Day 19

It's finals week, so the next few days of blogs will be very short!!

Breakfast at 7am:  McDonald's egg mcmuffin, but without the muffin...and a coffee with cream and Splenda

Lunch at noon:  salad with a Lean Cuisine "Salad Creations"- not very good and I was still hungry afterward.  :(  I also had an orange bell pepper and 1 Dove Dark Chocolate heart

Snack at 3pm:  1oz cashews.  I was really hungry!

Dinner at 5pm:  6 oz rotisserie chicken with some kind of sauteed sugar snap peas and mushrooms and some other green vegetable that I can't think of the name.  Then got a hot green tea with honey and Splenda.

I was hungry again by about 7pm...what the heck!?

Came home from school to eat again at 10pm:  salad with baby carrots, tomatoes, parmesan, 1/2 avocado, 2 slices bacon with Italian dressing... and about 8 thin asparagus spears.  1 Dove Dark chocolate heart for dessert.

On a side note- did anyone see the Dr. Oz Show today?? They discussed the Paleo diet!  YAY!!!!  I'm so happy that this is spreading and people are becoming more aware of the TRUTH!!   http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/paleo-diet-craze-does-it-work


Goodnight!

Day 18

Today was somewhat of a productive day.  I got up around 11am (yeah, I know... I was supposed to get up at 8am).  I ate 2 hamburger patties, 5 mini peppers, and 3 strawberries.  I did some studying while watching the Reds game, then around 1:30pm I went out for a 5 1/2 mile run.  It was another beautiful, sunny day.  My roommate has been hanging out at the beach all weekend!  She has final exams this coming week, also, but apparently she doesn't need to study much for them.  ;)

My run felt good.  I keep thinking about how I will feel on race morning.  I plan on eating some bacon and eggs and an avocado 2 hours prior to race start.  That should keep me fueled for all 13 miles.  I'll bring a Honey Stinger gel just in case I need it, though.  There are some times during my runs lately when I'm running around a 9:30 pace.  That's really good for my 195+ lb body!  My plan for the race is to run with my sister until the split off point for the full marathon, which is at mile 8.75.  My sister is doing the full-marathon, and plans to run a 10:30 pace.  I'll stick with her until she splits off, then I am hoping to push a little harder (since it will be mostly downhill/flat for the race of the half-marathon.  My PR for the half-marathon is 2:41, which I ran at last year's Flying Pig.  This year I'm shooting for sub 2:30. 

I made chicken in the crockpot today.  I added a bag of frozen peppers and onions, and some italian dressing.   After my run I had about a 4oz piece of the chicken and some tortilla chips and salsa leftover from last night.  I went to Coffee Bean to study with a classmate afterward.  There I had my usual hot tea- with some honey and Truvia.  When I got home at 7pm I had a Trader Joe's shepherds pie made with mashed potatoes, veggies and beef.  I think I need to eat more on days that I run.  For dessert, I had a banana with some honey and cinnamon.   My calories today are about 1500, and carbs 120 grams.  High carb day!   The rest of this week I will be studying hard for exams, so will be at school all day, everyday until Thursday evening.  I won't have time for another run this week until I get home to Cincinnati Friday evening.  So I will stick to moderate calories and low carbs this week.  

Well I think that's all I've got to say.  I can't procrastinate studying any longer, so time to get back at it.  I want A's on all of my finals!!  ;)

Lata...

Day 17

Well despite the fact that I swore I would get up early today to get studying, I didn't.  :(   I was so tired last night, I fell asleep at 10pm and didn't wake up until my alarm went off at 8am.  Yet I didn't get up, I kept sleeping til about noon.  lol    I made my usual eggs for lunch, and then was having really bad sugar cravings, so had a serving of Trader Joe's chocolate covered banana slices that I bought again last night.  (bad idea)

Today I got a few hours of studying done for my Neuro final that is on Monday morning, so I feel good about that.  Now I need to switch over and do some studying for another class the rest of the night.  Yesterday, I decided that I would get a steak dinner from Chili's, so I ordered it to be picked up at 7pm.  I got a 6oz sirloin with a side of broccoli and loaded mashed potatoes.  They included a bag of chips with salsa, so of course I ate that too.  I was starving!!

I got on the scale today to be disappointed that I didn't lose any weight this week, even though I was eating low calories and low carbs.  As I mentioned in a previous post- I am noticing this to be a trend.  Which is why I'm eating high calories today (and did yesterday, also).   Here is a good article that I found on Mark's Daily Apple website today:  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dear-mark-should-i-increase-carb-intake-for-weight-loss/#axzz2R2MFxyAL

The only thing that I can do is continue to experiment with this.  Despite researching and reading articles, there doesn't seem to be a clear answer.  Hopefully the naturopath that I'm seeing in June will be able to figure it out and explain it.

