Hitting the Wall

The first week (7 days) of RESET yielded a 5 lbs weight loss which has landed me back where I was weeks ago. I have lost 20 lbs (but 10 of those pounds have been gained and lost a few times). I am grateful to be 217 lbs. I had to get new under clothes and a lot of my tops I bought in the winter for spring are too big. I even got a compliment at the gym today. During Zumba class, another woman (familiar stranger in class) stopped shimmying to say - you've lost a lot of weight!! Beaming, I said, yeah about 20 lbs so far. I'm doing the PINK Method! That one small comment boosted my confidence and I all of a sudden started working harder in my first workout since May 6.

But this past 7 days has been very challenging for me. Each day I have not done PINK to the best of my ability. I am weak in my resolve. I find myself tasting things I shouldn't. Finishing my kids' last bites instead of throwing it in the trash. I think about how I could be out of the 200s if I had stayed the course and stopped the yo-yo dieting. But isn't that the human condition? To always be thinking about what you don't have instead of living in the moment and rejoicing in it. I know I am feeling this way and acting out in this diet because I have hit THE WALL (duh duh duuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhh!).

I have tried many diet plans over the years and I am always gung ho in the beginning. I can hang in there for 2 to 3 months and then I get tired of all the pomp and circumstance. I mean I get tired of counting points, counting calories, being on the straight and narrow, feeling like I cannot enjoy myself at functions, and blah blah blah. So what happens is I cheat here, cheat there, bend the rules, here and there until I am like EF this EFing Bull crap I am having what I want, when I want. That's the wall for me. I gain weight and become depressed.

I am at the WALL. I was doing well, even on vacation and then I got back and got sick and tired of caring. I love the results. But I am tired. I have to find a way to stop thinking about PINK as a diet for now and to thinking of it as a blueprint for LIFE, a lifestyle that doesn't start and stop but is continuous and never ending. I am still a slave to the scale. I want to see that number going down but my actions are not bringing that about. Self-loathing mistakes daily are keeping me with my head banging against the wall.

Knuckles and forehead bleeding I am going to break through the wall this time.  I will not fall off and blow up and buy bigger clothes again. I want to live. I need to change. I will survive! (Just not sure exactly how yet but I am going through the motions. Time to re-read my PINK manual and do some written exercises or something. I may have to turn to my American Gladiator of a husband for advice (PRAY FOR ME).

Thanks for cheering me on ladies! PINK for LIFE!

La-Vie

p.s. If you're into crafting... check out my blog http://www.cestla-viedesigns.blogspot.com/
and my facebook fan page https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Cest-La-Vie-Designs-Unlimited-LLC/175247459236018

What had happened was...

Damn, Damn, DAMN!! What had happened was..... I was SO good on Royal Caribbean I had everyone in awe of my PINK practices. I refused bread like a champ! But I got spoiled. I didn't have to cook, clean, rear children, etc. I came home and didn't want to do SH%@! To boot, on the way home my "time of the month" started. So in addition to feeling like I was STILL on the ship for 3 days afterwards, the gravity pull from my cycle had me out for the count. And the cravings...jeez Louise! I was so out of control. So before you know it, I hadn't worked out or practiced PINK for a week. It was supposed to be my final week in phase 2 but I squandered it! I think secretly I am terrified of the phase 3 workouts with Basheerah who is THE TRUTH (baby insanity type workout).

During my week of hiatus, I did lose the weight gained on the trip, but not staying steadfast caused me to gain a couple pounds back. The week ended with a trip to the amusement park where I binged on deep fried oreos, funnel cake, red candy apple, Chickie and Pete's crab fries dipped in melted American cheese, ice cream, and fried chicken fingers. Afterwards I felt HORRIBLE and polluted.

So I put my foot down. I know what I need to do. PINK has taught me how and it's effective. I am tired of playing around with these 5 to 8 lbs that I keep gaining and losing. I am not travelling for the next few months so it's a perfect time to buckle down and get PINK done. On Monday, May 14th I started from scratch with a 14 day RESET to cleanse all the nonsense. This time I am going to act like I want to lose some weight FOR REAL. On that fateful Monday I was 222 lbs and I fully intend to be 199 lbs by the time I start Phase 2 again. Life is short. I want to live and experience all the things that extra weight has kept me from doing.

