Days 4 and 5: I got knocked down

So, on Day 4, I gave in to the shower cake. And then, at dinner, there was an amazing looking special involving white tortillas...so, as I feared, giving in once gave way to a second time. They say if you fall, you should start the entire ten days over again. I am doing this only for my weight, not to cure diabetes, so I figured I could just have a fresh start on Day 5. I noticed a big jump in energy after eating those carb-laden foods, but then I paid for it this morning in the form of water weight gain and digestive nonsense. So, Day 5, I am proceeding as though I was never sidetracked. I am still feeling sick-ish, and I say that because I'm feeling cold symptoms that aren't fully coming to fruition. I am still convinced it is my body releasing toxins, and not my normal tri-yearly sinus infection. I would have declined way worse by now if it was...

Day 4 Menu: (derailed though it was)

Breakfast: Nonfat greek yogurt with stevia and cinnamon

Lunch: Turkey Chili, avocado, and a side of roasted cauliflower

Snack: Cake :-(

Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla and salad :-(

Day 5 Menu: Back on Track!

Breakfast: 1/4 cup of raw, unsalted nuts.

Lunch: Kind of a hot mess, but roasted cauliflower, 1 slice provelone, and 1/4 cup of wasabi almonds.

Dinner: Green Chile Stew

LOTS OF WATER TO EXPEL THIS SALT RETENTION FROM BAD FOODS! :-)

Day 3: I saw the scale, now I'm a Believer!

Today is Day 3 of the sugar/white flour fast and I am feeling much more awake and "with it" today. I do kind of feel like a cold may be coming on, but I've also read that when you detox from sugar, you can often experience drainage in the throat, much like you get when you're sick, and it is your body finding ways to expel the toxins. Not sure if this is what's going on or if I'm just getting sick, but I'm hoping for the best.

I went to my Weight Watchers meeting today, and I lost 2 pounds! Keep in mind, that this is two pounds since I last went, but actually 3 pounds since I last weighed myself on WEDNESDAY! I'm hoping that this is a nice precursor of the week to come. Tomorrow will prove to be a challenge, as they are throwing a shower for me at work and there will be cake...and then we're eating out, but I have a solid plan for that involving steak and veggies, so that might fare well. It's the cake I'm worried about.

Here's what today's meals looked like:

Breakfast: 1/4 cup raw unsalted mixed nuts and a lot of water. (Maybe not the best breakfast, though it did keep me going for hours.)

Lunch: Turkey Chili with salsa and cheese

Snack: 1/4 cup of nuts and I'm also going to be roasting some cauliflower that I need to use...

Dinner: Green Chili Stew, made with ground beef and potatoes. Ear of corn with butter (yep, butter is ok in moderation!)

If needed, another snack can be had of nuts or cauliflower, but I'm thinking dinner will sustain me. It's been doing a good job of that lately.

Day Two: Headaches and Fatigue, Oh My!

Yesterday was the first day of my no sugar, no white flour (or any grains whatsoever) challenge, and I must say, it went easier than I thought it would. However, starting last night, I began to get headachy and fatigued, and slept on and off from 8 p.m. until 7:30 in the morning (actually, from 11:30 onwards, I think I slept well). I thought it was the work week catching up with me, but this morning, even after my unsweetened plain old latte, I still felt like I was coming down with something. Just very run-down and now, again. headachy. I looked up "sugar detox" on the internet, and sure enough, these are some of the very side effects of doing such a challenge. I didn't think I was this addicted to sugar, but by golly, it is hidden in EVERYTHING! When you make a conscious effort to not eat anything with added sugar, including fruit, which I eat a lot of, your body knows it. As yucky as I feel, it scares me to realize that my body is that laden with "toxins" (and yes, sugar and white flour are toxins in the amount that I eat them...) So, even though I feel like grabbing some chocolate and fried chicken right now (not together!) I know that I am doing the right thing for my body, and according to the literature I'm reading, this will all pass, and I will feel better than ever after about Day 3-4.  I sure hope so! And, as an added note, I am very proud of myself...we helped my future sister and brother in-law move today, and there were breakfast burritos and donuts and I did not cave, thanks to my super-filling breakfast!

Day 2 Menu:

Breakfast: Leftover Turkey-Bean Chili with green salsa and a sprinkling of cheese. Sounds strange, but the literature I read encourages things like this for breakfast. And it kept me steadily going through a move for a good 4 hours before I got hungry again.

Snack: 1/4 cup of Wasabi Almonds

Lunch: Same as Day 1, except for I added a hard-boiled egg. Needed some more calories after moving things all morning.

Dinner: Grilled Chicken Breast and Broccoli, potato slices baked with salt, pepper, and olive oil.

I am following this plan : http://gauravtandon.wikispaces.com/file/view/Diabities.pdf
It is designed for people who are pre-diabetic or diabetic, but since this disease runs in my family, I would like to change my lifestyle to prevent it all together. And, it's not a diet, it is a lifestyle change. Of course, I am not a doctor, so if there is anyone reading this, you should probably consult your doctor about making these changes, especially if you are already diagnosed as being pre-diabetic or diabetic. My coworker was, and she has seen amazing results on this, but everyone is different!