Despite my frustrations, I have to continue to eat clean and stay disciplined and motivated.   My body composition is changing, and that is what really matters!!  Next Saturday I will be going shopping for some new clothes with my mom.  :)

~Tina

Day 16

Had another final exam this morning at 8am.  Had usual breakfast, then had an ounce of mixed nuts at noon.  Went for a long run at 1pm- did 7.5 miles.  Beautiful day in Manhattan Beach!!  Although I wasn't too thrilled to go out for a run before I did, it ended up being a pretty decent run, even though the heat made me a little more tired by the end.   But now I'm very tired. :/  It's been a long week, and I have 5 more finals next week, so it will be another exhausting week before I head home and get to relax for a week! (then run a half-marathon at the end)   ;)

After my run I had two hamburger patties (which I decided I don't like and won't buy again- frozen ground beef patties from Ralph's).  I also had a salad with the usual- tomatoes, shredded parmesan, baby carrots, some cucumber and sliced red pepper, italian dressing, and an avocado.

Having very little success with my study attempts for this evening, so I think I will head to bed early and then get up early tomorrow so that I can get a WHOLE day of solid studying done. 

I'm posting this blog before I finish my day- but I think I may go get some kind of frozen meal from Trader Joe's for dinner.  I need to walk over there to get some groceries to make salads for dinners this week, and see if I can find some pre-made meals since I'll be super busy with finals and studying this week.

Tiredddddddddddddddddddddddddd

Day 15

Hi.  Today was another long day.  I was at school from 8am-9pm.  Here's what I ate:

Breakfast at 7am:  3 eggs, deli turkey, a few (like 6) raspberries, and coffee at school

Lunch at 1pm:  Lean Cuisine "Salad Creations"- which consisted of chicken, peppers and asparagus tips, with some sort of vinaigrette dressing, with spring mix salad...mini peppers, and an avocado.

Dinner at 6pm: thin piece of grilled chicken and split pea with ham soup from the cafeteria at school.

I wasn't hungry when I got home from school tonight, and even though I'm really low on calories for today (around 1200 calories), I think I'll just finish up some studying and get to bed.  Tomorrow I have another final exam at 8am, then tomorrow afternoon I will go for a run- not sure how long yet, I will decide when I hit the pavement.  ;)  Supposed to be a beautiful weekend- 79 and sunny tomorrow, 75 and sunny Saturday, 71 and sunny on Sunday.  I will get outside for 2 runs, but then have some major studying to do this weekend.  I have 5 more final exams next week.  Then I leave for Cincinnati early Friday morning.  Yay!!  One more week!!

This weekend I plan to have a high calorie day- maybe Saturday.  I think I'll order steak, sweet potato and vegetables from a restaurant like Chili's or something.  :)

Day 14- 2 weeks and seeing progress!

So today I didn't get up early enough to make breakfast (not getting much sleep this week), so got breakfast at school at 8am- scrambled eggs (about 2 heaping spoonfuls) and added some tomatoes and shredded cheese, with some kind of sausage/meat...not really sure what it was.  lol  I also got a coffee with the usual.   I had two classes in the morning, then a practical exam at 2pm, so I ate lunch after that was over-about 3pm, which was perfect timing because I was just starting to get hungry.  I had tuna salad, pepper and cucumber slices, and an avocado.   I bought a Lo-Carb Monster Energy to drink at the library.  I really didn't "need" it, just wanted something to sip on besides water.  lol  I stayed at the library from 4-9pm.  Got a little bit of studying done.  At 7pm I had about 1 cup of trail mix that the cafeteria sells- it has cashews, almonds, walnuts, some dried cranberries and a few chocolate chips.

When I got home around 9:30 I was hungry. so I had a salad with cherry tomatoes, shredded parmesan, 3 slices bacon, sunflower seeds and Italian dressing. My dessert was a Dove dark chocolate heart.

Well, I am feeling pretty good.  Today I wore a pair of khakis that were just starting to fit me last winter, but now hang low and loose on me!  It's exciting to go down another pants size!!  I usually have a hard time seeing any changes, but this week I am starting to see it more.  I'm making progress.  I'm motivated!!  I hope I can keep this up.  I know when I go home to Cincinnati in 2 weeks, that I will stray a little bit- beer, for sure!  I have to stay consistent, though.  I have to keep eating clean because if I don't, I may not feel great for the half-marathon, and that wouldn't be good!  So that should help keep me on track.

Tomorrow is another busy day!  Cyaaaaaaaaaa

Day 13. Longer blog today.

