Halfway There

I am a week into my 14-day journey on the South Beach Phase 1 diet and I have mixed feelings at this point.  At 3 days in last week, I was pretty stoked to step on the scale and find myself down 1.5 lbs.  Then things got a little weird on both Thursday and Friday when I saw that I had gained weight both days.  Not cool.

Even less cool...when my husband stepped on the scale on Friday and he was down 5 lbs.  Kind of a dick move on his part.  Especially since his version of this diet apparently includes soft drinks.  You can imagine my feelings of wanting to slap the smile off his face after seeing his surprising weight loss.  That combined with the 2 hours I spent sitting on my front porch freezing my ass off on Wednesday night passing out candy to little kids....without alcohol I might add....has left me somewhat unsure of this whole diet thing.

On the one hand, I haven't really seen any weight loss (I'm only looking to shave off about 5 lbs...is that so much to ask??), but I do feel like my body is appreciative of my conscious effort to put good things into it.  In the last week, I haven't felt hungry during the day or at night, and I haven't felt any remorse about anything I've eaten either.  Definitely a plus on both fronts.  I'm also realizing that what I am eating on SBD isn't altogether different than what I eat normally.  Which may explain my lack of tangible results. 

So what do I miss most?  Fruit.  Since sugar is a strict no-no during these 14 days, fruit is off limits because of all the natural sugars in it.  I'm a firm believer that Honeycrisp apples are a gift from the Baby Jesus himself around this time of year and I have not been able to enjoy my normal go-to fall snack the last 7 days.  I miss it.  Something else I miss....an easy breakfast.  Maybe I'm not creative enough, but I am having a hard time finding protein other than eggs to eat in the morning.  And eggs are something I actually have to cook.  And I HATE having to spend the extra time doing that in the morning.  My go to breakfast during the work week has been eggs scrambled with veggies (usually spinach or zucchini) and turkey bacon.  It's a bit harder to eat in my car on my way to work than toast or oatmeal, but I manage.  Sort of.

Other than that, it's pretty easy to stay on track.  I've always brought my lunch to work, and I've always packed healthy, so that's nothing new to me.  I've had to be a little more on top of things as far as meal-planning goes, but that's fine by me.  Planning meals into the second week has been a little tougher since I'm trying not to be repetitive, but it's actually helping me to branch out a little from my normal "go-to" meals.

Just to give you an idea, here is a breakdown of what I made for dinner last week:

Monday: Blackened Salmon w/ Roast veggies (squash, zucchini, sweet onion, bell pepper)
Tuesday: Chicken stuffed with sauteed spinach & goat cheese, side of seasoned green beans
Wednesday: Grilled chicken salad (husband had to work, and salad is my go-to meal when I'm cooking for 1)
Thursday: Taco salad with avocado & pico de gallo (I use ground turkey instead of ground beef and spicy taco seasoning for a kick)
Friday: Turkey sausage & sauerkraut
Saturday: Steaks on the grill and roasted veggies on the side

Truth be told, these are all recipes I've done many times...just with a more conscious effort to keep them as healthy as possible.  I'm no Martha Stewart, but I think I do okay and husband doesn't complain (only compliments from him!)

So, we'll see how the next 7 days turn out.  I have been keeping up with my running in combination with all of this (I really feel repulsive when I don't work out), and I do feel good.  No regrets so far, just a bit of disappointment that I haven't shed more (or any) weight thus far.  Depending on how I feel after day 14, I may keep the diet into effect until Thanksgiving just for good measure...that is if the bucket of leftover Halloween candy in our entry way stops taunting me.  I've not given in yet, but I'm worried some of those M&Ms might accidentally fall into my mouth if I'm not careful.  Moreover I'm worried my husband will wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of candy wrappers in the living room only to find me passed out with an empty Halloween bucket in my hand and a face covered in chocolate and shame.  I think he's legitimately worried about that too.

