Spin, Breakfast, Tacos and a Cleanse!

Last night I went to spin and Nicky K. was subbing for Pablo who was traveling this week. Her class is so much different than Pablo's and I'm glad I got to experience her teaching. She did a lot of interval training, more out of the saddle to the saddle and back out again to get us moving wheras Pablo does one song standing another seated - Nicky does both in one song. She walks around with high energy, singing along to the music and is full of energy. She doesn't bike along with us as much as Pablo and she is very strict about resistance and following along and reminding us of our RPM but it's great energy, a hell of a work out and I felt the class feeling lighter and tired. When I got home, I had a salad that I made for lunch but never ate which was spinach, shaved brussel sprouts, peppers, tomato, carrots, cabbage, walnuts, goji berries and almonds. I had very little arctic zero chocolate peanut butter to finish my meal but got in to bed early because I was so worn out.

I had some great activity yesterday with Bar Method and Spin and had 5 WW activity points and over 14,000 steps. Again, the fitbit did not track spinning too well because I was locked into the bike and not "stepping" but it felt great to get my body moving!

I did not go to Bar Method this morning because I wanted to give my body a chance to rest and my muscles to repair. I had done Bar Monday, Wednesday and Thursday morning this week and spin Thursday evening so I felt okay taking the break. However, we are going out for Mexican tonight with a lot of friends for Tina's birthday so I really wanted to push myself this week to work out and eat clean in preperation for this meal. We are also going for gluten free pizza tomorrow night (made with a cauliflower crust) before going to see Bryan Cranston in "All The Way" so hopefully I can get to a Bar class tomorrow morning so I don't feel so bloated from the dinners. But I don't want to feel like I miss out on anything and I can still go out with friends and be included so since we are having pizza tomorrow, and I refuse to miss out on pizza I think I am going to go with a chicken fajita (without the tortilla) for dinner tonight. It is fresh vegetables and protein cooked on a sizzling black skillet served with salsa. It sounds fresh and clean and if I can avoid the tortilla then it won't be as heavy a meal as it could be.

Ryan and I had breakfast together this morning. He is so busy with work and was up early this morning getting a research paper done before 10am so I made us breakfast while we sat on the couch and watched the Today show (did you see the Sochi rescue puppies? So cute!)

Ryan had a bacon and provolone omelette which I whipped in the nutribullet to make it extra fluffy and light. I also made his a spinach, apple, goji berry, almond, walnut, raspberry, blueberry nutribullet! I also put some Eleven Madison Park granola on the side for some added love!

I made an egg white and oatmeal pancake blended with chia seeds and a Tbsp of pb2 chocolate powdered peanut butter. I topped it with a banana and yummy toppings (all weighed out ahead of time to be 0 WW points). Toppings included 2g walnut pieces, 3g slivered almonds, 5g goji berries, and 4g hemp granola cereal. It was heavy, filling and delicious and I hope it keeps me full through the morning. I am going to get a salad from Just Salad for lunch with spinach, kale, broccoli, asparagus, banana peppers and butternut squash for 0 points because I know dinner will put me over, but I don't want to worry about it since I saved all of my weekly 49 points just for this weekend and the dinners we have planned.

Ryan is leaving on Wednesday through Saturday for a business trip to Houston, TX. He has been working so hard on his research and presentation and I am so excited for him! While he is gone, I schedule a colonic at Gravity East Village for Thursday. I work out, I eat well, but I still feel...well...backed up. With spring starting, I want to feel relieved so I decided to go with a colonic to clean my system out. I am going to follow this up by starting another 10 Day Advocare Herbal Cleanse which will help restore all of the good bacteria that is expelled from my body from the colonic. The colonic at Gravity East uses the gravity system which fills your body with water through a tube and then, with a different tube, relieves toxins and waste from your body without suction (which puts a lot of pressure on the body). They will be able to see waste that is old and built up and we can decide from there if another colonic is needed sooner rather than later. I am also planning to do an infrared sauna treatment afterwards which will further rid my body of heavy metals and toxins. In July when I was doing my bloodwork for my thyroid, my heavy metals tests came back high for Mercury and Lead so this will be extremely beneficial and hopefully I will feel better afterwards.