Today started by picking up breakfast at McDonald's, on my way to school.  I got a medium coffee and an egg mcmuffin, but without the muffin.  (I got up too late to make breakfast).  I only had one class today (3 hours long), then stayed after for a while to practice for a practical exam that we have tomorrow.  When I got home around 1pm, I made 2 eggs and heated up 3 slices of bacon, with blueberries for lunch.  I went for a run about an hour after that.  I wasn't that enthused about going for a run, thanks to this article:  (not sure if this link is working right now)
http://www.dangerouslyhardcore.com/5343/why-women-should-not-run/

As I may have mentioned previously, I have known for a while that running isn't necessarily good for fat-loss.  I weight a lot.  I'm stressing my body every time I go out running, averaging 70-80% of my max heart rate for 4+ miles.  As the article states, when your body is stressed, it can alter different hormones (specifically thyroid and cortisol), which basically then signals the body to accumulate fat instead of burn it.  I know this is true because I've been long distance running since I was 17.  Since then, I've been really skinny, and I've been really overweight, so it's been difficult to understand why in these past few years, running hasn't helped with weight loss.  So this article is kind of a wake-up call.  After I run the half-marathon in a few weeks, I need to get back to Paleo activities:  interval/Crossfit-type strength workouts, sand dune climbs, sprints, walks on the beach, hikes in Malibu.  I will still run and bike on occasion, but I should really test this out for myself.  Bummer.  I enjoy running.  It's easy and convenient.

I'm hoping that when I see a naturopath in May, that she may have some guidance for me, and hopefully some answers with how my hormones are functioning.   Here is an article from my favorite website, about how too much exercise is detrimental to weight loss efforts (and health): http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-you-shouldnt-burn-more-than-4000-calories-a-week-through-exercise/#axzz2QgDplp2I

Well my run was pretty slow.  I tried to keep my heart rate lower.  It was still enjoyable, though, because I got to be out in the sunshine and jogging around Manhattan Beach.  Right after running, I ate 3 mini peppers and an avocado.  About an hour later I had dinner- chicken breast and steamed broccoli.   I think another issue with my Paleo eating habits is that sometimes I'm not getting enough calories.   I do believe that although it may be good to starve the body every now and then (intermittent fasting), you also need to eat a lot of calories (and carbs) sometimes to show the body that it does not need to go into starvation mode, and does NOT need to preserve it's fat accumulation.  Instead, the body should burn it up calories right away.  This also has to do with insulin levels, but that's way too much to try to explain right now.  I'm starting to waste time online by looking for articles which explain this stuff...must stop.  I don't have the extra time for this.  :/

I'm posting this blog early tonight.  I think I might make myself some green tea while I watch the end of the Reds game, then get to studying.

Here's a pic that I took during my run today.  Manhattan Beach is a pretty cool place to be living!  :)

Day 12

Short blog today.  Was at school all day.

Here's what I ate:

Breakfast- 3 eggs, 3 slices deli turkey, about 6 raspberries

Coffee at school with 1 vanilla creamer shot, half & half and 2 Truvia packets

Lunch- tuna salad (maybe 1.5 cups), sliced peppers and cucumber, 1 Dove Dark Chocolate heart (hooked on chocolate now)  :/

Late afternoon snack- some kind of tomato, cucumber, sliced radish mixture with cilantro and a light dressing, 1 oz of mixed nuts

Late dinner- 6 oz chicken breast, steamed broccoli, 2 pickle spears

2 fish oil capsules, Multivitamin

1 Dove Dark Chocolate heart (37 calories, 5 carbs)

Say a prayer for those affected by the bombings at the Boston Marathon today.  Pretty terrible stuff.  

Goodnight.

Day 11

I don't really like blogging.  I'm only doing this because I made a commitment to do it, and feel like I should carry it out.  However, having this blog has been helpful for me to stick to my Paleo diet.  I know that if I did "cheat", I would have to write it on my blog and confess to everyone.  Who is "everyone" anyway?  Is anybody reading this?  If you are- leave me a comment!  I need some motivation to continue keeping this blog.  ;)

Decent day today.  Got up "slightly" earlier today, however I still didn't get much studying accomplished like I was supposed to.  :/  I guess I work better under pressure.  My first final is Wednesday!  This week I really need to start disciplining myself to study a lot.  That means I have to go  sit in the school library all evening, by myself, without my computer or phone distracting me.  We'll see how it goes.

So for breakfast today I had the usual eggs and turkey, and an avocado.  I don't always have an avocado with my eggs, I usually only do that if I'm going running, or if I have an avocado that really needs to be eaten.

