Thursday, June 18, 2015

HCG Diet - 14 pounds Down

I figured I should update you guys a little. The last time I posted I was only down about 4.6 pounds. Today I am down 14.1 pounds. It's crazy! I've just been sticking with the diet and I feel so good. My body definitely needed this.

In addition to the diet, I'm starting to go the gym again doing weight circuits. I won't try running until I'm in the maintenance phase of the HCG diet. I'm going to definitely start incorporating some yoga into my workouts. I am the most inflexible person I know. It actually hurts for me to bend down on my knees and my hamstrings are super tight.
 

After the diet my plan is to pick up running again but not as much as I used to. I want to focus on weights.

This weekend we went camping for the first time in forever. As you may or may not know, Texas got a lot of rain in the month of May and our lakes went from 30% full to 80% full.

There's a good and a bad to that story.

The Bad - My Backyard



The Good - Texas Lakes

It was so nice to be back on the lake where I spent so much of my youth. I really wanted to soak in the moment by drinking a beer. But I refrained. It's been 18 days since my last beer. And that says a lot coming from the girl who had at least one drink everyday.

I'm very proud of myself and it helps so much having Drew be so supportive as well. Although, there are some days when he eats chick-fil-a right in front of me. But that's okay. It just proves how much stronger I am now then I was before. I would have suckered down and ate a chicken sandwich about 3 weeks ago. But I'm now at a place where it doesn't bother me as much. Don't get me wrong, I've had my fair share of cravings (chickfila, pizza, bacon cheese burgers) but in the end, I know whats best for me.


Tuesday, June 9, 2015

The Best Salsa Verde Recipe

I have a different post for yall today! One of my favorite things in the world is Mexican food. And to me, the salsa can make or break the meal. Today I want to share with you all my Salsa Verde recipe that has won the hearts of Drew and all his friends! :)

Ingredients:


1 - Pound of tomatillos
1 - Jalapeno
2 - Serrano peppers
2 - Limes (just the juice)
1 - Yellow Onion
1 tbsp - Minced Garlic
1 tsp - Sea Salt
1 tsp -Ground Comino
1 tbsp Chicken Bullion
about 2 cups of water


Place the tomatillos in a pot and fill pot up with water until just covering tops of tomatillos. Cut up your onion, jalapeno, and Serrano peppers into small pieces and place into the boiling water. Add in bullion, lime juice, sea salt, and ground comino. Boil until green tomatillos begin to bust.



Once the tomatillos have bust, place everything including water, into a blender and blend until your desired consistency. I don't have a blender so I just used a small food processor and blended little batches at a time.


You can serve this in a bowl warm or place in refrigerator to cool. Or you can leave it warm and use this to top off your Chicken Enchiladas. Yummmm!

This stuff is seriously delicious. Try It. It's so easy!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

HCG Diet - Phase 2, Day 2

Things are still looking good over here. I weighed myself this morning and I'm down another 2.6 pounds for a total of 4.6 pounds! Mom lost another 1.6 also. My body and mind feel so much better already. Clean eating really does feel good. 

Yesterday for breakfast I have a grapefruit and sprinkled some stevia on top. Stevia has been my best friend during this diet.

For lunch I had a lemon chicken salad. I had romaine lettuce, red peppers, tomatoes, and mom made a homemade dressing. I also had some melba toast for some crunch.

For my afternoon snack I cut up half of a cucumber and dipped it into fresh salsa. Weird but it worked.

Last nights dinner was super yummy. It was also the first time I've ever used the broiler. I marinated and then pan seared steak and then put it under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Very yummy and flavorful. I had a salad on the side with romaine lettuce, yellow bell pepper, red onion, and a few slivers of tomato. I was really full and satisfied.

Throughout the diet I've been drinking lot's of water and green tea. I've never really been a tea fan but it has helped me a lot during these past two days.

I'm really excited and motivated about this. I think the hardest days might be this weekend when I'll be around people that are drinking but I'm so committed that this shouldn't phase me.

I think I'll make some salsa verde sometime this week. It's super yummy and HCG friendly!




Tuesday, June 2, 2015

HCG Diet - Phase 2, Day 1

Happy Tuesday!

I woke up in a great mood this morning. I was definitely not dreading work for once. I feel like I have a ton of energy and I'm ready to conquer the world.




This past weekend was the official start of the HCG Diet. The first two days are called "Fat Loading." You take the HCG drops three times a day and eat full portion servings of high fat foods. Things like eggs, avocado, butter, yogurt, dairy, nuts and seeds are all foods you want to focus on eating during these first two days. This step is very important because the loading phase stocks normal fat cells and prepares the body to burn abnormal fat, which results in fast weight loss.


What foods will I miss the most?
  • Cheese/Queso
  • Breakfast Tacos
  • Pizza 
  • Pasta 
  • Beer
  • Mountain Dew
  • Rice
  • Ranch Dressing
  • Bread/Tortillas

So yesterday was the first day of Phase 2. I took my measurements and weighed myself which I'm not going to share with you guys today, but I will check in to let you know how many pounds have been lost. I'm also not going to measure myself again until the last day. I can't even wait.

For breakfast yesterday, I had an orange and green tea. I started to get hungry around 10:30 which is completely normal. It's only day one. I waited until 11:00 to eat the pot roast and cabbage that I made the night before with 1 serving of Melba toasts. It was super yummy. Once the diet is over I will not weigh out my food so I'm not doing it now. I'm eyeballing my measurements which some might say will hurt you but I don't think it will make too much of a difference. I also had a snack around 3. I had a handful of strawberries and another green tea.

