back in the game

Wow...it's been a long time since I've posted. To say that we've had a lot going on these past 6 weeks is such an understatement...happy times and sad times, but we're getting through everything and learning a thing or two along the way.

Today I'm starting my second Vegan Kickstart program...it's offered through the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and is free. I did it back in April (I think) and pretty much it's a 3 week plan to eat a plant-based diet. I enjoyed it before because it helped me try new foods and eat healthier, so I figured I'd give it another shot. I have the iPhone app and get daily emails with recipes and meal plans, so it's actually pretty easy to follow. http://pcrm.org/kickstartHome/

I've also started training for a half marathon...I'm following a plan by Jeff Galloway who promotes injury free running (which is super crucial for me since I have runner's knee in both knees). Pretty much I have 3 runs a week, 2 of which are 3 mile runs and the third run is my long run. The half marathon isn't until March so I have plenty of time to train, which is good because I couldn't run at all last week because I didn't feel good.

For dinner tonight we are making a lentil recipe from Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Life (I love love love lentils!). http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/celebrity/silverstone/index.cfm

Less than one month to the wedding (holy crap) so it's time to be healthy!

this may be working

My new no-diet plan seems to be going well! I've eaten TONS of fruits and veggies this week and have felt really good. I've not been counting any points, just focusing on making healthy decisions. I even went to Uno's for lunch today and made what I think is a pretty healthy choice...veggie burger w/no bun or cheese (comes with guacamole and salsa) and a side salad with fat-free vinaigrette dressing. It was yummy. What makes me especially happy about all of this is that this has been probably the most stressful week at work since I started 2 years ago and I've still been able to stay healthy. And I feel so much less stressed about eating without counting anything...calories, points, whatever! So far so good. Hopefully I can keep it up this weekend...even while I am going to a wedding.

I've also been pretty good about exercising...I ran on Monday morning..."slept in" on Tuesday (til 6:15) so no work out. Yesterday I did p90x KenpoX (which was a great stress reliever...and I'm feeling it today!) and this morning I ran again. It was such a beautiful morning...I was actually chilly when I first started! Again a really good stress reliever. It's supposed to be nice again tomorrow but I don't want to run too much because it will hurt my knees. So my plan is to maybe take the dogs for a nice walk and then give them a much needed bath. Maybe do a little p90x in there, too. Saturday if my knees feel okay I may go for a run to try to counteract what I will eat/drink Saturday night at the wedding!

We're gonna get pho tonight...Vietnamese noodle soup. It's a favorite of ours and we haven't had it in awhile since it's been so hot. Then we're gonna watch a movie and relax. Relaxation is so needed! Thank goodness we go to Maine on Tuesday!!!

i may need to change the name of my blog...

If anyone read my last post it's not surprising that I've been struggling with feeling motivated. I've been doing some reflecting and realized that I am putting way too much mental energy into thinking about how I eat (is this healthy/unhealthy, feeling guilty if I eat something bad, etc). I don't want to diet. I hate dieting. I love food and I hate feeling deprived. I went out to eat last week with my dad, aunt, and grandmother. While we were out we stopped at a really cute little market in Vienna. It had lots of local, fresh produce and organic meats. I was browsing around and talking to my aunt and she was telling me about a book she's reading, "Eat to Live" by Dr. Fuhrman. So of course I went home and downloaded it on my Kindle and started reading it (the whole premise is that people should eat only foods with a high nutrient density...duh). I'm only on the second chapter, but it's helped me come to a pretty important conclusion: I'm not going to diet anymore.

A few years ago I lost a good amount of weight because I started running for the first time in my life. At the time, I was also reading Bob Greene's book, "The Best Life Diet," which is all about making lifestyle changes rather than dieting. I applied most of the principles in that book to my life and naturally lost weight. Since that time I've had a hard time losing any more weight because now it's more about toning my body and losing the rest of the fat that seems to want to stick around!

So, I've made a new plan. No more diets. No more counting WW points. No more strict vegetarian...I had chicken last night for the first time and I plan on eating some chicken, although sparingly. And I only plan to buy chicken that I know comes from a good place. We bought this chicken from a farmer's market in old towne Alexandria where we talked to the farmer and he told us exactly how the chicken was raised and killed (he does all the processing himself). It was very yummy and I felt good about eating it.

