Yesterday was the last day of the challenge…sort of. Though my trainer did challenge me to 10 days, I’m planning on keeping this going as much as possible. 🙂 I will be eating pretty clean but will incorporate Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and of course, beer back into my diet, but all in moderation. I’m going to rid myself of the sugary “fat-free”, “low-fat”, “100 calorie” snacks that I’ve been consuming for years. I haven’t eaten these items, or any processed sugar for 11 days now and I really don’t miss them. I haven’t had one sugar craving since starting the challenge. I’m pleasantly surprised.

So how much weight total did I lose during the challenge? My starting weight on Monday was 146lbs. Today (11 days later) I weigh 139.4lbs. That’s almost 7lbs in 11 days!!! Please remember that these results ARE NOT TYPICAL!!! I went at my own pace and having once been a vegetarian and Weight Watchers member, this challenge came a lot easier for me. My experience as a vegetarian and from Weight Watchers came in very handy. I was strict in what I are and drank. NO processed food, NO processed sugar, NO alcohol. I didn’t cheat once and for that I’m truly proud of myself! I feel lighter physically and emotionally. My workouts are much easier and more energetic. My mood is much more positive.

This challenge taught me quite a bit. I was reminded of the importance of eating small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals. I ate heavier during the day and a bit lighter at night. I was reminded of the importance of hydration. Just water all day long not only flushed out my system but it also helped with my energy levels. I learned that my eating natural sugar that’s found in fruit and veggies, that my sweet tooth is almost nonexistent. I learned to trust my hunger signals and eat when I was hungry, and pass when I wasn’t. I learned I’m stronger than I usually give myself credit for.

What’s next? I continue on my journey by “keeping to the code.” I plan to change this challenge into a permanent lifestyle. My journey is faaaaarrrrr from over. I have said in previous posts, my journey will never end. I need to stick with this lifestyle until I take my last breath (which will hopefully be when I’m 110yrs old!).

****AGAIN, IF YOU PLAN ON TRYING THIS CHALLENGE OR ANY DIET CHANGE, PLEASE TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR FIRST!!!****

Liz

I have to be honest and admit that last night I was a bit lazy. I didn’t blog about the day, I didn’t go to the gym, and I was too lazy to bake a chicken breast for dinner. What a slacker! I did go for my walk at lunch and racked up over 7,000 steps for the day. I ate pretty well yesterday up until dinner. Again, because I didn’t feel like baking or cooking, I just ate a few veggies and nuts here and there. Not the best choice I could have made, but I didn’t cheat on the challenge. I just hunkered down at home and started a new sewing project.

Today was much better. I went for my walk, ate my fruits, veggies, and ate a grilled chicken breast from the cafeteria downstairs. I took a nice run at the gym after work, and I currently have two chicken breasts baking in the oven as I’m typing this. I will have one for dinner and one for lunch tomorrow.

Oh, by the way…I’m down another 1.2lbs! That’s a total of 6lbs in 9 days! I’m very proud of my progress and I want to keep going with the challenge even when my ten days (tomorrow) is over. As I typed a couple of days ago I do want to stick with as much of this eating lifestyle as possible. I will slowly introduce a few things back into my day here and there, but I will NOT go back to the eating habits I had before this challenge!

My mood has changed for the better too! I wake up in a great mood every day. I may be groggy here and there, but I have a happiness and excitement that I haven’t felt in quite some time. It’s amazing how much processed sugar and preservatives can alter just about every aspect of your being. I feel lighter, cleaner, healthier, and much happier. My goal weight is finally in my sight and I won’t turn back now!

Liz

Still didn’t sleep that great but it was better than the night before. This morning I didn’t have time to sleep in because it was training day. I fixed hubby and myself some scrambled eggs and I had a banana on the side. A “cup of Joe” helped wake me up and then off I went to meet with my trainer. Right away she noticed how “trim” (her words) I look. I smiled through my entire workout!! I let her know that I plan on continuing with the new lifestyle change once the challenge is done, just not as extreme. For the most part the challenge is easier than I thought it would be. But I would like to slowly incorporate a couple of things back into my diet. She understood and agreed.

Lunch consisted of a love iceberg lettuce salad with grilled chicken breast, oil and red wine vinegar, and unsweetened iced tea. But dinner was truly the best! I bought gorgeous beef skewers with bell peppers and onions. We brushed a little extra virgin olive oil on them and then used a garlic seasoning. We threw them on the grill and they turned out amazing!! My trainer sent me more skewer recipes and I can’t wait to give them a go.

