Insanity & Transition: Day 15!

Today was Day 15 of Transition & Insanity! The above quote pretty sums up how I felt. I didn't really feel like doing the "Fit Test" this morning but I knew I had to...unfortunately! It's brutal! However, I'm VERY happy to report that after two weeks of Insanity, I have improved on ALL AREAS of the Fit Test! Some areas more than others, but the important thing is that I DID BETTER!! 

After finishing Insanity, I decided to weigh-in. Like I said before, I'm not putting much "weight" in my weigh-ins, because a) muscle weighs more than fat and b) this is a journey of complete and total HEALTH, not a journey to get skinny. I know this sounds cliche, but I finally believe that I can do this- that I can achieve the delicate balance between food + exercise that is necessary to live a healthy life. It's not easy by any means, but for once in my life, I can see myself being able to do it and that's worth more than any number on the scale. Well, that being said, I weighed, and I'm happy to report that I'm actually DOWN a little bit! But more importantly? I'm getting muscles in my arms that I didn't know I HAD before. Talk about cool!

After all that, I celebrated with some delicious Greek yogurt + sliced strawberries w/Splenda! It was absolutely decadent. This is Week 3 of Transition, so that means I add in a cup of low-fat/sugar free dairy of some form. My dairy of choice will definitely be the Greek yogurt! I may freeze some and have it as "frozen yogurt" tomorrow.

Now while I was eating my yogurt and strawberries, Ryan was at the college, taking the last of his required exams for the paramedic program...and guess what? HE PASSED and was ACCEPTED into the paramedic program of his choice!! I am SUCH a proud girlfriend today! To celebrate, we got lunch at Wildfire!

I had a side Caesar salad, Grilled Chicken w/Artichokes, Sundried Tomatoes & Arugula and Roasted Vegetables. It was a TON of food, and so filling. And the best part about it- it was completely OP! 

Grilled Chicken w/Artichokes, Sundried Tomatoes & Arugula

Roasted Vegetables

So today, I have had:
* 4 MF meals
* 1 cup of Chobani 0% plain yogurt
* 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries
* 1 medium apple
* Side Caesar salad (Wildfire)
* Grilled chicken w/artichokes, sundried tomatoes & arugula (Wildfire)
* Roasted vegetable medley (Wildfire)
* 2 cans of Diet Dr. Pepper
* LOTS of water + green tea
* 1 cup of coffee to keep me awake while studying!

Today has definitely been a good one- which is pretty unusual for a Monday! I am off to finish homework and studying. This week is going to be slightly crazy, with exams and presentations- but I am looking forwards to the midnight showing of "The Avengers" on Thursday night, and then a choir concert, led by my professor, on Friday night! 

Stay STRONG, Sexy and Healthy!

-K

Insanity & Transition: Day 14!

Today was Day 14 of  Insanity &Transition, so it's officially been TWO WEEKS already since I started both! I can't believe how fast the time went by! Today is my "Rest Day" and I'm taking full advantage of it! The Fit Test is tomorrow...which I'm absolutely dreading! Hopefully I will have improved from the first time I did it, two weeks ago!

A quick update on the scale! I am back down to 123.4, which is my lowest while on the 5&1 with Medifast! This proves that Transition REALLY DOES WORK. Initially, I was terrified, because I assumed that my weight would shoot up, what with the added carbs + intense exercise, and it did a little, but I'm pleased to say that I weigh this, plus I'm getting muscle definition too! Win-win!

So today, I woke up early, studied for my music exam and just kind of enjoyed my Sunday! Ryan and I had rotisserie chicken + zucchini/squash for lunch. It's one of our favorite meals, since it's insanely easy, plus it tastes wonderful! Our new favorite grocery store has SUPER cheap vegetables and fruit, so there's really no excuse for not buying fresh! The rotisserie chicken was, in Ryan's word, "succulent" haha!