So here's my new plan:

-I will eat mostly vegetarian foods but incorporate some chicken into my meals (bought locally and organic)

-I will measure out portions (which I've gotten better at thanks to WW...if I don't measure I swear I could sit down and eat an entire pound of pasta)

-I will eat mostly fruits/veggies for snacks (another good WW principle)

-I will try to eat slowly and mindfully

-I will try to avoid processed foods and eat mostly foods that grow from the ground

-I will not count calories or points

-If I want something sweet, I will have something healthy like fruit and yogurt etc

-If I want something unhealthy, I will have it in moderation

-I will try to exercise 3-5 times per week, but I will not get down on myself if I don't follow p90x rigidly (so if I want to run a few times a week I will do that instead)

-I will try to buy mostly local, fresh foods

Now I'm sure people reading this (if anyone reads this) are thinking DUH. But it's not easy for me, or for a lot of people I'm sure. It's so simple to want a quick fix like a diet, but they are so hard to follow in the long-term. I will not be counting points for the rest of my life, so what's the point now (haha no pun intended)? I feel good about this because I know I'm doing what's right for my body and what will help me feel good physically. Hopefully weight loss is a by-product of this new lifestyle but I'm doing this to be healthy, not just to lose weight.

Here are a few things we've already been eating that coincide with my new lifestyle: =)

-TONS of fresh greens, including Chinese broccoli, baby bok choy, and collards (sauteed in garlic and olive oil)

-baby red potatoes with rosemary

-whole roasted chicken

-fresh tomato salad with onions, basil, and balsamic vinegar

-fresh cantaloupe, watermelon, mango, and peaches

-soy yogurt with a little granola and lots of blueberries and blackberries

-wrap with hummus, fresh tomatoes, hearts of palm, and cole slaw

So. That's my new lifestyle. I feel good about it now, but I'm sure tomorrow when I go to work and there are tons of temptations it will be difficult. My plan is just to focus on my health and hopefully everything else will fall into place. =)

feeling a little defeated

To say that I've gotten off track may be an understatement. Two weekends ago I was at a bachelorette party that kind of wrecked my week on Weight Watchers. But I still worked out all week so that was a positive. This last weekend for 4th of July we were at Lake Anna...which meant lots of lounging around, chillin in the water, and eating. And no exercising. Needless to say WW and p90x have been non-existent this week. I'm still trying to focus on being healthy but I am feeling pretty defeated.

Which got me thinking...I HATE how much time I spend thinking about what/how I'm eating and if/when/how I'm working out. I know it's such a societal issue, but I really wish I could just be at a point where I eat healthy, work out most days, and don't obsess about these things. It's just exhausting. I'm trying to get there and I think following some WW principles (eating fruit as snacks) and combining that with eating mindfully (which is so hard) would be the answer. It just seems like everywhere I turn there are either people talking about dieting, infomercials for new diets, or the complete opposite and temptations to get way off track. I know this all comes from self-control and will power (which sometimes I'm not sure I have any of). I just need to focus on being more mindful, eating slower, and really enjoying the taste of my food. I just get so frustrated with how much energy I (and people, society, etc) put into losing weight!

That's my soapbox for now. Clearly I'm not feeling too motivated these days.

still truckin along

I'm still truckin along with p90x and weight watchers. Last week I only worked out two days, so I decided to do week 6 over again. So far this week I've done core, cardio, and about 15 minutes of the push-ups video (I was NOT feelin it that morning) and ab ripper. Today I'm either going to run or do legs and back or kenpo. It's so nice out that I'd like to run, my the arch on my right foot is really hurting so I'm thinking I may do a p90x video to not have all that impact on my feet and legs.

I'm still sticking to weight watchers, too...as best as I can. Last weekend I went to a bachelorette party which included lots of beer and chips and ranch dip. And then Panera the next morning. I did not keep track of points (I was WAY over anyways) and the scale definitely showed that. I'm back on track this week but the scale is still higher than I'd like it to be. But I figure I'm definitely eating healthier and less than I do without WW so hopefully it will show one way or another (if not on the scale then in my clothes).

Today marks only 3 more months until our wedding! I can't believe it's that close. The next 3 months are just going to fly by! Last night we called around for rehearsal dinner places and found Dolce Vita in Fairfax and Carrabba's in Centreville could both work. It gives us a good excuse to go out to eat to try these places out. =) It seems like we still have a lot to do...order the wedding bands, figure out the reception music, order the tuxes, and have the final meetings with all the people. I got my dress fitted last week and I love love love it!!!

Anyways...that's all for now. There's been so much going on the past few weeks. Hopefully I can update more regularly now because it does help me stay on track. I hope I can keep things going in the right direction even during this holiday weekend! Happy 4th!