A Ten-Day Challenge

I was talking with my coworker today and lamenting about how I need to buckle down and lose another 5-10 pounds before my wedding. I mean, it is seriously go time for a number of reasons, the most important being the fact that I had my first dress fitting last Friday, and the dress is just a smidge snug on the hips. According to the seamstress, it is nothing that a few more pounds won't fix, but if I can't fix it, I am going to be stuck adding boning to the dress to make the fabric lie flat, and that's more money out of my pocket that I REALLY don't want to spend. So, a week (and several alcoholic beverages and tootsie roll minis) later, I was really getting frustruated with myself.

I re-joined Weight Watchers at the beginning of August. I have shed about 10-12 pounds so far, depending on the time of day weighed ;-) It is an accomplishment, but I haven't been super strict save for a few weeks out of that time...if I had, I would have lost more. I know that. I was using my extra weekly points, not getting a lot of exercise outside of work, and just taking the slow and lazy route. I'm proud of myself, but I could be more proud. The past month has been a particular fail...between my shower, Halloween, social stuff, I've stalled. Haven't gained, but I can feel myself sliding back into my bad old habits. So, as I said, I needed a boost, and was talking to my coworker.

She was diagnosed as being borderline diabetic last year, and her doctor put her on a diet. Since then, she's lost 30 pounds, and she says that the "cleanse" that you do for 10 days at the beginning of the plan really gives you a weight loss boost. I put cleanse in quotation marks because it seems like the most forgiving cleanse I've ever seen, and I actually began to think I could do it. She offered to do the ten-day boost with me, to provide moral support. So, here I am, putting this in writing for, basically, no one to see, because I feel that if I write it down, I will own it more. I hope. So, tomorrow begins Day 1. Here's the outline of what's allowed and not allowed in the ten day period (*for more information, consult http://gauravtandon.wikispaces.com/file/view/Diabities.pdf)

• No bread or grains of any kind for the ten days. This will be one of the hardest parts, but the main purpose of this cleanse is to rid your body of its sugar habit. And boy, do I need that. 
• No fruit. Found that weird, but again, sugars. This may also be hard.
• Clearly, no sugar. But, Stevia is allowed, so I'm going to be eating lots of plain yogurt with Stevia, and green tea with it as well. 
• Focus on eating lean proteins and veggies. Any veggies. And olive oil is allowed, as are seasonings (except for sugar, and any seasonings with sugar) so I don't have to eat bland veggies. If I were a hummus person, and I'm not, that'd be allowed, too. Eggs, cheese, beans, nuts, chicken, turkey, lunch meats, are all ok. Organics are encouraged. The fact that I can have lunch meat, cheese, and nuts makes this totally bearable. Picked up some wasabi almonds today, and am excited to not have to think about fat grams. Ditto, avocados! 
• Coffee and tea are also ok, which saves me. I think you can have a bit of milk in your coffee and tea, waiting to hear for sure    Tomorrow's menu looks like this: 

Breakfast: Plain nonfat greek yogurt sweetened with Stevia and garnished with cinnamon. 

Lunch: Bento style box containing three roast beef and provolone rolls, baby carrots with a drizzle of olive oil and greek seasoning, and sliced tomatoes. I think tomatoes are ok, even though they are a "fruit."

Dinner: Turkey and bean chili with salsa...and hey, I'm allowed shredded cheese on that if I want! 

Seems bearable! For snacks, I can have veggies (carrots and peanut butter sound good here), my almonds or other nuts, more yogurt, etc. Once the ten days are up, things get more lenient. You can incorporate whole grains back into your diet. Or, maybe I'll switch back over to the WW plan, having gotten the boost I needed. 

Wish me luck, invisible audience! 

Royal Blue and Turquoise...

There is really almost nothing better than online shopping. I feel like the anticipation that is built up while waiting for your things to arrive surpasses the instant rush you get when you buy them in person. Of course, I still love shopping in person...I love it all! Anyway, I ordered a ton of BOGO clothes from F21 a few weeks back (I will post a picture of the pile soon) and then I ordered knee high riding boots from DSW (squeals), and then I found a Chinese knockoff of the bubble big necklaces that are HUGE in the blogging world right now (the originals are J. Crew, I believe) for well under twenty bucks a pop, and finally I ordered a pair of turquoise skinnies from AE, who were having a "Everything Under 30" sale last week. I have been getting everything in a staggered manner, and the last thing to arrive, today, were the necklaces. I had ordered them in turquoise and purple, and now that they're here and as awesome as I imagined, I really want to buy them in a couple more colors as well. The second I got them I knew I had to wear one tonight (we go out to trivia on Mondays), so I decided to wear the turquoise one with my new turquoise skinnies and a royal or cobalt blue blouse. LOVED it.

These shoes are ancient and from Target. 2006? Kinda hard to tell, but they are super high.