I watched the last half of the Reds game (watched them fall apart and get their asses whooped), and started to get together all the materials/notes that I will need to study for my finals.  After the Reds game ended I went out for a 4 mile run.  Cool thing is, I am never sore after my runs, not even a 10 miler.  It was cloudy and 60 degrees this afternoon when I went out.  I felt really good.  I decided to run without my Camelbak and just use my arm band so I can have my iPhone with me (because this is what I will do during the race this year).  I felt somewhat lighter, and decided to push myself on my run today.  Let me remind you that my runs to the beach are 4 miles (to the beach and back) with about 270 ft of hills.  That doesn't seem like a lot, and it's really not, but these hills are freaking STEEP!!  So I try to run halfway up the hills, then walk the rest- which is still really difficult- my heart rate stays around 80% of my max heart rate.  So anyway, really good run today.  Focused on my form and attempted at pushing my pace a bit.  I feel ready for the race.  I know come race day, that I will run probably 2 minutes per mile, faster, than I do on my routes here.  The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon isn't completely flat, but it is fairly level until mile 6, then goes up hill gradually for 2 miles, then levels out again.

After my run I had some asparagus and chicken breast that I made today in the Crockpot (with tequila lime marinade, salt, and lemon pepper).  I also baked bacon in the oven (my new favorite way of making bacon!), made tuna salad, steamed broccoli, and chopped veggies for lunches this week.

Did a little bit of studying, then went to do laundry and get some groceries.  Came home and had dinner:  2 cheesy hot dogs from Trader Joe's (nitrate free) and 2 pickle spears.  Then finished of the Trader Joe's chocolate covered bananas.  :)  

Now I need to get some studying done!!  It will be a very busy 2 weeks!

Leave me a comment, please!   ;o)

Day 10

Boring today.  Slept, did some studying, and watched a little bit of the Reds game online.

Here's what I ate:

Lunch:

• last bit of the shredded pork
• sliced red, yellow, orange peppers
• sliced cucumber
• some Trader Joe's tomato basil hummus

Snack:

• 1 oz of mixed nuts

Dinner:

• Trader Joe's palak paneer
• 2 ground beef hamburger patties (bought frozen, for days I'm too lazy to prepare meat)
• low-sugar Heinz ketchup
• Gluten-free beer- Dogfish Head Tweason Ale

Not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but I also try to daily take a serving of Fish Oil and a daily multivitamins  (I buy the Costco kind).

Sorry for such a boring blog.  I just don't have time to be creative anymore!  LOL   It's crunch time.  These next two weeks I'm going to be very busy.  My final exams start Wednesday!!  I'll be finished with my 2nd semester of DPT school in 2 weeks!!!  Then I get to go home to Cincinnati for a week- yay!!!!!!!

Day 9

Short post...

Slept in, of course (it's becoming a Friday ritual).  Ate my usual breakfast of 4 eggs, deli turkey and an avocado, then after letting that digest for about an hour, I headed out to run 10 miles.  I ran from my apartment down to the beach, then ran along The Strand for a few miles, and then came back almost the same route.  Feeling pretty good!  When I got home, I had 1/2 a serving of chocolate covered bananas and blanched asparagus spears.  After showering, I ate my shredded pork.  I headed to Griffith Observatory shortly after that, to catch the sunset there, and take pictures of Flat Stanley.  Later in the evening I had a salad, with an avocado, bacon, and baby carrots added to it.  I also had about 3 oz of Shiraz before I headed to bed.

Tomorrow will be a day full of studying!  Maybe I'll do a little bit of cooking, too.

Night!

 Flat Stanley in front of Griffith Observatory

 Flat Stanley and the sunset by the Hollywood sign

Flat Stanley and downtown Los Angeles

Day 8

Success in avoiding drinking a gluten-filled beer!  ;)

As I mentioned yesterday, after class this evening a bunch of my classmates went out to Yard House at LA Live to have dinner and drinks.  My plan was to stick to gluten-free beers, and I did! I was really tempted to order a regular beer, when it seemed like they were having problems finding the gluten-free "Omission" beer that I ordered.  I also had a Woodchuck Hard Cider, which is gluten-free, but actually contains quite a bit of sugar.  :/   So basically I shouldn't have drank that either.  Oh well.  I'm not perfect!  I did take a sip of two beers that my classmates had, but just a sip!  

By the time we were seated, I was starving!!  I hadn't eaten much today.  Had a late class, so breakfast was some gluten-free granola from Trader Joe's, then for lunch I had tuna salad and pepper and cucumber slices, and a banana.  So at Yard House, for dinner I ordered the sweet potato fries as an appetizer, which in a lot of restaurants usually come with added sugar, but these tasted very bland, which was a good thing I guess.  Then I got a turkey cobb salad.  When I got home I was really craving something sweet, so had a serving of the chocolate covered bananas.  As I was brushing my teeth tonight, I realized that I should not be eating these, because the chocolate is most likely milk chocolate, which is definitely not paleo.  I'm really trying to avoid sugar more than I'm trying to avoid gluten.  lol  However, really dark chocolate, like over 75% is acceptable and a lot of paleo/primal people do consume dark chocolate on occasion. 

Bedtime.  Shooting for a 10 mile run tomorrow!  Will be my longest run before the half-marathon, which is a little more than 3 weeks away now!!