailing all the progress I've made this week (the scale is trending down again! woohoo!) I will be making healthy snacks and planning meals today. 

I'm going to make roasted chickpeas to take to work: 
recipe here
I'll be making the garlic parmesan and spicy blend. 

I'm going to make parmesan garlic flatbread 
recipe here

I'll also be making whole wheat pizza crust and whole wheat tortillas.

I need to plan meals for the next four nights as well. Planning is the most important part of weight loss. I know this, I just need to keep reminding myself of that. 

Okay, I need to get to work! 

Happy hump day :) 

Gym Annoyances

this was me this morning 

There are several things that annoy me while I'm at the gym. Things I try to ignore and stop myself from seeing. A lot of the time because it involves me judging people. Like the women who jack up the incline on the treadmill and then hold on for dear life for an hour and a half while they "work-out." Or the women who lean on the elliptical and move at a crawl pace. People talking on the phone, and taking too long on the equipment when they're not really using it. Those things annoy me, but I can ignore them because it's not my business and I should be nicer. (Be nicer has been on my New Year's resolution list since I was 11). Still needs improvement. 

The one thing that I absolutely can't stand is when the gym is messy and people don't clean up after themselves. I get to the gym every morning right when it opens. It's my humble opinion that whoever is the last employee at the gym at night should clean up after the people who don't do it themselves. That seems like it would be in the job description. And honestly, how hard is it to rerack the weights you use?! It's not. 

Today I got to the gym right a 8am. Usually the employee working opens the doors around 7:55, but there's one guy who won't open the doors until precisely 8am. That's fine, except that today he didn't open the doors until 8:05. Usually this wouldn't bother me, but today I wanted to get to yoga at 9. That gave me only 55 minutes to get through my work out. By the time I had my shoes on and was in the workout area it was 8:10. 

There is a little section of the gym with yoga mats, a stability ball, a bosu ball, and some other equipment. I choose to do my free weights here as to avoid the muscle men who like to throw weights around in the free weight section. It was a disaster. The mats were not in order, weights were everywhere, the step up blocks were turned over. So with my minor OCD habits I had to fix everything before I could start. 

By the time I finished it was 8:15 and I needed to do my entire arm workout and try and squeeze some cardio in before 9 am. 

So I powered through 8 upper body exercises: 

pushups 3 sets of 10 

tricep dips 3 sets of 10 

chest press on the stability ball 3 sets of 10 with 10kg weight in each hand 

shoulder press on the stability ball 3 sets of 8 with 7kg weight in each hand 

hammer curls 3 sets of 10 with 10kg weight 

lying tricep press 3 sets of 10 with 7kg weight

barbell bicep curls 3 sets of 8 with 20kg bar 

overhead tricep extension 3 sets of 10 with a 10kg dumbbell

Also, I ALWAYS rerack my weights. Always. Even today when I was super short on time.  

I then only had 20 minutes left for cardio. I did 10 minutes on the stationary bike and 10 minutes walking on the treadmill. Since I've stopped trying to run my ankle hasn't given me any more problems, so for the mean time I'm going to put my running goals on the back-burner. 

I made it to yoga in with seconds to spare and then did a 45 minutes yoga class. 

My weight climbed from yesterday :( It's continually frustrating especially when I'm calorie counting, eating healthy, and working out hard. 

We'll see how things play out. I may have to go back on medication for my PCOS, regardless of the horrible side effects if I can't get back on track.  

A Happy Monday

It's Monday and I find that if I start off well on Monday the rest of the week falls into place pretty well. So far today has been a happy Monday. 

I got up this morning and had plans to do a virtual spin class at the gym, but when I got there the TV was broken so they couldn't play the route. I had my biking pants on (yes, I wear biking pants to spin class, those bikes are so uncomfortable!) so I decided to do 25 minutes on the upright bike and 5 minutes on the stair climber instead. After that I finished my leg and ab routine. I felt pretty good afterwards and am already looking forward to tomorrow's gym trip, which will hopefully include yoga!  

My weight is 91.5kg this morning. STILL :( We had Chinese for dinner last night :( 

One thing I've already learned about being employed that food prep is going to have to play a huge role. With both of us working we won't always want to spend 30 minutes cooking dinner. 

I've set a small weight loss goal: back to 90kg by June 13. I leave then to go to The States for 2 weeks and would desperately like to be back to 90kg. I'm going to work very hard these next 11 days to make that happen. 

I'm very worried about gaining weight on my trip. I start off with my bridal shower, which will be full of goodies. When I'm staying with my parents there won't be a lot of eating out and I'm going to try and find a gym where I can pay for a week long membership, but when I get to Richmond I'll be going out to eat at least twice. I'm just going to have to focus on making good choices and working out hard even if it is vacation. 

Tonight I'm making jambalaya for dinner. I'm working Thursday-Sunday this week, which means on Wednesday I need to start meal prepping and figure out the best way to go about that. Meal prepping has never been my strong suit, and that's often led to poor decision making. 