In order to prepare for the colonic (and the advocare cleans), I am going to eliminate beans and legumes from my diet 4 days prior, dairy, fried foods, and soda 2 days prior (not that I eat that anyway) and 1 day prior and the day of, no meat. I am going to eat a lot of salads (just like I normally do) but cut back on anything that isn't raw, steamed, blanched, or slightly cooked. With Ryan traveling this will be much easier! Monday I am having friends over for lunch and was planning to slow cook pork and sweet potatoes. This will be a good "last supper." but still be healthy and clean. I am doing a FreshDirect order with a lot of vegetables, salmon, tilapia, no refined carbs (pasta, bread, grains), and some quinoa. Since I am eating clean prior to the colonic, the Advocare Herbal Cleanse will be a great follow-up and will help restore my body after cleaning it out! I am not looking to lose weight with the colonic, I just want to clean myself out from all of these "leftovers" so that I have room to fill my body with clean, good nutrients. I feel like I eat well and workout but something is missing. I still feel "crappy" (pun intended) and I find it hard to "stay on track" because I don't "feel good." I feel bloated and heavy and not normal no matter how many salads I eat. And not feeling well leads me to eat the bad stuff like the ice cream and chocolate and chips. If I can jumpstart my emotions and how my body feels, then it will be a lot easier to fill it with really good stuff! And yes, I am being a good wife, and doing this when my husband is not home. Everything should be expelled from the body during the session and you won't run home feeling the need to go to the bathroom, but Ryan will not want to talk about it and hear about the treatment so it is better to do while he is away!

I might do a Cooler Cleanse Juice Cleanse the day of the colonic so that my stomach is empty. I have to stop eating 4 hours prior and stop drinking 2 hours prior so that my stomach and bladder are empty which lowers the need to go to the bathroom during the treatment.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. It should be warming up soon, so go out and take a walk and enjoy life!

XO

Apple Pie for Dessert

It's snowing here in New York City. They are predicting an overnight blizzard with up to 10 inches of snow. I am sometimes doubtful of snow fall in New York because it seems to always melt faster than it can accumulate. I have lived here for 26 years and never had a snow day. I only wish tomorrow's work day will be canceled and I can stay home with Ryan and eat and hang out. However, today's activity level was a bit low and I am feeling sluggish and really need to kick myself off of the couch and get moving.

I left work and stopped at Vitamin Shoppe to pick up some of my favorite Quest Bars and chocolate powdered peanut butter. Quest Bars are a great, gluten free snack and with over 20g of protein, I always feel full and satisfied. They come in great flavors like chocolate peanut butter, banana nut muffin, chocolate chip cookie dough, mixed berries, strawberry cheesecake and apple pie. Points values range from 4 to 5 points which make it really easy to have as a filling snack or for dessert. Tonight I chose Apple Pie and after microwaving it for 20 seconds to get it soft and warm, I topped it with chocolate powdered peanut butter. With 93% less fat than peanut butter, and at only 40 calories per 2 tbsp, it's a great option for a chocolate, creamy, peanut buttery snack! I love putting this on toast, on quest bars, in my Greek yogurt, in smoothies, or alongside apples and celery. I wish I could get Ryan to eat powdered peanut butter - his favorite snack is Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, though since going gluten free he hasn't had one yet, but I wish he would switch from peanut butter to the powdered version. We read in Grain Brain that we should eat more fats and less carbs and I am all for a fat based diet, but the amount of peanut butter he eats, he could afford to lose the fat and calories and get it from healthier options like avocados.

Dinner was a simple garden lites Carrot and Raisin Souffle. It was warm and flavorful. It tasted just like a carrot cake and I was excited to see the shredded carrots and raisins in the souffle. It was real products and I felt good eating it. Normally I would have a salad or something green to go with it, but Ryan and I wanted to go out for a quick walk before the snow started to pick up.

I find it really hard to cook dinner for us during the week. Ryan and I have such different work schedules that we can't predict who will be home first and at what hour and when we will be hungry. Ryan likes to eat early so I usually come home and cook right away since he has already eaten. My resolution this year would be to have more family dinners during the week. At least 1 or 2. We do so great on the weekends cooking and eating together that it would be nice to be motivated to do that during the week. Ryan is really conscious of my weight watchers points and does ask how many points I have left for the day. It's also hard to cook dinner together unless it's already planned because he doesn't know how many points I have eaten for breakfast and lunch. But now that we are gluten free and trying out best to eat clean, a delicious salad or a piece of fish could be really easy to cook and is really low in points.

