Movin' It... August Challenge (31 Days of Healthy Living) - Day 14

8:00 am - Started my work morning with a cup of black coffee with 1 Stevia.

9:30 am - Getting hungry!

10:00 am - Shared about 3 cups of watermelon chunks with my bestie.

1:00 pm - Bestie and I ran to Kroger to stock our boss' candy drawer with all of the chocolately goodness the ladies in our office crave. Didn't even want any of it. I use to grab for the Hershey Almond Kisses and Reese's. I was even offered a Snickers bar since I was acting like a diva (according to my boss). Haha!! We stopped at Starbucks before we made it back to the office and I had my usual, well what has become my usual... a Tall Iced Black Coffee with 1 Splenda. Once back in the office we went to the break room to make our salads. I threw together a chicken chop salad with romaine lettuce, baby carrots, cucumbers, baby bella mushrooms, radishes, yellow bell pepper, hard boiled egg, rotisserie chicken meat, and a honey mustard balsamic dressing. As we were walking down the hall another boss grabbed me to try a Grilled BBQ Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeño. I took one bite to not be rude, it was so spicy! I felt guilty but couldn't resist but I ate just the 2 slices of thick cut peppered bacon off of it. So good!!

(I really deserved to be thrown that Snickers... sorry for being shitty!!!)

6:00 pm - Came home and had a snack. Hard boiled eggs with cherry tomatoes... this has become my favorite snack combo. 

7:00 pm - Worked out... did my workout group challenge exercise of burpees/lunges and then turned to YouTube to try a Slim in 6 workout. Sweating!!

Movin' It... August Challenge (31 Days of Healthy Living) - Day 13

8:00 am - PB and J Shakeology to go for breakfast at breakfast.

(You can see the strawberry bits. Yummy!!!)

11:00 am - Cup of black coffee with 1 Stevia. Getting hungry.

1:00 pm - Caught a break and had leftover veggie fajitas.

2:30 pm - Ran to Starbucks with my bestie to grab a Tall Iced Black Coffee with 1 Splenda.

3:00 pm - Hungry but we had to step into a meeting.

5:00 pm - SO DARN HUNGRY!!

6:00 pm - Craving a workout.

7:30 pm - Made a Veggie Pizza for dinner. So incredibly filling, like, I'm overly stuffed right now.

8:00 pm - Went to workout and didn't have any clean sports bras. Ugh!

Movin' It... August Challenge (31 Days of Healthy Living) - Day 12

8:30 am - Chocolate Banana Nutter Shakeology for breakfast to go for work. My favorite flavor so far!!


11:00 am - Cup of black coffee with 1 Stevia packet. I received an email from my BeachBody Coach suggesting that I would make a fantastic coach. I was so flattered but I want to become a success story before I entertain the idea. So far I have nothing but positive reviews.

12:30 pm - My boss offered to buy me lunch from Subway so I ordered a 6" inch whole wheat with guacamole, cucumber, onions, spinach, and tomatoes. Before I headed back to work my bestie and I stopped at Starbucks and I picked up a Tall Iced Black Coffee with 1 Splenda.

3:00 pm - Hungry

4:30 pm - Little Man had his 7 year check up and I was getting so hungry. When we made it home we shared some strawberries.

5:30 pm - Feeling bloated tonight. Ugh!

7:00 pm - Made Veggie Fajitas for dinner.

7:30 pm - Worked out. My abs are so sore and it feels so good!!

Movin' It... August Challenge (31 Days of Healthy Living) - Day 11

9:00 am - Cup of black coffee with 1 stevia packet.

10:00 am - Getting hungry!!

10:30 am - Just had a craving for a hard boiled egg. We received an office email that the temp agency we use for new hires sent us three trays filled with various breakfast treats as a thank you. I glanced and saw a fruit tray but the cantaloupe I packed sounded so much better so I passed but a coworker brought their plate over and I watched them eat an egg and meat filled bun. It looked so good. Ugh!

