Week 5: Testing My Strength

"It's a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable." -Socrates

Hello all! Well the day has finally arrived! I am heading to England tomorrow and starting my week long boot camp on Friday! I am SO excited to really push my body to the limit and see what it is capable of! 

Lots of people have been asking me what exactly I will be doing all week.  They have not given me a specific schedule for my week, but I know that in general, it will be 4-5 bouts of exercise per day, with 3 healthy meals and two healthy snacks.  There will also be cooking demonstrations, nutritional talks, and meetings with the nutritionist and trainer. 

I am most excited to just spend a week totally dedicated to my health, surrounded by a group of people that are there to do the same.  I know that no matter the outcome in pounds lost, there will be a positive outcome in fitness gained.  It's going to be hard, but also very worth it!

In the last 4 days, I have lost another 1.4 pounds.  This brings my pre-boot camp weight loss up to 7 pounds! I am pretty happy with that number, especially considering the set back last week.  Things are really going well and my body is so happy with how well I am treating it!

I know you'll all be on the edge of your seats waiting for my post-boot camp post! I hope I have a lot of wonderful things to report!

Pounds lost: 7

Pounds left to lose: 23

Love,

Candace

Week 4: The Trouble With Birthdays

"Let them eat cake!" -Unknown/Marie Antoinette/nobody

Well as most of you know, this past week was my birthday.  I had planned in advance and knew that I would let myself eat whatever I wanted for my big day.  And I did! It was fabulous! I ate chocolate chip cookies (that I made for my students), a delicious chocolate peanut butter cupcake, yummy chicken and mushroom crepes covered in cheese and french bread--all things that I haven't had since the start of the year. Yes, I had planned well for this day, doing the calculations in my head and reasoning that even one crazy day would not set me back if I stuck to my exercise and plant based diet for the rest of the week.  

My plan would have worked out just perfectly except for one little thing--I got sick.  I was fine on Saturday and I woke up on Sunday with a very sore throat.  Thinking it would go away, I went to work as normal.  But by the end of the day, my throat was so swollen I could barely swallow or talk! I went to the doctor who told me I had pharyngitis and gave me antibiotics.  I stayed home and rested on Monday and was feeling much better by my big day on Tuesday.

I was glad that I had not gone overboard when I was sick.  I wanted comfort foods like no other--biscuits, gravy, fried chicken, pizza, everything.  But I stuck to my guns and ate pretty well! My downfall was that I missed 3 days of exercise, which is a big deal for someone who works out 6 days a week!

So what was the result of all this eating/feeling sick/not exercising? A gain of 1.8 pounds.  Admittedly, it could have been much much worse.  I am glad that I had gotten so ahead of myself in the past two weeks that I didn't even feel bad about the gain! After all, it was my birthday!

I am also feeling good because this time last year was a turning point for weight gain.  I had done well until my birthday, then went crazy for a whole week.  A few weeks later, I was on a cruise, eating like a queen. Then Paris in April just kept the feast going! I am so glad that this year, my birthday will be a turning point for weight loss, because next week, I am leaving for a week long boot camp in England! I am so excited to rev up my weight loss and fitness! 

Because I am leaving in the middle of the week, I will do a weigh-in and post on Wednesday before I leave. Then I will post again after the camp and let you know the results! Until then, it's at least 1.5 hours of exercise a day along with healthy eating! 

Have a healthy week!

Pounds lost: 5.6

Pounds left to lose: 24.4

Love,

Candace

Week 3: On Cheating

"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow ye diet." -Lewis C. Henry

I was thinking this week about the word "cheating".  I don't like it.  Cheating is what a naughty kid does on a test when he forgot to study.  Cheating is what my students do when they look at the other players' cards in Go Fish.  Cheating is NOT eating cream cheese stuffed mushrooms or an omelet with cheese and sausage. That ain't cheating, it's just eating!

This week, I did pretty well.  Just like last week, I ate lots of fruits, veggies, nuts, and beans.  I also had a a few delicious stuffed mushrooms and homemade pita chips at Book Club, as well as a yummy omelet with whole wheat bread at a birthday lunch today.  There was no going overboard, no crazy cravings that led to overeating, just simple decisions to have something that I wanted.  That's really my goal--not to be some perfect, strict eater, but to eat well most of the time.