The Truth about Running

Okay, here's the deal.....like many of my dear readers, I was not born a skinny bitch.  I don't have that genetic make-up which allows me eat and drink whatever I want without the worry of gaining weight or having a muffin top.  I wish I was.  I really freakin' do.  The long of the short of it is that even if I eat a balanced, healthy, calorie-conscious diet, I still have to work out or else I WILL gain weight.  Period.  End of story. 

For whatever reason I decided that a great way to stay in shape was to take up running.  I always wanted to be a runner, but just never had the drive to do it.  So, a couple years ago I signed myself up for some local races and enlisted my family members to do them with me.  I figured if I was paying for them, I better get my ass in gear and start training...and train I did!  This past year, in the same races, I shaved over 14 minutes off my time in the Papa John's 10-miler.  Go me!  I'll admit I've had days (okay, weeks) where I have been seriously slacking in the running department and opted for the elliptical instead, but this summer I made a committment to myself that I would run no less than 10 miles a week, without fail.  And, I've been sticking to it, sometimes running anywhere from 15-17 miles in a week. 

But I've got a secret for you........

I hate running.

There, I said it.  I hate every mile of it.  Even though I've gotten better at it, and I've improved my time, and I'm in shape, I still. hate. running.  My knees hurt.  My hip hurts.  I'm often so tired I have daydreams of taking naps, but I run on.  Why do I do this to myself?  I keep hearing runners talk about this thing called a "runner's high".  Ummm....that does not exist.  This I can assure you.  The only "high" I get from running is when I can beat my boyfriend's time and rub it in his face.  That's pretty fun.  But other than that, not so fun. 

I'll admit that I love the feeling I get after a good run.  I'm energized and feel good about myself, and I love beating my old times and seeing the progress I've made over the last two years.  I will also admit that sometimes when I run on the treadmill at the gym, I imagine that there is a candybar (Almond Joy, to be specific) dangling in front of the machine and I am running towards it.  I know using chocolate as a motivator for working out may be counter-productive, but I'm sorry...It's an addiction.  My name is Taryn and I run for chocolate. 

So, despite my love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with running, I have decided once I reach 50 followers I am going to reward myself with a new pair of running shoes. (Don't worry sassy readers....I have also decided that if I ever reach 100 followers, I am doing a giveaway for you!  Oh, and it will be super fabulous because I'm super fabulous, and my readers deserve only the best!).  Side note...is it wrong that I'm "rewarding" myself with shoes that are meant solely (pun intended) to torture me into an activity which I despise for the most part.  What can I say...masochism is my thing. 

So, there you have it...tell yo kids, tell yo wives (don't hide 'em) that I need 14 more followers to get my new runnin' shoes.  Oh, and I only need 64 more followers to give away fabulous things.  Happy Monday!

These are my confessions...

....just when I said all I thought I could say, my chick on the side says she got one on the way....

Haha, so now that we got that out of the way, I want to try something new...Friday Confessional.  I'll try to keep it PG for all those readers that scare easily...lol.

I Confess...that for one night at dinner this week, I had Asparagus, Skinny Girl Margaritas, and marsh mellows.  Sad but true.

I Confess....that I had that weird "asparagus pee" smell going on for about 24 hours after said dinner....

I Confess....that every time I stumble upon "Secret Life of the American Teenager" I agree that it is by far the stupidest show I have ever seen and then immediately watch 2-3 episodes back to back.  (Side note...WTF is up with this show?  Have things changed THAT MUCH since I was a teenager and this really is the secret life of the american teenager?  Holy crap, please say no....)

I Confess....that at one point this week I told my boyfriend to quit kissing me because it was distracting me from eating chocolate...

I Confess....that sometimes I think of dumping my boyfriend for chocolate.  Or ice cream.  Or Cake.  Or cupcakes.  Definitely cupcakes.

I Confess....that I miss my girlfriends....and I don't see them nearly enough.....:-(

I Confess....that I feel confident that I need a Pimp Cup (if you don't know what a Pimp Cup is....check out Miss PinkLouLou's bloggy) for everything in my everyday life...including a teeth brushing, bill paying, gym time, sexy time, sleepy time, etc., etc., etc., pimp cup...