I finally got to try the Laughing Cow Cinnamon Cream Cheese- and let me tell you, they are scary-amazing!! They are going into the back of the fridge, along with the Strawberry ones, so I can't overindulge! They definitely get a THUMBS UP from me! (The only downside is that I could only find all three kinds at Walmart- not my favorite store in the world. o_O)

Laughing Cow Cinnamon Cream Cheese Spread = <3!

I can't tell you how excited I am for tomorrow! I get to add in DAIRY! Technically, I could have dairy if I wanted to for my Lean while on the 5&1- in the form of some cheeses, 0% Plain Greek Yogurt, etc. but that would have been my Lean. Starting tomorrow, in ADDITION to the 1 cup of veggies, 2 whole fruits (or 1 cup cubed fruit)...I get to add some form of dairy! I bought Chobani 0% Plain Greek Yogurt, so I'll probably add a packet of Splenda and freeze it- frozen yogurt- and add some strawberries! Can you say YUM!?

So today, I've had:

* 4 MF meals

* 2 apples

* 1 cup raw baby carrots

* 6 oz. rotisserie chicken

* Sauteed zucchini & squash w/garlic, s&p

* 2 cans of Diet A&W root beer

* LOTS of water & tea!

Here's the third episode of "The Skinny on Obesity"- I really love these mini shows! I guess I've never really thought about the science behind dieting and weight-gain but it's definitely an important component!

I'll leave you with a picture of me...being silly...with an AWESOME frame that I found on my webcam that I never used until a few days ago! PANDAS!! <3

 Stay STRONG, Sexy & Healthy!


-K

Insanity & Transition: Day 13!

Today was Day 13 of Insanity & Transition! And today is also Saturday, which means I had ZUMBA too! I had a plan of attack...and carried it out, but I am definitely feeling it tonight. I woke up uber early, did the workout for the day, which was SUPPOSED to be "Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs" but due to my mix-up yesterday, I had to switch days, so I did "Cardio Power & Resistance" today. It wasn't extremely difficult- but it definitely wasn't easy. I chugged my entire water jug during the workout- and it's 60oz. so that's telling you something! Let me tell you: MOVING PUSHUPS SUCK! I don't think I'm doing them right, so I'm going to have Ryan check me out next time and tell me what to fix!

After that, I relaxed a bit and then changed for Zumba! It was my second to last class (*tear!*) and I'm really able to follow along quite easily now! I really love my instructor- as she's really fun and cracks jokes during the workout! I'm contemplating taking her summer class...if I have time!

Then FINALLY, when Zumba was done, I came home and ate a BUNCH of scrambled eggs, made with 2 whole eggs + 1 cup of Eggbeaters! Delish. Check out this ginormous pile of eggs!

Ryan and I went to Red Robin for lunch and since I had my "Lean" as eggs, I ordered a Caesar Salad- no croutons of course! But OHMYGOSH. Look at what was on my table as I was ordering...I mean, REALLY!? I'm not going to say I was dreaming of what they might taste like...but no wonder our society has weight issues. Things like THIS are surrounding us, day in and day out. :(



Absolutely ridiculous, right?



Not cool. And of course, even with things like that surrounding us, we're still supposed to all weigh 90lbs and look modelesque? Yeah right. We live in a very warped world, but we need to try to rise above it all and put our health and happiness first!

After Red Robin, we went to go see "The Raven" with John Cusack! SO GOOD! Go see it. I went prepared with my *healthy food snacks*- ie: my baggie of baby carrots, an apple and a Diet Dr. Pepper. I swear, I keep wondering when I'm going to get caught but hey, THEY DON'T HAVE HEALTHY OPTIONS AT CONCESSIONS! So a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! 

As we were leaving, I saw the android guy and HAD to get a picture with him! How cute is he?!

Oh and I know this isn't really related to health...but hey, it's beauty! I was in desperate need of some more Bare Escentuals make up (my favorite!) and got an AWESOME deal on full sizes of Mineral Veil, Foundation, Faux Tan and a Lip Gloss...complete with a pink damask + white makeup bag...I had a gift card, so I only ended up paying $5! WOOT!