I will report back after RESET is done with my weight loss total and inches lost. And I will provide a picture comparison. It's war. No excuses. No going on a binge (cuz I am human and may have a bite or 2 of something good along the way). No turning back. No more 200+ when I step on that scale. No more getting in my own way!

La-Vie

Does PINK and Vacation Mix? (The Saga Continues)

I'm back to continue the PINK vs. Vacation saga. If you missed part 1 check it out here. 
Now, where were we... ah hah! I gained 9 lbs on a 4-day vacation and needed a game plan to lose the weight. Michelle (the other PINK in the Pod) suggested that there was NO way I gained a true 9 lbs on a 4-day vacation. Some of it had to be water retention and maybe doing a 4-day RESET (as is required between the phases) and continuing on to phase 2 would be sufficient instead of starting from square 1. She also reminded me that I could use the PINK drink as a meal replacement for 2 meals if needed.

I pondered this (I was soooooo down in the dumps and pitiful about this weight gain) and decided it made a lot of sense. For more motivation, I listened to all of the live web chat recordings online to make sure I understood what could and couldn't be done on this plan. For example, I found out I could have air popped popcorn. It was bothering me ... not being able to have a snack ever again. This took the edge off at times. But organic air popped popcorn is not a tasty snack by far (FYI).

I lie to you NOT! The first day after I got back I didn't eat PINK or workout but I lost a couple pounds. The next few days I did RESET but with a shake for breakfast and dinner and a meal for lunch. I lost all 9 lbs and then some in 4 days. AMAZING!!! Seeing that scale go down and down again was motivation enough. I was back on track! But....

*****************************************************************************

Phase 2 came in like a bear! I hadn't worked out in almost a week and jumping up to 10 and 12 pound weight lifting routines (from 3-5 lbs) and this crazy cardio was kicking my butt! But I has to persist because soon I'd be leaving for another major vacation - a cruise to the Bahamas with a group of girlfriends. But this time I would be ready! I consulted an expert on the message boards for advice on how to handle things and prepared for my trip.

First I bought a magic bullet so that I could make my shakes for breakfast, I bought a smaller bag of my protein powder to travel with and purchased fiber powder because I found out on the web chat that Cynthia prefers the whey to have fiber in it (and mine doesn't). My plan was to purchase shelf-stable individual drink boxes of the unsweetened almond milk from a grocery in Miami before boarding the ship and to get strawberries from the breakfast buffet each day. Easy peasy!

Now, the mind is a beautiful/horrible place.... even with all this preparation, the same thing happened to my mind as it did before the other trip. I convinced myself that since I was going to be on vacation soon and off plan anyway, it was OK to cheat now. IT MAKES NO SENSE but I started getting extra here, extra there (extra = girl scout cookies from the freezer, cheese sticks, rice cakes, baked kettle chips, candy, etc.) The binging was growing and growing.

For me, travel will always be a part of my life so I had to figure out how to deal. The good news is, you can be PINK and go on vacation if you have your head on straight. On the cruise I gained only 5 lbs by making my shake and making better choices at meals and cutting down on the drinking and desserts. I also brought my tiny DVD player and my pink workouts. Some of my friends even joined me in the workouts. It was a little awkward plugging up and doing it but it was a crowd pleaser. We got compliments from others in the gym on how hard we were working out. I made sure to start my day with the workout and the PINK drink. The next trip I take will = no lbs gained. You watch!!

But OH LAWD, after ALL THAT, guess what happened when I got home...........................
dun dun duuuuuuuuuunnnnn... stay tuned...

La-Vie

Does PINK and Vacation Mix?

Life is a moving target and mine has been on hyper drive in the last month! I have written about 5 blog posts in my mind (all witty and cute) but never made it to the computer until today. Please excuse my absence. I have been on 2 major vacation in the past month and thus have been MIA on this blog. To make up for it, I will update you in the next few posts. I'll start from where I left off in my last post.

My husband took me to Aruba for 4 days/3 night for my birthday (love my hubby!) this year. We had never been away from our 2 kids for a vaca of this magnitude AND I had never been on vaca on a plan like PINK. I was supposed to be on RESET between phase 1 and 2 but decided to stay on a modified phase 1 plan while on vaca and regroup once I returned. We arrived at lunch time after travelling for hours upon hours and this was my first meal.