11:00 am - Had a cup of cantaloupe chunks and was still hungry.

12:30 pm - Made 2 celery peanut butter boats but almost ate them all before I took a pic. I had the jar of peanut butter at my desk and walking through the office with 2 celery sticks on a plate brought some funny reactions. "That's it?!", in a mocking tone, "Enjoy your lunch!" and "I would smother those with ranch".

2:00 pm - Grabbed another cup of black coffee with 1 stevia to warm up. Our office is always so damn cold.

3:00 pm - Hungry!!

4:00 pm - Had another cup of cantaloupe chunks.

5:30 pm - Hit the 8 cups of water mark!

7:00 pm - Came home and worked out... burpees, 30 Mins Aerobic Dance Workout with Bipasha Basu (Break Free, and a 10 Minute Cardio Dance Abs Workout: Burn to the Beat with Keaira LaShae. After my shower I could feel my buns burn.

8:00 pm - Had another cup of cantaloupe chunks and finished it off since it needed to be ate up by tonight. 

Movin' It... August Challenge (31 Days of Healthy Living) - Day 10

9:00 am - Woke up this morning feeling heavy. Can't stand when I'm bloated because it makes me look pregnant, that would be a much better excuse for my current body shape. I was hungry and made a packet of cinnamon spice oatmeal for breakfast with an extra sprinkling of cinnamon added.

(Impatient and took a photo before it thickened)

10:30 am - Little Man and I went to the Houston Downtown Aquarium. It only takes about a half hour to walk through it. I left it up to Little Man since today is his day and said we could grab lunch here, somewhere else, or have a picnic at a park after. He decided he wanted to eat at the aquarium's restaurant. I turned away the bread and butter basket, ordered water to drink, and it was highly recommended that I try the Mariner's Mixed Grill. It has sliced flat iron steak cooked medium rare, lobster tail, and grilled shrimp with garlic mashed potatoes (I requested it with no potatoes since I figured they'd be loaded with butter and possibly heavy cream), and the seasonal veggie was green beans with red onions and mushrooms. I cannot believe it but the green beans and steak were my favorite part of the meal. The plate also had a melted butter cup which I set aside and did not use. I wish I would have known that the shrimp and lobster would have butter drizzled on them but a little was okay. I was proud of Little Man because he turned down a brownie sundae with ice cream since he was full from his mini cheeseburgers and mac. 

(Mariner's Mixed Grill w/o garlic mashed potatoes and did not use the melted butter)

1:00 pm - After going on the rides Little Man and I were overheated and he asked for Dippin' Dots. It was so hard not to order myself a cookies and cream but I reminded myself that it wouldn't be worth it. Being at the aquarium there are lots of opportunities to catch a vision of your reflection and I didn't like what I saw so passing up the treat was made easier. 

1:30 pm - We called it a day at the aquarium and headed for home since Little Man was ready to relax. I had a raging headache when we left and I know it's from dehydration but also had an inkling it may have been from caffeine withdrawal since I haven't had my cup of coffee yet. 

2:00 pm - Pulled into our local Starbucks drive thru. I had a free reward so I picked up a Venti Iced Coffee with just 1 Splenda. My headache went away. Now it's onto water for the rest of the day. 

6:30 pm - Grabbed a hard boiled egg for a snack. 

9:30 pm - After running a couple of errands I came home hungry and made a couple celery peanut butter boats before I got ready for bed. 

Movin' It... August Challenge (31 Days of Healthy Living) - Day 8

10:00 am - Went to bed around 2 am last night and slept like garbage so I ended up falling in and out of sleep on the couch while Little Man played in the living room. I took my first set of measurements...