Oh and I almost forgot...today, I ate:

* 4 MF meals
* 2 green apples
* 1 cup of raw baby carrots
* 2 whole eggs + 1 cup Eggbeaters, scrambled
* 1 Caesar salad from Red Robin

* 1can of Diet Dr. Pepper
* LOTS of water, as usual...slacked on the green tea today. </3

And if anyone liked the video posted in yesterday's blog...here's Episode 2 of "The Skinny on Obesity" for you:

Stay STRONG, Sexy & Healthy!

-K

Insanity & Transition: Day 12!

So today was Day 12 of Insanity and Transition! I did Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs but only AFTERWARDS realized that I was actually supposed to do Cardio Power & Resistance! Oh well, I'll just do that one tomorrow! A little switcheroo there! My ankle didn't hurt anymore but today's workout was TOUGH. It is basically almost a full hour workout! I felt awesome afterwards- a little annoyed that I messed the schedule up, but oh well. As stated above- progress, not perfection!

So as a daily weigher, I'm trying my hardest to just *breathe* and let go of that number on the scale...BUT I am still weighing, so I can see how exercise & MF are working together. I expected to gain a bit during Transition, since I'm adding in carbs, and I was fine with that. However, I stepped on today to see 123.6! That's only .2 above my lowest on MF so far, when I was doing the 5&1! That made me SO happy because I know body is adjusting to the exercise/carbs now- and somehow, I'm still losing! *happy dancing + happy jazz hands!*

And in keeping with the theme of "progress, not perfection"- let's talk about my food for the day, shall we? I started a KISS challenge (Keep It Simple Sexies!) and the goal is to keep our L&G's super simple, no extra condiments, etc. Well...the above picture is what I was planning on eating- and that was it. BUT...I "caved" into a SF Jello cup snack (okay, that sounds insane, since there's basically nothing in those, but just for the integrity of the challenge, meh) and then later on, I got my package of MF meals that I bought for uber cheap from someone else...and found a Ranch Soy Crisp snack in there- and was like:*OHMYGOSH NOMNOMNOM!* Yeah. That's two snacks- two that I wasn't planning on eating. But it was either that or gnawing off my arm and the first is probably better, as I need my arms to finish out Insanity! ^_^

Random Picture of the Day: My group has a few other Hello Kitty ladies...and here's my new HK shirt!

Anyways, here's what I had to eat today:

* 4 MF meals
* 1 cup of raw baby carrots
* 1 1/2 servings of steamed (okay, microwaved) broccoli
* 5 oz. ground beef
* 2 green apples
* 1 SF Jello Cup (bah)
* 1 Ranch Soy Crisp packet (bah x2)
* LOTS of water + tea
* 1 can Diet Dr. Pepper + 1 can of Diet Root Beer

I know I should probably try to cut back on the soda again...but hey, I need SOMETHING to splurge on. Insanity and Medifast together are challenging enough- and my scale hasn't been affected so far. But I hope to phase out the soda too- to stick with my healthy lifestyle! ^_^

This video is EYE-OPENING! Since I have adapted a low-carb diet, I don't watch calories. Instead, I watch what my day is made up of. This basically says flat out that: "A CALORIE IS NOT A CALORIE!" And how our society pushes "low-fat" and "fat-free" things which are actually not much better for you, since they are overcompensating for that fat elsewhere- most likely carbs and sugar. Can't wait to watch the rest in this series!

Anyways, Stay STRONG, Sexy & Healthy!

-K

Insanity & Transition: Day 11!

Yeah, that sounds about right! I know this sounds super corny, but THIS IS MY YEAR! Anyways, today was Day 11 of Insanity and Transition! Today was "Cardio Recovery" - thank goodness. My ankle was feeling MUCH better, but I was definitely feeling like THIS for awhile:

I'm SO grateful that Ryan grabbed me some of those "Cool 'N Heat" patches- because I put it on all night last night and woke up feeling pretty damn good. They really do work! I've smelled like Bengay (MINTY!) for awhile though...I apologize to anyone who has had to smell me lately. ^_^ Anyways, "Cardio Recovery" went pretty well...there were a few spots where you had to put your weight on your ankles- like the Downward Dog position, so that wasn't too enjoyable- but I pushed through and got 'er done!