Veg Italian Night

Week 5 of p90x is almost over. So far I've exercised four days this week...hopefully I can convince myself to do either kenpo or legs and back tomorrow. This morning I ran with Bishop...I love love love running with him...he is so excited and happy to be outside that it makes my run more enjoyable. Plus, the fact that he is calmer the rest of the day is an added bonus. =)

Last night I made a really yummy Italian dinner (vegetarian of course)...I got some whole grain organic penne from Trader Joe's (which was so cheap...only like $1.39/lb) and a bag of their meatless meatballs. I sauteed some onion, garlic, and mushrooms and added some fresh parsley from the garden. Then I added a jar of sauce to the veggies (we like Classico Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic) and put the meatballs in to simmer (all of this while the pasta was boiling). By the time the pasta was done cooking, the meatballs were warmed through! I mixed the pasta with the sauce and meatballs and then added some fresh chopped basil from the garden (all garden veggies are courtesy of Jan). Voila! It was really yummy. Jan and Chris were both here for dinner...both self-proclaimed carnivores...and they both loved it (or at least they said they did)! There was only a tiny bowl left of pasta (and one lonesome meatball) so I'm taking that as a sign that they really did like it.

I'm super tired right now. I had a hectic week at work and then had to sit through an LCSW prep class all day yesterday and half of today. It was definitely helpful...but boring. At least now I'm ready to really start studying so hopefully I can pass this exam in a few months and be done with studying foreve!!

taco night

I'm halfway through week 5 of P90x...and shockingly I'm still doing it consistently! For the past five weeks I've worked out at a minimum of 4 days each week...and I feel really good about that. I've also been doing weight watchers now for almost two weeks and that's going well, too. I'm finding that I can find a healthy balance between eating healthy and treating myself. It's great that I can eat as many fruits and veggies as I want, because I load up on the fruits during the day. I'm not feeling deprived...because if I eat something that is high in points then I just eat healthier at the next meal. I don't know if the number on the scale is moving (I haven't checked) but I feel better and that's more important to me anyways. I think that this is a good combination for me.

Tonight I'm going to make veggie tacos. I'm using morningstar soy crumbles...which I hope are good. I'll put some taco seasoning with those, and then make a mango salsa w/some mango, onion, lime juice and avocado to go on top. Chop up some onions and tomatoes and it's taco night!

Tomorrow and Saturday I have to sit through two full days of a prep class for my licensure exam. I'm not thrilled about it, but I'm hoping it will help prepare me to take the last test I'll ever have to take! We get lunch on our own, so I'm going to have to scope out some places around that have healthy options. I will be so glad when Sunday comes around so I can sleep in!

Going strong...

So this is week 4 of p90x, which is the recovery week. In the past I've always slacked on the recovery week, thinking that since I'm "recovering" it's okay if I don't work out. This time I haven't done that! I did Core on Monday, Yoga Tuesday, and CardioX yesterday. Tomorrow is supposed to be XStretch but I'm going to go for a run with Bishop. I learned in school that it takes 30 days to maintain a habit...and after this week it will be 30 days of doing p90x consistently! I'm super happy about that because I've been really dedicated about waking up in the mornings to work out. I don't even give myself a choice anymore...at 5:15 the alarm goes off and I'm up (regardless of how much it sucks) because I know how much better I will feel afterwards.

3 days of weight watchers and I'm going strong! Haha. I still have a while to get to 30 days...but so far it's going well. Since I am doing p90x everyday I'm getting a lot of activity points which is helping me eat enough and not feel deprived. The real test will be this weekend. But I've been good about measuring stuff and tracking my points so I'm just going to put 100% effort into doing that. Plus I'm saving my weekly bonus points for the weekend so that I can treat myself a little. =) I feel really good about this and that is an awesome feeling!

weight watchers

Well I've been tossing around the idea of starting Weight Watchers again (I've done it several times in the past and it's always been successful). I usually just start tracking points without actually joining weight watchers and paying the money. But yesterday I was trying on dresses to wear to a friend's bridal shower, and felt like nothing looked good. Even with doing p90x and being vegetarian I am not in the shape I'd like to be in. I think it comes down to eating habits because it's the little pooch in my stomach that I want to go away...and that's where I tend to gain weight first (which hopefully means I will lose that weight first). So yesterday I, sort of impulsively, joined weight watchers online. It was $53 for three months (they are waiving the sign-up fee right now) and I figured if I'm going to do weight watchers I may as well really do it and be serious about it. My wedding is in 4 months so now is a good time to make a commitment to working out and eating healthy. Let's go!

