week 4 7/19/12

Weight 161

- 1lb

Greetings from Ireland !  Let me introduce you to my first meal here. Its actually like many Americans here, Irish/American.  The tea is from Dublin and the salad is from Newark Airport.  Paying $10 for this little salad, I refused to throw it out when I got on the plane. Carried it here and now its my dinner.  

This week was full of cheating !  Could explain only the -1 lb.  I went out to dinner a few times this week with friends.  There are a few things I just can't say no to when going to dinner.  A drink and desert.  So I had them.  My compromise is I only had one wine (skipped the margarita ) and desert I shared.  I also am sticking to portions.  I took home a delish beet salad home and I ordered fish.  The other cheat was a slice of pizza.  Look my international ritual is I always have a good NY slice before I leave NYC.  It is kind of my good luck charm.  So of course a good choice was Brothers Pizza.  But this time I only had 1 slice, like my original 2

Following the Jillian Michaels Diet.

Pluses

When I do make the meals, they are DELISHIOUS !!

For example this Chicken Sausage with Poached Eggs and Sweet Potato Hash

WORKOUTS move at a good pace to get you fit.

Minuses for Jillian Michaels recipes.

Many of the recipes are for more than one person, So I am finding it hard to cut the recipe to my size.  Also many of the meals fish/veg go together.  And when your making for your own, its hard to own many of the ingredients all at once, so I have been altering/adding and subtracting her menu.  Don't know if that is allowed because there is no explanation of that.  

This week I got on my treadmill. I hear if you move fast/ move slow , I think its called intervals ( if someone knows please comment )  you lose weight.  So I walked fast on 3 for 1 min , then I ran on 5 for a minute.  I have been doing 30 min workouts everyday with one day off.
This week I also went to the feast  of Mt. Carmel/Grotto. Now I could ruin my diet for a year in one night here,  But once again, I had a little and skipped a lot.  I only had 1 zeppole and I cut out the sausage and peppers and had a water instead of a beer.  Hey I was able to keep my hands off the sausage because another famous grotto member also had lost some weight.  Yes Rosebank's favorite Elvis impersonator came back slimmer and thinner, kind of like his 68 comeback special size.

This week I am in Ireland, don't know how I will be able to weigh , with them having stones instead of pounds.  So things I will allow,, I will allow a fish/chip shop run, but only once, I will have beer but only quiness and I will limit the intake and have some jamesons but also limit what I drink.  I will watch the bread ( cause its good here ) Eat salads as often as I can.  I also brought my exercise DVD's and I look forward to a nice run along a great Irish road.  Hey if Elvis can do it , so can I,, VIVA Las Ireland !  See ya next week  !

week 2

Week two 7/5/12

Weight 164

-6lbs

So I got my ass off the couch and now on to the floor.  Don't you love exercise that you can do lying down ?  Don't be fooled, this pilates machine kicked my but eventually.

Woohoo ! first week.  But I am little confused.  Wednesday night I weighed myself and it read 168, then I weighed myself when I should , this Thursday AM.  Did I lost 4 lbs overnight ?  Then later that evening  I am at a Spa and I weighed myself on one of those doctor’s scale.  You know the scale that has the bar you slide over.  Well this one read today at 167.  So now rule of thumb, don't weigh at night, and never use a doctor’s scale. So I am sticking to my morning weigh in on my IKEA scale at 164, which I will do on Thursdays.

I am following the "30 lbs in 90 days with Jillian Michaels".  The kit included, a 7 day kick start plan ( which is what I did this week.  4 phases of workout videos to last the 90 days and  90 day fat burning meal plan complete with all the recipes. 

There are a list of no foods, some obvious like Alcohol and Nitrates, but some no foods were surprises, like Peaches and Soy.  I found the first week not very hard, because I cheated a little. I'm sorry, but I need some sugar/chocolate after dinner.  I am an ex-smoker and I need something sweet to help with my nicotine cravings.  Even after two years, smoking cessations  hit me.  I want to remain doing this, so I will alter it here and there to fit my lifestyle.   This diet seems to be  a no sugar, no bread and barely any dairy  diet, I have to  have a tiny bit or else I wont stay on it.  ( key is know yourself , then push yourself plus 1 ) Does that make sense  ? 

Pluses

The Meals /Recipes were very good, and I felt full, I did not find myself looking for food.  I learned how to make salads very well,  poach an egg , and made for the first time a fabulous dressing, 2 tbs lemon + 2tbs olive oil, delish ! 

My favorite recipe was

Poached Eggs/ Avocado /No Nitrate Canadian Bacon and Tomato- I posted this on Facebook. 

Yes this is my pic, I made this, very easy.  

Also If you do not know how to poach an egg , here is the website that taught me , and it worked !

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/how-to-poach-an-egg-smitten-kitchen-style/

Ohh yeah , the biggest plus was that  I lost weight!!!

Minus

No sugar/no bread /no fruit- miss them all in some shape or form.  Also I did not like the yogurt/cinnamon /almond recipe. 

No alcohol !!  Ok I know me, I will not survive giving up alcohol.  So I will have a few. I going to Ireland for gods sake, how will I not drink.  No more sugar drinks, like margaritas . but I will have some tequila once and a while.  Beer will only be light, and I don't drink much beer lately anyway.  I will drink more wine and also limit my intake. I will properly be the designated driver a lot this summer.  Woohoo for my friends.   I promise myself if I indulge , I will up my workout that day.  I went to brunch with friends and I had 2 bloody marys.  I went to an event and I had a free drink ticket.  ( I am one to not give up something free so I had a vodka /seltzer with lime. )

Jillian Michaels includes workouts, which is essential and something I was not doing at all.  They are gradual , but mind you still challenging at each level, but she does level the intensity  so don't worry. 

Pluses – I like the 30 minutes/ varied 3 day plan

Mines – I wish there was better music and more dancing ( because that's what I like )

This week my Uncle had treated me , my cousin Amy and my aunt Nancy to Deerfield Spa in PA.  Here we will have 3 days of light meals, exercise and healthy living, so I think next week's weigh in will be good.  See you Thursday !

Hello

Last week I was watching an infomercial, Jillian Michaels-Body Revolution.  Her clients were losing 30 llbs in 90 days.  I thought that is exactly what I want to do.  I had a credit card and was ready for the challenge .  ( I must say the real challenge is when you order from an informercial, you must say NO a thousands times to other offers before they actually put the one you originally called about.   In a few days , my box arrived, complete with all the necessary stuff to do this.  Though I tried some of the recipes for a few days here and there, I did not officially start this program until the day after school ended.

June 28th - current weight 170
This pic was taken in  China during Easter- Its a bad pic of me, I hope the ones I continue to put on here will be more flattering.  Note to any potential men suitor, when I stand up straight , it not as bad, lol plus my boobs are bigger now.
I hope to rid 30 lbs in time for my 30 years reunion.  Thats right, 30 lbs for 30 years , in 90 days  .  I will check in weekly with my weight and the weeks pluses and minuses.