 

nomnomnom. so yum.

So today, I ate:

* 4 MF meals (seen above)

* 5 oz. of 90% ground beef
* 1 cup of canned sweet corn
* Raw slices of cucumber (so good to munch on!)

* 1/2 cup of red grapes (so sweet and amazing!)

* 1 green apple

* 3+ cups of green tea

* 1 SF Jello cup



I just wanted to take a minute and *reflect* on how Transition has been going so far! I'm nearing the end of my second week and I honestly can't believe how quick it's going by. I remember I could hardly WAIT for "fruit week" to get here and now it's almost done! Don't worry though, I still get fruit next week...and my cup of extra veggies...AND a dairy product, which I'll probably do in the form of yogurt cups!

I feel so in control of my body and health at the moment, which, as I was telling a friend earlier, is SO LIBERATING, which is pretty ironic, since you usually don't associate having control with being free- but it really is. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life, I'm NOT obsessing over my body or weight. I can step on the scale and go "Oh, okay!" even if it's gone up, because I know I'm eating what I should. And I'm not binging on foods I shouldn't either. I'm just in a happy place right now with my body and health and I hope I can maintain this for the rest of my life because it feels AH-MA-ZING! ^_^

Anyways, Stay STRONG, sexy & HEALTHY!

-K 

Insanity & Transition: Day 10!

Well...I definitely am uncomfortable! :P Today is Day 10 of Insanity & Transition! I woke up early and did today's workout, which was "Plyometric Cardio Circuit." Unfortunately, during one the exercises- the one where you "run it out while doing a pushup"- I think I hurt my ankle because I can barely walk on it now! I'm icing it up right now and hoping it feels better tomorrow. Thank god tomorrow is a recovery day, so I think I'll be fine!

Aside from being Wednesday, today was special because I had a Skype date with Medifast themselves! Before skyping with them, I practiced with my MF friend Amber- and took a picture of me with my new panda mug from Melissa! I can't wait to Skype with all of my MF friends!

My new favorite cup to drink green tea out of!

Anyways, I skyped with Medifast and all I can say is *wee!* I don't want to spill too many details and jinx myself, but I am crossing my fingers and toes and staying hopeful! ^_^

So for today, I ate:

* 4 MF meals

* 3 eggs, scrambled

* Canned green beans (again...yes, I'm boring!)

* 1 cup of raw baby carrots

* 2 apples (my favorite!)

* 1 SF Jello cup

* Lots of green tea & water and one bottle of Diet Coke!

I had a short day at work, since I had my Skype meeting. Here's what I brought to work this morning:

My office "survival kit" for this morning! Those are green beans in the red Tupperware. ^_^

These next couple of weeks are going to be pretty busy, as finals are coming up and then the summer semester begins already! I am signed up for an early (and I'm talking 8am) Speech course and a Sociology course on Mondays & Wednesdays this summer! I'm loving that I have gotten into a routine with MF and Insanity that I can count on. I need to be able to continue this into the summer, so I'll have to do some careful planning!!

Stay STRONG, Sexy & Healthy!

-K

Insanity & Transition: Day 9!



Today was Day 9 of Insanity and Transition! I woke up early (it's becoming habit...well, and thanks to Ryan, my human alarm clock!), made a spice pancake and put in the "Pure Cardio" DVD...and all I can say is, I'm SO glad that I had my 60oz. jug of water handy, as well as a towel. This is not an easy workout- but I felt so incredibly accomplished at the end!

Afterwards, I made 3 Morning Star Farms Maple Sausage Patties, along with a Peanut Butter Soft Serve (as my protein recovery drink), green tea and a wedge of Laughing Cow Strawberry Cream Cheese. So delicious.