Restrictor or Permitter?

Week 3 of p90x is almost done! I've had a good workout week with 5 days logged so far. I've followed the p90x schedule except for today when I ran 3 miles with Bishop instead of doing legs and back. I still did abripperx though and I'm starting to see my 2 pack again! So if I wake up tomorrow and get some sort of exercise in that will be the second straight week of working out 6 days! Go me!

I'm still having a hard time with healthy eating. I'm doing the best I can and I'm constantly thinking about it, but I have made some bad eating decisions. Between date nights and Memorial Day bbqs, healthy eating went out the window. I'm actually thinking about starting Weight Watchers on Monday (for some reason it seems easier to start new diets on a Monday). With the points plus program, you can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want for zero points, which is usually what I snack on during the day. I'm just going to need to make sure I'm getting lot of protein (to go w/the p90x workouts) so I may make myself a protein shake everyday. I made a really yummy shake today after my run...one frozen banana, some strawberries, 1/2 scoop Jay Robb's vanilla egg white protein powder, and 1 cup almond milk! Delish.

I read Geenen Roth's book "Women, Food, and God" awhile back and she talks about how most people are either restrictors or permitters (restrictors do well on diets because of the rules and guidelines, permitters feel like they deserve treats every now and then). I'm definitely a restrictor and I think it's because it makes things black and white, which makes things easier for me. But then on the weekends I turn into a permitter, giving myself all the treats I want to reward myself for the hard work of the week! So counterproductive. But, knowing I'm a restrictor gives me confidence that weight watcher will be successful!

Here's a link to a quiz on Oprah to determine if you're a restrictor or permitter....

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Are-You-a-Restrictor-or-a-Permitter_1

Finishing up week 2!

So even though this is my third week since starting my second round of p90x, I'm just finishing up week 2 since I didn't work out at all last week. This week has been great! I woke up at 5:15 every day before work and got my workout in. I realized how much I just NEED to work out in the mornings...what a difference from last week when I didn't work out at all! This week I was in a better mood, had more energy during the day, and slept like a baby at night. So I've come to the conclusion that I just have to force myself to wake up and work out so that I'm not miserable. Plus, when I work out in the morning I make healthier food choices during the day because I don't want to undo all my hard work!

I did skip YogaX this week and went for a run instead with the dog...I was feeling pretty tired and knew that I'd get more energy out of running than out of Yoga. Plus the dog appreciated it. =) Today is KenpoX and that will make 6 straight days of working out! It's been so long since I've done that. Yay!

I went to a really great restaurant last night. It's called The Loving Hut and it's in Falls Church. It's an Asian-inspired restaurant...and the best part is everything is vegan! It was so nice to go to a restaurant and have the ability to order ANYTHING off the menu! I got a veggie burger (which I didn't realize would be fried) but it was AMAZING! It had this really yummy special sauce on it. I asked for a side salad instead of fries and the salad was really nice...lots of fresh veggies and craisins and it had some amazing homemade dressing. My mom got a portobello panini and my dad got a Vietnamese (fake) pork sandwich with jalapenos, sauerkraut, and cilantro. Everything was really tasty and cheap...my dad's sandwich was only $4.50! For dessert we shared some vegan raspberry lemon cheesecake. Delish! The menu is not up online yet but they have a lot of choices...pho noodle soup, chinese dishes, Indian dishes, salads, sandwiches, etc. Check it out! http://lovinghut.us/fallschurch_01/

healthy food disaster

I just got back from a weekend at Ocean City to celebrate a friend's birthday and have a girls weekend. It was a really fun time...we relaxed, had some tropical drinks, talked, and ate...a lot. In an effort to hold myself accountable and not conveniently "forget" what I ate I'm going to write it all down here. It's not pretty. Here we go.

Friday:

Lunch - on the way up we stopped at Applebee's and I got one of their under 550 calories meals. It was shrimp and lots of veggies over whole wheat noodles in a teriyaki sauce. Not too bad health-wise but it tasted like it had a ton of sodium.

Afternoon - two of us were in the hotel room for the majority of the afternoon waiting for the other girls. So we snacked ALL afternoon on pretzels and sun chips. We did take a long walk on the beach but I don't think that made up for all the chips we ate.

Dinner - the other girls got to the hotel late...too late for dinner...so we hit up some late night food. This was pretty bad (but tasted so good). Late night grub included fried pickles (one of my favorites), mozzarella sticks (I only had 1/2 of one since I'm not really eating cheese), and jalapeño poppers. Fried food heaven. Add a couple of beers on top of that and that pretty much rounds out my Friday. Healthy food DISASTER!