I’m so grateful to my trainer for throwing this challenge at me. To be honest, I would not have done it on my own. Though I know that this is the right lifestyle for me, I was kind of hoping (as many of us do) that if I just worked out and watched what I ate I would lose weight and be healthy. I was partially correct. Yes, we need to watch what we eat but what we eat needs to actually be fresh, clean, and healthy. I’ve said it a few time on this blog – just because the label says “low-calorie”. “100 calorie”, “low-fat”, etc, does NOT mean it is good for you. We need to make smarter choices. Fresher choices. Healthier choices. The weight loss will come.

Liz

Today was a bit of a challenge to say the least. Woke up after a horrible night of sleep feeling groggy and worn down. My allergies got the best of me last night so sleep was not to be had. It was an especially challenging day when it came to food.

I had errands to run in the morning so hubby and I went to one of our favorite brewery/restaurants for breakfast. Their breakfast menu is amazing…if you’re not on a no sugar/no alcohol challenge. MY choices were extremely limited. But I’m determined to make this work and not fall out of the challenge so I ordered what was available: 2 eggs over easy and a bowl of fresh fruit. Hubby had an amazing breakfast burrito and a pint and I ordered unsweetened iced tea. It wasn’t much but got me through until lunch. Unfortunately, I was really hungry withing 2hrs.

Lunch was a bit better. Again, not a lot of choices but I still made it work. Hubby was still full from his breakfast so I was the only one eating. By this time I was starving. Luckily, the brewery we visited has a gorgeous veggie platter with house-made humus. I had another iced tea and enjoyed my veggies and hummus. Then we drove home and took a much-needed nap! Dinner was much easier. I ran to the grocery store, bought a lovely rotisserie chicken and enjoyed about 3oz with some brown rice. Aaahhh, Feeling much better.

Though my day was challenging I’m very proud of myself for sticking to this plan and making the best choices I could. It would have been the easiest thing in the work for me to have had the french toast for breakfast or the pulled pork sandwich for lunch. Instead I made wise choices and feel accomplished. I knew this challenge was going to be tough but I’m proud of myself for hanging in their. I WILL complete this challenge, and then some. My goal is to incorporate as much of this plan into my lifestyle as possible. Now let’s hope I sleep better tonight.

Liz

Another night of deep sleep! Still wasn’t long enough (about 6hrs) but it still felt pretty good. I felt so good that I stepped on the scale again…down to 141.2! That’s another 1.4lbs gone! Now remember, these results are NOT typical. If you choose to try this challenge or change your eating habits, do not expect the same results. You may lose more, you may lose less. But talk to your doctor or health expert before you try it.

Some fresh fruit was waiting for me for breakfast along with a lovely cup of coffee with half & half. So far, so good. I’m half-way done with the challenge, but I don’t think I’m going to stop after day 10. I really enjoy eating “clean” and intend on making this a permanent change. I will still have some “unclean” products like yogurt and, of course, beer. After all, I DO also write a beer blog. But in moderation, it’s not a bad thing.

On that note, let’s talk about beer for a second.  When I posted on my regular Facebook page that I was going to avoid beer for 10 days, I got the usual lovingly smart-ass comments from my friends. I could visualize them grabbing their chests and gasping for air at the shock of it. Kind of like some relatives did when we announced we didn’t want children. I can’t say that I blame my friends for their reactions. I do post various photos of the different craft beers that I’m trying and writing about. So it may seem like chugging pints is the only outside-of-work activity that I have. They could not believe that I can actually live without beer! Yes, yes I can. Why? Because it’s all about moderation. I don’t drink beer at all during the week. On the weekends it’s usually 1-2 pints on Saturday, and 1-2 pints on Sunday. I admit of course there are weekends where I overindulge a bit, but it’s not a regular habit. I know the calorie content of beer and try to keep it in proportion with my activity level and meals for the day. The reason by I bring this up is because the common misconception is that in order to be healthy one has to give up all “sinful” food and drink items. NOT TRUE! THE KEY IS MODERATION!!! In fact, my pal David is a six-time Diamond Award winning Weight Watcher lead. He lost over 106lbs on Weight Watchers and has kept it off for many years…he’s also an award winning craft beer home brewer and President of his local home brewers club.