Happy Monday :) 

Transitions

This past week I entered a new phase in my life. A new phase, including employment. For those of you who are unaware, when I packed up all my belongings and moved across the ocean, I did so without any job prospects. I've spent the last year unemployed and desperately searching for work. 

During this time I have been able to put my health and fitness very high on my priority list. I may not have always chosen to do that, but the opportunity was there. Now that I'm working I'm going to have to readjust me workout routine, and figure out a way to maintain my goals as a priority. It's a transition. One I'm looking forward to, but one that will definitely come with a few challenges. 

I worked Friday morning from 7-11. That doesn't seem that bad, and it's really not, but 5:15 is EARLY. Oh my goodness. I forgot what it's like to be up before 7am, and I didn't miss it. Hopefully when I get my first paycheck I'll remind myself how worth it, it is. Friday night we had people over for a BBQ. Everyone was bringing something with them, and I had put myself in charge of dessert specifically so I could make something on the healthier side. I made brownies with coconut flour. They're refined flour and sugar free, and they were actually pretty good. 

Recipe 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup coconut flour 

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

3/4 cup honey 

1tsp vanilla 

3 eggs at room temperature 

1/2 cup + 2tbs butter, melted 

oil for greasing the pan 

Method: 

preheat oven to 300 degrees 

1) In a large mixing bowl stir coconut flour and cocoa powder together

2) Add eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition

3) Add melted butter, honey, and vanilla extract and mix until combined 

4) Grease a 9X9 pan with the oil of your choice ( I used coconut spray oil) 

5) Pour mixture into the pan and cook for 25-30 minutes

recipe adapted from Empowered Sustenance 

They were delicious and everyone at the BBQ loved them. 

I also topped the brownie with some pecan-caramel ice cream. I also had another serving of that Saturday night and then it was promptly put down the drain. 

Today we had another long Sunday walk. 

Tomorrow I'm planning a gym day. Cardio and legs. I'm looking forward to it. Today was a weigh day, but I forgot so I'll do it tomorrow, although I'm not looking forward to it. We'll see. My measurements also show gains, and that's the opposite of what I'm trying to do. i just have to stay focused. Remind myself why I want to make good choices and that I've come so far. I've lost 37lbs (17kg) and that is something to be proud of. I just have to keep going. 

 

Happy Workouts

This morning when I woke up, I was dreading going to the gym. My legs hurt from doing my leg workout yesterday and I was just not looking forward to it. I got on the scale :( 91.5kg. I put on my workout clothes and dragged myself to the gym. See that stupid scale is good for some things. 

I decided to take it easy on my legs. I did 30 minutes of cardio: 10 minutes walking on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the upright bike level 3, and 10 minutes on the elliptical level 4. I then did back and abs, the two muscle groups that weren't so sore I could actually move them. 

Then a great thing happened. One of the other gym regulars commented me on my weight loss! I was so happy and it made me very thankful that I had gone to the gym! My friends and family notice my progress, but having a compliment given by a virtual stranger made me feel great. 

I've been to the gym all three days this week. So far so good. 

Yesterday was a little crazy. I had my first shift as an employed person in The Netherlands! That's right I'm employed! So exciting. I only worked four hours, but I was up at 5:45, something that hasn't happened in a very long time. So I ate breakfast before work: bran flakes with almond milk and a banana, and a hard boiled egg. After work I had lunch part 1: 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and an apple. I then went to the gym and did 40 minutes of cardio: 15 minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes on the upright bike and 10 minutes on the stair climber. I then did a leg workout: 3X12 squats with 30kg, 3X10 (each leg) step ups, 2X10 (each leg) lunges, 2X10 (each leg) side lunges, 3X10 sumo squats, 3 X10 narrow squats, and 3X10 calf raises. 

After the gym I ate a quest bar. When I got home I had lunch part 2: 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich, greek yogurt with strawberries. 

Dinner was salmon, spinach, and a bit of boiled potatoes. 

I was so hungry all evening. It was ridiculous. I had crackers with cheese, a sandwich, and a few snack sausages AND I could have continued to eat. BUT I didn't, and I also didn't buy the ice-cream I wanted from the supermarket. I had it in my hand and it was at the checkout line, but I put it back. Yay for small victories. 

My weight continues to frustrate me, but it will get better. It has to. 

Realizations

Things have been sailing along pretty smoothly the past few days. I took all of last week off from the gym to rest my ankle/recover from this evil cold I still have. 

Friday night we went to a birthday party. Dinner was pasta (white), with some chicken mixture of chicken, cheese, canned soup and peaches, and salad. Not necessarily completely unhealthy, but also not on the list of foods I want to be putting into my body regularly. I also had a slice of cake. It wasn't that good, and I instantly regretted it. 

Saturday was a pretty normal day. Rogier and I went into the city, walked around a little, but mostly lounged in the garden. Breakfast and lunch were normal. Dinner was schnitzel, fried potatoes and green beans. Healthier than Friday night, but the schnitzels were breaded. I really should start buying them natural and breading them myself in a healthier way. The potatoes were fried in olive oil, so that was a plus. I sautéed garlic in the olive oil and then covered the potatoes in paprika, cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, and a dash of salt. It was delicious. 