Saturday:

Skipped breakfast.

Lunch: I wanted to stay away from fried food after Friday. Being vegetarian is hard sometimes when you go out as a lot of the vegetarian friendly foods are often fried (appetizers and such). So I decided to have tuna salad which I'm sure was loaded with fat from full-fat mayo. This came with potato salad that was also I'm sure made with full-fat mayo, so I didn't eat all of the potato salad. This also came with fresh fruit and a hard-boiled egg. I also had a tropical drink called pain in the ass.

Dinner: Seacrets in Ocean City! So fun. And delicious! I had a really good black bean burger with guacamole and salsa (no cheese) but of course it was served with fries. I tried to share them and not eat them all but fries are seriously one of my all time favorite foods. Top dinner with a couple rounds of fruity (way too sweet) mixed drinks and a couple of beers...and Saturday is pretty much another healthy food disaster.

Sunday:

Breakfast - Wawa MTO...not too bad...whole wheat roll with scrambled eggs (no cheese), tomato, onion, and pepper.

Lunch - At home. Phew. Had a few pieces of sushi and some honey nut cheerios. Weird combination I know. I was starving after the long ride home.

Dinner will be fresh mussels over pasta for my mom's birthday.

So. That's my weekend of binging. It was a great weekend and I had a fabulous time with my friends. But it made me realize a big part of why I have a hard time losing weight...WEEKENDS! I eat so well all week and then on the weekends w/social gatherings I tend to throw it all away. Boo. Not good!

So here's my plan...after a week hiatus from p90x I'm going to start week 2 tomorrow. I have a little over 4 months before the wedding which is a good amount of time to tone up in a healthy way. I'm going to focus on eating mindfully, slowly, and eating healthy foods. I'm going to aim to work out 5 days a week (even though p90x is for 6 days...some weeks that is unrealistic). If I'm crunched for time and can't fit in a p90x workout then I'll take Bishop for a run (even the dog is porking up!).

I feel good about this. It's good timing since next weekend is Memorial Day and marks the official start of summer which means bikinis! I felt alright in my bathing suit this weekend but I'd definitely like to feel better and more comfortable with myself. Time to get down to business!

rough week

Well...this has been a rough week. I haven't worked out at all for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I haven't had hardly any sleep this week. No real good reason why but it makes it almost impossible for me to wake up at 5:15 and work out. So I decided this week it's more important for me to sleep and get some rest. Also, my knee has been bothering me like crazy. I think it's still from the week and a half that I did Insanity...but it's hurting a ton when I sit for long periods of time (which is inevitable as a therapist) or put too much weight on it. So I figured a week-long hiatus from p90x may help my knee heal up a little bit. And then to top off an already crappy week, last night I found out someone is trying to use my identity and get access to my credit report. So this = me super stressed. I realize working out is good for stress and am a total believer in that, but this week I just feel like I need some sleep. I bought some Melatonin and took that last night and have already taken some tonight so hopefully I get some sleep. I'm having a nice relaxing beach weekend coming up and hopefully after that I'll be ready to re-do week 2 next week!

Something to ponder

I met with my trainer from Lifetime today for the last of my three free sessions. Overall I liked meeting with her because she taught me some new routines that I can do at the gym to incorporate more strength training. One of the routines I can even do at home with weights that I have. I'm still not sure if I will quit the gym or just put my membership on hold...but I'm going to do something because there's no sense in me paying for the membership when I'm committed to p90x for now.

Yesterday was YogaX. I went to the Washington Bridal Expo a few months ago and there were some people there from p90x marketing Shakeology. I talked to them and told them how much I hated Yoga and they recommended that I do the first 30 minutes and last 30 minutes so that I get the benefits of the vinyasas but also the good stretches toward the end. Ever since I started doing this I've loved YogaX! An hour and 30 minutes was way too long (which is how long it takes to do the whole video) so I would just skip the whole thing. Doing an hour is a much better option than not doing anything at all! I didn't do p90x today since I met with my trainer and we did a circuit of strength training moves.

I've been trying to eat mostly vegan but have incorporated eggs back into my diet. I've also been more lenient about eating foods with milk in them, but I'm still trying to steer clear of dairy foods (except eggs). I still haven't had cheese because of how much it upset my stomach when I had some on Easter.