I am trying to find recipes that Ryan can have at home to help him with his clean eating. I worry that he thinks gluten free means everything is healthy. I have to explain to him that a gluten free cookie is still a cookie and gluten free pasta is still pasta and we always have to be conscious of the processed foods we eat. It's a slow process and I can't force him to be clean right away. Gluten free is a big step for him and I am so proud of the progress he has made already. This summer, it was hard for me to be gluten free when he wasn't. I craved his pizza and when I cooked, I felt like I was being sneaky using gluten free products. But now we can do it together and support each other. The most important thing for this to become a lifestyle change and not a diet is to support each other and help each other.

We have cleaned out our cabinets of gluten free products and have stocked some boxes of pasta in the cabinets and Udi's gluten free bread. Now we just need to work together to cook dinners with meats and vegetables. It is hard to keep these items fresh and it is very hard and expensive to grocery shop each night for dinner so we will have to figure out what work's best for us. I just hope that Ryan doesn't replace gluten with gluten free and not change his eating patterns. I want to cut out the "crap." I want us to be healthy so that we have a long and healthy future together. We need to eat our vegetables and lean proteins and not as many carbs and processed foods. I'm excited for this journey and what we have ahead of us.

It's been a long day and unfortunately with tomorrow's snow I don't know if I will make it to Bar Method in the morning, maybe I can squeeze in a class after work! I am saying goodnight and taking my Advocare Herbal Cleanse packet. It contains vitamins and minerals to help clean my system while I sleep.

I hope I wake up feeling refreshed and ready for whatever the day brings - hopefully more activity as today was pretty low! Only 9,534 steps (according to my fitbit) and 1 activity point earned - and that's after being awake since 4:45am and taking a bar class! It's the lack of movement during work hours. I have to remind myself to get up and move more and not be no sedentary. It's so easy to sit at my desk and rarely get up but I have to keep moving. I have to force myself to take the long way to the bathroom or to take the stairs, or even just go for a walk at lunch and not eat at my desk. It's a struggle sometimes but I know I will feel better if I just move!

A New Year, A New Me!

I wanted to start the new year with a new blog - a journey on my road to healthy living through diet and exercise. I wanted to share some of my stories, struggles and goals with myself and those who find comfort in reading this. I have had a crazy few years and whatever I have dealt with, it has led me to be a happier and healthier person.

So with that said...January 2rd, the first day back at work, back to my normal routine, back to basics, back to tracking, back to measuring, back to feeling good and hopefully for a wonderful 2014!

I was on and off again gluten free beginning August 2013. I was diagnosed with a hyperactive thyroid and the only treatment is to remove the thyroid. At the young age of 26, I do not want to remove my thyroid yet and be placed on hormones and medication for the rest of my life. I sought out a doctor with a holistic approach who said I can use vitamins to improve my Vitamin B and D deficiencies and food that will keep me clean and healthy as well as acupuncture to lower my stress. Since then I was gluten free (until I went to Italy for my honeymoon), but with the new year, I am back to gluten free. This time it will be easier because my husband Ryan is gluten free as well. We both read the most amazing book, Grain Brain that lays out the science behind gluten and how it poisons our brains. We have chosen to be gluten free (soon to be paleo/grain free) to better our own future.

Today began bright and early, well not so bright since the sun wasn't up yet, but definitely early...too early after being on break for a week. At 4:45am my alarm went off and I stumbled out of bed to make my Advocare Spark and grab my lunch and get out of the door. I haven't been to Bar Method in a week, and I forgot just how early 4:45am really is. But once I had my Spark, things seemed to be picking up. I took the 7:15am class taught by Lara and as with any Bar Method class - I loved it and hated it all at the same time.

Bar Method 7:15am w/Lara M.

Warm-up and Arms
Thigh
Seat
Abs
Back Dancing
Final stretch

I'm tired just thinking about that 60 minute work-out. My legs were shaking the entire set of thigh and my muscles ached from doing standing seat with a straight leg. But after class, I always crave more and wish I could go back for an evening class. Bar Method has become my addiction. I had never stepped foot into a gym until I went to Bar Method. 3 years ago I entered the SoHo boutique, scared for what I was actually doing and questioning myself and why I had even purchased the new client package before actually going to a class first. My first class with Amy Duffey - one of the owners - was life changing. Pretzel had me barely able to walk down the flight of stairs that morning, yet, I was back for more. 3 years and over 400 classes later, Bar Method is my home. My friends in my life are Bar Method clients and I look forward to early mornings before the 6:30am class starts because I can't wait to see my friends and share in our passion for life and for Bar.