I'm thinking I will get apple green and yellow necklaces next. Or, maybe pink. Or, all three :-)

Blouse: Express, 2009-10? This is the style of the blouse I'm wearing style, and I highly recommend the fit, but I also love this one for the color similarity and I think it'd look great with these necklaces.

Jeans: AE Skinnies, buy here for 13 dollars!!!!

Shoes: Old Target

Necklace: Various knockoffs on ebay, I got mine from an auction that ended, but this is basically the same thing.

The Last Day of Fall...Navy, Coral, and Multicolored Beads

Well, not literally, obviously. However, our week of beautiful 60 and 70 degree temperatures will be coming to an end for awhile, starting tomorrow, and will give way to mid 80s. Ugh. After the cool gloriousness of the past week, I'm not looking forward to it. I have several outfit posts to make over the next few days of fall-ish outfits I've worn all week, but I want to start with today's. The final fall hurrah for awhile, so to speak. I've seen the combination of boyfriend style jeans and a blazer all over Pinterest, so I decided to give that look a shot. I absolutely love it! My jeans are actually not boyfriend cut, so to speak, but they are boot cut and are loose in the leg, so I rolled them up and made them boyfriend jeans. I paired the jeans with a sleeveless navy tissue shirt with a unique neckline. I love this shirt! I got it at Burlington Coat Factory and the label says Paper Tea. I have no idea where else you can get this brand; an internet search proved fruitless. The blazer is from a T. Milano Petites suit that I bought at Marshall's, the shoes are ancient (circa 2007) and the necklace was a gift from my Mom a few Christmases back.

In all honesty, the sun was pretty hot (despite the high 60s temps when this picture was taken), so I promptly removed the blazer.

Love the coral. Love the jeans. Love how skinny I am looking these days...and I still have a ways to go. This blog is constantly encouraging me to keep up the good work. 

Here's a crappy, MySpace style photo that shows the detailing on the shirt. I really love it. The ruching is so slimming! 

And, the shoes. These are an all-time favorite of mine. I tried to find an alternative online but there's nothing exactly right. Lots of cute options I'll link to, though.

I know these were featured in the previous blog, but have I mentioned how much I love these bracelets? Added the full stack today...

Top: Paper Tea, similar here
Blazer: T. Milano Petites, Charlotte Russe makes a super cute one with ruched sleeves
Shoes: Ancient, but there are some cute alternatives here and here
Jeans: AE Boot Cut Jeans, similar here (AE also makes actual boyfriend jeans, which I am dying to try...)
Neckalce: gifted, but here is one that looks similar on Etsy (4 available)
Bracelets: Burlington Coat Factory, F21 carries some that are similar here

Purple and Gray

It really feels like fall today. The first day where that crisp, cool feeling comes upon our city is one of the best days of the year, in my humble opinion. I was all aflutter about what to wear today, and consulted both my Facebook friends and Pinterest for inspiration. It's not freezing by any means, it is in the 70s, but after MONTHS of 90 degree temps, it feels awesome. I have been sitting by my open window for two hours just soaking it in, because where we live, it has been known to change overnight, and judging by the forecast, we are not out of the high 80s/low 90s woods yet. All of these awesome fall clothes I have bought will have to wait...sigh...

But, I digress. After thinking about my vital, first non-90 degree outfit, I decided to go with the whole shorts and long sleeve combo that I have seen everywhere. I have NEVER been a big shorts wearer. I hate my thick legs, and so I tend to avoid them. But, all of the shorts were so cute this season, and my legs have slimmed down some, and I am starting to try to embrace the shorts thing. I was bummed that my package from F21 hasn't come yet, because there are two pair of shorts in it that I wanted to wear today, but alas, I had to work with what I had. I bought these purple beauties at Target at the beginning of the summer without trying them on, and they were too tight to wear until a few weeks ago. Yay! I decided to pair them with this drapy gray shirt. I love the way this shirt highlights the curves. I am not sure where it is from...I have a friend who wears the same sizes as me, and we do clothes exchanges every now and again. The necklace is ancient and from Gertrude Zachary, and the bracelets are from Burlington (haha, where else?)

Ugh. This picture does not at all do me justice. I think it looks much better in person. Also, the shorts are a tad more purple in person.

Here are the bracelets close up. SO PERDY! That glow is from the open window I spoke of. Ahhhh!

And, a close up of the necklace. My aunt bought this for me for, like, my 21st birthday or something. Seriously ancient. However, Gertrude Zachary is awesome...you can check them out online at gertrudezachary.com

You can also see the pretty lace collar/back of the shirt. Just a beautiful casual top. If I had to guess, I would say it probably came from Kohl's. I am posting links to similar items, of course.

Top: Unknown, Forever 21 carries a few similar items, like this, or something like this could work...and the Buckle carries a shirt with a similar shape and a sequined back, here
Shorts: Target, May 2012,  these are the identical style, but a different shade of purple.
Bracelets: Burlington, July 2012
Necklace: Gertrude Zachary, ancient, 2004?