Ok, this meal is not PINK. But it was soooo good! My goal for the trip was to have fun but not go too far overboard. I didn't want to feel oppressed on vacation but I didn't want to gain half the weight I lost back either. So I worked out 2 of the four days (because the other two days we were travelling) and TRIED to make sensible choices. While I did have drinks at the swim up pool bar and at dinner, I didn't drink all day and night long. I could hear Cynthia saying something like - if your liver is processing liquor it's not processing fat. I made sure at each meal I had vegetables and no more than 2 servings. If I didn't like something I didn't bother eating it. In the past I might have eaten it just because.

For breakfast I got one serving consisting of egg white omelet with spinach and all the veggies with turkey sausage and unsweetened green tea. With a little fresh fruit and a croissant or two (I'm human people!!) I was good to go. My biggest problem was dessert at dinner time. Instead of having a dessert, I would make a platter of all the desserts I wanted to try. Some I would finish, others not and some I would get seconds of. In the end I was stuffed.

In hind site, my portion sizes were too large, the sweets, bread and alcohol factors played a part in my weight gain. Let's not even talk about the late night snacking. Not being in control of the contents of your food meal after meal for days is not good. I didn't keep up with my water intake either. The only things that helped me were the workouts and high physical activity during my trip.

Here are the PINK positives... I did realize that the RESET broke my addiction to carbonated beverages such as diet soda and flavored water, artificial sweeteners and now I can take salt a mile away. Those are lasting effects. I was able to fit into clothes I haven't been able to fit for a while and I received more attention from the opposite sex than I have in a long while.

Me on my birthday ready for my special dinner

So I returned home to find a 9 lb weight gain. That solidified in my mind that my vacation goals did not match my PINK method goals. I had to skae things up! I wanted to throw in the towel and start from Day 1 of the plan but Michelle, the other PINK in the Pod shared her thoughts on how she thought I should proceed based on my experiences. Tune in next time to read all about that advice and what I ultimately chose to do.

La-Vie

Back On Track

Hello Pinkies,

I am back on track!  I've been back on Phase 2 for a week now and things are going well.  I've lost weight and inches.  I feel good and have tons of energy.  I've also figured out that I need to switch things up as far as the PINK workouts.  I need FUN workouts to keep me going and wanting to workout.  The Pink workouts are hard and even though, I push through and do more than I thought I could do, they are NOT enjoyable and I have to stop more than I would like.  When working out I like to keep moving the entire time and complete the workout.  When doing the PINK workouts I don't feel like I've completed a workout because I can't do everything to completion.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely know they have made me stronger and I will continue to do them, but I will alternate with my 4 Mile Fast Walk video, Donna Richardson, Masala Bhangra and other workout routines that have music that keeps me moving and make me want to keep moving.  :-)

Well, that's all for now.  As usual my meals are below.

Until my next post...

Think P.I.N.K

                                                    4 Mile Fast Walk - Leslie Sanson

                                         Sweating In The Spirit - Donna Richardson

                                                   Masala Bhangra - Sarina Jain

                                                                        MEALS

                                                Breakfast: One hardboiled Egg
                                                                  One sliced pear
                                                                  Cup of coffee


                                                Lunch:  Pink Drink#1

                                                 Dinner: Grilled Pork Chop
                                                               Roasted Red Potato
                                                               Sauteed Asparagus

Uh Oh! Wagon Falling, Restarting

Hello Pinkies,

First let me apologize for not posting in a few weeks.  I fell off the wagon for a while :-(  I thought I would reward myself for doing so good for 5 weeks.  Well, that turned out to be a very bad idea! The reward is the weight loss.  I repeat, the REWARD is the WEIGHTLOSS, not a glass of wine or something fattening to eat!  It will just lead to you drinking another glass of wine and more fattening food.  Now, I didn't eat that bad and did exercise some, but not like I should have.  I did only gained 2 pounds and 2 inches (waist) back.  Most would say, that is pretty good for not sticking strictly to the program for 2 weeks.  However, 2 pounds and 2 inches takes alot of hard work to get off.

So, I restarted Phase 2 today and I will not have a glass of wine or fried catfish until I have reached my weightloss goal.  I realize now that I didn't have enough time under my belt of eating right and exercising consistently to be able to eat or drink something that is not on the program and not get off track.

Please take heed to this so you don't fall into this trap.

Today's meals are below.  I forgot to take a picture of my breakfast, which was 1 hardboiled egg a cup of strawberries and a cup of coffee after drinking 32 oz of water.