Being somewhere I love that early in the morning makes me happy. Yes, being in bed with my husband sleeping in would make me happy too, but I think I have forgotten what it's like to sleep, and what it feels like to not be sore. Bar Method has become a part of my life and I refuse to let it go.


My Advocare Spark was getting me through these early 4 hours and my breakfast was an Advocare Meal Replacement Shake (Chocolate) and a banana. Since we had the week off from work, I was so used to bigger breakfasts at home later in the day so I wasn't that hungry at 9:30am, but I did notice the difference between eating breakfast at home and at work. I have been on Weight Watchers for 2 years now and am always measuring and counting points so when I was at home I was still counting, but my meals were definitely more well rounded. I found a love for an egg white and oatmeal pancake that I found on my favorite blog, Peanut Butter Fingers. Her blog has been so helpful to me while learning to eat clean and healthy and balance work, life, food and fun! She is so inspirational and I love reading her posts!

I got into Advocare in October through an Instagram post and connected with a fabulous woman, Victoria, who has not become one of my really great friends. Although we have never met, we text every day - I feel a connection to her through her passion through selling Advocare and our shared commitment to eating clean and having a happy life. I started with the 24 Day Challenge and lost an average of 3 inches and 3 pounds. I lost the feeling of being bloated and the feeling of having no control over what and how much I ate. Although I was counting points for my food, I couldn't feel full or satisfied. After the challenge I continued to use the Advocare trim line. In November I went on my honeymoon to Italy and the vitamins helped me control my eating, limit my carb intake and feel full. In Italy, I never felt deprived of any of the wonderful foods that we ate and along with all of the walking that we did everyday, my weight gain was minimal and I felt in control of it. On January 1 I started the Advocare 10-herbal cleanse to give my body a reboot after all of the holiday eating and lounging around. The worst part of the cleanse is the morning Fiber Drink that you have to drink right before breakfast. My best advice - just chug it down as fast as you can. It's thick which makes it difficult but it does the job of making me feel full even before I eat. The Meal Replacement Shake is delicious when blended in a blender bottle with some ice. Total points for Breakfast: 6

My lunch was what my husband likes to call the "Leslie Lunchables." It consisted of celery, peppers, grapes, Rice Thins Gluten Free Crackers (18 crackers for 3 points), 1 slice Go Veggie 'Cheese' w/Jalapeno (1 point), Oven Roasted Deli Thin Turkey (4 slices, 1 point) and a hard-boiled egg (2 points). On the side I had a Broccoli Garden Lites Souffle (4 points). I found these little gems while on break in the freezer section of Garden of Eden and Morton Williams. I have fallen in love. They are the perfect snack, side dish or mini meal. There are a range of flavors that I have found and I have not been disappointed yet. Last night with dinner I had Cauliflower Souffle! The ingredients are extremely simple, vegetables, egg whites, onion, potato, corn starch, oil and spices. The entire souffle is 140 calories and has 11g of protein. And the taste is not the usual bland, frozen meal. It tastes like a homemade broccoli souffle. I plan to have one of these at least once a day because they are low in points, clean, gluten free and delicious!

3 Years ago, I had surgery, which was a blessing in disguise. I smoked my last cigarette 3 years ago, joined Bar Method 3 years ago, increased my daily activity, and really started to think about what I was eating. Healthy eating has not always been easy, but now it is a lifestyle and I enjoy it. Sure, I miss the pizza and the burgers, but not at 4am after a drunk night. I have learned to treat myself to pizza and burgers and savor those moments because they are special and not the every day norm. I have become accustomed to reading and understanding nutrition labels and eating clean salads filled with fruits and vegetables. I am not a registered dietician, but if I could go back to school and do this all over again, I would follow that path. My outlook on life is so much more clear now that I eat healthy and treat my body with respect. On days when I am at work sitting down for 8-9 hours a day, I feel restless and tired. My energy drops because I count minutes and eat on a schedule and barely move from my desk. I love food and I love walking and being outside and doing Bar Method. I wish everyday could be spent cooking healthy recipes and sharing them with friends and family, but on days I work, I have to help myself stay focused and stay on track. I can't always have an excuse for "fat days" - today's a birthday, today's a holiday, today is Wednesday. It doesn't matter. Every day matters and I am committed to making myself feel better through food and exercise. My husband even notices my new attitude and says I am happier and a more loving person when I am focused and determined and happy with myself.

So here is to a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

If you want to learn more about Advocare or Advocare products, visit my site at: https://www.advocare.com/131119375/default.aspx

Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored. All opinions are my own.