I am happy to report that I lost another 2.8 pounds this week! I have been keeping up with exercise, ending the week with a great two hour volleyball session! I expect that it will be another great week ahead!  And it's my birthday this week! I am excited to celebrate with both food and friends!

Pounds lost: 7.4
Pounds left to lose: 22.6

Love,
Candace

Week 2: Better Than Bacon!

“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”-Doug Larson

This has been a pretty great week! I stuck to my guns and only ate fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, and seeds--and believe me, I ate A LOT of them.  I actually just counted, and I have 22 different kinds of fresh and frozen fruits and veggies in my house right now!

The best part was, at least for this week, following the plan wasn't even difficult! I ate soups and salads and stews and smoothies and every single thing I ate was DELICIOUS! My favorite thing of the week was probably the lovely minted pea soup I made.  I could literally eat it every day.  And get this, it had lettuce in it! I have never had lettuce in a soup, but it was fabulous!

Other menu items were southwest veggie stew, zucchini and spinach soup, green smoothies, hummus with veggies, and lots of fresh fruit! If everyone could knew how good fruits and veggies could taste, maybe they would eat more! I love bacon, but this week, my veggies were better than bacon!

I also was able to get back into the groove of exercising.  It felt great to work out everyday!

With all the exercising and healthy eating, I saw some really positive results--I lost 4.6 pounds! Obviously, I am really happy with those results, though I know that I won't see such a dramatic drop each week.  It's nice to see hard work pay off!

Here's to another week of healthy living!

Pounds lost: 4.6
Pounds left to lose: 25.4

Love,
Candace

Week 1 (Again): Pants on the Wall

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right!" -Oprah 

I love new years! I don't care what anyone says about everyday being the first day of a new year or not waiting for a new year to work towards goals, there is something totally magical in dreaming about the year ahead and resolving to be better.

This is the first time I am publicly announcing a New Year's resolution, but that's because you guys already know my goal--I want to lose 30 pounds. But this is more of a half-year resolution, because my goal is to lose 30 pounds by June 30.  This is slightly more doable than my last goal, and this time, I refuse to let anything get in my way!

Why the deadline? Some of you may know that I am leaving Doha at the end of this school year and moving back to the States for good.  There is a lot of uncertainty in my future--where I will live, what exactly I'll be doing, how much money I will make, etc.  But the next 6 months are pretty set in stone.  I will live in Doha, work as a reading teacher, have access to free gyms, and have enough free time and money to make healthy meals and exercise.  I'm not saying if I don't do it now, I may never do it...well, actually I am.  This is the best time of my life to focus on this goal and I intend to make the most of it!

My plan is the same as before--eat well and exercise.  I read a book called "Eat for Health" recommended by my sister Sapphire, and I really liked his premise.  The author, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, advocates a "nutritarian" diet, in which you eat the foods that give you the most nutrients per calorie.  Things like leafy greens, berries, nuts, seeds, and beans are at the top of his list. It is a mostly plant-based diet, but not strictly vegetarian or vegan.  What I like about this book is that he doesn't say anything outrageous or gimmicky. He basically says, "These foods are the best for you, eat lots of them. Processed foods have few nutrients and make you sick, don't eat them."

I decided I would try this eating style for the month of January.  I am sure that only good will come of it and I will keep you updated on the results! I already tried one of his recipes, a creamy zucchini soup and it is delicious!

I also made a "Wall of Motivation" for myself with quotes, an awesome collage, a weight loss chart, and a pair of pants.  That's right- pants.  Some people say that you should buy clothes in a smaller size so that you have something to work towards. Well, I took that one step further and hung the pants on the wall! It seems a little silly, but I have walked by them about 10 times today and thought, "Yep, I'm gonna wear those pants REAL soon!"

I realize the pants look a little huge in this pic...but I promise they're not!

It's okay to be jealous of this amazing collage I made!

Now this post is getting a little on the long side, so I'll end by wishing you all a happy and healthy new year! I am so excited for 2014 and all the potential for goodness it holds!

Pounds lost: 0

Pounds left to lose: 30

Love,

Candace