Sunday was a fun day! We had plans to go on a long walk/hike.

This is me all ready to go. I filled my day pack with water, a quest bar, and some other necessities for in case of situations. We had plans to walk for about three hours, but ended up coming back in just under two. I had two pieces of toast with peanut butter and jelly and a banana before we left. 

We went 9.16km (5.7mi). It was a slow pace, but considering it's the first exercise I'd done in more than a week I felt amazing afterward. I ate my quest bar about an hour after we started. Since we had decided about an hour in that we wanted to head back I decided I wouldn't need it, but was feeling hungry so I ate it anyway. We were both hungry for lunch when we got back so we went to the grocery store and picked up some buns. I had a an open faced brown artisan baguette half with reduced fat salami and half with chicken breast. 

Saturday at the market we bought a whole chicken to have for dinner Sunday night. I love whole chickens. They're perfect for a nice sunday dinner, and there's always left overs. Tonight we're having some of those left overs for chicken burritos (chicken taco salad for me). I crushed some garlic and let it sit in olive oil for a few hours and then brushed the olive oil over the chicken. I added paprika, cayenne pepper, italian seasoning, cracked black pepper, sage, and a dash of salt, then cooked the chicken. 

look at that deliciousness

This is what my plate looked like: 

I made homemade gravy using the juice in the pan, an organic no-sodium vegetable broth cube, water and a bit of flower. Healthier than most gravies, but definitely an indulgence and not something I choose to do often. I made the mashed potatoes the same way I made the mashed sweet potatoes earlier in this week. They were perfect and so garlicy and delicious. 

Also, on Saturday I had an ice-cream cone while Rogier and I were in the city center. It was warm and gorgeous and I couldn't resist. That's when I realized that the problem isn't the ice-cream cone. The problem is that I had ice-cream after having cake on Friday night. So I've come up with a new plan. I'm going to try and eat salad twice a week for lunch and at least once a week for dinner. I'm going to try and reduce my carbs and bread intake. I'm also going to allow myself a once a week (maximal) indulgence. I'm going to try and spread it out over two weeks between indulgences, but it's summer and I love ice-cream on a gorgeous summer day. 

I hit the gym this morning, but I'll tell you more about that tomorrow, I've dragged on enough for today. 

Happy Memorial Day! It may not be a Holiday where I am, but that doesn't mean I don't get to remember the true meaning of today. 

 

Feeling Good

Yesterday was a really good eating day. My calorie count was 1,475 and I didn't feel like I was going hungry throughout the day. Overall I'm feeling good and am in a very good place about my journey. 

For my midmorning snack I had a quest bar- the cinnamon bun flavor. So far my least favorite. Disappointing. 

For lunch I made the chef salad I wrote about yesterday and man was it good. It was so filling and delicious and definitely hit the spot. 

It was filled with a normal crop lettuce, tomato, onion, egg, chicken, ham, and avocado. I topped it off with a garlic vinaigrette and it was so good, I was actually a little sad when it was all gone. 

I posted this photo on my Instagram account and a friend texted me and asked "how do you get your avocado so perfect?!" Answer- I have no idea. I got totally lucky and just happened to have a perfectly ripe avocado that didn't give me a hard time about getting out of it's skin. Avocados are a tricky thing, but well worth it. 

Dinner was also delicious. 

This is runder fink (beef meat), green beans and a sweet potato mash. I had never made mashed sweet potatoes before, but searched for a recipe that wasn't full of added brown sugar. I ended up adapting the Skinny Taste recipe. 

Recipe: Serves 1

ingredients

1 sweet potato (about 150-200g)

2 cloves garlic 

1 tsp butter 

1 tiny scoop of sour cream 

salt and pepper to taste

method

-peal the sweet potato and cut it into chunks

-boil until more than fork tender (I chose to overcook the sweet potato a little bit because I find that by doing that you can get a cream texture without having to add tons of butter, milk, and sour cream. Yes, you lose nutrient when you over cook it, but in the end those nutrients won't be covered in unnecessary fat) Also I have no idea how long I cooked mine for (sorry!). My cooking curse is that I never, ever use a timer. 

-drain the potatoes in a colander 

-add 1tsp butter to the now empty pan

-saute the garlic for about two minutes over low-medium heat (don't let the garlic turn brown or it will become bitter)

-add the sweet potatoes back into the pan along with your scoop of sour cream 

-mix together and sprinkle with salt and pepper (if desired)

My sweet potatoes were so cooked that I didn't really even need to mash them, I just kind of stirred them and they just came together. 

I highly recommend this recipe. 

Last night when Rogier got home from work I told him about how I entered 48 times to win a camera from The Freckled Fox and her sponsors. Of course, Rogier is an amateur photographer, and he's pretty good. So he taught me how to take better pictures on his camera. So hopefully some nicer pictures will find their way onto this blog soon. 

Thanks for following along on my journey :)