Starting                      Present

168.6 lbs                   165.6 lbs
waist: 42"                 41 3/4"
hips: 44 1/4"             44 1/4"
chest: 42"                  42"
right arm: 16 1/2"     16 1/4"
left arm: 15 3/4"       15 1/2"
left thigh: 27 1/5"     27 1/4"
body fat: 40.6%        40.5%

Look at the direction those numbers are going! The 3 lbs is a big motivator.

12:30 pm - Made my first shake with Shakeology. Little Man came into the kitchen to see what I was making and couldn't wait to get the first sip. I mixed a scoop of chocolate Shakeology with 1 cup of water and 1 tsp of vanilla extract (Chocolate Twilight) and shared with him. First taste I wasn't sure how I'd like it but it is good and I'm pleasantly surprised. Can't wait to try more of their shake recipes.

2:30 pm - I had salsa that needed to be ate up that I made at the beginning of the week so I prepared some chicken fajita meat and sauteed a trio of bell peppers before finishing them off in the grill pan. Made Little Man a taco with a side of cantaloupe for lunch and I ate mine over a bed of romaine lettuce and topped it with salsa. Those bell peppers are crave worthy! I will be making another batch sometime as side dishes. That good!

6:00 pm - Made a "fried" egg white with 2 slices of Canadian bacon.

7:00 pm - Still hungry so I made 2 turkey lettuce wraps drizzled with yellow mustard.

7:30 pm - I really wish the Pizza Hut commercials for their Hershey's Triple Chocolate Brownies would stop airing. Brownies are the only dessert I cannot say no to. My bestie who is also a teammate (coworker) knows this and loves to sabotage my diet efforts with a square every once in a while. She's such a bitch!! Haha!!! As paybacks I'll run to Starbucks and pick her up a coffee and order hers "full fat" rather than skinny. But really, she's incredibly motivating as she took on a challenge a couple years ago to run her first half marathon and stuck through with her training and completion of her first. Very inspiring!

8:30 pm - Because we were having a relaxing evening watching TV I saw that damn commercial numerous times and Little Man finally got hungry for dinner. We ended up grabbing Chick-Fil-A. I had their Asian Salad with no wontons. I tried to go dressing free as long as possible until I hit a bitter leafy taste. I added the honey Thai almonds. Went as long as I could go without dressing until I hit another bitter leafy taste. I poured the dressing into a small container and dipped my fork in it before stabbing the salad to take a bite. Only used 1/2 the packet instead.

10:00 pm - After laying Little Man down for bed I put on workout clothes and performed my Beachbody Coaches' assigned daily homework, burpees. These things suck! Afterward I put in the Dirty 30 Extreme DVD and made it as far as I could into it. My shoulders, abs, and thighs were on fire. 

Movin' It... August Challenge (31 Days of Healthy Living) - Day 7

7:00 am - Woke up about an hour early to do a load of laundry so I'd have no excuse not to workout since I didn't have any more clean workout tops.

7:30 am - Made a cup of black coffee with 1 stevia packet to enjoy while getting ready. Also put together an English muffin breakfast sandwich with an egg and canadian bacon and wrapped it in foil to go.

8:00 am - Oh em gee!! This breakfast sandwich beats Starbucks and McDonald's!!! Perfect for work. 

12:00 pm - Got invited to run errands with a bestie on our lunch break... Post Office, Kroger, and grabbed Starbucks. I was so proud of myself ordering a Grande Iced Cold Brew Coffee and the best part, it's only 5 calories!

1:00 pm - Back at the office I was hungry so I made a yogurt parfait with raspberries and almonds.

2:00 pm - BeachBody Challenge kit finally arrived. The box was 5 lbs!

5:30 pm - Put together another yogurt parfait with strawberries and almonds before meeting my coworkers for Happy Hour. The strawberry version was even better!!!

10:30 pm - While at Happy Hour I ordered water... did not drink or munch on the french fries that they ordered. It was actually a really easy choice since I ate beforehand and I am so determined to see a loss on the scale this week. When I came home I has a raging headache so I popped some aspirin, drank more water, and since I was hungry I ate the Carl's Jr side salad, added a roma tomato, and 1/2 a packet of low fat balsamic vinaigrette.