Until my next post...

Think P.I.N.K

                                             Lunch: Garden Veggie Burger
                                                           Grilled Eggplant
                                                           Sliced Tomatoes

                                               Dinner: Grilled Cumin Chicken Breast
                                                             1 Roasted Red Potato
                                                             Spinach

4 Mile Walk and Two Days of Pink Workouts in One Day!

First, let me apologize for not posting on Friday.  I was so busy, I totally forgot.  So here's what happened on Friday.  I didn't workout in the morning and wasn't hungry, so I only ate a banana.  Later, for lunch I had a sandwich (3 thin slices of low sodium/low fat ham, lettuce, tomato on 1 slice of sprouted grain bread) and a apple.  Sorry, I forgot to take a picture :(   Dinner picture is below.

Now, Saturday was a little different and today (Sunday) was even more off the beaten path.  Saturday I slept in and didn't exercise when I got up.  I had breakfast, which consisted of 1 scrambled egg with 2 slices of tomato on 1 slice of sprouted grain bread and 1 cup of cofee (liquid stevia & unsweetened coconut milk).  For lunch, I had an apple because I wasn't very hungry, again.  Since the weather was so nice I decided to go to my township community center and walk the trail 4 times around, which is 4 miles.  I came back home and had my Pink Drink #1 and later had dinner.

Today, I felt so guilty for not working out on Friday and not doing the videos (only the 4 miles) on Saturday that I did Friday and Saturday's workouts today!  Yes, I did Phase 1 Kardio, Phase 1 Pull, Phase 1 Push and Yoga!  Funny thing though, I felt great afterwards and my daughter said, you are doing so good mom, I'm proud of you :-) 

I saw a recipe on "The Chew" that is PINK friendly and had all the vegetables that I love to roast so I made that to go with dinner tonight - Vegetable Ratatouille.

Tomorrow, I start 4 day Reset before beginning Phase 2 and I will post my weight loss and measurements from Phase 1 then.

Until my next post...

Think P.I.N.K


                                                                           4/13/12

                                                 Dinner: Grilled Salmon
                                                                 Roasted Red/Yukon Potatoes
                                                                 Roasted Zucchini


                                                                "The Chew" recipe

                                                               Vegetable Ratatouille


                                                                           4/15/12

                                                 Dinner: Greek Grilled Chicken
                                                                 Roasted Acorn Squash
                                                                 Vegetable Ratatouille

At the Crossroads and Phase 1 Measurements

I must start with my happiest moment on PINK. The live chat revealed that we can have organic air popped popcorn. I rushed out to get it. It doesn't taste great, but it did help me feel like I could get a needed snack in. I love this retro style air popper from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Ok, on to the bad news... unfortunately the time has come for this PINK in the pod to seperate. My birthday is this Wednesday and I am headed to Aruba tomorrow to celebrate. Once I return I'll be off to the Bahamas with friends the first week of May. I am so excited about both trips, which were planned in advance of starting PINK. It will be difficult to keep 100% PINK in these situations. The good thing is, PINK is a lifestyle change and my lifestyle involves a lot of travel. These experiences will allow me to learn how to tackle eating away from home. I am terrified of regaining the weight I lost though.

The reason why I am talking about seperation is that Michelle and I will no longer be in sync in terms of where we are in the program. I must re-evaluate after both trips to see where I will pick up the program. Maybe I will start from scratch. Maybe I will do a little longer reset and start Phase 2 next week. I am supposed to be on reset the whole trip which will not happen. One of the experts on the PINK message boards gave me support and some great guidelines to follow while away. I am going to do my best to apply those principles. Luckily, my husband eats the Paleo diet so we both will be watching what we eat together. And we will work out for at least an hour daily and be active most of the day. My trip mantra is "I am here to actively celebrate with my husband NOT to eat and drink all I can and become a beach bum." I'll post again in a week.

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In Phase 1 of PINK I was able to have breakfast some days when I didn't wake up to do my workout first thing in the morning. I enjoyed this cereal from the organic isle. I recently bought the blueberry version which has basically the same nutrition facts.

Ok on to the statistics and my experiences on Phase 1 now that it's done.

I started PINK monday march 12, 2012 my measurements were bust 48.5" wearing a bra and a sports bra, waist 49.5", hips 50", thighs 27" and my starting weight was 237 lbs.