You don’t have to give up the items you love and enjoy in order to be healthy. Just don’t overdo it. Part of the journey is understanding what your limits are. Anything in moderation is fine! Just know what you are eating and/or drinking and adjust accordingly. Keeping yourself in check is key. Log everything you eat and drink and you will learn when a little treat won’t kill the journey. Again, it’s a journey. One that will never end for me.

So, all of this being said we are approaching the weekend. I plan on making some great food choices and working on my activity level. I’m trying to get my hubby to try the challenge for just 5 days. He’s not quite on board yet but I’m determined to change his mind. I discussed this with my trainer and she recommended skewers. Why didn’t I think of that?!?!?!?  She sent me some great skewer ideas on Pinterest and I’m really looking forward to trying them out! I will keep you posted!

Liz

Day 4 started off great! Got one of the best night of sleep I have had in quite some time. So go, in fact, that it was hard to drag myself out of bed! Looking forward to tonight’s slumber. I walked another couple of laps around my office building during lunch break and ate a yummy lunch of grilled chicken breast and cucumbers. I enjoyed one of my new favorite snacks: almond butter and celery. It satisfies my afternoon tummy grumble, and makes me smile.

Dinner was a bit of a challenge tonight. Hubby baked chili lime wings.The aroma was wonderful and for the first time since this challenge, I was a bit jealous. I wasn’t as prepared for dinner as I thought and only had some brown rice and fruits & veggies in the kitchen. The easiest thing in the world would have been for me to give in a have a couple of wings…BUT ID DIDN’T. I am determined to stick with the challenge so I had a cup of brown spruced up with some lemon pepper herbs and then some grapes and a banana for a snack. I feel much better and I’m very proud! Looks like I need to go grocery shopping again tomorrow. 🙂

I did not go to the gym tonight, but that’s OK. Chores around the house and catching up on some blogging took priority. The gym will be there tomorrow and I will work out like a boss!

Overall, I’m pretty excited about my progress thus far. It IS only the fourth day, but I feel energized, my pants are getting baggier by the day, and best of all I can’t stop smiling! My mood is a lot more sunnier than it has been the past few months. Maybe it is all in my head. But I will take it!

Liz

Day 2 of the challenge and I feel pretty darn good! I slept very well last night. Better than I have in quite some time. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have so much processed sugar in my system. My hubby thinks it’s all in my head. Hey, if it means I get better sleep then I’ll take it!

I got up this morning and prepped my food for the day:

BREAKFAST: coffee w/creamer (I still need to work on a better creamer alternative), watermelon and banana.

LUNCH: rotisserie  chicken, brown rice, and sliced avocado

SNACKS:  celery w/almond butter (yum!), banana, hard-boiled egg.

I mentioned the coffee creamer. Now, I love coffee. What I really mean to say is I REALLY LOVE COFFEE. Luckily, coffee is all natural and actually has health benefits (yay!). The creamer is the struggle. I’ve been using Fat Free Coffee Mate creamer for years. If you read the nutritional value on the bottle is says “Sugars 0g”. BUT, read the ingredients: “WATER, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL**, AND LESS THAN 2% OF SUGAR, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE)***, COLOR ADDED”. I don’t know what half of that stuff is! So I talked with my trainer and a few friends who are into the “clean eating” lifestyle. They all agree that half & half, 1% milk, or almond milk are excellent alternatives. Guess I’m hitting the store again on the way home from the gym tonight. 🙂

I’m trying to fit in more activity during the day. My job is a desk job and requires me being at my desk for most of my shift. I don’t move around nearly as much as I should but I’m determined to change that. So, I ate my lunch in between phone calls and during my 45min lunch break today I took a nice walk around my building. I was able to complete two lapse in 30min. It felt good to get out and walk off some of the stress that comes with my job, and I’m already half-way to my 10,000 step goal for the day. The only downside? Now I’m sweaty at work. Ick.

Had one of my best runs tonight. My trainer started me on walking for 1min 30sec @ 3.5mph and then run for 1min 30sec @ 6mph. She also wanted me to shorten my run time from 50min down to 30min. It was a great challenge and I feel pretty amazing!

Dinner tonight was a green salad with fresh tomato, avocado, grilled chicken breast, and salsa in place of salad dressing. It was awesome!! Very fresh tasting with a bit of zip!

I have to say, for it only being day 2 of this challenge, I’m pretty optimistic, excited, and energized. I truly needed this challenge to get me back into the mental groove of my journey. I knew there would be ups and downs, but it’s part of the process. I’m feeling pretty good!

Liz