I've been thinking a lot recently about how changing your diet to vegetarian or vegan seems to bother a lot of people. This doesn't make much sense to me since my eating habits don't affect anyone other than me. But for some reason there are people who think it's unhealthy or whatever and can't seem to let it go. To those people I say, leave me alone! I'm doing this for me and not hurting anyone by doing it (actually I'm doing the opposite and saving some pretty cute animals). I've also been reading a lot of books about vegan and vegetarian diets ("The Kind Life," "Skinny Bitch," "Veganist," and "The China Study") and am blown away by the harm that eating animal products can cause (I'm talking health-wise not animal cruelty...although that's obvious)! I'm not trying to push my views on anyone here...some of the stories are just crazy. There are so many stories of people who have been diagnosed with terminal cancer and then they switch to a plant-based diet, and not only does their cancer not progress but it goes away completely! Totally remarkable if you ask me.

Anyways this is just something I've been thinking about. I've changed how I eat to focus on being healthy and I've noticed a ton of health benefits since doing so (clear skin, better sleep, being "regular" if you will ahem) and I would really like people to stop talking trash. I'm not going around preaching and trying to make other people change their diet, so I'd appreciate the same respect in return. Many many thanks!

2 days down!

Well I've finished the first two days of my second round of p90x! They went pretty well considering I haven't done p90x in months. It's pretty interesting to me...I'm wearing a heart rate monitor this time around and I burn significantly less calories than I thought I did. For Core I burned a little over 350 calories, and for CardioX I only burned 260! I guess it's good that I know this so that I'm not overeating, but it's a little disappointing. Either way the program works because when I was doing p90x before I definitely noticed that I was toning up. Maybe since it incorporates a lot of strength training you are building muscle which helps burn calories throughout the day. Who knows.

I've also been trying to eat better the past two days...since the first phase of the p90x diet calls for more protein and less carbs, I've been having a salad w/balsamic vinaigrette and a veggie chik patty for lunch (I really like the Boca spicy chick patties...like Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich!). Last night I had one of my new favorite recipes, red lentil curry http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/red-lentil-curry/Detail.aspx (I use vegetable broth instead of water and add peas...sooo yummy and so healthy!). Today for dinner we're having fresh brussel sprouts, corn on the cob, and tuna salad. Once I get on the right track of eating healthy it's so much easier to keep it up. Nighttime and weekends are my nemesis so I know I really need to focus on eating healthy at those times.

Tomorrow is shoulders and arms and ab ripper...that's gonna be rough!

Getting ready

I've spent some time today trying to get myself ready for the upcoming 90 days...I really want to do this right. I read up on the p90x nutrition program and realized that I'm going to actually need to increase my calories (which I'm not upset about at all since I love eating). I'm going to need to find some creative ways of adding protein without carbs for the first month, but this should be easier since I've started eating eggs again (and I'll just have to eat lots of salads w/veggie burgers or tofu or tempeh).

I saw my trainer today at Lifetime. She taught me a good strength training routine that I can do at home or at the gym...but the whole thing was only about 40 minutes and that included a good amount of rests in between reps. It was a good workout, but I think I burned significantly less calories than doing one of the p90x videos (thanks to my new heart rate monitor I can see how many calories I'm actually burning!).

So far today I've been doing well with eating...had a peanut butter, banana, honey butter wrap for breakfast and curried red lentils for lunch that me and Jan made last night (omg so good). I'm thinking about going to Whole Foods and getting some fresh fish and veggies to for dinner (I refuse to give up seafood because to me it is one of life's greatest pleasures).

Let's give this a try...

So I decided to start a blog. Obviously. I've been trying to figure out a way to stay motivated with working out and eating healthy and thought a blog might be a good way to track my progress and stay focused. I always tell my clients to journal so I thought I'd take my own advice!

After lots of thinking (because let's face it, I overanalyze everything)...I think I'm going to quit Lifetime and start back up again with P90X. Lifetime was going well for about two months, but I've realized that I do better with an at home program because I hate getting ready for work at the gym (and I am not a night time exerciser). I started with Core Synergistics this morning (I'm doing the lean program) but I'm going to officially start the 90 days on Monday.

I'm also a relatively new vegetarian (since the end of February) and this will be a challenge with P90X but I know I can make it work. I was vegan for about a month, but I'm going to start eating eggs again to get that extra protein without adding any carbs. I had my first egg wrap today in over a month and it was fabulous. We get our eggs from an organic local farmer which makes me feel good about eating them.

Well...that's all for now. I hope I can keep this up and I'm seriously hoping it helps with motivation! Encouraging words will definitely be much needed and appreciated!