Today, after Phase 1 my measurements are bust 46.5" (same bras), waist 47.5", hips 47", thighs 24" my weight now is 221 lbs.

I lost 16 lbs and 10" overall!! Not bad...

RESET is where I lost most of this weight. During Phase 1 of PINK I kept gaining and losing a couple pounds. But I know exactly why.... I had a really hard time sticking to the blueprint once it got closer to my trip. I wasn't always in control of my food when I travelled away from home. Several times I ate treats that were not PINK at all. I ate them for all the common reasons - old bad habits, while I was on my cycle, because I was bored, because I was emotional about something, because I had given up for a bit. But all in all, I am loving myself and forgiving myself for these mistakes. I still kept exercising and kept moving forward. But now I know, those cravings and tendencies are still alive and well and as the PINK book says, I have documented those pitfalls and have strategies to overcome them in the next phase of the program (whatever that is for me).

Everytime I cheated I felt an overwhelming sence of guilt and self-loathing which is not the positive place I have been coming from throughout the rest of this program. So once I return from vaca I am going to clean up my act and get back on track.

The one thing I can say is I have been doing the workouts in addition to Zumba and the elliptical. I first started using 4 lb weights in Kardio and have moved up to 8 lbs about a week ago. There are some moves I can only do with the 4 lbs but I am very much stronger. I even started doing the jumping jacks but have not gotten all the way through with it. I use that time to remind myself of the cheating I have done to push myself forward. I chant the names of what I ate repeatedly. I also can now do the yoga crouching spring forward move that I cried about day 1 of phase 1 because I couldn't do it. I am proud of most of what I have been able to accomplish on this program. I look forward to my progress in the future.

tuna that is PINK approved

favorite meal 1

favortie meal 2

La-Vie

Cruise Control

Hello Pinkies,

Today starts the last week of Phase 1 (Pink Primary).  I am now basically on cruise control.  What I mean by this is, eating healthy and exercising daily is a habit now.  I'm sure this is why Cynthia says in the beginning of the P.I.N.K Method book, commit to the program for atleast 3 weeks (21 days).  Research has shown that if you perform an action for 21 days it becomes a habit.  That Cynthia is so darn smart and sneaky :-)

I have been on the program now for a total of 28 days and the changes I have experienced are great!  I have alot more energy and I sleep much better.  I still fall asleep late, but my sleep is much deeper and I feel very rested when I awake in the mornings.

Today, I started using the five pound weights for the workouts.  Boy what a difference two pounds makes.  I had been using the two and three pound weights the first week and just the 3 pounds last week.  Those five pound weights felt so much heavier, but I pushed myself and did the entire workout using them, with the exception of those dreadful Jumping Jacks :-(  I hate those darn things!

So now for the reason I'm doing this program, weightloss; I lost another 1.5 pounds!  Woohoo!  I'm now 258.5.  1.5 pounds is actually within the normal healthy amount of weight you should lose in a week.  Even though, alot of people on the program lose more in a week, 1 to 2 lbs is healthy according to the Mayo Clinc and other sources.  You always want to lose weight in a healthy way and not too much too fast or your skin may not shrink with your body and then you have excess skin.  Not a good look.

As usual, today's meals are below.

Until my next post...

Think P.I.N.K 

                                              Lunch:  Grilled Catfish
                                                               Sauteed Collard Greens
                                                               Sliced Tomatoes

                                              Dinner: Grilled Chicken, Asparagus w/Marzano
                                                               Tomatoes & Brown Rice

No Exercise, Barbecue Ribs and a Blender?

Ok, I normally only post on Monday and Friday, but I thought I would post today because my day was a littlle different than usual.

I did not exercise today.  What! Yes, you heard me right. I did not exercise today. I had planned on sleeping in since I rarely get the opportunity to. However, I had every intention of working out. Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of falling asleep with the tv on. When I woke up, I looked at the time and said, "Oh it's still early, I'm going back to sleep." Well, as I lay there I'm listening to the tv and a very interesting documentary was on. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love documentaries! Needless to say, I got wrapped up in the documentary and did not go back to sleep  :-(    I then realized that an hour had passed, uh oh!.  I have read and also heard Dr. Oz say, "It is important to eat breakfast within an hour of waking," which I try to stick to. So, I then decided to eat breakfast and workout later. I'm sure you can imagine how that went, LOL. After the documentary, I got on the computer and time just slipped away (say what).  Anyway, I just decided to make today my rest day instead of tomorrow. Thank God for the "rest day" :-)