I Confess....that I would still really like to find a summer pool membership (or a friend to mooch their pool for the summer)...preferably one where alcoholism is encouraged, and there are little to no small children running around doing cannonballs....

I Confess...that as I write this here bloggy on my back patio, the kids are doing this...

....waiting for me to love on them....

I Confess....that I wish I had a fenced in yard so the kids to come play with me while I write my bloggy :-(

I Confess...that I may or may not still be sweating out white trash margaritas from the lake this past weekend...

I Confess....that I'm not above shameless self-promotion....

I Confess....that I need more bloggy followers and twitter followers....(@TarynLeighLo).....

I Confess....that I HATE my guy's new hours at work.  Barf.

I Confess....that I wish my legs looked like this....

I Confess....that I can't have a Friday Confessional without leaving you with this....

Oh, and also, I Confess....that Usher's abs are two scoops of yum....

So, there you have it....my PG confessions for the week...happy Friday friends and bloggers!



The 4 C's....

No, I'm not talking about diamonds (sad face)....I'm talking about the real 4 C's...the one's I know well.  Too well. 

Cookies.  Candy.  Cake.  Chocolate.

I love them.  I hate them.  I want them.  Damnit I hate them again!

Here's the point, folks...I have a sweet tooth.  A big one.  It's to the point where I cannot keep sweets in the house at all.  Or else this happens....

....please tell me someone else has experienced this kind of shame before and I'm not alone.  On a daily basis I find myself silently (and sometimes not so silently) cursing the universe for not being born one of those stick figure girls who can eat anything.  I have to work really hard to maintain my physique and to be honest it still needs a lot of work!  Ugh!

Don't get me wrong...I do enjoy a splurge meal every now and then or a cup (okay maybe a bucket) of Orange Leaf here and there, but anything beyond that becomes a problem.  I have NO self control. Enter the reason why I cannot keep sweets in the house.

I continue to be amazed by people who have this whole "self-control" thing figured out.  Take my friend Whitney, for example.  Everytime I go to her house, she has either a bowl of Starburst Jelly Beans or a package of Peppermint Patties that never seem to deplete!  How does she do this??????  It's not even my house and within a minute and a half of being there I have consumed 2 handfuls.  What is wrong with me??  These things wouldn't last two days in my presence.  Okay, who am I kidding....they wouldn't last an hour. 

Even my boyfriend has this hideous "self control" trait as well.  He has (literally) bags of candy and chocolate sitting at his place that he NEVER touches!  Seriously, I didn't even know chocolate had the ability to go bad until I met him and dug into a bag of m&ms he had in his kitchen.  They were that old.  WTF?  I guess in my presence chocolate never gets a chance to go bad.  The first thing I do when I walk into his house is get a piece of candy....no really, just ask him.  In my head, I've even started referring to his place as "the place where I go to get fat".  For realz.

On rare occasions I do rationalize a 4 C's purchase at the grocery store but almost always in single servings.  A few weeks ago I had a root canal and decided that I "needed" an entire gallon of frozen yogurt at the house to get me through it.  Ummmmmm.....well I'm not sure what happened, but I must have blacked out because when I came to, the gallon was half gone and I had to dispose of it in the outside garbage so as not to continue down the path of self-shame and finish the rest. 

Take the below sequence of events, for example. 

Let's all have some cake!

Mmmm...cake is yummy...

Hey can you all keep it down, I'm trying to eat my cake...notice everyone has backed away from the cake now...I probably growled at them like a dog when someone gets too close to his food bowl.

Finally came up for a breather...but wait....

Apparently not done with the eating of the cake...if this isn't a cry for help, I don't know what is....

So there's the proof...chocolate is my lover and cake is my mistress.  Feel free to check me into the Betty Crocker Clinic right alongside Miranda Hobbs....