That Strawberry Cream Cheese by Laughing Cow is AMAZING. But so addicting.

Then, I headed off to class and work...and had the rest of my food there. I stopped at home before my night class and much to my surprise...found THIS waiting for me, sent to me by one of my closest MF friends- Melissa! ^_^

How amazingly cute is this?! I am so lucky to have such good friends who know me so well!

So today, I ate...

* 4 MF meals
* 3 Morning Star Farms Maple Sausage Patties
* 1 wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese (Strawberry Cream Cheese- Healthy Fat)
* Canned green beans (yuck...but it had to be done)

* 1 apple

* 1 banana (that wasn't enjoyable since it wasn't fully ripe...ugh.)

* 1 SF Jello cup
* 1 slice of 2% American cheese (counted as a bit of extra protein)

I was SO FREAKING HUNGRY today, hence the Jello cup and the cheese. I could've easily ate more. I think it was due to Insanity and today being Pure Cardio. I may add in extra protein each day, but we'll see what Nutrition Support from MF says!

Oh, I just have to put this in here. I am shocked at how absolutely weight-obsessed our society is. I was sitting in my night class (Intro to American Music) and almost fell out of my chair when my professor said something of this sort (in reference to how in operas, the singers don't dance- rather, ballet dancers do): "Who went to the opera last week? Remember the baritone? The big blonde? She was pushing at least 300 pounds. Who wants to see her dancing around? It'd be like a great white whale trying to do the boogie!"

*sigh.*

Yes, being healthy IS good for the body and soul (hence this blog), but to make fun of someone who has an amazing voice- to judge them solely on their looks- is just plain asinine. Rawr. >_<

In happier news, I have my Skype meeting w/Medifast tomorrow about a certain something! Wish me luck!

Stay STRONG, Sexy and Healthy!

-K

Insanity & Transition: Day 8!

 

Today was Day 8 of Insanity & Transition! I woke up at 6am and THOUGHT about putting off my workout until tonight...but decided to suck it up and do it! Today's workout was "Cardio Power Resistance" and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite workouts! I almost started cracking up doing it though, because my closed captioning said THIS on the screen:

 

Hehe! The girl "squeaked"- most DEFINITELY not Shaun T! Anyhow, it was a tough one, but I pushed through it. Afterwards, I decided to weigh-in for my "Week 2 in Transition" and I was holding my breath...but was pretty satisfied to see that I am still under my goal weight! I had seen the scale go up a bit this week, but I knew it was due to water retention and muscle formation (hopefully!) and not to worry! I really love having this peace of mind as far as my body goes. I know that if I treat it well, with food as fuel and exercise daily, it will be kind to me in return.

After Insanity, I had my first taste of FRUIT in a long time! Since today marks the beginning of Week 2 of Transition, I am now able to have two pieces of medium-sized fresh fruit, along with the addition of extra veggies! I had a green apple w/my apple cinnamon oatmeal this morning. Nomnomnom!

 

Later, Ryan and I went to Benihana's for my belated birthday meal! I ordered the Jumbo Shrimp and it came with SO MUCH SHRIMP so I had lots of leftovers (speaking of which...I think they're still in the car...oops.) Anyways, Ryan surprised me with a cute ceramic cat cup that I've said I wanted! Who cares if they're supposed to be for kids 12 and under...I'm a kabuki kid at heart!

Soup, salad, tea & cat!

 

So today, I ate:

* 4 MF meals (this week, I cut back one meal!)

* 2 apples (one w/breakfast, the other in the afternoon)

* Onion broth soup w/mushrooms & scallions (no tempura bits for me)

* House salad w/ginger dressing

* Grilled colossal shrimp w/lemon (didn't weigh, but eyeballed the portion)

* 5 cups of green tea! (and more on this too!)
* LOTS of water, as usual.

Anyways, today has been a good day! As you can see, I drink copious amounts of tea. For those of you that know me, I have become obsessed w/green tea. It's so delicious AND good for you! See?