Now for the rest of my day. My daughter begged me to make her some Barbecue PORK RIBS!!!! Are you kidding me child? Your mama is trying to lose weight! Are you trying to sabatoge me? LOL. Since this is a lifestyle change and I will have to deal with this at some point, there is no time like the present.  I put the rub on the ribs and put them in the oven. If you know anything about cooking ribs, you know you have to cook them low and slow in order for the meat to fall off the bones. So, I had them in the oven for about four hours before I started basting them with my special barbecue sauce (yum). My daughter also wanted me to make homemade mac & cheese, but I put my foot down and refused! That's taking it a little too far missy :-/  The compromise, box mac & cheese (Cynthia would be cringing right about now, lol).

Since I wasn't going to be working out, I decided I was still going to drink my Pink Drink #1. So, for lunch I start preparing my smoothie. I get all the ingredients in the blender, hit blend and nothing. Ok, is this really happening? My blender has stopped working! Uugg! Now I have to go buy a blender. I run to Bed Bath & Beyond with my coupons (I'm an extreme couponer) and of course, they have all the really nice blenders that you see advertised on tv and in the circulars, but they cost like $200 - $400 or more. Ha, even with my coupons, I'm am not paying that much for a blender unless it can suck the fat out of my body LOL!!! Ok, back to reality, I find a really nice reasonably priced blender and with my coupon it only cost me $16! The great thing is that it has alot of the same settings that the expensive blenders have and my old one did not (see pics below).
Yay for me, score!!

Later, I finish up dinner for me and my daughter. The only food item we share on our plates are the roasted sweet potatoes/yams ;-)   However, I still enjoyed my dinner immensely. Who needs RIBS!

Below are my meals, except the Pink Drink #1 (see an earlier post for pic), for the day.  I have also posted a picture of mine and my daughter's dinner plates side my side.

Until my next post...

Think P.I.N.K

                Breakfast: Scrambled Egg on Sprouted Grain Bread w/Tomato
                                   1/2 cup Coffee w/liquid stevia and coconut milk


                 My New Blender!                                                 Blender Settings

 

                          Mine and My Daughter's Dinner side by side
                                     
                                               
                                                                 My Dinner

                              Grilled Skinless Boneless Center Cut Pork Chop
                               Roasted Asparagus
                               Roasted Sweet Potatoes

                                                   My Daughter's Dinner

                   Barbecue Pork Ribs, Mac & Cheese & Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Almost Over

Happy Friday Pinkies,

Whew!  The second week of Phase 1 (Pink Primary) is almost over.  These last few days have been a little difficult when it came to exercising.  For some reason, I just didn't want to do the cardio with Jenna.  I wanted to do some of my other cardio dvd's.  However, I know that everything in this program has been designed for a specific reason, so I stick with it and I am getting much stronger because I can do almost all the jumping jacks with 3 pound weights and ALL the push ups!  Plus, the P.I.N.K Method workouts are a great deal shorter in time than my other dvd's.  When I'm done with the workout though, I feel good and say I did it. 

So, DO the workouts even when you don't want to!  I believe I read somewhere that if a day comes that you really don't want to workout and you are making every excuse not to workout, that is the day you absolutely MUST workout.  If you don't workout on that day, you won't workout the next and so on, and so on..

My meal for the day is below.  I was running around alot today so I didn't get to take a picture of my lunch.  I literally had to run home and eat something in the middle of my running around.  So, for lunch I had Chicken Salad and raw carrots.  I forgot to eat my slow fruit, so I had it with dinner.  I've also added below a picture of my daughter's dinner.  Something I used to eat with brown rice and tofu, but can't eat on P.I.N.K because the Sweet Chili sauce is, well sweet (sugar) and I used to fry the tofu :-)

Until my next post...

Think P.I.N.K

                                        Dinner: Grilled Marlin Steak (fish)
                                                        Sauteed Collard Greens
                                                        Roasted Butternut Squash


                                                     My Daughter's Dinner

                                 Grilled Chicken Breast, White Rice, Steamed
                                  Broccoli with Sweet Chili Sauce


                                                             My daughter :-)

                               Can you believe she's only in 6th grade?!
                               Check out her blog: http://www.thepinkfluffypen.com

While Cravings will come....it's all about how you deal with them

If you're a fan of the back-in-the-day show "In Living Color" you'll know what I'm talking about...