11:00 pm - Still hungry and ended up grabbing a small Chili from Wendy's. Finally full. 

Movin' It... August Challenge (31 Days of Healthy Living) - Day 5

8:00 am - Been at work since 7:30 am and just now having a cup of black coffee with 1 stevia

11:00 am - Toasted an English muffin and spread 2 tsp peanut butter on it and served with 1 hard boiled egg. That crispy muffin and peanut butter was crave worthy!!!

12:00 pm - Boss offered to buy lunch at Carl's Jr. so I grabbed a side salad with no cheese and no croutons with their low fat balsamic vinaigrette. Since I meal planned for the day I decided to save it for tomorrow. 

3:00 pm - Grabbed a banana for a snack. 

7:00 pm - Home from work and made a taco salad.

8:00 pm - Did a mini workout.

9:00 pm - Hungry so I made a buffalo chicken salad. 

Movin' It... August Challenge (31 Days of Healthy Living) - Day 5

7:00 am - Woke up and prepared breakfast to go making Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal.

8:00 am - Oh em gee! The sautéed apples in this oatmeal are incredible!!

9:00 am - Cup of black coffee with stevia... I have come to love black coffee again. 

10:00 am - I noticed that I am in a fantastic mood today even with being on my period. That feeling lasted all day. 

11:00 am - Hungry!

1:00 pm - Finally caught a break and put together a taco salad for lunch.

2:00 pm - The 21 Day Fix Planner I ordered arrived at work and made my day getting a gift... that I bought myself. Ha!

4:30 pm - Could not believe how many times I had to pee today. Guzzled 8+ glasses of water throughout the day... which means I have to pass my boss' office every time I walk to the restroom. Hopefully he didn't noticed. Sigh. 

5:30 pm - Came home and did 10 burpees as part of a daily challenge. They suck and remind me how out of shape I am.

7:30 pm - Made a buffalo chicken salad with a side of baby carrots for dinner. While it's not the same as eating chicken wings it did satisfy the craving and it was so filling. Won't be going to bed hungry.

Movin' It... August Challenge (31 Days of Healthy Living) - Day 4

5:00 am - Woke up hungry but more importantly before my alarm. Threw on workout clothes, made 1/2 English muffin with 2 tsp peanut butter, and downed some water.

5:30 am - Went for a walk but had to cut it short after 0.66 miles (13 minutes 27 seconds) due to a blister. Ouch! Took a shower and after drying off I jumped into bed since I had an hour before I had to wake up to get ready for work. Big mistake! I slept in until 7:30 but it felt so good.

8:00 am - Arrived at work and made a cup of coffee with 1 stevia packet.

10:00 am - Eavesdropping on my coworkers talking about their current diet fads they are trying. There is always someone talking about food in our office. Having a couple team members with high issues is a good motivator to make healthy choices in front of them and to serve as a reminder for me. I don't want high cholesterol or diabetes. 

10:30 am - Hungry!... and trying to avoid people in the office since illness is going around. I don't want anything to derail me. Washed my hands more than normal. When waving my hand for the auto towel dispenser I couldn't stand the sight of my arm fat jiggling. 

11:00 am - Banana and water as a snack. 

11:30 am - Hungry!

12:30 pm - Finally got a break to grab some lunch, brought leftover Greek Chicken Quinoa.

3:00 pm - My bestie at work was eating Oreos. Gah! 

4:00 pm - Hungry!!

6:00 pm - Made it home and made dinner immediately. Made salsa (recipe to come), cut up a Roma tomato and cubed an avocado for a side and grilled a turkey burger to put between romaine lettuce leaves as a "bun". 

7:30 pm - Dinner didn't hold me over long so I grabbed the small container of watermelon that I picked up from Whole Foods. So good!