My new favorite flavor of green tea! <3

Anyways, I'm off to finish some homework and get ready for the school/work week!

Stay Strong, Sexy & Healthy!

-K

Insanity & Transition: Day 7!

Today was Day 7 of Transition and Insanity! This morning, I woke up early at the hotel and had a little bit of scrambled eggs from the hotel breakfast buffet. I wish I could've had more but everything else was high-carb and not on-plan (ie: waffles, toast, bagels, etc.). It wasn't that enjoyable (and having worked at a hotel doing breakfast, I can tell you that it's definitely not gourmet) so I wasn't missing much! We headed out and ate at Smashburger and then saw "The Cabin in the Woods" at the theater!

I have to say, it was SO HARD to stay on-plan yesterday and today, because I REALLY wanted to order a pizza for the hotel...and get popcorn at the theater. Yeah, I drank more Coke Zero than is probably healthy, but I didn't give in to anything else, so I'm proud.

I will be weighing tomorrow, but I won't be putting any "weight" into the number (ahha) because I'm NOT making this about some silly number and instead, focusing on how I feel. AND I FEEL PRETTY DAMN GOOD!

A very sleepy me and my handy-dandy Shaker Bottle this morning @ the hotel!

So today, I've eaten:

* 5 MF meals
* a little bit of the "scrambled eggs" from the hotel buffet.

* a burger from Smashburger (no bun w/grilled onions + pickles)
* small iceberg wedge salad, also from Smashburger 

* 1 cup of raw baby carrots (ate these at the movie theater!)
* and I'm currently working on my jug of water- a MUST!

I'm INSANELY excited for tomorrow to come...because that means I GET TO EAT FRUIT! That sounds crazy, yes, but it's high carb, which means fruit is off-limits in the 5&1. Ryan is out getting me some apples and bananas as I type. Nomnomnom.

Oh, and I'm going to include a countdown to the various 5k's that I've signed up for! Here we go:

KELSEY'S 5K COUNTDOWN:

20 days to the "Groovin' in the Grove" 5k
56 days to the WARRIOR DASH!

111 days to the Deerwood "Beat The Heat" 5k in MINNESOTA!

I'm off to do the 15-minute Abs workout from Insanity w/Ryan in a bit, just for the heck of it. Sunday (today) is technically my rest day, but hey, this can't hurt!

Stay Strong, Sexy & Healthy!

-K 

Insanity & Transition: Day 6!

So today was Day 6 of Insanity & Transition! I woke up early to tackle Insanity and I was somewhat surprised. Today was Plyometric Cardio Circuit and I thought it would be easier, since I'd already done five days. WRONG! For some reason, I was drenched at the end of the workout and went through about 80oz. of water!

Then, I went to Zumba afterwards! I really enjoy Zumba, as you don't feel as you're actually working out. I was pretty nervous to start at the beginning of the semester, as I have NO sense of balance or coordination anymore- but surprisingly, I caught on pretty quickly! I only have a few more classes left...*tear.*

As far as today's food goes, I ate:
* 5 MF meals
* a small wedge salad w/dressing on the side @ TGI Fridays
* Dragonfire Chicken w/o sauce and extra broccoli
* 1 cup of raw baby carrots
* 3 Coke Zeroes at the hotel but I'm chugging water too!

I can't wait for Monday, because fruit gets re-introduced! Can't wait to get my hands on some delicious pineapple! And strawberries! *drooling...*

Oh and I wanted to say how thankful I am for some of my new friends! I met up with two of them last night for dinner- so fun! I forsee a lot more fun times with them- all WITHOUT having our time together revolve around food. Instead, PEDICURES! ^_^

Me and my new panda from Jennifer! His name is Mofo! ^_^

Well, I'm off! Time to watch another horror movie with my favorite guy! Hopefully I can get some more hot tubbing time in tomorrow morning as well. I need to soak this poor body!

Stay Strong, Sexy and Healthy!

-K