"I had a craving... wrote a song about it... like to hear it?....here it go.... Momma had a craving for chicken fajitaaaaaaaa, and I was about to go off PINK, tear the the town apart to geeeeetttt it.... aaaaaahhhhhhhaaaaa!"

Cravings can be relentless! I thought about a burrito I used to get from Taco Express that is made with grilled churiso, steak and chicken 'round the corner (without the wrap) for 2 long days. I didn't tell anyone but I mulled it over so many different ways... well... if I get it.... I won't be going off PINK because.... ah nah I don't know how they're cooking the meat, there's a bunch of spanish rice, guac and sour cream, cheese, etc. It just ain't gonna work...

Then I remembered the WWW and said to myself, "maybe I could make the seasoning myself and curb this craving and stay PINK (for LIFE)?" Low and behold, a recipe jumped right up. Here it is: fajita seasoning recipe. Armed with the recipe, I felt empowered! I omitted the corn starch and sugar plus I found salt free chichken buillion powder since I knew that salt would mess me up.

After I bought the spices I needed, predue chicken strips that were free range etc. and a bag of frozen peppers and onions I went home to hook it up! I also ate a green salad. Let me tell y'all (smacking my lips and lickin my fangers) that meal was banging, more satisfying than "cheating" and an instant hit with my fam. I felt like a million bucks! For real. There were left overs for lunch the next day. Tasted even better. I tried to be fast and eat a little jar salsa with it at lunch but it tasted like pure salt. I know I am detoxed now for sure. I can taste everything I never used to.

Now when the cravings come, I've got this! Hooooooooo! Go me....get busy... go me... uh, uh.... (I'm doing an old skool dance in my craft room right now....)

How have y'all dealt with some killer craving?

La-Vie

4 Pounds & Plant Based Diet?

 

Happy Monday Pinkies,

Today was the first day, of my second week on Phase 1 (Pink Primary).  Things couldn't be better!  As I said in a previous post, I will now only weigh myself once a week as to not get discouraged when a pound isn't lost every day.  So, this morning I weighed myself and I've lost 4 pounds since my weigh-in last week!  Woohoo!!  I am now 260 (see scale pic below), which is a total weight loss of  12 pounds since starting the program.  The P.I.N.K Method works!

On another note, in the past week I watched a documentary entitled "Forks Over Knives."  You can watch it on Netflix if you are a member.  I have watched several documentaries on the negatives of eating meat and positives of vegetarianism, as it relates to killing animals, but this was a little different and now I know why Cynthia Pasquella, creator of P.I.N.K Method eats a plant based diet. 

After watching this documentary, I am really, really considering eating a plant based diet.  I know it will be very difficult and will be a slow process to switch to this way of eating because, a plant based diet means you cannot eat anything that comes from an animal or anything processed (not even vegan cheese - it's processed).  However, recognizing that cancer runs rampant in my family, I think this would be the best thing for my health and especially for my daughter. 

I am a single mom of a two, a 24 yr old son and a 12 yr old daughter.  Since I am pretty much the only stable adult in my daughter's life (wouldn't want my son to have to raise his sister if something happened to me), I need to do everything in my power to be around for her as long as possible.  This is what I think about when I don't want to do that darn yoga with Basheerah, grrrrr :-/

What do you use as a motivator to keep you going on the P.I.N.K Method?

Until my next post...

Think P.I.N.K

Oh I almost forgot, see today's meals below.

                                  This is a dish I created from imagination :-)

                                                Lunch: Scallops, San Marzano Tomatoes
                                                                Fresh Garlic & Fresh Spinach
                                                                Apple   

                                                 Dinner: Grilled Catfish
                                                                 Sauteed Napa Cabbage w/Garlic
                                                                 Roasted Butternut Squash

Easy Peasy!

Ok today was day Day 5 on Phase 1 (Pink Primary).  This program just gets easier the longer you're on it.  This week flew by and I had no cravings at all.  I even took my daughter to a local pizzeria where she had Cheesesteak and French Fries and it didn't bother me in the least.  Looking at all the food on the counter used to have my mouth watering and undecided on what to buy, but this time I just kept saying, yuck all that fat is going straight into the arteries of the customers!  And, all those calories are going to sit right on their butts and thighs.  I wanted to shout "get on the P.I.N.K Method!" :-)

So after leaving the pizzeria, I came home and made my delicious healthy dinner!  Yum, Yum, Yum eating healthy is Fabulous!!!!  See today's meals below.