After work I was starting to feel really hungry but it was still too early for dinner. So I started cleaning the house to keep my mind distracted. I think I'm going to have the cleanest house after this diet. :) I ended up making tacos with lettuce as the tortilla. They came out so good and by the end I was full.

When I weighed myself this morning I was down exactly two pounds!! Yay! It's really motivating to see progress like this. My Mom is also doing the diet and she is down 6.2 pounds.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Weekend Workouts and a Raise!

Things have been looking up lately. But I think that just happens when I finally take the time to make myself happy. I've been staying active and trying to eat better and as a result, I feel like everything else just automatically gets better.

This weekend I took d.o.g on two runs. This was the first time I ever tried to run with him and it was a mess in the beginning. He is getting better though. I love running with him. Not only do I feel safer but he also pushes me to go faster and to actually run up the hills. We did a little under 2 miles on Friday and on Sunday.

Today I plan on going to town lake and renting a bicycle for a while. If not, I may just run a 3 mile loop and call it a day. I can't wait until my niece gets a little older so that I can take her too. She is getting so big and so cute. I loves her.



And I was just told that I'm getting a raise. Hallelujah! And they are going to back pay us from March 1st. So this weeks check will be very nice! I think I'm gonna get a new dress to celebrate the raise and celebrate my running and getting moving again. 


Friday, April 10, 2015

Week in Workouts

I'm back at it again and very excited that I've found my motivation again. I haven't been strength training very much but I'm taking baby steps.

I've done four 3 mile runs in the past week, each showing progress.

Last Friday I ran 3.05 miles in 47:51 for an average pace of 15:40 min/mile.
Monday I ran 3.01 miles in 43:37 for an average pace of 14:30 min/mile.
Tuesday I ran 3.00 miles in 41:47 for an average pace of 13:56 min/mile.
Thursday I ran 3.00 miles in 40:10 for an average pace of 13:24 min/mile.

While I'm not the speediest runner I can see progress in each and every single one of my runs and that's what keeps me going and makes me happy. I've already dropped almost 8 minutes from my first run. I also know that I used to be a lot faster and it sometimes makes me sad but then I realize if I keep it up I can be back to where I was. I just can't give up.


Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Fit in February

I'm here to bring it back!!


Yesterday's workout included a bunch of different things. I looked pretty lost at the gym I'll admit. It's been so long since I had stepped foot into the gym. And honestly, it was pretty intimidating. I remember when the gym felt like a second home. I feel scared again but I'm not going to let that stop me. I'm gonna keep going like I did when I first started. It takes time to get that confidence back.

I started in the dark cinema room at Gold's Gym and completed one mile on the treadmill. Even in the dark I felt uncomfortable. The treadmill was making all of these weird noises and I didn't know what was going on. So I moved out to the gym floor and did a couple of machine weights and hand weights. After that, I still felt like I didn't know what I was doing so I went back into the cardio cinema and completed one last mile before leaving.

There were soooo many people there. I felt really crappy but I think it was just what I needed to get my butt back in the gym.

Today during lunch I went into our gym and did some more machine weights, a little bit of yoga, and some crunches. After work today, I'll be heading to RPM, a cycling class at Gold's Gym, to get some cardio in.

My thing for the full month of February is, everyday after work I'll have my stuff ready to stop by the gym and I have to workout at least 5 days a week. No excuses.

And a picture of Madisyn because I just have to...

That hair though


Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Good News and Bad News

What a start to 2015 this has been.

Drew and I found a new place! We move in January 28th and we are super excited about it. It's a step up from the apartments we've had in the past. This time we got a duplex with a yard that I know our dogs will love. It's a cute two story duplex with the living room/kitchen on the bottom floor and the entire upstairs is our bedroom, restroom, and huge walk in closet. I am so excited to start decorating.

Other good news - I was pulled into the office at work with news that I may be getting a role change soon. They want me to take on a more project oriented role which excites me a lot. In my previous role I was answering everyone's questions about benefits and helping them figure out their new plans. When I move to my new role, I will not be on the phone anymore. Woot Woot. They did mention that I may be working longer hours some days, but I'm very okay with that.

The bad news - Drew lost his job of 5 years on January 8th. I know, perfect timing right. But the way I see it, it's actually good news. Really good news. I could see that he was becoming unhappy working there and even after 5 years he wasn't getting paid what he deserved. He was such a hard worker.

So he's on the hunt for a new job. So far the prospects are building and designing pools, landscaping, or foundation repair. All of which I know he'll enjoy because he likes using his hands and creating things. He also loves a job that he can sweat and get dirty at. He is not the office type of guy.

With that being said, I am soooo excited for 2015. A lot of new things are happening and I look forward to the day that we're settled into our place, Drew has a new job, and we are happier than ever.




Friday, January 2, 2015

New Beginnings

Hello!

I'm hoping the New Year will bring me more energy and time to blog more often. Not only that, but we're moving into our new place at the end of this month and I will have internet again! Hallelujah.

So I really do hope to blog more and run and workout and just feel good about myself again.

 I'm going to let my pictures explain what I've been up to lately because obviously I don't remember how to write a blog anymore.





My niece is getting so big. Every time I see her she is changing. This Christmas she was finally old enough to rip the wrapping paper off of her own gifts. Too cute.


A Christmas Decorating Competition at work. We went all out


Watching Drew's Softball games


Watching Drew do what he does best


Okay so this entire post was pointless, but very, very necessary.  It's a reminder that I need to use my camera again and go out and do fun things.

Next post is sure to be better, I promise.