Until my next post...

Think P.I.N.K

                                                  Lunch: P.I.N.K Black Bean Chili with some
                                                                 additional spices of my own.
                                                                 Tangerine



                                      My delicious dinner after the pizzeria

                                                  Dinner: Grilled Catfish
                                                                  Roasted Yams
                                                                  Roasted Asparugus

Feel the burn??? That's just your body changing!!!

Today's title is one of the favorite sayings of the PINK workout leader for PINK Primary. I have been feeling the burn and I figured I would check in and share my progress since my last post. In tribute to one of my Sheros Whitney Houston, my workout theme song is now Step by Step (so fitting...)



Well there's a bridge and there's a river that I still must cross
As I'm going on my journey
Oh, I might be lost

And there's a road I have to follow, a place I have to go
Well no-one told me just how to get there
But when I get there I'll know
Cuz I'm taking it

[Chorus:]
Step By Step, Bit by Bit,
Stone By Stone (Yeah), Brick by Brick (Oh, yeah)
Step By Step, Day By Day, Mile by mile (ooh, ooh, ooh)

I became emotional today while I took strides to this song on my elliptical. First because a legend of our time has passed. Second because I have come a long way since 20 days ago (mind, body and spirit). I had just finished the PINK workouts (day 3 PINK Primary) and was adding a little extra oomph with the elliptical workout. This journey for me has been a step by step kind of situation. From 3 weeks ago when we decided to prepare to start this program until now. Here's my stats...

I began PINK reset at 237 lbs (I'm 5'3".) after RESET I was 225 lbs (and I've lost a couple lbs since) for a total of 12 lbs lost! I cannot believe it. I always lose weight in my face first so I'll share my before and my now pic so you can see what I am talking about. This program must be the bomb because I thought I couldn't live without bread, cheese, processed foods, snacks, oil, etc. And now I am living proof.

first day of RESET

after RESET

Starting PINK Primary brought on new challenges. I have A LOT left to learn. I began eating too much but was still losing a pound a day. That has since slowed down, but I am learning that with the addition of new food I have lessen the amount of food instead of just adding the new stuff. And I am learning to adjust things according to my lifestyle and habits. For example, PINK suggests I have a medium fruit with lunch. I may have that fruit as a snack an hour before or after lunch instead. I was getting slack with my water (even though I am very hydrated) so I am getting back on track with that. I now understand that I need to eat certain things (good carbs) to maintain enough energy to do the workouts. So step by step I am getting adjusted. 3 weeks will be gone before I know it and I'll be in the gray area once again as I switch to phase 2.

Ok, the workouts are basic lunges, squats, core work etc with light weights and some difficult gravity defying yoga moves. I did not watch the videos ahead of time (out of fear) and attempted to go at it full force last monday. Well, that was disasterous. I cried like a baby when I couldn't do the yoga and it was too late at night to drink the shake and (I think I was PMSing guys) everything was going wrong. After a much needed pep talk and instructional from Michelle (the other PINK in this pod) and support from my closest girlfriends I got it together and have been strong every since.

The workouts are challenging but only a few moves are advanced. Within the 3 weeks alloted for this phase I believe I will have all of them down pat (except that damn crazy yoga move). The workout lead keeps reminding me to stay present, focus on me. I am working on that. She says it's your time... and I really feel like I am on the brink of something. It is my time, to get healthy and fit.

One thing I will say is there is room for error in PINK primary so thank God the creator has several lengthy web chats online that answer everyone's burning questions. I even found out I can have air popped popcorn (which is not in the book). So off I go to the store for some organic popcorn and the popper!!! This is the BEST news I have gotten in weeks (besides my weight loss that is...)

Before I go, I must admit that everyone around me in on board. They are inspired by me and I am inspired by them. One of my friends bought in and started RESET this week! Go gurl!!! And I am working on another. My nearest and dearest are making changes in their own ways to foster better health and fitness. It's become a little revolution.... and I'm proud to be a catalyst for change.

La-Vie

I believe in me, my will to succeed and my power to positively influence others.